Credit where it's due

God knows we get on Gibby for...everything, lately. But consider his decision today to pitch B.J. Ryan in the eighth and Jesse Carlson in the ninth:

1) Ryan needed work and Gibbons didn't wait for a ninth-inning situation that could have never happened (if KC took the lead and the Jays didn't tie it).

2) Ryan only threw nine pitches and could have pitched the ninth, presumably, but Gibbons decided the ninth wasn't important enough to send Ryan back out. Then again you could mark this up to "riding the hot hand" (Carlson) and "only three outs for the closer."

3) Up by one in the 8th is more crucial, I'm assuming, than up by one in the ninth (the likely state of the game given what we knew after seven innings).

4) Most importantly, someone else got a save when Ryan was available to pitch.

While I'm here, I am also a big fan of any lineup with Eckstein not leading off. More, please.