CaliSoxFanViaSWside

No, from reading the whole thread I'd say some don't expect it at all. The Twins could be actually testing out a rookie to see what he's got. I think we see someone on the Sox HBP today and maybe early in the game. However, if they do that their BP sucks and is overworked so maybe it doesn't happen at all or happens late from one of the BP arms.

Mainly because he hits LHP way better than RHP. Mendick hits RHP better than Madrigal.

Yep and it's probable Pineda becomes the 2nd pitcher in the game after Ober plunks TA or whoever. Benches likely emptying tonight.

Mind you this is usually against LHP that he's batting 2nd. We have 2 losses against LHP Mike Minor this year and 1 win against him In the 2 losses Madrigal was at the bottom of the lineup and in the 1 win he was 2nd. Of course in general the Sox crush lefties as does Madrigal but in the 2 rare instances of a loss against Minor he wasn't hitting 2nd and the other hitters didn't hit Minor as well as they do most lefties. So Madrigal is at least good enough to bat 2nd against lefties. Against RHP 9th is probably best. Madgrigal really needs to hit a lot better against RHP. Mendick actually has reverse splits and hits RHP better. So if Nick doesn't get better real fast against RHP he'll be on the short side of a platoon unless Mendick is too busy playing the OF. Since Eaton is better against RHP, as is Mendick, it wouldn't make sense to platoon him in RF with Eaton. So as of now Eaton in RF and Mendick at 2nd base is the best combo against RHP.

Yes but he still has more AB's in the 2 hole than any other spot in the lineup except 9th which is where he has the majority of his AB's. So yes there is a case for him batting 2nd against lefties all the time rather than saying he doesn't work the count and his lack of power makes him a bad fit at the top which is what I was responding to. In the 2 losses against Minor he was at the bottom of the order. In the one win against Minor he was batting 2nd.

Well if we go off of career stats and I know that's misleading from small sample sizes but Nick is actually at his best when batting 2nd. BA .375, OBP .412., Slg. .531, OPS .943 . Also think that the Sox haven't lost a game all season when he's batting 2nd. That's just a guess but someone else can check to see if it's true.

Woo hoo ! Yee haaa !

I really wish I could've heard Hawk call the 2005 World Series and playoffs .

Good work. I love when someone puts in the time and effort to check if we are truly seeing the Sox being hosed or is it just our rose colored fandom seeing it.

You know we see things all the time in baseball that never happened before. We just had one pitcher break the record for most K's without a walk and then a few days later that record was broken again. I sure don't want to be the team that loses an 11 run lead in the 9th for the 1st time in baseball history. (15-4 at the time of the Mercedes bomb)

I'm a true believer that it's not over till it's over. This is not any other sport where its impossible to win just because of the clock.

Problem is that even the best hitters make out 7 out of 10 times . Pad my stats all I can every time. Anyone that wants me to just swing at anything or make an out on purpose can kiss my ass. I understand you're just explaining how other's feel about it but this is my opinion . What's your true opinion ?

This is the type of thing that should merit a meeting with Kenny Williams and Hahn to tell LaRussa they want him support Yermin in every way possible with all the reasons they can muster. Yermin's job is to hit . That's why he has a bat in his hand I don't care about the count or the score . My goal is to win ball games. You see crazy stuff in baseball all the time you never saw before. Who is to say they don't come up with 12 runs to tie it up ? It's very unlikely but if you gave me a choice of having a 12 or 13 run lead , I'll take 13 , thank you. I don't think it was disrespectful at all. You tell me what a player is supposed to do when he's up there in that situation ? Swing and miss? Make an out on purpose ? Take a pitch ? Then what ? This isn't about respect, it's about winning and my players never giving less than their best effort.

It is super fucking dumb. Support your players and team mates always when they do good. You don't have a bat in your hand to make outs. You throw the ball and my job is to hit the ball hard on any pitch. Any player can get injured for life at any moment. If that happens next for Yermin I'd want my memories to include a HR in my last AB.

The entire point of an eephus pitch from a normal pitcher is the same as the point of any other pitch which is to disrupt the hitters timing (fool them) and get an out or a swing and a miss. If a pitcher could throw a pitch every time that makes the hitter miss that's the goal, not to embarrass anyone. This is what pitching is all about. From a position player who is throwing almost all eephus pitches he's not trying to fool or embarrass anyone. He just wants to get the fuck off the mound without hurting his arm. He knows damn well he's either going to get lucky and record a few outs or get lit up like a Christmas tree.

There's something you said and a few others have said that isn't quite right. Just because Astudillo was throwing an Eephus pitch doesn't mean he is trying to embarrass a hitter. All he is doing is trying to throw strikes and not get injured. Sure he could throw it harder. He had an earlier pitch that was 75 MPH but there's really no need for him to give max effort and risk his arm. Some position players have actually hurt their arm pitching in relief (Jose Canseco). At that point he's just hoping he gets lucky enough to record some outs and get the hell off the mound. It wasn't bush league on the Twins part at all and neither was Mercedes swinging on 3-0. There was no trying to embarrass the other team on either side. Now how the Twins respond today is something different. If they hit Mercedes with a pitch or any other Sox hitter early in the game then I would consider it bush league.

Save that call for when someone tells you that umpires don't even look at the catcher's glove when making balls and strike calls. It was such a good pitch biting downward that Collins couldn't keep it in the zone once he caught it or that left knee up, which is on the same side he caught the ball ,prevents him getting down low enough on that side of the plate, from framing it.

So this tweeter can read lips ? S he assumed that's what Eaton was doing then tells him to shut up ? Classic. Talk about getting yourself worked up over nothing.

Sure what else are you supposed to do ? You can't take a knee like on a fair catch. You're up there to swing the bat. Yerminator's don't care about no stinkin' unwritten rules !

Doubtful

I just praised you for knowing all on your Astudillo pitching call and now you call it the DL ?

Fathom knows all.

Just so u know in case no one told u. TLR is not calling for those guys to bunt. With no one on and no outs they do whatever they want to.

Separated at birth ?