(Full disclosure: In my opinion, the FAIL meme needs to die. Sorry for my usage of it, but I don’t know what else could accurately describe the relief outings discussed here.)
DanUp took a quick look at Cincy’s monumental meltdown against the Phillies last night, which somewhat mirrored Franklin’s epic, failtacular night against Colorado. It was clearly a 10.5 on the Swampgas scale, but how does it stack up against other bullpen failures in Cardinal history?
| Rk | Player | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | App,Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | WPA ? | RE24 | aLI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Herm Wehmeier | 1957-09-21 | STL | CIN | L 8-9 | 8-10f,BL | 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | -0.992 | 0.117 | 2.863 |
| 2 | Ryan Franklin | 2010-07-06 | STL | COL | L 9-12 | 9-9f ,L | 0.1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -0.981 | -4.570 | 2.476 |
| 3 | Dennis Eckersley | 1996-05-18 | STL | COL | L 8-9 | 9-9f ,L | 0.1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -0.973 | -2.672 | 2.958 |
| 4 | Phil Clark | 1958-04-23 | STL | SFG | L 7-8 | 9-9f ,BL | 0.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -0.960 | -1.927 | 3.725 |
Franklin didn’t quite reach Herm Wehmeier’s level. Wehmeier blew a save in the 9th on a game-tying HR, was given the lead back in the 10th and then lost it in the 10th on a homer. But at least he recorded more than an out.
Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley also had his trouble with the Rockies, coughing up a four run lead in the ninth back in the pre-humidor days at Coors.
The lesson: Poop happens in Denver.
