Gotta chime in on this one because I was at the game last night and had questions about some of Wak's tactics.
#1 - Why was Endy Chavez not a defensive replacement for Wlad after Wlad's last at bat? In a 1-1 game in the 8th/9th, don't you want your #1, 2, and 3 OF out there - especially since your 4th best OF has already finished hitting?
#2 - Why did Griffey PH for Gutierrez instead of Cedeno? Is it because we have no viable PR in case Griffey got on? Is it because you hope Cedeno gets on for Griffey to drive him in? In that situation, isn't it more important to just give your best OBP guy a chance to get on and extend the inning. (Ok, .333 OBP ain't great, but it's better than Cedeno's ~.200 weak juice.) Isn't Gutierrez a better bat to have up in a crunch situation than Cedeno?
Thanks for any answers.
... 2 slot, both in the batting order, and in the Mariners' 2010 offensive priorities. We hope.
It's been really neat to see Don Wakamatsu use his beefy 1B in the #2 hole -- when his beefy 1B is his only hitter (other than Ichiro). The common idea is to put your Jack Clark in the #4 hole, so that two or three guys can be on for his homers.
But there are going to be 1.7 men on per homer, more or less, whatever you do -- so why not put the Big Gun on Indiana Avenue, where all the RBI situations pop up?
Kudos to Tom Tango's site for pointing out that the #2 hole is the one in which you get the most tokens coming through, and kudos to Wok for acting on it. I love seeing Ichiro get on, and then suddenly realizing there's a howitzer behind him. You get to pretend you have a great offense for one inning.
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If there was ever a TEAM that was made for the 2-hole strategy, it's this one. They have two real good hitters, so batting them #1-2 is gloriously sabermetric (Branyan could get 50+ more PA's in the 2 slot than the 5 slot). There will be MANY games in which Branyan gets 5 PA's instead of 4, because of the lineup switch. That's a great extra dice roll at an HR that decides these 1-1 games.
Ichiro's a speed burner and Branyan's lefthanded. It's tough on the defense.
On most teams, the hitters are more balanced. You move a guy around, you give up 10 RBI here, but gain 10 runs there. Not the Mariners. They have two hitters, and they're going to max their AB's.
You gotta love it.
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=== NINTH INNINGS Dept. ===
Once again, Don Wakamatsu brought David Aardsma into the 9th inning of a tie game on Friday. As we've all moaned about before, previous managers would always "hold" their closers in tie home games... apparently not noticing that beginning with the top of the 9th, a closer can't save a home game. :- )
I doubt that Mike Hargrove had never noticed this. But he evidently liked for his closers to get "Saves" when they came in.
Wok not only brings his closer into tie games, but he does it immediately. He doesn't wait and see if the 10th or 11th rolls around. He brings in his closer and tries to win right there, in the bottom of the ninth.
Have you noticed the clubhouse joke that the Mariners have? Each time a guy gets a walk-off hit, he gets pounded worse and worse. Wok has the M's playing tough in close games. Things like "closer in the top of the 9th" are the reason.
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=== GRAND SLAM Dept. ===
What was it, the 9th or the 10th on Friday? Twins on first and third, 1 out ... PITCHOUT! And slap me silly, the Twinkie batter lunged at the ball to try to salvage a busted suicide squeeze.
Calling pitchout on the very play that the other team tries a squeeze? In extras? To save the game? That's a managerial equivalent of a grand slam home run to walk off.
Wlad botched the fly ball, but that isn't why the M's lost. They lost because the offense puts too blinkin' much pressure on the run prevention unit. Every run allowed is a catastrophe.
We hold 'em to 1 run in 9 innings and don't win, hey. It's Saunders time, baby.
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=== GIVE IT UP Dept. ===
Completing his Tri-Tri-Fecta on the week, Wok was able to bask in Erik Bedard's announcement that he loves Seattle and they now have rrrrrrrrreally good coaches.
I didn't automatically marry Don Wakamatsu just because he came from the A's and is saber-literate. I wanted to know, can he lead men, can he judge talent, is he willing to make the in-season changes that need to be made. I wasn't quick to jump on his bandwagon. It takes a lot to become Walter Alston, as opposed to John McLaren.
After watching him for a few months, I'm tremendously impressed. I am a Don Wakamatsu fan. He looks like a 21st-century manager to me.
Cheers,
Dr D
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Comments
Gotta chime in on this one because I was at the game last night and had questions about some of Wak's tactics.
#1 - Why was Endy Chavez not a defensive replacement for Wlad after Wlad's last at bat? In a 1-1 game in the 8th/9th, don't you want your #1, 2, and 3 OF out there - especially since your 4th best OF has already finished hitting?
#2 - Why did Griffey PH for Gutierrez instead of Cedeno? Is it because we have no viable PR in case Griffey got on? Is it because you hope Cedeno gets on for Griffey to drive him in? In that situation, isn't it more important to just give your best OBP guy a chance to get on and extend the inning. (Ok, .333 OBP ain't great, but it's better than Cedeno's ~.200 weak juice.) Isn't Gutierrez a better bat to have up in a crunch situation than Cedeno?
Thanks for any answers.
Pretty much in agreement. Though, I'm still firmly in the defense-first camp.
I think it's a tiny bit disingenuous to say Wlad's defense didn't cost the game. When Bedard or Felix or Wash or Olson or Vargas throws a great game, we credit them with throwing a great game. When the opposition throws a 2-hitter, we blame our offense, and rarely give credit to the other pitcher or defense.
Yes, the offense slumbered on Friday night. But, the offense has steadily marched the team OPS+ up from 81 to 87 over the past few weeks.
Mariner offense:
last 28 days -- .717 OPS -- 92 OPS+
last 14 days -- .795 OPS -- 112 OPS+
last 7 days --- .849 OPS -- 138 OPS+
EVERY team, regardless of talent has good and bad days. Wlad was supposed to be in the lineup for his offense. He got one of the 4 hits, but that help the team score. His botch in LF did allow the opponent to score.
All that said -- I wouldn't mind seeing Saunders at all.
Mostly, my thoughts after the game are generally positive.
1) With Johnson calling the game, no HRs allowed.
2) I'm liking Cedeno at SS better than Yuni. I'm for more of this.
3) Beltre got a hit and a walk
There's lots to like about the direction of the club, just so long as fixation on final score doesn't overwhelm all the little moves forward.
Wak has really won me over as well! I have really enjoyed watching his management of the team, and a lot of his tactics have been refreshing. I still think he has room to grow (getting comfortable with and knowing when and who to pinch hit, working the umps so his team will get a few calls), but my favorite thing about him (and this is mostly a feeling I get from him not an actual factual observation) is he seems like a guy who loves to learn, and isn't in love with himself. IOW I am not overly concerned about the few areas I see where he could improve because he is the type of guy that will always be trying to get better and won't fall in love with his own opinions so much that he can't change.
Go Wak!
Go M's!
Wak has really won me over as well! I have really enjoyed watching his management of the team, and a lot of his tactics have been refreshing. I still think he has room to grow (getting comfortable with and knowing when and who to pinch hit, working the umps so his team will get a few calls), but my favorite thing about him (and this is mostly a feeling I get from him not an actual factual observation) is he seems like a guy who loves to learn, and isn't in love with himself. IOW I am not overly concerned about the few areas I see where he could improve because he is the type of guy that will always be trying to get better and won't fall in love with his own opinions so much that he can't change.
Go Wak!
Go M's!
...so go the Mariners.
No single player can decide EVERY game, but here's a fun fact.
When Ichiro gets no hits, the team is 1-4. :)
Small sample size thanks to the fact that Ichiro is awsome are rarely fails to get a hit.
Point is...you know the other team pitched well when Ichiro can't get on base as happened last night (one walk in the inning that should have won the game were it not for Mike Sweeney sucking a giant wad and inexplicably batting clean-up).
Yes, the line-up needs thunder...and no I don't think Wlad is the answer. I wants to see Saunders even though I don't like Saunders much. I REALLY want to see the Ms try something ballsy like moving Carp into the DH role and giving Griffey his small amount of PT between very occasional LF appearances and DH time if Carp doesn't pan out. I want guys up here who stalk pitches and work counts and Carp is the only one we have right at the moment...unless you think Clement is ready.
Why is Gutierrez still hitting 9th? He's nothing SPECIAL...but he's better than freakin' Burke, Cedeno, Chavez, Balentien, Johnson, etc.
And he gets on base at a decent clip too.
My only thought is that Wak is trying to be sabermetrical and bunch his good hittes at the top and his bad hitters as far away from his good hitters as possible, which means you need a decent hitter batting ninth to set things up for your good hitters. Still seems like Gutz is getting gypped.