Perhaps when there are already two men on and you are protecting a one-run lead, it's a bad idea to intentionally load the bases with a pitcher whose career BB/9 is over five and a half.
I'm not saying Aardsma didn't do the lion's share of the damage.
I’m just saying that for the Rivera at-bat, he actually got a should-have-been strike over with the first pitch and a couple of borderline strikes at worst with pitches two and four.
The others, I mean one of then was right on the border and the other two were high, so I can’t complain about that. But the first pitch might get them to swing at the next one. Who knows?
I still am not on board with most of what Wak has done, save his ability to keep AARP members out of the outfield.
For all the talk of his understanding of numbers, it looks like he just knows defense. His offensive strategies scream in the face of current research and his lineups are zany. I’m also not thrilled with his bullpen usage. Other than that, great manager.
Ehh, DMZ's breakdown of the bunts showed he raised our WE more often than not, or at least that Wak ball broke even.
Although it hasn’t updated for a while. Our bullpen is fucked without Kelley and Good Morrow, so what can he do? The only really dumb thing was Aardsma this game – blame Beltre and the 3B coach for running us out of two runs.
Hit and runs, Gutz batting 9th while any number of idiots bat 2nd, Rob Johnson batting 7th, Rob Johnson batting 8th, Rob Johnson playing, not PHing for Griffey against lefties, etc etc
I can potentially forgive repeatedly bunting Ichiro to second with no outs using Yuni (although it's still stupid)
but why the fuck is Yuni batting 2nd in the first place? Bunting with Ichi on 2nd and no outs is handing the pitcher a coupon for one free out, redeemable immediately.
If I had to really reach for a good reason to bat Yuni 2nd
It would be to showcase him a bit for other teams. Batting him 2nd may encourage him to take more pitches, show off his bunting skills and give him more plate appearances.
Hit and runs are stupid, yes. And I don't like Gutz batting 9th either.
But Rob Johnson, I know we hate seeing him play, but what is Wak supposed to do? You think Quiroz is that much better? Or Jamie Burke? Or Adam Moore?
And PHing had been shown again and again to be a losing strategy except in the face of the some of the most extreme platoon splits and with a competent bat able to come in. Sure, in some cases it would have been a positive WE play to PH, but not all of them.
Has Clement been injured the whole year? I understand why Johnson is the catcher right now,
Also, yeah, I’d rather see Quiroz in the short term. It’s pretty safe to say that Rob Johnson is not a very good ML baseball player, so I have no qualms with giving Quiroz a chance to prove that he might be more effective.
Also, I get the impression Yuni bats second because Wak likes his bunting. That’s two kinds of bad.
Nothing. No pain. It’s finally happened. And now, to celebrate the death of emotion when the M’s get cockpunched, I shall now spend my Sunday night at an interminable school recital. Gyarrgh.
2:55 p.m.: Garrett Olson had his first real trouble in the bottom of the sixth, giving up three straight hits to start, though a shortstop with good range might have got the third of those — a bounder up the middle by Bobby Abreu — and turned it into a DP. Instead, Yuniesky Betancourt waved at the ball and it bounced into center field for an RBI single that left runners at the corners. V
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.—Dustin Ackley led No. 1 seed North Carolina to a second win in the Chapel Hill Regional, as the Tar Heels downed Coastal Carolina, 14-5.
Ackley reached base six times on four hits and two intentional walks and batted in three runs on the day. At this point, Ackley’s extraordinary hitting (7-for-9 in the two regional games) is starting to become routine. He’s hitting .500 this month (30-for-60) to raise his season average to .414.
Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT
13 Dustin Ackley…. .414 60-60 237 69 98 16 4 20 64 182 .768 48 5 30 1 .517 2 0 13-17
Wakamatsu has made some questionable calls.
Rookie manager, I know, but it still sucks.
JLProck - May 31, 2009
Walkamatsu
lemonverbena - May 31, 2009
Every day I grow more and more certain that God hates the Mariners.
SethGrandpa - May 31, 2009
Particularly with a pitcher you used to death.
Ah well.
ThundaPC - May 31, 2009
It was Torii Hunter; I probably would have done it.
Two Rs and Two Ls - May 31, 2009
I don't think there's any way you can justify that with a pitcher looking as bad as Aardsma did
Jeff Sullivan - May 31, 2009
I would have never brought him in to begin with
Poochie - May 31, 2009
I'm just tired of Torii Hunter ruining my fuckin' birthday.
Two Rs and Two Ls - May 31, 2009
Perhaps it would be a good idea for the umpire's strike zone to not magically disappear for the following at-bat.
DKCecil - May 31, 2009
Im not going to pin this on the ump as much
Aardsmas career BB/9 average speaks for itself. His control was already shaky that inning. He was pitching for the 4th consecutive game.
We all knew this would happen.
Brian Floyd - May 31, 2009
I'm not saying Aardsma didn't do the lion's share of the damage.
I’m just saying that for the Rivera at-bat, he actually got a should-have-been strike over with the first pitch and a couple of borderline strikes at worst with pitches two and four.
DKCecil - May 31, 2009
The first pitch was totally a strike.
The others, I mean one of then was right on the border and the other two were high, so I can’t complain about that. But the first pitch might get them to swing at the next one. Who knows?
Two Rs and Two Ls - May 31, 2009
This is what pain looks like in nerd form:
EnglishMariner - May 31, 2009
This is the most painful defeat I can remember since Man City got beat by Man United 2-3 in the early 1990's after leading 2-0 at HT.
EnglishMariner - May 31, 2009
The Cleveland comeback....
Brian Floyd - May 31, 2009
This
Link
Brian Floyd - May 31, 2009
But that was a fun filled season and we didn't need a win at all
gregrabble - May 31, 2009
1906 Cubs say hi!
dkulich - May 31, 2009
I'm pretty sure Arthur Rhodes would disagree with that one.
In fact, we needed several wins at the end of that season.
eponymous_coward - May 31, 2009
Were there runners on 1st and 2nd, when he walked Hunter? Or was 1B open?
My computer was fucked up for a moment.
Please don’t tell me he walked Hunter with 1st and 2nd..
Rudy4three - May 31, 2009
2nd & 3rd.
ThundaPC - May 31, 2009
1B was open.
BrianL - May 31, 2009
I can't believe that backfired
Poochie - May 31, 2009
I still am not on board with most of what Wak has done, save his ability to keep AARP members out of the outfield.
For all the talk of his understanding of numbers, it looks like he just knows defense. His offensive strategies scream in the face of current research and his lineups are zany. I’m also not thrilled with his bullpen usage. Other than that, great manager.
abender20 - May 31, 2009
Ehh, DMZ's breakdown of the bunts showed he raised our WE more often than not, or at least that Wak ball broke even.
Although it hasn’t updated for a while. Our bullpen is fucked without Kelley and Good Morrow, so what can he do? The only really dumb thing was Aardsma this game – blame Beltre and the 3B coach for running us out of two runs.
Decatur - May 31, 2009
and the IBB, of course.
Decatur - May 31, 2009
Bunting in the first inning?
With a runner on second, nobody out?
Not sure what the numbers are but it doesn’t seem like the right play
Brian Floyd - May 31, 2009
Hit and runs, Gutz batting 9th while any number of idiots bat 2nd, Rob Johnson batting 7th, Rob Johnson batting 8th, Rob Johnson playing, not PHing for Griffey against lefties, etc etc
abender20 - May 31, 2009
That's all true, now that you mention it.
I feel a little less sanguine now on Wak.
The the Yuni bunt wasn’t a disaster, since he isn’t a good hitter, I think. It’s a touch negative, but now more than that.
http://ussmariner.com/2009/05/08/evaluating-wakamatsus-use-of-the-sac-bunt/ But the other stuff, yeah.
Decatur - May 31, 2009
I can potentially forgive repeatedly bunting Ichiro to second with no outs using Yuni (although it's still stupid)
but why the fuck is Yuni batting 2nd in the first place? Bunting with Ichi on 2nd and no outs is handing the pitcher a coupon for one free out, redeemable immediately.
abender20 - May 31, 2009
(To clarify, I can potentially forgive bunting Ichi from first to second)
abender20 - May 31, 2009
If I had to really reach for a good reason to bat Yuni 2nd
It would be to showcase him a bit for other teams. Batting him 2nd may encourage him to take more pitches, show off his bunting skills and give him more plate appearances.
JLC - May 31, 2009
Great idea. Bat him 2nd to showcase his skills and then demonstrate zero faith in his skill by making him bunt every at bat.
abender20 - May 31, 2009
I imagine some teams might like whatever "small ball" skills he has to offer
Considering he doesn’t have much to offer at the plate.
JLC - May 31, 2009
Hit and runs are stupid, yes. And I don't like Gutz batting 9th either.
But Rob Johnson, I know we hate seeing him play, but what is Wak supposed to do? You think Quiroz is that much better? Or Jamie Burke? Or Adam Moore?
And PHing had been shown again and again to be a losing strategy except in the face of the some of the most extreme platoon splits and with a competent bat able to come in. Sure, in some cases it would have been a positive WE play to PH, but not all of them.
Matthew - June 1, 2009
Has Clement been injured the whole year? I understand why Johnson is the catcher right now,
Also, yeah, I’d rather see Quiroz in the short term. It’s pretty safe to say that Rob Johnson is not a very good ML baseball player, so I have no qualms with giving Quiroz a chance to prove that he might be more effective.
Also, I get the impression Yuni bats second because Wak likes his bunting. That’s two kinds of bad.
abender20 - June 1, 2009
You know what? I feel nothing in my heart.
Nothing. No pain. It’s finally happened. And now, to celebrate the death of emotion when the M’s get cockpunched, I shall now spend my Sunday night at an interminable school recital. Gyarrgh.
esoteric - May 31, 2009
What happened at the end did you choke on something?
DO YOU NEED ASSISTANCE?
Omerta - May 31, 2009
I choked on three hours of my girlfriend's cousin's goofy choral recital.
Bleargh.
esoteric - May 31, 2009
Baker tells it like it is.
On Yuni:
Decatur - May 31, 2009
Yuni is to blame.
Zygomorphic - May 31, 2009
But what about the baserunning? And Aardsma/Wak?
When so many people fuck up, who do you blame?
Snowman1025 - May 31, 2009
That was his liveblogging of the game, not recap.
Aardsma is now his headline.
Decatur - May 31, 2009
No he also fired off on that in the liveblog too
Brian Floyd - May 31, 2009
I blame you.
Zygomorphic - May 31, 2009
I personally felt that was the turning point in the game. If he makes that play, Angels never even
sniff a comeback in my opinion.
Rudy4three - May 31, 2009
Oh well at least Nadal lost.
This still hurts though, but I guess now we’ll trade people away for lots of nice young players.
marinerdan - May 31, 2009
Something to brighten your day.
From Baseball America:
Player AVG GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT
13 Dustin Ackley…. .414 60-60 237 69 98 16 4 20 64 182 .768 48 5 30 1 .517 2 0 13-17
Decatur - May 31, 2009
Who ever said that we can't have nice things?
Omerta - May 31, 2009
Ackley's going to be so awesome backing up Jeff Clement in Tacoma.
Jordan of Boise - May 31, 2009
Until you trade him to the Indians.
Eyebrows - May 31, 2009
Hey we will be in serious need of Ryan Garko next year.
abender20 - May 31, 2009
Saunders and Juan Ramirez as a PTBNL for Travis Hafner's corpse
Jordan of Boise - June 1, 2009
We won't draft him
Just trying to lower my own expectations so if we do skip him to draft a reliever I won’t be crushed
Brian Floyd - May 31, 2009
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