This Really Irks Me

Update: In a miracle, Bobby Cox let Jorge Campillo throw a complete game. Granted, it was only an 8-inning complete game, but he must have been reading my blog last night. It's the only explanation. Don't you dare mention that he only threw 100 pitches. I'm warning you.
So I was watching the Braves game tonight, and in the top of the 8th, the Braves score 3 to make it 9-3 Braves. Most of us would figure the game is pretty much over. They just need to take care of business and the night's over. Right? I love Bobby Cox, and he is one of the best active and all-time managers. However, the one thing I will never agree with him on is his use of the bullpen.

He is a strict odds guy with his bullpen. He loves righty-righty and lefty-lefty matchups so much so that I can easily predict when he'll waddle out to the mound to change pitchers. Now, on normal nights, this might not be such a bad thing (although extremely annoying), and even makes sense. Yet, tonight, they are up by six, and he is still doing this. I understand the game's not over until the 27th out is officially in someone's glove, but seriously, when Royce Ring gets the first out of the eighth on four pitches, let him pitch the rest of the inning. Instead, Cox brings in Blaine Boyer to face the righties. He gets one out and then gives up a double, and because Casey Kotchman comes up, Bobby shuffles to the mound to bring in Ohman. Kotchman is a good hitter, but I think Boyer could have gotten him out. Luckily, Cox let Ohman finish the game.

So in conclusion, Charlie Morton pitches 6 solid innings, Manny Acosta pitches the seventh, Braves score 3 to lead 9-3, Ring pitches to one batter, Boyer pitches to two, Ohman pitches to the rest. That's five pitchers. At the most, the Braves should have used four (I think Boyer could have pitched two making it three, but that's being a little greedy and petty). Before you say that it was just one more pitcher, that would be 162 more appearances than necessary during the season. That's a little high due to circumstances, but with a tired bullpen already, one of those guys could have used a night off and pitched tomorrow night. Before you say that they only threw a few pitches, you have to remember that most of the pitches come warming up in the bullpen, so it really doesn't matter that Ring only threw 4 pitches. Only throwing a lot of pitches will make a difference. Bobby does this all the time, and it really bothers me (I guess a pet peeve if you want to call it that). It's really the only thing I can complain about in regards to Cox, but I can't help but wonder if his abuse of the bullpen led to injuries of Peter Moylan, Rafael Soriano, etc.