MLB 2009 Season

[papsrus]

So, you got men on first and second, nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 3-3 game at home. Your No. 8 hitter comes to the plate. It seems like a no-brainer to me that you have him bunt, but apparently Maddon figures the best thing to do is let Kapler (.211) swing away ... and fly out. Eventually got three runs in the inning, so no biggie. But still.

[Tim McG]

Over / Under for Dangerous Dan and The Grappler Goodspeak going at it

8.5 times this year

I'll take that bet and give you the point spread

[Tim McG]

Good News: The Giants are hitting the ball and getting quality starts from the starters; Still in 2nd place playing .500 ball.

Bad News: They strand more runners and blow more scoring oppotunities than anybody in the league.

Grrrrr

[PHILLYQ]

So, you got men on first and second, nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 3-3 game at home. Your No. 8 hitter comes to the plate. It seems like a no-brainer to me that you have him bunt, but apparently Maddon figures the best thing to do is let Kapler (.211) swing away ... and fly out. Eventually got three runs in the inning, so no biggie. But still.

If you are a Sabremetician you eschew the bunt. Their reasoning is that giving outs up is not a good move as you only get 27 of them. Also, giving up an out to score a run may take you out of a big inning and thus limit your scoring.

I would bunt in that situation also. To me, if you're tied, down by a run or ahead by a run, late in the game scoring that one run is crucial, so you sacrifice to move over runners.

[Quincy]

So, you got men on first and second, nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 3-3 game at home. Your No. 8 hitter comes to the plate. It seems like a no-brainer to me that you have him bunt, but apparently Maddon figures the best thing to do is let Kapler (.211) swing away ... and fly out. Eventually got three runs in the inning, so no biggie. But still.

You know managers have it rough when fans complain about a 3 run inning.

Kapler has had 3 successful SH in his past 1220 plate appearances. He spends more time muscling up than practicing bunts me thinks. Had he bunted you would have had Navarro coming up (.179) followed by the deep-in-a-slump B.J. hitting .157. Kapler is your best hitter of the moment. :rsmile:

[PHILLYQ]

So, you got men on first and second, nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 3-3 game at home. Your No. 8 hitter comes to the plate. It seems like a no-brainer to me that you have him bunt, but apparently Maddon figures the best thing to do is let Kapler (.211) swing away ... and fly out. Eventually got three runs in the inning, so no biggie. But still.

You know managers have it rough when fans complain about a 3 run inning.

Kapler has had 3 successful SH in his past 1220 plate appearances. He spends more time muscling up than practicing bunts me thinks. Had he bunted you would have had Navarro coming up (.179) followed by the deep-in-a-slump B.J. hitting .157. Kapler is your best hitter of the moment. :rsmile:

Good points, Quincy.

[papsrus]

So, you got men on first and second, nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning in a 3-3 game at home. Your No. 8 hitter comes to the plate. It seems like a no-brainer to me that you have him bunt, but apparently Maddon figures the best thing to do is let Kapler (.211) swing away ... and fly out. Eventually got three runs in the inning, so no biggie. But still.

You know managers have it rough when fans complain about a 3 run inning.

Kapler has had 3 successful SH in his past 1220 plate appearances. He spends more time muscling up than practicing bunts me thinks. Had he bunted you would have had Navarro coming up (.179) followed by the deep-in-a-slump B.J. hitting .157. Kapler is your best hitter of the moment. :rsmile:

Good points, Quincy.

Yep.

[Quincy]

Yep.

Ah shucks guys, c'mon, this is the baseball forum. No complimentary kind of talk allowed here!

I definitely appreciate the idea of bunting there too, but aside from spending too much time with the Bill James Abstracts in the '80s I blame Earl Weaver as much as anyone for my love of the 3 run inning. (I need to check out that Earl Weaver youtube clip again.) I think growing up watching Lou Brock caused me to be allergic to the bunt too. Lou made it look so easy. Why bunt? Just steal 2nd, then advance to the 3rd on the out or score on the single. Crawford can do that alright too.

[zen archer]

What is up with the New Yankee Stadium ? Granted I know it was raining a little and cold BUT are they selling seats or what?

Yankees and Red Sox looked like they were playing to an empty house if that same game was played at Fenway, hell you can even throw in some snow ,the place would of been packed !

[Dan Gould]

Its those $2600 tickets in front, with the separate entrance (no way to get in for the hoi polloi), free food (with waiter service) and not enough takers.

They dropped the price to $1250 a seat and instituted some sort of "bonus" policy for people who paid the higher prices, and yet its still empty or nearly so for a Red Sox series. Its embarrassing for the franchise, IMHO, and I think the stadium is less of a tenth man because the passionate committed fans are farther away from the field.

[zen archer]

Its those $2600 tickets in front, with the separate entrance (no way to get in for the hoi polloi), free food (with waiter service) and not enough takers.

They dropped the price to $1250 a seat and instituted some sort of "bonus" policy for people who paid the higher prices, and yet its still empty or nearly so for a Red Sox series. Its embarrassing for the franchise, IMHO, and I think the stadium is less of a tenth man because the passionate committed fans are farther away from the field.

Spike Lee was sitting by himself with a ton of empty seats around him ....I thought it was because no one liked him.

The tenth man statement is right on , Eck said during the ninth inning that it felt like it was a 15 to 1 ballgame ...the place was like a graveyard !

[Tim McG]

$1200 bucks for ONE seat...?

Gaaa!

Makes me wonder what the Bleacher Creatures must pay to get in the place.

OTOH, Dodger Stadium is a way old ballpark and their fans never show up either. It was a ghost town during the Giants/Dodgers rivalry games in LaLa Land. Pretty amazing.

[Soulstation1]

WTF

Joba's mother busted selling Crystal meth

[Chalupa]

What is up with the New Yankee Stadium ? Granted I know it was raining a little and cold BUT are they selling seats or what?

Yankees and Red Sox looked like they were playing to an empty house if that same game was played at Fenway, hell you can even throw in some snow ,the place would of been packed !

I just posted about this last week....

Yanks cut ticket prices.....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4108293

Here's another take...

I watched an afternoon game between the Yankees and A's last Wednesday, and the first 10 rows from dugout to dugout looked like they were closed. There was the random straggler down there, learning the hard way that a $2,500 seat doesn't buy companionship, but for the most part it looked like a Pirates home game. In a rainstorm.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keown/090428

[Chalupa]

Man the Phillies are sending Chan Ho Park to the hill against Johan Santana tonight??? Please God make it rain.

[Big Al]

Its those $2600 tickets in front, with the separate entrance (no way to get in for the hoi polloi), free food (with waiter service) and not enough takers.

They dropped the price to $1250 a seat and instituted some sort of "bonus" policy for people who paid the higher prices, and yet its still empty or nearly so for a Red Sox series. Its embarrassing for the franchise, IMHO, and I think the stadium is less of a tenth man because the passionate committed fans are farther away from the field.

Spike Lee was sitting by himself with a ton of empty seats around him ....I thought it was because no one liked him.

You might still be correct....

[WorldB3]

Its those $2600 tickets in front, with the separate entrance (no way to get in for the hoi polloi), free food (with waiter service) and not enough takers.

They dropped the price to $1250 a seat and instituted some sort of "bonus" policy for people who paid the higher prices, and yet its still empty or nearly so for a Red Sox series. Its embarrassing for the franchise, IMHO, and I think the stadium is less of a tenth man because the passionate committed fans are farther away from the field.

Spike Lee was sitting by himself with a ton of empty seats around him ....I thought it was because no one liked him.

You might still be correct....

I like Spike, I liked his bass playing dad better but Spike is cool with me. The Yankees will rue the day they priced out the true fan and took away their home field advantage. Screw em.

Big Al, congrats on the Rangers this year since its safe to say they won't come in last thanks to blunder by the bay in Oakland. I am getting to the point I can't even watch anymore.

[Tim McG]

What is up with the New Yankee Stadium ? Granted I know it was raining a little and cold BUT are they selling seats or what?

Yankees and Red Sox looked like they were playing to an empty house if that same game was played at Fenway, hell you can even throw in some snow ,the place would of been packed !

I just posted about this last week....

Yanks cut ticket prices.....

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4108293

Here's another take...

I watched an afternoon game between the Yankees and A's last Wednesday, and the first 10 rows from dugout to dugout looked like they were closed. There was the random straggler down there, learning the hard way that a $2,500 seat doesn't buy companionship, but for the most part it looked like a Pirates home game. In a rainstorm.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=keown/090428

Like a Pirates game in a rainstorm.

Now that's funny

[Dan Gould]

I cannot wait until Daniel Bard is in the bullpen and Javier Lopez is anywhere else but Boston. Not that Lopez is to blame for last night's debacle, but he's been the weakest bullpen arm since he inexplicably managed to stick with the team, a LOOGY who doesn't even get lefties out consistently, throwing side-arm slop that makes you sweat bullets. Meantime, check out this game report from the Globe for AAA Pawtucket:

Daniel Bard recorded a four-out save with four strikeouts, allowing one hit. He lowered his ERA to 1.13, and has 29 strikeouts in 16 innings. Opponents are batting .115 off of him, and he's given up five walks and six hits.

This is the guy who wowed everyone in March by touching 100 on the gun and allowing no runs in 10 innings in major league spring games. Add him to Okajima, Saito, Delcarmen and Ramirez and you've got too many arms to know what to do with. And considering that they always start a rookie with relatively low-leverage innings, how would you like to face 100 MPH fastball in the sixth inning? And imagine if he came in after Wake - 100 MPH would probably look like 200!

[alocispepraluger102]

manny suspended 50 games for performance....................

[WorldB3]

link on Manny.

Dodgers should still win the division but if I were the Giants I would try and trade for a bat right now and take advantage.

Edited May 7, 2009 by WorldB3

[zen archer]

Whoa i would never have thought Manny ....nothing is sacred i think everyone was doing it .

[WorldB3]

time to put an * on those Red Sox world series.

probably the last clean world series winner was the 87 Twins. Defending champs your 1987 Twins!!!

[alocispepraluger102]

time to put an * on those Red Sox world series.

probably the last clean world series winner was the 87 Twins. Defending champs your 1987 Twins!!!

papi= 0 homers=?

[Soulstation1]

Not a shock

Wish he was still with Boston and see Dangerous Dan put his spin on it

Edited May 7, 2009 by Soulstation1