M's 1, Dodgers 0 - Ramifications
..........................
Q. Is this going to be an all-year thing for Millwood?
A. Yeah, it looks like Millwood's arm is fresh after last year. He knows how to avoid mistakes (HR's), he knows how to take liberties (ladder fastballs when conditions allow) and as long as he's throwing 92 he's liable to run a 3+ ERA. Like we sez, it's not many innings eaters Millwood's age who can still spin the sliders and cutters.
He's month to month, but could reasonably continue all year. ... remember Bartolo Colon's great first half in 2011, and the second-half fade. These guys got some mileage on them.
I'll say this: if he's not hurt, he's in my rotation long after Beavan and Noesi are not. Way to munch innings for us, grampa. If he is hurt, G-Money gets the shotgun seat. He was the first to say it. You know which Jackson 5'er is in rotation with Millwood.
.
Q. Where are they going with the catching platoon?
A. The CERA's were 4.43 for Olivo, 3.90 for Montero going into the game. Olivo having caught Felix more often. The invisible elephant isn't leaving any tracks in the backyard snow, gentlemen.
It says here that the Mariners' admins are increasingly going to "get it" here. Olivo knows more, sure, but Olivo's knowledge simply is not translating into bases gained and bases lost.
"Technical sophistication" is NOT a synonym for "practical effectiveness." As in chess, it doesn't matter what you know; it matters what you can do. There are plenty of patzers who know more than masters do. The master's plan might not be better in theory, but it jibes with his tactical execution and his intentions are realized on the chessboard.
Or, as Carl Willis puts it, you don't have to obsess with your opponent's weaknesses. You can focus on your own strengths. Either paradigm can work, depending.
As fans we hope that the M's admins are flexible enough to accept a paradigm -- focus on your own game, not on your enemy's game -- with which they are not comfortable. The evidence is rolling in right in front of their eyes. Montero just used his own style to call a no-hitter.
..............
Montero simply has more bases gained, and fewer lost, than does Olivo. How do you argue that Olivo's pitch calling is an elephant-sized factor, if the tracks in his ERA snow are parakeet-sized?
To put it another way: you believe that Olivo helps pitchers (more than young catchers do). If you were wrong, how would you know? What is your self-check process?
I'll go first: If I were wrong about Montero's competency, I would find out I was wrong by ---> observing a lot of runs scored against Montero's pitchers. Hm. That's not occurring.
Or: let's use the "predictive validity" scientific check. My model predicts that Montero's pitchers will not, in the future, have lots of runs scored against them. Any bets?
.
Q. And the bullpen?
A. Leutge: three pitches, all sliders, and we're this close to declaring him a certified pennant-class LOOGY. He can come in for one, two batters, and he can throw strike one, and he can go shower, and he can do it the next time.
League: I'll never be a fan, but it's nice to see him getting back into what is (within his own game) a groove.
Wilhelmsen: the closer role, for some reason beyond my perception, seems to have put him into a "starter's rhythm" from pitch one. Maybe it's the predictability of the warmup routine, or maybe the hot seat focuses him, or I dunno. He's way smoothed out in the 9th, steadier head, better concentration, the grok is just much different the last week or two.
Hope they keep Wilhelmsen right where he is, whatever else happens around him. He's dialed in and we're getting 97 MPH, strike one to start the 9th, with a gold seal guarantee. I'm flippin' likin' it.
.
Q. ANOTHER 2-out RBI for Seager?!
A. He was facing a vicious lefty who quickly put him down two strikes.
Calmly, ever so calmly he arm-swung at an outside nasty. Eyes half lidded. Tea, anyone? In came the nasty, snickersnack went the vorpal blade and he barreled up the jabberwocky. The ball whistled out over short for a single. He'd taken the target that was available to him and the jabberwocky fell over with a thwud. Much rejoicing in Wonderland.
Yon Kyle has a lean and hungry look; such men are dangerous. What an amazing grasp for the game Seager has! This, right here, is what the scouts are searching for when they look for "ballplayers." He's just got the Jeter on. We'll take it, and laugh all the way to the castle treasury.
You knew that Seager led the A.L. in two-out RBI. Anybody got the leaderboards on "presumption"?
.
Cheers,
Dr D