Let me start off by saying that I think Santiago Casilla is a good reliever. He's been a key part of the Giants' bullpen (maybe the best bullpen in the majors since 2010) in the last three seaasons, and you'd have to be delusional if you said he wasn't a significant contributor on that 2010 championship team.
But going into the bottom of the ninth inning in last night's final game of the Giants' series against the Nationals, I had almost zero confidence in Casilla closing the game. Part of that was because the Giants' lead shrunk from 5-1 to 5-4 in the previous two innings, but the main reason is that Casilla just hasn't been consistent enough in high-leverage situations to instill calmness in people like me.
His career BB/9 is 4.25, well below the league average. Although his 2.9 BB/9 this season is above league average, this sample size is much smaller (and, therefore, less trustworthy) than his previous combined seasons. If you're a closer and you're walking batters at such a high rate, you set up possible rallies for the other teams at the worst possible times.
Casilla pitched in various types of situations the last two seasons (close leads, close deficits, tie games, large leads, and large deficits), but once he became the closer this season, he started coming in with close leads in the ninth inning in basically every outing. A team can skate by with a pitcher who lets a high rate of hitters get on base when it's the seventh or eighth inning because A) not every situation he's thrown into is a close lead and B) once he gets in trouble, the manager has no fear of pulling him out of the game. But if that pitcher is the closer, he is supposed to get three outs without blowing the tight lead, so his leash is extended and the damage is more likely to worsen.
None of this explains everything that's wrong with Casilla right now, and he was fine up until a few weeks ago, but his last few outings reaffirm my belief that the Giants shouldn't use one designated "closer" but a revolving door of Casilla, Javier Lopez, Sergio Romo, and possibly other relievers to finish the ninth inning.
The key thing I want out of this closer-by-committee of sorts is for Bochy to use his relievers in the best situations not only for the situation, but also for the individual reliever. If the Giants have a close lead in the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning and two of the three batters due up for the opponent are left-handed, Lopez would probably be the best choice unless he has pitched a bunch in recent games (I realize Lopez is used a currently lefty specialist, but I can't remember a time this season where he pitched in the ninth in a save situation). Romo should face the heart of the opposing team's lineup (unless they're mostly lefties) every time the game is close in the late innings (just look at his numbers!) unless he's also pitched too much recently or if Casilla is a better matchup in some way.
These pitchers shouldn't be designated to specific innings but to the most high-leverage situation. Putting Romo in the game in the eighth inning in a one-run game against the 7-8-9 hitters and saving Casilla for the ninth and the top of the order doesn't make sense unless you for some reason think Casilla is the better pitcher (or if you believe the ridiculous notion that Casilla is "better-suited" for the ninth inning than Romo is). Compare the stats; Romo has proven he's better.
Casilla shouldn't be banned from pitching in save situations but he shouldn't be the designated guy for those situations, either. Neither should Romo, Lopez, Affeldt, Penny, etc. If Bochy and the Giants' front office realize how meaningless a save is and use a late inning revolving door of relievers, they'll not only be keeping those pitchers fresh, they'll keep opponents off-balance and, as a result, win more close games -- presumably, at least.
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