Just when you think this offense can't possibly get worse he bats Patterson and Hairston 1-2.
From Trent:
ReCubs
Reed Johnson lf
Ryan Theriot ss
Derrek Lee 1b
Aramis Ramirez 3b
Kosuke ****udome rf
Geovany Soto c
Ronny Cedeno 2b
Felix Pie cf
Jon Lieber p
Deads
Corey Patterson cf
Jerry Hairston Jr. ss
Ken Griffey Jr. rf
Brandon Phillips 2b
Joey Votto 1b
Adam Dunn lf
Edwin Encarnacion 3b
Paul Bako c
Edinson Volquez p
Unbelievable
Go BLUE!!!
Phillips doesn't hit righties. Phillips doesn't hit righties. Phillips doesn't hit righties. Phillips doesn't hit righties. Phillips doesn't hit righties. Phillips doesn't hit righties. Phillips doesn't hit righties.
And the Cubs don't have a LOOGY. Stack the lefties. Do some damage. Unreal. Use your Brain Dusty.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
The lineup looks like regression to me.
Some comments that went along with the lineup:
Ken Griffey Jr. is back in the No. 3 spot after three games in the two spot. Griffey had two hits Tuesday and one on Monday.
"You guys ask if it’s for today or permanent, I’m just trying to find the right solution for the day. Lately it seems no mater how we mix ‘em, we get the same results," Dusty Baker said. "Junior seems to be swinging better the last couple of days, that was the point of putting him in the second hole, to get to see some pitches. If the leadoff man got on, he’d get some fastballs. But the last couple of days we’ve had trouble getting the leadoff man on. That’s where he’**** and feels most comfortable."
C'mon Dusty, use that theory for Dunn too.
I can see the wheels turning in dusty's head...
Freel was 0-5 last night, so he figurerd that Patterson could do that and give him better defense. Keppinger is in a slump, so Hairston, hot in AAA, is chosen. Sounds like the top two will go 0-8 today, but with my track record they'll probably have career days today (which is OK by me).
www.ris-news.com
"You only have to bat a thousand in two things; flying and heart transplants. Everything else you can go 4-for-5."
-Beano Cook
someone suggested it was time to draw out of hat. Maybe that is what is going on as Dusty has been changing the batting orders but they still make little sense and there doesn't seem to be any logic to his attempts.
Not to take away from the gist of your post (which is fine), but Sean Marshall is now in the bullpen and is a lefty.Originally Posted by RedsManRick
even if teams have a good LOOGY not putting the lefties together is conceding defeat and planning for a situation that may never occur. If you don't give pitchers a reprieve then maybe you can build a lead and neutralize the fact the opponent can counter the stacked LHBs late in the game.
I think we are making too much of the lineup thing. While I think his lineups don't make much sense, they still need to hit no matter where they are placed.
Score 4+ runs in the first five innings and the effects of the other team's LOOGY are much more likely to be moot. Score 0-2 runs in the first five innings every night and you're battling the LOOGY in late inning situations.
I'm honestly not going to bash Dusty for the lineups right now. I'm not sure anything he can put together would look good. Honestly, they pretty much all stink and there isn't any order that would make them less stinky.
I know it's all about maximizing percentages--but are we talking current percentages or career? I'm sure Dusty is just trying to find any way he can to get us to score runs TODAY.
Hairston-Patterson at the top is terrible, but I honestly can't think of any other duo that would be scaring the Cubs this afternoon.
against a guy like Lieber and his slider stacking the lefties would certainly be a start along with removing the CF from the leadoff spot.
Over the last 3 years LHBs OPS .835 off of Lieber while RHBs OPS .689 Not putting your LHBs(Jr, Dunn, Votto) together is absurd.
Last edited by flyer85; 05-07-2008 at 11:58 AM.
Having lefties is not the same as having LOOGYs. They have Howry back there too. But the Cubs don't have any lefty in their pen who is substantially tough on left handed hitters.
Dusty is making out his lineup to avoid a scenario which cannot exist. If he's giving Jerry Hairston and BP more at bats than Dunn and Votto because he doesn't want to them to maybe have to face Bob Howry or Sean Marshall back to back with Junior, we've got a problem.
Splitting the lefties isn't being done to give us a baseball advantage. It's being done so Dusty doesn't have to field the question "Why did you bat two lefties back to back" after a game in which a left-handed pitcher gets them both out in a clutch situation. CYA managing is getting real old.
Last edited by RedsManRick; 05-07-2008 at 12:00 PM.
Games are won on run differential -- scoring more than your opponent. Runs are runs, scored or prevented they all count the same. Worry about scoring more and allowing fewer, not which positions contribute to which side of the equation or how "consistent" you are at your current level of performance.
Dusty is making an argument that in order to get Griffey in the swing of things, that he will put him in the 2 spot to see more pitches. Yet Dunn remains, never to see the world from that vantage.
Big name manager, salary and all and we have the same bs.
Yep, although I have a real problem with today's lineup. Hitters 1-4 might get on base twice all game.
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