Awards for April 1st
Things Mike Blowers Has No Question About:
* It’s cold
* Playing for a new team affects a player’s performance
* Betancourt is going to be a star
Tonight’s Cure for Insomnia: Vicente Padilla
Best Effort in a Losing Cause: Betancourt, 4-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, scoring on a passed ball.
Makes You Appreciate What you Have: Michael Young, for his defense at short
But I Thought The Whole Point of Cairo Was This Exact Situation Head-Scratcher: Not pinch-running for Turbo in the 9th, but using Jimerson to run for Johjima, forcing Jimerson to run *behind* Vidro, then burning WFB as a pinch-hitter for Ibanez one run down, two outs, Ibanez on second… running behind Ichiro.*
Hope for the Future Award: McLaren leaving Bloomquist in left field after having him run for Ibanez. Did he make the substitution in part because he realizes Ibanez needs a defensive caddy?
The “High Strategery” Award: Jose Lopez sac bunting runners over against a pitcher doing terribly to bring up Ibanez with an open base, with Sexson on deck.
Might As Well Wear Sexson’s Glove: Felix
* So What Would you have done, smart guy?
PR for Vidro with Cairo, the runner who is least useful in other ways.
PR for Johjima with Bloomquist
PR for Ibanez with Jimerson (or vice-versa)
Top of the 9th:
Bloomquist to 1st
Jimerson to LF
Cairo stays as the DH, but you look to PH Morse for him if it comes to that.
Burke enters the lineup for *Sexson* at C (and wouldn’t have to bat for a while)
Making your lineup
CF Ichiro!
2B Lopez
1B Bloomquist
C Burke
3B Beltre
RF Wilkerson
>DH Cairo
LF Jimerson
SS Betancourt
You’re punting the 9th a little, but the defense is way better.
But everyone knows by now, I’m a throw-the-kitchen-sink-in guy when it comes to trying to break a game open.
I guess we really didn’t have any business winning this game anyway. A run on a dropped ball and a run on a wild pitch? 15 LOB? I think it was karma.
To bad we are going to have to steal a bunch of games like this if we want to reach 90+ wins.
I didn’t mind that Jimerson went in for Johjima. What I didn’t like was what happened after that.
Leave Ibanez in to run for himself, but then pull the double switch, that is, put Burke in the 3 hole and keep Jimerson in to play left. They had just gotten past Ibanez’s hole in the lineup and wouldn’t of caused Burke to be 2nd up in the bottom of the ninth. After that, you could have pinch hit with Jimerson for Morse if you really wanted to.
I give it two weeks before we toss either Cairo or Jimerson to the side to get another arm down there in the pen. You have to think about who is available tomorrow.
Green, Baek (who I have started to call “The White Flag”, as I really only think he is going to see garbage innings), and Rowland-Smith. Everybody else has now gone back-to-back days to start the year (Putz, EOF, Lowe). Rhodes or Morrow will be up very soon.
I gotta say, I’m really enjoying these awards. And with the sudden ridiculous popularity of LL, god knows I can’t actually work my day job and keep up with the comments over there.
I gotta say, this game really broke my spirit, especially seeing the empty stands on Felix day. My 4 friends and I were almost the only people in our section, for Christ’s sake (there were exactly 3 other people). Meh…
I still don’t understand the rationale for Jimerson not going into left in the 9th. I thought his outfield defense is why he’s on the club.
One thing I noticed about the bunt is it actually improved the win expectancy over at fangraphs. It is going to be a long year if our 3-5 hitters can’t drive in runs. Hope Richie is packing his stuff soon.
I didn’t mind not running for Vidro because his run was only going to make it 2-3 at the time and Jimerson was the tying run.
However why not pull the double switcharoo magic and have Jimerson end up playing OF and setting our bats up like #3 and DMZ have pointed out.
maybe Mac was still dazzled by the blinding speed Turbo showed getting to third on that dropped ball ….
What you really want to do in a situation like that is have a terrifying on-base monster coming to the plate, preferably with some pop too, so you don’t have to worry about which desperation low-success-rate strategy to pick. Someone like that guy we don’t have any of. This is the rally-killingest lineup of all time, I think, a Macy’s Parade of out machines.
Retrospective ‘What were they thinking’ Award?
to go to a number of teams after listening to Mike Schmidt reminicing on KJR this morning; take a look at the 1971 baseball draft and at who was selected before #29 Brett, George and #30 Schmidt, Michael.
I’m sure Mac was thinking, “I don’t need to pinch run for Vidro, he’s the only guy on our team with a stolen base.”
Vicente Padilla, dammit. No second n.
John McLaren makes me want to punch myself in the fa…. wait, that’s already been said.
Ya know, despite what you may say about the decision to bunt Lopez, it is still the right move. That situation, that late in the game, you bunt the runners ahead…
You don’t really expect Putz to blow the save. The 1 run lead is enough for him typically.
You know, despite what you may say about the decision to bunt Lopez, you did nothing to support your opinion or give us any reason why we should care what you think.
So guys, is it more tedious to have to beat back the same wrong opinions again and again, or to watch the M’s make the wrong decisions again and again?
A little from column A, a little from column B.