iamshack

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:49 PM) Chen is tougher vs. RHP, but Wise was 1/6 & De Aza was 1/5. You can pick & choose your stats. Flowers has a 1.000 OPS vs. LHP, .613 vs. RHP, maybe Robin doesn't trust him vs. a righty? Robin has made some bad decisions this month, but if there is ever a night to let your agenda against him slide, tonight is it. Yeah, I understand getting Flowers in there, and I understand Viciedo. It isn't fair for me to argue that he needs to use data and then suggest he shouldn't use it when it doesn't suit my argument. It's unfortunate that Dayan and Flowers didn't get the job done when they had the chance. I still have a major problem with his failure to look at statistics and instead just going with the traditional opposite-handedness is the best approach. I guarantee you that is why Flowers and Viciedo started, and AJ and Wise did not. I doubt he even was aware of their career numbers against Chen.

QUOTE (Jake @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:43 PM) The manager is not the problem. In fact, I don't really think there are very big problems. This is a Rongey argument, and it is a slippery slope. At this point in the season, I want EVERY POSSIBLE advantage. We need every possible advantage. If we lose this division by a game, do you want to look back and say we didn't take every possible advantage that was available to us?

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:42 PM) I respect your arguments, but you do agree AJP needs some time off, right? Yes. I am sure there is a matchup coming up where he hits less that .417 against a pitcher we don't call CY because the entire team fails to hit him. I would have sat him in whichever game that might be.

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:39 PM) But then again, playing armchair manager instead of putting some blame on the players is an incredibly easy way out. If you read PHT you know damn well that over the course of the past 6 years I have almost continuously posted that the players need to perform. I have never been one to second guess the manager until very recently. Fathom can attest for all the PMs I have responded to him sticking up for what Ventura brings to the table. But the last few weeks have just been grossly inadequate from a managerial standpoint, and I am going to point that out, even when it might not have directly lead to the loss. The guy needs to pick up a f***ing binder and analyze data.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:36 PM) In all honesty, I'm not thinking about Robin's late bullpen & pinch hitting decisions today. They may have been wrong, but it should not have been a 1-0 game going into the bottom of the 7th. The offense was brutal for 7 innings vs a crappy pitcher who they had seemed to figure out recently. This is one is 100% on the offense IMO. Although AJ had success against Chen, he was gonna need a day off at some point. I would rather have Flowers face Chen than any of the RHP coming up. Again, Chen is actually tougher on righties than he is on lefties. I agree we should have score 4+ runs easily tonight, but the fact that we didn't only magnifies the mistakes we did make. I don't know why the guy can't just LOOK AT THE DATA instead of going with the traditional righty-lefty/lefty-righty matchups every damned time. Who knows what might have happened had he actually put the players that had the best chance to succeed in instead of just automatically going with the traditional opposite matchup EVERY SINGLE TIME. Maybe Flowers and Beckham get hits off of Holland instead of the two easy outs that two cold guys off the bench were against a guy throwing 99. Is that too much to ask, honestly?

QUOTE (Tony82087 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:32 PM) Wait, so the board is collectively pinning a 3-0 shutout loss against Bruce Chen on Robin? Really? No, they are defending him. I am the one saying he has been a piss-poor manager for the last three weeks. Really.

QUOTE (The Ginger Kid @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:27 PM) Viciedo absolutely choked on that flyball, short-armed it knowing he was about to hit the fence. The guy has been surprisingly good in LF this year, but not tonight. He also blew chunks at the plate with the bases loaded, swinging at a pitch that wasn't even close to being a strike. How many times do you think Manto has told him to lay off the inside pitch that the book says is his gaping hole? Blame RV all you want, but only if it's for putting Dayan in the lineup tonight. And that's a weak argument at best. Well I did list about 7 other reasons, but you guys only seem to read one.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:24 PM) No, we do know one thing. He destroys LHP. He did it on Sunday against Diamond, he did it last time vs. Chen. You start him against lefties, his four digit OPS attests to that. Wise has a career OPS against LHP of .558. In 2012 it is a whopping .600. Fair enough, I'll back off of the Dayan sitting...but the dude needs to be pulled aside and instructed that in 1-0 games with the bases loaded against pitchers we do not score runs against, he needs to try and put the ball in play instead of swinging as hard as he possibly can. I honestly cannot take 5 more years of this lunatic.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:18 PM) Yep, if you're not going to play him against Chen, then you made a huge mistake in not trading him months ago. Well you know where I stand on that issue. What is your excuse for not playing AJ when he hits .417 against Chen if it was absolutely imperative to play Dayan tonight?

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:17 PM) Tank was 5 for 12 with 2 homers vs. Chen going into today. He had a 1.029 OPS vs. LHP. Today was the perfect day to start Viciedo. He didn't perform. I really don't care what Dayan has done against Chen in the past, or anyone for that matter. I flat-out would not play him. We have absolutely no idea what we're going to get out of him, because he shows no capacity to learn or improve, no capacity to adjust his approach at the plate. I'll take Wise over Dayan in every start for the remainder of the season.

If you guys would have seen the Royals broadcast you would have heard all the numbers given regarding the decisions Robin was making. Almost each and every move he made was entirely wrong from a statistical point of view. I would have rather had AJ hitting against Chen in the 4th with the bases loaded an 0 outs. I would have rather had Jones facing Gordon in the 7th. I would have rather not pinch hit ODawg and AJ when lefties hit .80 points lower off of Holland than righties. I would have rather not had Dayan swinging as hard as he can when we need someone with some kind of baseball acumen at the plate at this stage in the season. Trust me, the players didn't get hits when we needed them, and that isn't all on Robin. But he needs to put the Club in the best position to succeed and he clearly doesn't use statistics when attempting to do so. We're 147 games into the season and he still doesn't realize Nate Jones is much tougher on lefties than righties.

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:08 PM) You know I agree with you 99% of the time about Ventura, but I don't find fault with him for the loss tonight. Typically, I'd gladly take my chances with Viciedo, Alexei and Flowers at least getting one run home against a soft tossing LHP. I would have liked to see Veal face Gordon, but it's not like Sale is easy on lefties. I just want him to look at statistics. He brings in Jones against Butler when he should have brought him in against Gordon. He brings in two lefties to pinch hit against their closer when righties are hitting 80 points higher than lefties. He sits AJ against a guy he's hitting .417 against. I didn't have a problem with him leaving Sale either, Dayan should have made the catch...but I honestly wouldn't take Wise out of the lineup now for Dayan...the guy just has no concept of situational hitting and we can't afford OTJ for him right now. I'd be happy if he were just in a PH role right now, considering the upgrade to our defense that Wise brings.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 09:07 PM) Sox looked like a team satisfied at a 5-game win streak tonight. AJ's wave of his hand at the ump said it all. We're defeated when we play KC ... defeated. Last night was a lucky one-run win. Tomorrow Guthrie mercifully ends the season series with KC's 12th win vs. the Sox. If Detroit wins we're one-game up and the schedule IS NOT in our favor. Thanks, KC for ruining our season. Why don't you just admit that you take an immense pleasure in the Royals beating us and call it a year?

RV, you absolutely suck right now.

I just can't express enough how much a disadvantage Robin is putting us at night after night with these terrible decisions. He's an absolutely pathetic on-field manager.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Sep 19, 2012 -> 08:42 PM) Can not work with players that have no ability to adjust their swing or approach and neither have shown that they can do either, they are what they are. Yeah, I want them to have a better plan at the plate. They have no concept of trying to shorten their swings and put the bat on the ball, regardless of the situation. I've had enough of Tank. I don't want to watch him play for another 5 years.

Dayan should not be starting regardless of matchups for the rest of the season, as far as I am concerned. And now Ventura, who SHOULD have brought in Jones to face Gordon, is going to bring him in against Butler, despite the fact that righties hit 100 points higher off him than lefties.

No structural damage apparent in the MRI, will be reevaluated in a few days.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 11:17 PM) Quite frankly, KW won't be getting any offers for Rios. That contract is just too big. If he plays like this again next year, we'll all be happy in keeping him. It's not our money and Jerry isn't going to lower prices regardless. I vigorously disagree about the contract. Did you just see the Dodgers eat almost $250 million?

QUOTE (justBLAZE @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:57 PM) Would anyone consider a well paying job in your field but going outside of continental USA, precisely to Afghanistan? (Hence why really well paying job) It would have to be incredibly good. Like change my life for many, many years to come good.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:15 PM) I may owe the board an apology for all my hatred of Rios in the past just as many of you owe me an apology for your hatred of Wise in the past. He's been quite a savior. I don't remember going after Wise too much, but I will give credit where credit is due. You saw some things in Wise (whether deservedly or not) that no one else (or very few) did. Props to you, Greg.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 10:11 PM) No cause it's not my money. Besides he's earning his money this year unlike last year. There were plenty of people who would have traded him at this deadline just for the salary relief. I don't think there is any way in hell you move him this offseason unless you actually get a really nice package of young players. We acquired him so we could win. Now that we are winning, and he is showing you what you knew he could, you don't move him unless someone makes you.

QUOTE (BigSqwert @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 09:29 PM) Magic number? 13

Right shoulder fatigue....oh my!

QUOTE (fathom @ Sep 18, 2012 -> 05:50 PM) A's have a ton of lefties in the lineup, so it could set up well for Downs. I don't care!