Manny Acta Pulls Josh Tomlin Too Early

First, I’d like to congratulate Josh Tomlin on his 12th win of the year. He certainly earned it, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing just one run on four hits with one walk. The thing that doesn’t make sense to me is the fact that Manny Acta pulled Josh Tomlin after just 84 pitches.

This happens often. Tomlin is cruising along, he gets into a little bit of a jam and Acta yanks him. I don’t get it. Today, a runner did not reach second base on Tomlin until the seventh, yet Acta went to Joe Smith when the tying run came to the plate after Tomlin’s 84th pitch. In Tomlin’s previous start against the Rangers the same thing happened only after 95 pitches, and the bullpen ended up pissing that game right away for Tomlin. If you look back, it has happened at least half a dozen times.

No other pitcher is on such a low pitch count, yet Tomlin is out there walking on egg shells every night because obviously if he gets into even a little bit of trouble, Manny Acta doesn’t think he can get out of it. It doesn’t make sense to me. Tomlin is one of the most composed pitchers on the staff, but get gets pulled after less than 90 pitches often. Instead, the manager leaves hot heads like Carmona and Carrasco out there for 100+ pitches until they blow the game. Josh Tomlin has earned the right to try and win these games on his own. Having such a quick hook can’t be good for his psyche, but luckily he’s a true pro about it.

So, if anyone has any idea why this happens, I’d love to hear some feedback.