Major League Baseball

When the pre-World Series layoff actually mattered

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:24 p.m. ET

foxsports

I was asked more times than I can count leading up to the World Series “How will the layoffs - five days for the Royals and four for the Giants - affect these teams?” Over and over again I said, “Likely not much, with the exception of maybe the pitchers in the bullpen.” The effect, as it turns out, was even greater than I thought.

In Game 2 of the World Series, the Yordano Ventura-Jake Peavy matchup was basically a draw. Both starters pitched into the 6th and combined for six runs allowed and just three strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings. Neither dazzled. It was the relievers that made the difference and it wasn’t pretty for the Giants.

Jean Machi has been fantastic for Bruce Bochy’s club this season. He was Bochy’s go-to guy in the middle of an inning. Machi pitched in 71 games, the most of any Giants reliever. He induced 12 double plays via the ground ball - tied for 5th in MLB amongst relief pitchers. That’s not a surprise considering his 52% groundball rate - a better than average number. He also inherited 40 runners in the regular season - tied for 10th in the National League. Machi was used to putting out fires.

Bochy called upon Machi in the bottom of the 6th inning with the score tied 2-2, nobody out and runners on 1st and 2nd. Billy Butler was at bat. He of 21 double plays hit into this year - tied for 4th in the American League, despite Butler having fewer at-bats than anyone in the top 10. In other words, the stars were aligned perfectly for Bochy. Except for one problem.

Relievers like consistency; we crave it. Consistent use puts relief pitchers in the best possible position to succeed. Ned Yost has been terrific at this with his trio of bullpen studs. Machi had gotten consistent use all season, but had logged a grand total of just 1/3 of an inning over two games in the past 17 days leading into Game 2. He wasn’t used to that kind of time off.

Machi relies heavily on his split-finger fastball, a pitch he threw 49% of the time in 2014, more than any other reliever in baseball. The split can be a power pitch, but it still requires touch and feel. Like most off-speed pitches, it needs consistent use to be its best.

If you doubt the impact of off days on off-speed pitches, go back and look at James Shields’ changeup in Game 1 after 11 days off. And also take a gander at Michael Wacha’s split/change in Game 5 of the NLDS after 20 days off. They weren’t sharp and that is a reasonable expectation.

Machi started the at-bat to Butler with two fastballs out of the zone. He took them both. With the count 2-0, he had to throw the pitch he had the most confidence in delivering a quality strike. He went back to the fastball, a pitch he threw just 36% of the time this season, the 7th lowest percentage in MLB. It was on the outer third of the plate and Butler ripped it into left field for a single. Lorenzo Cain scored, the Royals went up 3-2 and they never looked back.

It’s nobody’s fault that Machi hasn’t gotten the regular work this postseason that he was used to in the regular season. The Giants haven’t needed him as much lately and they’ve also had 10 days without games in the 21 days leading up to Game 2. It was a tough spot for Machi. He just couldn’t be himself, and it ultimately cost the Giants Game 2 of the World Series.