Game 10, Athletics at Mariners
I’m not sure if Dave or anyone else is going to want to chime in. Last night was a disappointment, in a word, but certain things broke against us and it’s still pretty early. A team like this is going to have days of exciting baseball and days of mediocre baseball. It’s part of the process. Trusting the process eventually might work in Kansas City and elsewhere.
Noesi vs. Milone, 6:10 pm PDT
Today, the M’s are going up against someone they’ve never seen before. Jokes about being utterly dominated as the natural consequence of that. Milone was acquired from the Nationals in the Gio Gonzalez deal. He’s your basic left-handed change-up artist with average or slightly worse velocity and good command of his offerings. He’s unexciting, but he’s also in the major leagues, and his first name is Tomaso, not Thomas. Tomaso Milone sounds like a more exciting pitcher, or maybe the leader of some Cuban-inspired swing band. Last time out, he walked three, allowed three hits, and struck out no one in eight innings. That 100% strand rate has got to break sometime. Why not against the Mariners?
As a result of the match-up, we’re going heavy on right-handers tonight.
CF Figgins
2B Ackley
RF Ichiro!
1B Smoak
C Montero
3B Liddi
DH Olivo
LF Wells
SS Ryan
P Noesi
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161 Responses to “Game 10, Athletics at Mariners”
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It’s possible/likely Montero has caught Noesi while they were both in the Yankee organization.
In any case, I agree with you justdan73.
Did they not play together at all in the Yankees system? methinks they have done this before.
I’d love to hear some NYC talk radio right now, discussing how the Yankees did on the Pineda trade. There is absolutely nothing to be said at this point, but in New York, that wouldn’t stop anyone. Brian Cashman may need some extra security for the next week or so.
It being New York, Breadbaker – if they didn’t have Pineda’s current status to complain about, they’d find something else.
I swear that team could go 162-0 and some Yankee fans would still find some perceived way they got screwed.
Folks: The Olivo-bashing is getting kind of old. He didn’t catch this game and I don’t see anyone on the current active roster who’d be projected to be a significantly better option at DH versus a LHP.
Um, anyone? Olivo is pretty much the worst hitter on the team, regardless of who is pitching.
Heck, last year, Ryan was a better hitter than Olivo.
Take the best fielder on the bench, put him in the field, put the guy he replaced as DH for the day. Done. Was that so hard?
I’m not lobbying for Olivo or anything, but for his career (as opposed to last year) he’s hit LHP significantly better.
Vs LHP. 275/309/482
Vs RHP 229/265/393
he should ONLY be in the lineup against LHP.
To reiterate: The bench players in yesterday’s game were Jaso, Munenori, Seager and Saunders. They all bat left. I don’t think you can reliably predict any of them to be better than Olivo vs. a LHP. Maybe you can argue Seager at 3B and Liddi at DH to also upgrade defense. Anyway, I don’t care much for Olivo either and am all for critizising bad managing by Wedge. But putting Olivo at DH vs. a LHP over these four alternatives doesn’t strike me as a move deserving much critizism. On the other hand, starting Olivo at catcher over Jaso vs a RHP…
vj you are probably right. But we’ve seen so much of him when it made no sense that it’s hard to be objective. 🙂
@ Ralph and vj
His career numbers are misleading. He still has a horrible contact rate, he’s off to a horrible start, and a better hitter (as vj noted), Seager, was available. If a lefty bat can hit lefty pitching, a right handed bat like Olivo’s, isn’t necessary. The name “Olivo” and “DH” should never go together in the same sentence.
Olivo is starting again today. Day game after a night game. #FireWedge