We get him today, in the five spot.
Should be interesting.
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We get him today, in the five spot.
Should be interesting.
Considering Bruce is 1 for 17 with 10 strike outs vs. Wandy Rodriguez it is a no brainer.
Can anyone honestly come up with a legit reason why we should not be platooning the outfield...and not just Bruce-Heisey but also Gomes-Nix...After all Lance had an incredible day yesterday and proved his potential.
Still, Cabrera was at least hitting well (.400 or close to it) over the last 10 games. So there was some reason to keep him in there, despite the matchup.
Bruce is .194 over his last 10 and we all know he still isn't too good against lefties (although he is getting better). Combine that with his numbers versus Rodriguez, and I am glad we're getting a shot of Heisey today.
I also would have been ok with giving Stubbs the day off and letting Bruce keep playing, but I'm ok with this lineup today either way.
Yes. Bruce does not need to platoon. He's still very young with much potential. He is improving with each passing year versus lefty. Heck, he had a huge hit the other night against a lefty reliever to win the game.
Heisey should be playing more, no question. But I don't think he should be platooning with Bruce. I don't see any outfielders on our team that absolutely have to be in the lineup every day, though. It's not that hard to get four outfielders consistent work. Heisey is versatile enough to play all three outfield positions. No reason he shouldn't be starting at least three games a week.
As far as Gomes, I could see him platooning some as the season continues. If you look at his numbers outside of one really hot month, they are either bad or dreadful. He does not need to be our every day left fielder, espeically batting 4th or 5th. Not sure if it will be Nix or Dickerson. I think the FO wants it to be Dickerson, but Nix could me making a last-ditch effort to save himself. Can we keep both of them, though?
Well for one, Gomes hits righties better than Nix hits righties.
Over all Nix would be an upgrade because of his D, but I just want to point out that the splits really doesnt show much.
Career vs RH pitchers
Gomes: .232/.311/.449
Nix: .246/.286/.445
You dont do a straight platoon in RF because Bruce is a 23 year old who while he struggles vs. LH pitching the only way to get better is to play him against them. Plus he has improved, he's still not great or even good, he has improved. Plus his OF defense has so much value that you really shouldnt sit him. Would you platoon Brandon Phillips because he has hit bad against RH pitching all these years?
the problem with Bruce more than anything is LH relievers that eat him up
vs LH starting pitching Bruce hasnt hit as bad as some might think
.240/.303/.407
Also I would like to add that phillips is 7 for 29 against Wandy, should he sit?
Cabrera is 1 for 6 should he sit?
Janish is 3 for 9 should he start?
I just would like to know why the stats matter for some guys but others Dusty ignore them. If you are going to manage by what guys have done against certain guys why is he selective?
7 for 29 >>>>>> 1 for 17 with 10 K's.
I get the point, but you have to take several things into consideration. Who needs a day off? Who is hitting well going into the day? Who is not hitting well coming into the game? Bruce is struggling right now. Why not give him a day off rather than running him out against a guy that has eaten his lunch? 1 for 17 is one thing, but the 10 K's tell me that Bruce has not a clue against Rodriguez.
Not sitting a guy who went 1 for 17 is silly? Really? 17 is very acceptable sample size when you are talking about a .059 BA and a 59% K rate. It's close to statistically significant, and with such extreme numbers it's not like he is trending toward anything resembling acceptable. Even with a low confidence and high standard deviation it's not even approaching .200.
Besides, if you don't think managers make tons of decisions based on 20 or so plate appearances, you are crazy. If happens every game especially with bullpen pitchers and pinch hitters.
Heck, there are only a hand full of Reds who have over 20 at bats against Wandy. That is a pitcher who is in his 6th year against an inter divisional foe. Just getting to 30 or more plate appearances against one pitcher takes a long time, and very long if it's outside the division. In essence you are saying managers should ignore hitter vs. pitcher matchups for the vast majority of the league.
If there's anyone we need to platoon, it's Drew Stubbs.
How do you have a guy play 94 of 100 games when he's hitting .239, leading the team in SO with 100, has only walked 31 times, only 9 doubles in 326 AB (even with all his supposed speed). And 5 of his 13 HRs were in two games that were blowouts anyway (and 3 HRs in Wrigley are not real HRs anyway...).
He may have good speed on defense but I never see him making diving catches or getting amazing jumps on balls. He is an average defender and a below average hitter.
I would say platoon him with Heisey, but it seems unnecessary since they're both right handers. I say Laynce Nix should get more time in right and move Heisey to CF. Have an outfield of Gomes-Heisey-Nix every 4th or 5th day. Making Stubbs play CF every single day is not good for him. And Bruce could use a little time off as well.