Game 61, Mariners at Nationals
The most painful part of last night’s postgame show was Mike Blowers trying to to defend the decision to send up Greg Dobbs to pinch-hit in the seventh inning when a fly ball would have tied the game.
As you might expect, his first argument was the tired canard that “this is a hard job, to sit around for a while and then have to hit without getting warm.” (Strangely, some players appear to be able to do this better than other players. I wonder why that is?)
Bizarrely, he followed that up with a “maybe Grover was saving his better pinch-hitters for the eighth or ninth inning, for when you really need to get a run home.” I swear I am not making that up.
It would be cheating to include a pitcher in the following comparison, so I’ll just present the following lines:
.152 .171 .212
.145 .174 .236
One player is the Mariners’ first pinch-hitter off the bench. The other was sent to the minor leagues for his wretched hitting. You guessed it, you’re looking at Greg Dobbs and Miguel Olivo.
Consider the depressing lessons, if any, in today’s game thread. Ryan Franklin (2-7, 4.77 ERA) versus Junior Armas (2-3, 4.91 ERA). TV: FSN. Radio: Komo.
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156 Responses to “Game 61, Mariners at Nationals”
Here’s a “Who Would Have Evere Guessed This In Spring Training” transaction:
The Reds sent down Austin Kearns to Triple-A … and called up Kenny Kelly for his major league debut.
Kelly got a two-run single in his first plater appearance.
#151 – Didn’t Kenny Kelly play 1 game with the Devil Rays back in 2000?
And now we get to face another hot team in the Phillies. Yay.
You’re right … 0-for-1 in 2000 as a Devil Ray. How could I have forgotten?
Re Pinch Hitting Dobbs:
I heard Shannon Dreyer back up Mike Blowers suggestion that Grover used Dobbs with a runner on third and one out in the seventh, because he was keeping his better pinch hitter (Hansen) for a “really important opportunity” later in the game. Ms Dreyer didn’t actually sound as if she was endorsing this assinine logic, so I’ll say what it sounded like she was thinking:
“What f***ing sort of f***ing opporunity were you f***ing waiting for you f***ing idiot, that could be more important than taking the f***ing lead in the seventh f***ing inning of a f***ing tied game? Jesus F*** Chr…. etc etc.”
Honestly, that has been eating at me for days now. What a stupid, stupid, pointlessly stupid decision. That’s even more stupid than putting in Thornton on Friday after Shiggy had walked the bases loaded – and that was spectacularly dumb.
Ahh, I feel better now.