Dusty Baker’s Top Ten Management Mistakes Tonight

[mbgrayson]

Dusty Baker’s Top Ten Management Mistakes Tonight

10. Lineup: Batting Patterson first yet again.

9. Using Janish to pinch hit rather than double switching him with Jerry Hairston, so we would have his glove the rest of the game.

8. When Bako pinch hit in the 17th, why not let him stay in the field for Ross, who had to be wasted?

7. Using Edinson Volquez for 1 and 2/3 innings and 39 pitches two days after he started.

6. Putting the pitcher 5th in the order in the 9th inning switch. This resulted in the Red’s best hitters being broken up by the pitcher’s spot the rest of the night.

5. Using Harang for four innings and 63 pitches on two days rest.

4. Not bunting Patterson in the 10th with Votto on 1st and one out. (Patterson popped out).

3. Double-switching Adam Dunn, our hottest hitter, out of the game in the 9th.

2. Hit and run with Freel on first, no out, and EE up in the 18th. EE had already popped out four times today before that play. If EE can’t bunt, let Freel try a straight steal.

1. In the 11th, with a two run lead, starting off the inning with right hander Josh Fogg instead of Bray, against two hitters (Carlin and Gerut) who don’t have a single hit all season against lefties. Then bringing in Bray to face Giles, who has a .288 average this year versus lefties. This also results in using up our 'long' reliever in less than one inning.

[flyer85]

#1 will probably be one of the dumbest moves any manager makes the entire season ... it was utterly inexplicable. Even if there weren't lefties coming up when you get to that situation you save your long man as your last reliever so he can pitch until the game ends.

[Marc D]

Dusty Baker’s Top Ten Management Mistakes Tonight

10. Lineup: Batting Patterson first yet again.

9. Using Janish to pinch hit rather than double switching him with Jerry Hairston, so we would have his glove the rest of the game.

8. When Bako pinch hit in the 17th, why not let him stay in the field for Ross, who had to be wasted?

7. Using Edinson Volquez for 1 and 2/3 innings and 39 pitches two days after he started.

6. Putting the pitcher 5th in the order in the 9th inning switch. This resulted in the Red’s best hitters being broken up by the pitcher’s spot the rest of the night.

5. Using Harang for four innings and 63 pitches on two days rest.

4. Not bunting Patterson in the 10th with Votto on 1st and one out. (Patterson popped out).

3. Double-switching Adam Dunn, our hottest hitter, out of the game in the 9th.

2. Hit and run with Freel on first, no out, and EE up in the 18th. EE had already popped out four times today before that play. If EE can’t bunt, let Freel try a straight steal.

1. In the 11th, with a two run lead, starting off the inning with right hander Josh Fogg instead of Bray, against two hitters (Carlin and Gerut) who don’t have a single hit all season against lefties. Then bringing in Bray to face Giles, who has a .288 average this year versus lefties. This also results in using up our 'long' reliever in less than one inning.

From the replay it looked like a straight steal, Freel never looked back. Regardless, Freel has gotten to the point whenever he is on base I honestly expect him to get picked or doubled off. I cannot recall an overall worse baserunner in my lifetime(his complete body of work not just todays epsiode).

Overall an absolute fiasco by Dusty but what does anyone really expect? IMO he's just as clueless as Narron, Miley or Boone.

[Blitz Dorsey]

11. Not holding someone hostage at gunpoint until Jay Bruce is brought up so we don't have to see any of Corey Patterson, and not as much of Ken Griffey Jr.

12. Batting Griffey third instead of Dunn.

[mbgrayson]

From Fay's blog:

The Reds will regroup with tomorrow's off day and try to figure out the rotation.

"This messes it up big-time," Baker said.

No duh......

[flyer85]

I was ambivalent about Dusty since the day he was hired. Is he the reason they lose? Generally not but he really should only manage a veteran plug and play team.

[RedsManRick]

The misuse of Bray and Fogg is really inexcusable and classic Dusty Baker. You simply don't empty your bullpen that early in the game. He got the splits wrong. He continually uses strategy by imaging an ideal way for the events to play out, completely ignoring generalities. I don't care how he handles a clubhouse. The man is a sub-replacement manager of the game itself and no amount of any other managerial skills can possibly offset it.

Key players failed to come through tonight. He didn't lose the game by himself, no doubt. But Dusty puts his players in a position to fail time after time. He talks about the players getting the small things right, but goes out and screws up the managerial small things time after time -- while screwing up the big things too.

This team would need everything to go right to be a competitor. Dusty's presence precludes that possibility.

[flyer85]

"This messes it up big-time," Baker said.

and whose fault would that be, especially since it was for nothing. Gosh and Bud Black won the game without going into his rotation, he must be a genius.

[Blitz Dorsey]

From the replay it looked like a straight steal, Freel never looked back. Regardless, Freel has gotten to the point whenever he is on base I honestly expect him to get picked or doubled off. I cannot recall an overall worse baserunner in my lifetime(his complete body of work not just todays epsiode).

Overall an absolute fiasco by Dusty but what does anyone really expect? IMO he's just as clueless as Narron, Miley or Boone.

It definitely should have been a straight steal (great point grayson, I was thinking the exact same thing) but I'm not so sure it was. EE put an extremely weak swing on the ball which leads me to believe it could have been a hit and run. Of course, that could just be EE's brain going dead as usual. Take a weak swing at a ball when Freel had the bag stolen against a rookie RHH pitcher and rookie catcher. Not sure that was on Dusty but it might have been. My first reaction was that Encarnacion messed something up. He either should have taken the pitch or he should have taken a real swing at the ball. His little girly swing might have cost us the game. (Can I still use the word girly disparagingly even though I have a daughter?)

[Marc D]

It definitely should have been a straight steal (great point grayson, I was thinking the exact same thing) but I'm not so sure it was. EE put an extremely weak swing on the ball which leads me to believe it could have been a hit and run. Of course, that could just be EE's brain going dead as usual. Take a weak swing at a ball when Freel had the bag stolen against a rookie RHH pitcher and rookie catcher. Not sure that was on Dusty but it might have been. My first reaction was that Encarnacion messed something up. He either should have taken the pitch or he should have taken a real swing at the ball. His little girly swing might have cost us the game. (Can I still use the word girly disparagingly even though I have a daughter?)

Yeah, trying to figure out who had a mental lapse between Freel and EE is a bit of a daunting task.

[Stormy]

The misuse of Bray and Fogg is really inexcusable and classic Dusty Baker. You simply don't empty your bullpen that early in the game.

This was the key tactical error of the night, and the repercussions will be felt for a long time. Not only did this grievous mistake affect tonight's game, it now has a detrimental property towards the games of the coming week. Via his routine inability to plan ahead and follow the most basic of strategies, Dusty has sabotaged the rotation for the upcoming series. We don't know what toll this might take on Harang or Volquez moving forward, but to burn through your entire bullpen, and then to have to burn through your top 2 starters (who were operating on very limited rest) is just unthinkable.

He botched the fundamental issue by not keeping his longest reliever(s) in reserve, then decided to utilize his starters as relievers in such a manner as if the outcome determined the pennant. I've probably never witnessed a manager who combines a stubborn adherence to doing everything his way, with such a flawed tactical understanding of the game. He's worse than I even imagined he'd be, and that's saying a great deal.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Yeah, trying to figure out who had a mental lapse between Freel and EE is a bit of a daunting task.

You owe me a computer screen and keyboard buddy.

[Stormy]

and whose fault would that be, especially since it was for nothing. Gosh and Bud Black won the game without going into his rotation, he must be a genius.

You don't have to be a genius to out maneuver Dusty Baker. You just have to stay out of his way, and he'll corner himself eventually. Usually it takes a lot less than 18 innings, but frankly the die was cast in regulation.

[Highlifeman21]

The Reds will regroup with tomorrow's off day and try to figure out the rotation.

"This messes it up big-time," Baker said.

Might see a token start or 2 from some AAA guys, maybe even 1 from that David Bailey chap.

[RedsManRick]

Personally, I would rather have had Paul Bako on the mound tonight than run out Volquez on such short rest. Sometimes there are things more important than the outcome a single game.