Brooklyn State of Mind: Robins Have a Close Game Problem (2057.9)

[lordtoffee]

The late Bobby Bowden had a quote about building a successful championship college football program that still applies to this day. You lose big, lose close, win close, and win big. It makes sense when you look at it. The Robins have mastered the lose big stage over the years, and are currently in the lose close stage. Despite suffering a major blow in losing Liu after he blew out his arm early in the season, the Robins sit at 11-14 and have been much better on offense, with some improvements in starting pitching even though Lowry has been hit hard as he begins his tenure as the ace of the rotation. But despite some arms in the bullpen pitching well, the Robins have struggled in close games, which has hurt their record.

The Robins enter their series against Rockville to start the month of May having a .500 record on the road, which is a good sign to start. But what is really hurting their record is a 1-5 record in 1 run games, with a record of 0-2 in extra innings games. The bottom line is that while the Robins have been certainly shown signs of improvements, they could be closer to the top of the Atlantic if they had taken some chances. While the Robins pitching has looked better at times, especially in light of getting Clulow Jr. back in the next week or so, this team is leaving some wins on the table.

The offense has looked great, and the Robins have shown that they are taking their first steps forward. The fans have responded, with attendance up 12,000 per game and the team is projected to turn a profit this year as things stand with more merchandise being sold at all Robins outlets and BBA outlets. But it's hard to ignore the close game problem.