Bullpen Usage and Matt Carpenter

Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty ImagesIt is generally accepted that managers can’t really win baseball games. There’s a limited amount of things a manager is capable of doing that can genuinely influence a game and most of those things are more negative than positive. Especially with the designated hitter. No more possibility of having your pitcher bat, then taking him out in the next inning.

With all that said, Oliver Marmol had just about perfect managing in the Cubs series. He faced a daunting prospect: five games in four days. This would be difficult under the best of circumstances. He did not have the best of circumstances. On Saturday, he had two starters - one of whom has been in the…