Comments on: Game 17, Rangers at Mariners

By: Russ

Russ — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 15:09:28 +0000

I didn’t get the watch the game last night…did Eddie’s left arm simply fall off and he tossed right handed?

I’m sure that Grover would feel much better about a proven vetran tossing regardless of his physical condition over a young pup so that must explain this.

By: BelaXadux

BelaXadux — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:43:14 +0000

a ‘save in the [top of the] 9th [with the score tied]

By: BelaXadux

BelaXadux — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 10:38:29 +0000

And for all the growling and howling about Grover’s supposed flailings in bullpen usage, let’s stop and review the issue: a) Putz and Soriano have the best stuff in the pen, and they have consistently been deployed in the 7th and 8th innings when the threat of opponents scoring has been at the max; b) Sherrill _is_ being used as a LOOGY (which is not a bad thing since he kills lefties), but he has also been used for an inning plus when availability issues in the pen implied that this was best; c) Mateo isn’t throwing that well, but he’s coming in at the right times, early but not to put out fires, while Woods has been used more as the long man than anyone, and generally pitched OK; d) Eddie has been brought in for cushy bases-empty ninth innings, but tonight he was brought in—as recent arguments suggest—for a ‘save’ in the 8th, to hold the fort for a comeback, with Putz ready to go a couple if the game went into extras (Guapo’s poor performances have undermined the result, but the intent has been obvious and sound). I’m not saying this to defend Hargrove, of whom I don’t think all that much. Maybe the mind behind all of this is Chaves, and Grover is swallowing his long-term tendencies, shown last year also, to different purposes. All that notwithstanding, there’s nothing at all to gripe about personnel usage in the pen: it’s been quite good.

By: Ed

Ed — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 09:47:09 +0000

Okay, so usually I think Hendu’s pretty worthless, but his reply to Niehaus feeling sorry for the Royals was hilarious. To paraphrase a bit, “No, I don’t feel sorry for them, that’s not how baseball works. The best time to kick a man is when he’s down–that’s when he’s closest to your foot.”

That alone was worth watching the game tonight. I’m putting it in a novel some day.

By: BelaXadux

BelaXadux — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 07:29:46 +0000

9 groundballs, 4 flyballs

By: BelaXadux

BelaXadux — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 06:54:54 +0000

Wilymo, thanks for the inside on it, then. Tell Rafe “I love him, and he’s gonna be a BIG star!”

By: wilymo

wilymo — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 06:51:36 +0000

I’m a good friend of Soriano’s. I talked to him after the game… He said it was a split.

By: BelaXadux

BelaXadux — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 06:47:36 +0000

Piniero’s game is all but forgotten given Eddie’s unsteadiness, but Joel actually had a decent game, and is dead on Dave’s remarks to open this thread: 9 groundballs, 4 groundballs, 3 Ks, 1 big HR when he began to run out of gas. Joel the Finesser is now a refined product; the downside is that he he’s pitch-_in_efficient in this modality, so that with a high pitchcount he’s done early. The other key, to me, is consistency, all of Joel’s starts have been pretty much the same, same game, same location, same results. I never had that much faith in Piniero, Power Pitcher, but he’s made the conversion to a useful finesse guy. If he’s able to sharpen up his control just a little bit over this year and next, he can stay in the game for years.

And #374, thanks for the info: splitter. I’d been hoping to hear that (I love the split). The ones I’ve seen have had a consistent break, but he’s not locked into the lower part of the strikezone with it, more looking off the plate a little for a swing-and-a-miss. Given the location, I’m not that surprised that Blalock got a basehit off one (I’m at work = no TV). Still, I like this repertoire for Soriano. Rafael had never previously mastered a solid change-up, so maybe Chaves put him onto the split. (Price it was who taught Putz the split in the summer of ’04.) Hmmmm . . . interesting.

[Or Gomez, what's your follow-up opinion, was he throwing the split or the change??]

By: wilymo

wilymo — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 06:23:22 +0000

Re: #356,

Soriano’s new pitch that he’s working on is a splitter. That’s what Blalock hit for a basehit…I don’t know if that is necessarily the pitch that you’re referring too. He does also throw a change from time to time.

By: Gomez

Gomez — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 06:16:06 +0000

Bela, Soriano is indeed throwing a change, which has been hit and miss so far.