Opening Day Post Game Thoughts
by Adam J. Morris on Mar 31, 2008 9:04 PM CDT
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PrintMillwood was solid. Can't ask for much more from him than we got.
The Young error was a killer. If Young makes that play, Millwood probably goes 7, with Benoit and Wilson coming in after that.
Nice patience at the plate.
This is probably a knee-jerk reaction, but...I really don't want to see Ben Broussard against any more lefties.
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Broussard
Watching him batting, I honestly could not even imagine what it would look like for him to get a hit. He could hit .000 this year, and I wouldn't be surprised
From a Mariners fan,
Broussard really isn't that bad. Yeah, he sucks against Lefties, but definitely has use versus RHPs.
But you guys are probably right about starting Botts over Broussards vs. LHPs.
Adam, that's not a knee-jerk reaction about Broussard
It's a rational conclusion. And I agree. There's a reason why Bromide Ben doesn't have more than 400 AB's career against LHP.
why
was he in there against one of the toughest lefties in the league? Was it just for sh*ts and giggles simply because he's the starter? Plus Bedard is the only lefty the Rangers face on this road trip so look for Botts to keep the bench hot for Broussard to celebrate his K-fest
by Baseball North on Mar 31, 2008 9:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Egad
The first golden sombrero of the year goes to Ben Broussard. Is Fukumori Japanese for "can't throw the ball above the knees"?
Broussard
did not get a Golden Sombrero.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions
I stand corrected
just a hat trick. Still sucked.
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 10:17 PM CDT up reply actions
It means I hope my shitty catcher............
can move his fat-ass enough to catch up with a sinker!!!
game 1
Millwood was the big positive.
Broussard everyday is an "out on a limb" experiment - the fact that Botts is not a regular 1B is probably also a factor since the team is focusing on improved defense.
Murphy had some solid ABs, I wouldn't be surprised if Byrd starts getting decreasing ABs against RHP once Bradley is out in RF.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 9:17 PM CDT reply actions
tomorrow vs Hernandez
Cat, Hamilton, Murphy in the OF
I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it. ~Rogers Hornsby
Oh, Almost forgot - my other postgame thoughts:
The bad stuff:
- Gerald Laird sucks. Period.
- Marlon Byrd should have been traded this spring.
- Ron Washington is a moron, putting on a hit and run when Marlon Byrd was attempting to bunt.
- Marlon Byrd cannot bunt.
- Micheal Young cannot play shortstop. His hands are like bricks out there. I pine for Elvis Andrus.
- If Kazuo Fukumori continues to throw like that, he should be the one sent down April 12th.
- Franklyn German's control is not any better than it has ever been.
- Tomorrows pitching matchup is Padilla vs. Felix Hernandez.
The good stuff:
- Millwood was better than I dared hope. Good outing for K-Mill. If the bottom of our order didn't suck so hard, maybe we could have gotten him a win.
- Michael Young looks like he's going to hit for a little more power this year.
- Um... uh... well... that shitty game is over?
Actually
I was impressed with Laird today. Thought he had some good swings up there, just didn't get a hit. That happens.
The passed balls were sucky, but he can't bare all the blame for those.
And he had some mighty nice throws to cut down some runners.
I liked what I saw from him overall.
"Sabean did a good job on selling high on Liriano." Excel Hearts Choi
by thedirkatron on Mar 31, 2008 9:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Laird didn't impress me at all
I didn't think his at-bats where that great, myself. Good swings are when you hit lineouts, deep fly balls (like Murphy) or pull one just barely foul. Laird had one AB where he hit the ball halfway decent that I saw, and that was his flyout to right.
I didn't think his throws where that impressive, really - the Mariners are just shitty baserunners. Running with Adrian Beltre, and trying to steal third with a left-handed batter at the plate - stuff like that is what makes catchers look good.
Laird did fine tonight.
He didn't get a hit, but he got on base. He gunned both runners that tried to steal on him, whether the throws were aesthetically pleasing or not. Who cares how pretty they were if they result in an out on the base paths? He called a good game behind the plate. Fukumori was wild tonight. Both of the balls that got by Laird were thrown on the other side of the plate from where he expected. Even the great Pudge let balls get by him from time to time.
Honestly, it sounds like you're being negative against Laird solely for the sake of being negative against Laird.
Maybe you're right
But I just expect Laird to be so bad every game, it's hard not to do that.
Kind of like what people are doing with Ben Broussard.
A sinker ball pitcher comes in......
and Laird can't even get a glove on 2-3 of 'em.....any catcher in the league could catch those.....and probably at least 1 guy in AAA...........your guess who?
"Laird doesn't suck"
When and where? Cause he sure sucks in the games that I watch - especially opening day.
Wow
Slow down. Have a drink. There are 161 more of these left. You won't be a Ranger fan very long if you knee-jerk like this after every game.
Thank you, though. I was down about the game until I read this and realized how ridiculous it was.
by badradiorules on Mar 31, 2008 9:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey, it was a shitty game
If it was a great game, I would have probably had great things to say about it.
And who cares if all that stuff is knee-jerk? That's kinda what this site is for, knee jerk reactions...
I didn't mean exclusively
But in this instance, it kind of is. After all, that's all you can do after just one game, is make knee jerk reactions...
Many of us
Probably think these things, but you can't let them piss you off that much.... and Adam's right - Laird doesn't suck. I don't think we can tell who sucks yet, even Broussard.
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 10:20 PM CDT up reply actions
I disagree...
that one game was enough to show how much Broussard sucks.
Stars in a Texas Night Sky, a Dallas Stars blog from a fan's perspective.
You're right
A lot of lefties kill Bedard and Putz. If you can't kill Bedard and Putz on opening night with a new team, that seals it. You suck.
by badradiorules on Mar 31, 2008 10:28 PM CDT up reply actions
No doubt
he stunk tonight. Looked like a pedestrian at the plate. Heck, he looked like Wilkerson at the plate. But... just one game in. He might have 2 hits tomorrow.
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 10:38 PM CDT up reply actions
the next person that says knee jerk
should get pistol whipped
by longhorn3621 on Mar 31, 2008 11:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Hey man
Just trying to help you out. You'll be on suicide watch within the week if you react that way to every bad Ranger game.
Knee jerk reactions like that aren't for this site, more for my granddad who knows nothing about the game or who the players are, but watches the games because Matlock isn't on that night.
I think this site is for the more informed fan. Sometimes I think that.
by badradiorules on Mar 31, 2008 10:12 PM CDT up reply actions
Nope
Just that you are playing the part of the uninformed fan.
by badradiorules on Mar 31, 2008 10:29 PM CDT up reply actions
This thread is called "opening day postgame thoughts"
So I posted my opening day postgame thoughts.
I don't think what I said above is even that bad... look at all the people who are ready to DFA Ben Broussard because he had one bad game against a LHP, who we know he already can't hit very well.
+1
I watched the game with my Dad tonight. When Bromide came up my Dad asked me who this new guy was.
"Ben Broussard," I replied. "He sucks."
After Bromide did his thing my Dad just said, "Boy you weren't kidding about the suck."
"Sabean did a good job on selling high on Liriano." Excel Hearts Choi
by thedirkatron on Mar 31, 2008 9:29 PM CDT up reply actions
haha funny..
it doesn't take one long to figure that out about the lovely Benny B.
I hereby ordain you Benny Brou Ha Ha<-----Wash thinks you can hit lefties....in 2 months time you will be a full fledged Brouhaha..trust me on that one.
Again, don't stereotype
Ben upon his performance against LHPs.
There's a reason he was platooned in Cleveland in 2006...
Hitting against lefties
makes Ben a better hitter against righties. How can you deny Ben, and us, the magic that occurs when he faces righties with a stroke honed razor sharp by facing lefties?
no one dare deny the magic
It's quite likely that Broussard sits against lefties after May.
But Wash is going to give him a chance. Ben is a veteran.
Don't discount the positive impact on the team derived from a manager who give players a chance to show they've improved. Even if, most of the time, they fail to show it, and sit down.
Game 1
Game 1 reinforced the thought that many of us have had for the last couple years that the problem with this team is not the pitching but the offense. That pitching tonight, outside of Fukumori, was good enough to win on just about any night. But when you are 0-15 or whatever with runners on base, that's not going to cut it. I like the addition of Hamilton and Bradley and if we get a full year of Blalock that will be good. Plus, Murphy is developing and Laird can't be worse with the stick than he was last year. So, the offense should be better. But until we get a couple more big time hitters to go in the middle of the lineup I think we are going to see the offense be inconsistent.
Knee-jerk reaction, I know, but tonight reminded me of a lot of games I have seen the last couple of years.
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." - Tony Romo
I wouldn't be
too down on the offense. Bedard is an uber-elite starter who owns the Rangers and Putz was the best closer in baseball.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 9:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Didn't remind me of years past
Bedard is very difficult to hit. The Rangers didn't hack their way into oblivion like they have the last couple years. If this game would've been last year Bedard probably would've gone deep into the game and handed it off to Putz. Due to the Rangers' willingness to take pitches they had him out of there quick, instead. Good formula. The next guy the M's brought in was also tough with that sidearm sinker shit.
If they keep approaching hitting the way they did tonight, they'll score more runs than they have last year. Say it's mid-season and they do something similar in the first two games of a series. Most often they'll have a better chance of scoring runs in the first two games, and by the third they'll be facing a depleted bullpen.
I was VERY impressed that with few exceptions they didn't get themselves out and actually made the other teams pitcher work for it.
by Black Francis on Apr 1, 2008 1:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh, one more knee-jerk
Having just arrived home not too long ago, and having no access to the 'net while I was away, let me just say Jesus Christ that's a lot of comments on the game day threads. I'm afraid to open them.
"Sabean did a good job on selling high on Liriano." Excel Hearts Choi
Closer to 3700
Needless to say, a lot of people wanted to see Bedard's debut. And it's only gonna get worse tomorrow with Felix.
no love for MY?
Yeah, his error hurt, but FOTF was the offense tonight.
But that river of tears has dried for all of us.
Funny
He may have lost us the game, but he also gave us the best chance to win it... he really is the FOTF.
Get real
What about the other 8 guys who couldn't come through with runners on? Don't single out MY. Besides, wouldn't Fukumori, if anyone, have that dubious distinction tonight?
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 10:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Any catcher in the league (and one in AAA)
could have caught or at least blocked those pitches......the guy throws a sinker, get your fat-ass down and block 'em!!!
Nope.
Laird was clearly moving inside on both pitches as that was where he called for them. It is extremely difficult to stop your momentum and reach back across your body to stop a ball when your pitcher throws it in the dirt and way outside. I think both of those were on Fukumori, but the second one was his fault without a doubt.
His error hurt
as much as his offense helped. He helped score 2 runs, and he caused 2 runs to be given up.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
Kinda felt like we were a National League Team
With Broussard out there at the 9 spot.
But really, it was a positive having Milwood make it that far against Bedard. It wasn't all that likely for us to win, so I'm not that upset about tonight's game.
Hopefully we can come out strong tomorrow.
So
1. Ben Broussard sucks. He sucks worse against LHP, but he sucks however you slice it.
2. I am really worn out on the FOTF moniker.
3. Like some of us have been saying the last several days, our pen isn't too hot.
4. I was disappointed with the offense tonight, all things considered, but if they can keep all of those guys healthy, I don't know that they're too bad. Hamilton would need to be a stud.
Agree with everything.
Except count me in the minority that has a little hope for Big Ben.
by brettgardner on Mar 31, 2008 9:56 PM CDT up reply actions
Little Ben
I have hope as well. Just not against guys like Bedard. I think he will be pretty good in RBiA.
" Winning doesn't always mean being first,
winning means you are doing better than you have done before"
Not sure how's Fukumori's
performance proves our "pen isn't too hot."
by slimshadty12 on Mar 31, 2008 10:40 PM CDT up reply actions
You're not going to
prove anything in one night. But Fukumori looking shaky isn't a great sign for it, is it?
by Brett Perryman on Mar 31, 2008 10:57 PM CDT up reply actions
Z
I wouldn't have thought that you would be on the "sky is falling" bandwagon.
by badradiorules on Mar 31, 2008 11:14 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't really feel like
the sky is falling or anything. I just don't think they're very good, and the one phase that has been pretty good for a few years is the pen and it just doesn't look very good to me this year.
For me, at the big league level, the things that are to be accomplished this year are:
1. get Hamilton established as a middle of the order stud
2. get Kinsler established as a top of the order stud
3. retrench Young and Millwood
4. build up Padilla's and Laird's trade value enough to get something for Laird and dump Padilla
5. see if Jennings is worth an extension
6. maybe spin the Guardado/Bradley types
7. try to move Wilson and McCarthy further down the path and see if Saltalamacchia, Botts and Murphy can grab roles
Maybe Hurley or a Duran becomes a factor later on, but this is about all this year is about. I'm not expecting a lot of wins, and that's okay.
by Brett Perryman on Mar 31, 2008 11:42 PM CDT up reply actions
surprised to see you
campaigning to dump Padilla, while entertaining the thought of extending Jennings.
Doesn't make one iota of sense to me.
Pedro: "I wasn't cockfighting, I just have a wide stance."
I can understand how you'd think that
but Padilla has largely worn out his welcome here, and if there were a) a somewhat suitable replacement and b) someone who would take him, I think that the Rangers would like to get him out of here.
by Brett Perryman on Apr 1, 2008 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions
I hope they don't give him away
I don't see how the team could dump Pads if he pitches like he did in 06 and they have eyes on contending next season. If he is healthy and pitches 200+ above average innings for us this year, I'd think he would not only be welcome, but they should roll out red carpet every time he takes the mound.
Personally, I think Padilla has a much better chance to be successful here than JJ, but I guess it could go either way depending on health.
Pedro: "I wasn't cockfighting, I just have a wide stance."
Padilla
has more upside and ability than Jennings... when he wants to use it. I hope to high hell he can keep from being a head case and take this season seriously. He will be as much of a key as anyone for this team to improve.
by SarasotaRanger on Apr 1, 2008 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Awsome
That sounds more like the rational zywicka I'm used to. You tone (as much as you can read tone into a post) sounded like you were jumping in with these other yahoos that one game signaled problems for the whole year. You are right on with the problems/goals that this team should have this year.
by badradiorules on Apr 1, 2008 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Why we really lost
2.0 + slow comp away from home + 300 reply thread stopped the posting of further rally images.
Laird was going to contribute yet, you would have seen.
Anyway.... just followed on the net until i can get home and watch the recording, but I just dont get why laird wasnt pinch hit for. Cat is still a .350-.370 obp guy against righties, laird is sub 300. You need baserunners. Maybe there was some factor i missed though...
And yes, the broussard v lefties bit is just idiotic. Especially since botts made the team.
Hamilton Blalock cant hit back to back.
And nice to see that millwood performed well. Unfortunately, we wasted that and tomorrow is padilla v king felix.
Yep, Bradley has to hit between 'em.....
It sure made for an easy pitching change decision, huh? Maybe the lefty comes in anyway (I don't know much about Seattle's 'pen) but it would have been a tougher decision than him coming in to face back to back lefties.
My thoughts...
- Millwood looked very good and I hope he has a bounce back year.
- Broussard should not play against lefties, and maybe righties, I would like to see Botts in there by May.
- MY got off to a good start at the plate, anyone remember when HR #1 came for him last year?
- Fuku needs to be used in mop up roles until he shows he can get ML hitters out.
- Great patience at the plate. Getting Bedard out in the 5th was nice.
- It's going to be very painful to watch the bottom of the order (Byrd, Laird, Broussard) hit this year.
- Bradley needs to hit in the 4 hole or there will be a lot of lefties coming out of the pen late to face Hamilton and Blalock.
-If Cat and Botts aren't going to start then they need to pinch hit for guys like Laird and Byrd against righties at the end of close games.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Slow down
Does it need to be pointed out that it was game one.
-MY is not going to make 162 errors.
-Fukumori was obviously nervous. Making his debut against Ichiro and the heavy Japanese contingent in Seattle was obvious. The times I saw him in the spring he was much more in command than tonight. He'll be fine when he settles in.
-I know that most have been against Broussard from the start (I'm one of them), but he'll be fine, as will the offense. We aren't going to score many runs against LHP anyway if Wash refuses to platoon a couple of these guys, but Bedard is an especially tough LHP for all the lefties to open the season with.
Was anybody 'watching' the game or just listening?
Laird should get AT LEAST 1/2 the blame for those passed balls......a sinker ball pitcher needs to KNOW his catcher can get his (fat-ass) down and block those pitches......MY's error hurt......Hank couldn't field a pop up in foul ground (Beltre caught one the previous inning with little effort). Hopefully the OF will be better defensively(should be , we'll see), but it's still a little tough to pitch for the Ranger's.
Laird
I may give you the first one, but the second ball that got to the screen is on Fuk. It was supposed to be a fastball on the outside corner to a lefty and was thrown in the dirt in the other batters box. 1) As a catcher, you don't expect a big league pitcher to miss that much with a fastball. 2) There's just not the reaction time for a catcher on a fastball to get to the ground. There are a lot of catchers in the big leagues that don't catch those balls.
Everyone is going to make errors during this season and most of them will hurt. Beltre has played half of his games the last two years in that park and understands how the ball reacts in the air there and where the stands are a lot better than Blalock does.
by badradiorules on Apr 1, 2008 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions
you know
the offense put a lot of baserunners up and the key guy who killed a few rallies was marlon byrd. hitting behind bradley (and in general hitting 6th) might be a little too high. not sure who else I would want if given the choice of who is left. just saying, if you really wanted to pick one guy who caused the offense to sputter, it was him. kept coming up in key situations and couldn't take advantage
as much as i hate broussard batting against lefties
id rather have him batting 6th against righties than byrd, easily.
of course, that wouldnt have been tonight.
Broussard
Honestly, the Broussard bashing from many is getting old. He doesn't suck, just like Laird doesn't suck even though lonestarJon tells us otherwise. Not wanting Broussard to play against LHP - very fair assessment. Wanting Botts to get more ABs - very fair. I think the fact that Botts has only played 18 games at 1B in the last three years may be a big reason that Broussard is in. Botts committed a combined 36 errors in '03-'04. Botts lack of defense was probably why he didn't play in LF either. Let's have the season play out a little - I have no problem with Broussard as a short-term option at 1B.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 10:14 PM CDT reply actions
the problem
At least as I see it the problem is that Broussard isn't seen as a short term option. Hes Wash's Secret Weapon at the bottom of the lineup. Hes someone that if everything goes right is a below average platoon first baseman. Just not sure I see the point of putting 300+ ABs into him this year.
Broussard
Who in the organization has suggested that Broussard is the 1B of the future? Who is a better option? Botts, possibly, but I think his defense would be atrocious and that is a factor.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 10:58 PM CDT up reply actions
define short term
I think hes being auditioned this year for a longer term stay. I honestly think the upside on him is very minimal. I mean the upside seems to be that of a platoon 1b with a below average bat for a 1b.
Maybe we don't have a better option right now. I do think I'd rather see almost anyone out there against lefties than Broussard. Someone would have to be a historic level glove at a more defense oriented position to make carrying Broussard's bat, especially against lefties, as something that doesn't hurt the team.
short term = this year
I don't get the feeling he's being auditioned for a long term role. If he's having a good year, and the Rangers are out of contention, I fully expect him to be dealt. I haven't heard any talk like "We expect him to be in a Ranger uniform for a long time." That having been said, if Davis doesn't develop like we hope and it is determined that Botts is not going to be an everyday 1B, we may see the Rangers try to re-sign him for '09. After Teixeira, there is nothing great on the FA market next offseason.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Who wants great
Is there someone who's likely to be average on the FA market next year for 1b. You don't need great or even good to upgrade him. It looks like you need average.
nothing great
According to mlbtraderumors.com,
First basemen
Ben Broussard (32)
Sean Casey (34)
Tony Clark (37)
Carlos Delgado (37) - $16MM mutual option for '09 with a $4MM buyout
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38) - $22MM club option for '09 with a $5MM buyout
Scott Hatteberg (39)
Eric Hinske (31)
Doug Mientkiewicz (35)
Kevin Millar (37)
Richie Sexson (34)
Mark Teixeira (29)
by Randy Richardson on Apr 1, 2008 12:07 AM CDT up reply actions
And, so far, Botts offense hasn't been much either
It's opening day....this is our line-up....get used to it!
Cat probably get some time vs. righties (who sits...Byrd?) The rest is pretty set in stone, (and should be) for awhile at least.
It was good to see
some patience at the plate tonight, at least for the majority of the game. 16 of the first 22 Rangers forced Bedard to throw at least 4 pitches.
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 10:33 PM CDT reply actions
Meh
Milly pitched well. MY did have a costly error, but the M's also had an error. I'm sure they aren't posting about how awful their D is. BB - not a good choice, but whatever; throwing Botts into opening day could have been a mistake too.
Bedard's one of the best pitchers in the game right now. Sometimes you just tip your cap and move on.
What happened to my old signature?
except
they got bedard out of there quick. offense, given what they did against bedard, should have been able to score against him.
probably going to be a lot harder tomorrow
i said that wrong
offense, given that they got bedard out early, should have been able to score more than a run
Well
First of all, the M's error did not wind up costing them any runs. Second, BB has a historical inability to hit LHP - he should not have been in the linup against a guy like Bedard.
Third, Bedard was not lights out. We had opportunities against both him and the bullpen to score runs, and we just couldn't come through, which is dissapointing any way you slice it.
It was not a very good game for us - but opening day rarely is. Tomorrow is on it's way, but when the pitching matchup with Padilla vs. Felix Hernandez, it's tough not to cringe.
Ok, so
how much better would Botts have done against Bedard?
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 10:56 PM CDT up reply actions
That's not the question
The question is, could anybody have looked worse against Bedard than Benny B?
have you seen
Bott's swing? It has alot of holes in it.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 11:01 PM CDT up reply actions
2 were
against Bedard. I'm not saying he had a good game, but he did work the count. He didn't look particularly foolish, say, like Kinsler did.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 11:06 PM CDT up reply actions
spring training
also didn't help the case for him either. I just think he is just a guy. Unlikely to be anything other than one of the worst offensive players on this team this year. Maybe the regular PT will get him working against righties to good effect. I personally am not going to hold my breath right now.
Kinsler is a 25 year old 2b, whos already offensively above average at his position. Broussard is a 30 year old whos at best offensively average at his position. Kinsler gets a lot of rope in my case, Broussard gets very little.
Broussard
ST numbers:
.298/.328/.474
he didn't walk much, other than that he had a solid ST. I don't have any ST splits.
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 11:20 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm amazed
The games I saw him play in ST he looked totally lost, just like today. I would have thought his numbers looked really horrible. I still think hes a spare. If he has the 330ish obp he seems to produce hes going to be hard pressed to be an offensive positive.
Yes he did.
Broussard looked lost in all three of his strikeouts. He was so far behind Bedard's fastball that his swings almost looked comical. He almost looked like he hadn't faced live pitching in a very long time.
No
You're saying Broussard shouldn't have been in the lineup. My question is then, would Botts have done better? Being a switch hitter, maybe, but I don't think that is important in the grand scheme of this game. We couldn't get a damn hit with runners on base.
There is plenty of blame to go around. Byrd left a crowd on the bases. Broussard was, well, yea, awful. Hamilton had multiple two out opportunities with runners on base. MY homered, but also had a key error. Fukumori couldn't throw a pitch above shin level. Lots of reasons for this loss.
by SarasotaRanger on Mar 31, 2008 11:07 PM CDT up reply actions
Jason Botts
Is actually a .283 hitter against LHP in his limited time in the Majors. It's a very limited sample size, but he's also done well against lefties in the minors - he probably wouldn't have done anything profound, but he would have gad a better shot than BB.
Botts is NOT a starter........
He is the 25th man (barely)......it's opening day, you don't run your 25th man out there to start on opening day......get over this Broussard shit......Kinsler looked like (and maybe felt like) shit....Byrd looked like shit..... I thought Laird was supposed to kill lefties???.....and can't even slow down a sinker before it hits the screen......btw, if Broussard can't cut it, Botts ain't gonna be starting, they'll either make a trade or Davis'll be up......repeat to yourself, Botts is the 25th man!!!
calling out lawless
dude you obviously have no idea about the game and ecspecially the catching position. when a catcher lines up inside and the pitch ends up 6 inches outside he has no chance to even stop it. if your little girlfriend was up here playing catcher not only would he have missed those but he would of allowed two stolen bases. and i'm glad your scouting history has Botts pegged so well i bet you were all about trading Hafner to huh? go find a pony league board maybe your ignorance won't show so much on it!!!!!
by blueballlefty on Apr 1, 2008 2:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Broussard can't hit lefties!
Ok, so you don't want to send the message to Botts that he's your "guy" at first base, so you started Broussard on opening day. But on April 9th, when the Rangers face Baltimore and Adam Loewen (assuming the Orioles rotation doesn't change) we should see Broussard riding pine and Botts hitting 6th.
In fact, I'd put our lineup against lefties like this\ till Bradley is able to play right field:
1) Kinsler
2) Young
3) Hambone
4) Bradley
5) Blalock
6) Botts
7) Byrd
8) Laird
9) Murphy
Note, I have no problem with Murphy, he seemed ok against Bedard and the lefties, but he's like another leadoff man with his speed.
Maybe eventually we should have this lineup against Righties:
1) Murphy
2) Young
3) Hambone
4) Bradley
5) Blalock
6) Kinsler
7) Broussard
8) Catalanotto
9) Laird
BTW. any manager who isn't ready to play every man on his roster any game deserves to be fired. Washington didn't sit Botts on opening day because he was worried about Botts emotionally, he honestly thought that Broussard would be ok against Bedard, since Bedard isn't exactly a lefty killer.
Ron W. Criticism
I can honestly say Ron W. impressed me today - stood up for his players (that shit with Milton Bradley got me pretty riled up - we better get ready for a lot more of that) and had his team winning a 1-0 game against a VERY good lefty in a pitcher's park. That said, the one mistake I can't forgive him for is putting an 0-3 on 3 strikeouts poor-against-lefties-in-his-whole-career excuse for a guy to a start a 9th inning rally up against one of the best closers in the game. if nothing else, Ben's confidence was already shot for the evening...why not play it safe, trot Cat out there and see if he could've gotten something done? I understand Botts doesn't have W.'s confidence yet, but I'd have even much rather seen him up there hacking away.
Yuck.
Nice game Millwood, nice cuts at the plate Young, Murphy and Hamilton. Let's get Bradley, Kinsler and Blalock in on the fun tomorrow night...
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Mar 31, 2008 11:27 PM CDT reply actions
Wash
You are aware that Putz is a RHP, right? Pinch-hitting for Broussard against Putz would have been "showing him up". You say he lost his confidence - so embarassing him in front of his teammates would improve it?
by Randy Richardson on Mar 31, 2008 11:37 PM CDT up reply actions
I was very critical
of the decision to play Broussard against lefties, but I totally agree that it would have been a mistake to PH for him in the 9th. Why waste Cat in that situation?
I don't give a rats ass about showing somebody up
when you're 0-3 with 3 ks and an obvious change needs to be made, make the obvious change. try to win every game...not your platoon 1st baseman's admiration. and yes, I do realize he's a RHP - I am saying he was demoralized by a lefty in the first 3 at bats, setting him up for failure against the dominant righty at the end of the game. must've been mentally exhausted by that point
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Apr 1, 2008 12:17 AM CDT up reply actions
+ 1
yep yep you're right Walter.
I hereby ordain you Benny Brou Ha Ha<-----Wash thinks you can hit lefties....in 2 months time you will be a full fledged Brouhaha..trust me on that one.
i must have missed
the part where he stood up for his players. the ump should have gotten an ear-load for missing that obvious HBP. Why Wash stack the lineup with lefties? Why bunt on the first pitch after their reliever walks Bradley on 5 pitches? Baffling.
Did anybody else
notice how firmly Worsh grabbed the umpire during the Bradley foofarawl? Kinda bear-hugged him from behind to calm him down. I wonder if Worsh will hear from the league about that - could get a game suspension or something.
I enjoyed watching it
that ump may be a tenured, respected game caller, but he was out of line there - not MB
how much baiting are we going to see this year?
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Apr 1, 2008 12:18 AM CDT up reply actions
I would like to see more of that from Ron this year
He got tossed exactly once last year. I'm not saying he needs to be Bobby Cox, but he needs to show some more emotion, get out of the dugout more - like he did today.
by LSJ on Apr 1, 2008 2:24 AM CDT up reply actions
Post-Game
Sure Broussard sucks against lefties, no surprise there. Maybe Wash will catch on when he is batting .227/.290/.399 (his career line v/ lefties) against them in June.
Also, the main highlight for me was that it felt SO good to remember that Wilkerson is no longer a Ranger. Every time he came to bat, I had a huge smile on my face because I didn't have to try to cheer for him anymore.
Stats
Also, to pull a Sharky and reply to my own post, am I the only one who was amused by the Josh &Tag discussion of new-fangled stat geek stuff like pythagorean win percentage? Sometimes I think I would have better luck explaining Nietzsche to Kindergardners than VORP to baseball fans.
I was annoyed by it
They never called it by its proper name (pythag) nor did they credit the inventor.
And I disagree. Dumbing it down is what announcers do way too much. Most of these concepts are not that hard to grasp.
Rex Hudler is in demand as a motivational speaker.
My thoughts
I watched every pitch, and was quite impressed with everything except the bullpen. Millwood looked great and deserved the win. The offensive approach (if they stick with it) will win some games for them. Didn't see much hacking at all. Bedard WAS good tonight. Tough to hit. But they worked the guy and ran him out of there, NYY-style.
Too bad they didn't come out on top.
The defense was also pretty good. Young's error hurt badly, but that was a tough play. That ball had some crazy spin on it. There were a couple of wild pitches that I thought Laird could've prevented, but all in all he had a good defensive game, too.
The important thing? I know it's only one game, but compare the way they looked tonight compared to the way they looked coming out of spring training last year. They are clearly ready to play baseball this time.
It was a loss, but it was against a pretty good pitcher on the road. Gonna be an interesting season.
I think there were alot of teams yesterday that would have taken 6 innings and no ER from their starter. Milly looked great and very much like an ace.
Plus, look at Bedard
He's supposed to be a Cy Young candidate - Millwood out-pitched him in every way possible. he looked like an official ace yesterday. And as the year goes on, I bet you see Millwood consistently giving us 6 and 2/3 to 7 innings a game...
"No, Donny, these men are nihilists, there's nothing to be afraid of."
by Walter Sobchak on Apr 1, 2008 11:07 AM CDT up reply actions
When your team can't score any runs.
more innings would have just been wasted.
There were enough goats to go around, and Millwood was far down the list. MY's glove, Broussard's bat, and Fukumori's arm were much higher up the list of reasons the game didn't go well than Millwoods start.
I still hope we see a platoon at 1B. Giving up a spot in the batting order is just painful.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
plenty of goats
and I'm not calling Millwood a goat. I doubt he wanted to call it a day at 6 innings too. I just don't understand why he comes out at 6 innings in a 2-1 ballgame when pitch count wasn't an issue.
I think that's a fair criticism
but it's also easy to see the other side.
Then again, if we're out of it by April, "pacing" Milly amounts to nothing in June.
"I can only hope that you continue to monitor me, and help me out as I slowly work to take the training wheels off." - BG
by inactive lsb user on Apr 1, 2008 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions
If we are
out of it by April, Complete game shutouts by Millwood won't make a huge difference.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
Complete game shutouts by Milly
few and far between.
"I can only hope that you continue to monitor me, and help me out as I slowly work to take the training wheels off." - BG
by inactive lsb user on Apr 1, 2008 5:24 PM CDT up reply actions
Complet game shutouts by anyone in the league
few and far between.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
Millwood
Did anyone else get the feeling that after Young's error Millwood slowed down his delivery to the plate? It might have been my imagination, but it seems like he took more time between pitches after that, and it seems like that is a Connor-no-no.
Not sure...
But after that inning he yelled something into his glove and clearly wasn't happy that he lost the lead.
I like that kind of fire out of Millwood, I hope to see it a lot more this year. Last year kinda just seemed like he didn't give a shit one way or the other. Another example of that is the kind of shape he's in now compared to last year.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
laird should have blocked both wps
Laird should have at least blocked both "Wild Pitches." It looked like he didn't know which pitch was coming or hadn't caught fuku before. Good job pegging the runners though. Fuku's pitches actually looked pretty bad-ass and unhittable. Maybe this year's Okajima?
I would agree they were unhittable pitches
because no one would dare swing at an outside breaking ball bouncing 6 inches past the plate. It was an atrocious appearance, no way around it. He'll settle in though.
by SarasotaRanger on Apr 1, 2008 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Well, just one game
but Fukumori didn't have a great American debut.
"Before I leave, I once again condemn the despicable buffoonery of D.J. Cahill." - Huck
i honestly cannot believe that Milton Bradley
didn't blow up last night. He must have molested an umpire's kid for umpires to continue to target him like this. I have to hope that Selig will tell these umpires to get over themselves.
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