Bring on Robo Ump.
Bring on Robo Ump.
The ump had a plane to catch, too?
Never overlook the obvious
I saw the pitch live. It was up and away. Even the Phils commentators said the call was questionable. If you watch it, it was a horrible call. Then again the ump today sucked. His zone was just attrocious.
Umps suck. Screw 'em. We need questec, it eliminates crap like that.
At least they made it close. Nice effort late. Marty was less than enthralled with that strike call as well.
I would guess Hunter Wendelstedt and his crew were making sure they made their flight...
Watching on both DirtecTV extra innings and GameDay. Clearly the pitch was high and outside. Terrible called strike. That really makes me mad.
Even the Phillies announcers conceded that it looked like a ball, and Marty was clear too....
We have a couple raw deals from the umps so far this year....This one hurts with the tying runs in scoring position and Brandon Phillips on deck....
__________________
"I think were starting to get to the point where people are starting to get tired of this stretch of ball, Votto said. I think something needs to start changing and start going in a different direction. Im going to do my part to help make that change.
With calls like that it doesn't really matter if it's Votto or Valentin...
Afternoon getaway games suck. Even when your team wins--you know you're going to get a half-hearted playing/umpiring effort. Ah well, it is 162 games.
And when finally they sense that some position cannot be sustained, they do not re-examine their ideas. Instead, they simply change the subject. Jamie Galbraith
I just got home and read the game thread. Sounds like Bronson struggled early, but other than the home runs, it seems he battled despite not having his best stuff. It also sounds like he was getting squeezed by the umpire. However, as someone mentioned earlier, there is little margin for error when you are facing a quality pitcher like Hamels. The bullpen pitched well today, which has been the rule rather than the exception this week. Hopefully that will continue.
I also read some of the complaints about the lineup. While I question Castro in the #2 hole, I agreed with the personnel who were actually in the starting lineup. Freel is the RH half of the CF platoon, and with Hamels pitching, it made sense to rest Griffey. (Everybody needs to remember that Junior is 38 years old now--it wouldn't hurt to rest him periodically, and getaway day is with a tough lefty on the mound is the perfect time to do it.) So Hopper was the logical choice in RF. As for 1B, it would be great if the Reds had a RH option to pair with Votto or Hatteberg, but they don't. However, both of them are struggling, and neither should be in the lineup against someone like Hamels. So if ever there was a game to get Castro a spot start, today was it. The lineup I would have used:
Freel cf
Hopper rf
Keppinger 1b
Phillips 2b
Dunn lf
Encarnacion 3b
Castro ss
Bako c
Arroyo p
Eric Stratton, Rush Chairman. Damn glad to meet ya.
i was at the game and Bronson was throwing mostly in the 73-82 mph range.. in the first 3 innings he was throwing sidearm and getting hit hard..I kept wondering if he was hurt.. only 2 times he got 88 and 2 times 90. the rest were 73-82 range.. Also the lineup was terrible.. heck the team played as if the game was over before it started till the ninth.. That last pitch i couldnt tell but the umpire, after calling strike three, was like hurrying to get out of there.. ticks me off a umpire can screw a team like that for his own purposes if what everybody else says that the pitch was high and away. grrrrrrrr
The plate ump was Hunter Wendelstadt.
Did anyone notice yesterday if Hunter missed a cpl plays at first base yesterday? I was at the game and from my advantage I thought he did, but I didn't have the benefit of a replay.
"Boys, I'm one of those umpires that misses 'em every once in a while so if it's close, you'd better hit it." Cal Hubbard
The lineup might have been terrible, but the 3 repacement players playing (Hooper, Freel, and Castro) got 2 of our 3 runs and likely contributed more than the players they replaced would have.
BTW, Griffey, Hatteberg and Patterson went 0-3 as PH.
It was a good time to rest Griffey. He wore down a lot last year after a good first half.
Neither Votto or Hatteberg have hit this year, so it wasn't likley that they would hit Hamels.
And Patterson should always be sat against LH pitching.
Bad lineup ot not, it was probably the right one in the situation.
I think umpires should be fined and suspended for doing what Hunter Wendelstedt did today, which was expand the strikezone by a mile so that he could go home early. That's a bunch of horse crap.
Reds doomed by Arroyo's poor performance, Valentin's suspect strikeout
By Hal McCoy
Staff Writer
Monday, April 07, 2008
CINCINNATI On a day when the central discussion should have been about Bronson Arroyo giving up four home runs in three innings, the postgame theme was the game-ending pitch and Arroyo wasn't involved.
Pinch-hitter Javier Valentin was called out on strikes by umpire Hunter Wendelstedt on a pitch that was a ball on two different fronts outside (way outside) and high (way high).
The Cincinnati Reds had runners on second and third, the tying runs, with two outs in the ninth when Philadelphia's Brad Lidge threw the 3-and-2 pitch.
"Strike three," screamed Wendelstedt, ending the game, a 5-3 Phillies victory.
It was a fastball and slipping a fastball past Javier Valentin is like, in the words of Pete Rose, dragging a pork chop past a wolf's mouth. Can't do it.
Asked to describe the pitch, Valentin said, "Up and away. Way up and way away. I don't take anything close. There is no way I can put that ball in play."
Manager Dusty Baker was calm, but he laced his language with invectives over what might have been, especially with the last call.
"Valentin is one of the best in the game (pinch-hitters) and you just hate to have it end like that," said Baker. "You know Javy is not going to take a 3-and-2 fastball. You can forget that. I could tell by his actions he thought it was clearly a ball."
The game, though, turned on Arroyo's gopher pitches. Jimmy Rollins started the game with a home run, after Arroyo thought he struck him. Wendelstedt called that one a ball, too.
"The 2-2 I can't throw a better pitch," said Arroyo. "Everybody said Rollins started walking toward the dugout, which is a pretty good indication that it was a strike. That set the tone for the game."
With two outs in the first, Pat Burrell made it 3-0 with a home run. Then Burrell and Geoff Jenkins went back-to-back with two-out homers in the third for all the runs the Phillies needed.
"Bronson got some pitches in some areas to hot hitters," said Baker. "That second ball Burrell hit was a good pitch. He just reached out and got it and that's what happens when a hitter is hot. He can hit almost anything.
"This is the best I've seen Burrell swing this early," Baker added. "Usually he struggles early, but he is off to a hot start and if he keeps swinging like this he could have a monster year. You get Chase Utley and Ryan Howard out, you think you've got action. Then somebody else gets you."
And, the Reds believe, the umpire is among those somebody else's.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/con...spredsweb.html
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