Batting Orders, Bunting, and Dusty

[reds1869]

I love the idea of Bruce hitting second, but the odds of Dusty slotting him there are somewhere between 0% and 0.1%.

[coachw513]

Followed game on phone so didn't see or hear reaction to the bunt...told my daughter beforehand that Dusty would have BP lay it down...

So it comes down to this:
1. Bunt BP, walk Votto, trust Heisey and Bruce
2. BP makes an out, pitch around Votto, trust Heisey
3. BP makes an out, Angels stupidly pitch to Votto

So it seems that for Dusty, he would rather have Bruce face a LOOGY, than BP face the reliever that was in the game, considering he also has the advantage of extra ways to score a runner from 3rd (WP, etc)...

I don't personally agree and if there was even a 5% chance that Votto was going to get a pitch to hit with 2 outs, that would clinch it for me...

But I am legitimately interested in the well-versed opinions here...

Maybe a poll...not to bash Dusty or to rehash the game thread but a legitimate poll about that singular situation and how people view it???

[Caveat Emperor]

But, if you're going to have a 2 hole hitter who's bunting a bunch...Heisey might be the better option. He's probably the best bunter on the team.

Heisey also whiffs way too much (he Ks at nearly twice the rate of BP) and makes way too many outs in general. I don't want him anywhere near the top of the lineup.

[Kc61]

I love the idea of Bruce hitting second, but the odds of Dusty slotting him there are somewhere between 0% and 0.1%.

If Bruce hits second you have --
Lefty
Lefty
Lefty
Righty
Righty
Righty
Righty
Righty
Pitcher

Won't happen and shouldn't happen IMO.

Now if you introduce XPaul (a lefty) into the lineup to platoon with Ludwick out, then it opens up some possibilities.

[Hoosier Red]

Didn't Dusty have BP trying to sac bunt back in the third inning also?

I think that was Datdude trying to bunt on his own since it only lasted one swing.

[dougdirt]

http://youtu.be/0dfETcgUT9Y?t=6m29s

[BLEEDS]

This is by far my least favorite day of the season. It feels like a whole extra offseason.

Yes, it's ridiculous if you ask me. Why can't we play the rest of the series in consecutive days? Surely we could schedule a different off day later in the season, when they have one of the long trips where they play like 15 in a row!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[dougdirt]

Yes, it's ridiculous if you ask me. Why can't we play the rest of the series in consecutive days? Surely we could schedule a different off day later in the season, when they have one of the long trips where they play like 15 in a row!

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

They are worried about rainouts. With opening day being so big here, they don't chance it.

[klw]

While I am not a fan of the sac bunt, if you are going to do it then doing it in the 8th inning or later is the best bet. In the 3rd or whenever it was, it was silly to give away an out an a shot at the bigger inning. The last time one run would have made all the difference so I can't be too critical of the decision.

The comment about Phillips is interesting as the DP is a concern with him. Baker's comment may indicate that he is a little uncertain of Phillips in the two hole. If BHam was ready I wonder if we would see Choo in the 2 and LF. (I don't think we see BHam up. My guess is Robinson or a trade if Lud is down longterm)

[swaisuc]

While I am not a fan of the sac bunt, if you are going to do it then doing it in the 8th inning or later is the best bet. In the 3rd or whenever it was, it was silly to give away an out an a shot at the bigger inning. The last time one run would have made all the difference so I can't be too critical of the decision.

The comment about Phillips is interesting as the DP is a concern with him. Baker's comment may indicate that he is a little uncertain of Phillips in the two hole. If BHam was ready I wonder if we would see Choo in the 2 and LF. (I don't think we see BHam up. My guess is Robinson or a trade if Lud is down longterm)

I'm fairly confident there was no sac bunt called for in the 3rd. Phillips gave a token fake on the 1st pitch to try to get the fielders in closer. If I'm wrong, then I agree with you that would be stupid to bunt there.

[Trajinous]

You're all wrong. Dusty was right in THAT situation.

How did the Reds score their first run? A wild pitch. The BP bunt moved over Choo to third only 90 ft from a run, therefore a passed ball/wild pitch results in a run. Now with runners on 3rd/2nd, a single scores two runs rather than one.

I find it unnerving that people are giving Bruce a pass here. It was his responsibility to drive in those runs, he is suppose to be our big RBI's hitter. Posters rather blame the manager over the player.

[alwaysawarrior]

You're all wrong. Dusty was right in THAT situation.

How did the Reds score their first run? A wild pitch. The BP bunt moved over Choo to third only 90 ft from a run, therefore a passed ball/wild pitch results in a run. Now with runners on 3rd/2nd, a single scores two runs rather than one.

I find it unnerving that people are giving Bruce a pass here. It was his responsibility to drive in those runs, he is suppose to be our big RBI's hitter. Posters rather blame the manager over the player.

I'm glad Dusty was so right and the Reds won! What a way to start the year! Now I agree that hindsight is 20/20 and you can't judge every decision by the results, but it is at least worth the discussing. And if you want to blame a player it Heisey would be a little more worthy as all he had to do was put the ball in play. I hated the decision as it was happening and still don't like it. I can't say it was a horrible baseball move, but I want to win or lose with Votto and Phillips.

[dougdirt]

You're all wrong. Dusty was right in THAT situation.

How did the Reds score their first run? A wild pitch. The BP bunt moved over Choo to third only 90 ft from a run, therefore a passed ball/wild pitch results in a run. Now with runners on 3rd/2nd, a single scores two runs rather than one.

I find it unnerving that people are giving Bruce a pass here. It was his responsibility to drive in those runs, he is suppose to be our big RBI's hitter. Posters rather blame the manager over the player.

So, you would rather count on the opposing pitcher throwing a wild pitch than take your chances with Joey Votto swinging the bat?

[_Sir_Charles_]

Heisey also whiffs way too much (he Ks at nearly twice the rate of BP) and makes way too many outs in general. I don't want him anywhere near the top of the lineup.

I don't disagree with this, but they were talking about a guy who was going to be bunting a bunch. I was only looking at it from that perspective. In general, Heisey should be batting around the same spot as Cozart in the 6-8'ish range.

[Raisor]

I love the idea of Bruce hitting second, but the odds of Dusty slotting him there are somewhere between 0% and 0.1%.

so you're saying there's a chance???