With too many relievers, Ventura making too many changes

The dangers of too many options:It#146;s been a rough month for Robin Ventura.He#146;s had a terrific first season as White Sox manager, especially in the parts of that job which are difficult to quantify. His calm demeanor transformed, and then maintained, what was once a fractured and tense clubhouse. The resiliency of his ballclub is a credit to the man #151; and a confirmation of excellence on GM Kenny Williams#146; informed hunch.But when MLB#146;s late-season call-ups enabled what is now 18 pitchers on a 35-man roster, Ventura began over-managing with a vengeance. The White Sox used an average of fewer than three pitchers per game in August, but have averaged nearly five in September. There was a six-game stretch in which 36 pitchers saw action. The 6-0 team shutout over the Twins started by Chris Sale on Friday night was the first game this month to feature three or fewer pitchers. The starting rotation#146;s ineffectiveness and exhaustion have led to plenty of that, but there have been many specific situations for couch-bound first-guessing in the middle innings. If you#146;ve read this space at all, you know my bullpen feelings. The more guys you use, the higher the risk that one of them will simply be awful on a given night. And considering the importance of certain roles, games are decided by no better than your eighth- or ninth-best arm on the staff.Many of the rookies and call-ups are not good. Too often this month, huge pennant-race moments have been left in the hands of mediocre minor-leaguers.The delights of being wrong:Going into this Cubs season, I was a loud Jeff Samardzija doubter. I did not believe he had the depth of stuff to be a starting pitcher, incapable of getting through a lineup two, three or four times. I thought he#146;d be better off simply rearing back and firing as hard as he could in the seventh or eighth inning.Seeing another March filled with supposed hope gave me what I called #147;Samardzija Fatigue.#148; With each excellent start, that became #147;Samardzija Drowsiness#148; #151; and eventually full-on #147;Samardzija Alertness.#148; I#146;m wide awake, and he had an excellent year. Armed with a new spit-fingered fastball, he completely changed his previous patterns as a starter and found consistency. He leaned on the off-speed stuff early and later pummeled people with that high 90#146;s fastball. Once that was established, he was in control and adjusted well most of the season.Forget the win-loss record on a bad team. A 3.81 ERA (27th in the NL), 180 strikeouts (Top 10, for now), just 56 walks and a WHIP of 1.22 (No. 22) are all numbers upon which he can build. Perhaps most impressively, he went at least 7 innings 14 times, including nine of his last 13 starts. With his stuff and the new approach, Samardzija looks like a guy who could be a third or second starter on a good team #151; and maybe the ace of the 2013 Cubs.Who do you want in your playoffs?They#146;re ours, those precious October and November television hours, so let#146;s fill them with intriguing teams. I have no desire for the Cardinals to win that second NL wild card. I#146;ve seen them enough in previous years, and I don#146;t believe they#146;re good enough to truly win the tournament. Of course, I didn#146;t think they were last year either.Give me the strange, expensive, fearsome lineup of the Dodgers. I#146;d also like Clayton Kershaw in my living room as often as possible.Or perhaps the hard-charging Phillies, impossibly still in the race. If the Phillies get in #151; and survive Bud Selig#146;s one game forced drama #151; they might be the NL favorite.The MLB gods may not bow to our desires, but they should.ŸMatt Spiegel co-hosts #147;The McNeil Spiegel Show#148; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday on WSCR 670-AM, and The Score#146;s #147;Hit and Run#148; at 9 a.m. Sundays with his Daily Herald colleague, Barry Rozner. Follow him on Twitter @mattspiegel670