Lemonis gave up once they got down 2-0 in the biggest game of the season. Sorry but that's really weak and a bonehead move.
I dunno. Down 2-0 when there are still at least 5 innings to pitch makes it tough to burn your top guys in the pen when you know that if you can't get past Rocker, you are
really screwing yourself if you have to come back through the loser's bracket. Yes, I know the chances of getting through the loser's bracket are slim, but they are even slimmer if you have to do it without your best relievers available for the elimination game vs Louisville.
Factor in you trust your other bullpen guys to come in and give you a good inning or two and it's more understandable. It didn't work out, but I'm not convinced it wasn't a reasonable approach. I'd much rather have my bullpen as fresh as possible for the elimination game than use Liebelt, White and Gordon for 5+ innings in a close loss. Yeah we might have come back, but it wasn't looking good so far.
Lemons didn't give up. He just took the gamble he thought was best at the time. Didn't work out for this game, but it ultimately may help us win the next.