3-26-2007 Game Thread vs. Red Sox (Matsuzaka pitching)

[Gainesville Red]

My first experience with the Reds in HD. I'm super-stoked.

[flyer85]

Unless Narron feels like he is going to take another step as a hitter this year. There HAS to be something telling him he is a better choice for the 3 hole then Edwin, at least I would hope.

... good thing ST is such a reliable indicator.

[Matt700wlw]

Unfair...the satellite is out here.

I can't watch the game.

[reds44]

seems like it should be easy to do both ... unless your name is Narron.

If he's really that dead set on splitting up the lefties, he could go

Hatteberg
Freel
Dunn
Edwin/Phillips
Griffey
Phillips/Edwin
Ross
Seabass

No back to back lefties, and Dunn has 2 good OBP guys in front of him. I guess it would be a sin to not bat Griffey 3rd or 4th.

Btw, I know it's only spring training, but I hope we light up Dice-K.

[BRM]

Is anyone planning to do PBP?

[reds44]

Julio Lugo leading off.

[rotnoid]

If he's really that dead set on splitting up the lefties, he could go

Hatteberg
Freel
Dunn
Edwin/Phillips
Griffey
Phillips/Edwin
Ross
Seabass

No back to back lefties, and Dunn has 2 good OBP guys in front of him. I guess it would be a sin to not bat Griffey 3rd or 4th.

Btw, I know it's only spring training, but I hope we light up Dice-K.

Dunn in the 3 hole isn't a great idea. That's a spot for driving in runners. He's been too much of a free swinger to bat #3. Move Hatteberg down and shift the rest up and you might be on to something.

[Caveat Emperor]

batting Dunn behind Freel is a waste of his protection value. Freels get almost all fastballs anyway because pitchers don't want to walk him and he has little power.

But, conversely, Freel will see a ton of pitches to steal on when Dunn is batting -- most of the stuff pitchers try to get Dunn to chase are premium SB pitches.

[reds44]

Lugo hits a chopper to SS, Seabass gets a bad hop and boots it.

E6

[Matt700wlw]

You won't see that very often

[OnBaseMachine]

Dunn in the 3 hole isn't a great idea. That's a spot for driving in runners. He's been too much of a free swinger to bat #3. Move Hatteberg down and shift the rest up and you might be on to something.

Who led the Reds in RBI the last three seasons?

[M2]

seems like it should be easy to do both ... unless your name is Narron.

Freel's the team's best leadoff hitter. Dunn's the team's best #2 hitter. At worst Dunn isn't going to give any extra help to Freel when Freel's at the plate, but does Freel really need any extra help in that department? Seems to me Freel should be fine either way. What Dunn in the #2 hole will do is buy more pitches for Freel when he's on base. Freel and Dunn combined also ranked #1 and #2 last season on the team in pitches per plate appearance (and in 2005 as well), so you're talking about a 1-2 punch that gets on base, starts with speed, follows with power and both guys can wear out opposing pitchers.

My take is the enormous good that combination can do outweighs the concern you've raised.

[reds44]

Cooooooooooooooooookie Crisp pops out to Phillips in foul territory.

1 out, man on 1st

[reds44]

Dunn in the 3 hole isn't a great idea. That's a spot for driving in runners. He's been too much of a free swinger to bat #3. Move Hatteberg down and shift the rest up and you might be on to something.

Dunn doesn't drive in runs?

wha?

[reds44]

Livingston gets Varitek looking.

2 down, 1 on