The Official Jay Bruce hitting streak thread

[Ghosts of 1990]

It's at 10 games and it's officially a bonafide hitting streak now.

Tonight he goes up against a tough customer in Jake Peavy, so the disclaimer is that if he doesn't get a hit, it's not because of this thread but rather because it was Peavy on the hill.

This thread will track Jay's pursuit of Charlie Hustle and Joe Dimaggio.

[ChatterRed]

To quote the All American Rejects......"It Ends Tonight".

Thanks for the jinx.

[bgwilly31]

I really hope theres a lot of sarcasm in this thread.

In this weaksauce hitting streak of his.

He's only had more than one hit (a whopping two) IN ONE GAME.

And after his performace last night he should be far from praise.

[Ghosts of 1990]

I really hope theres a lot of sarcasm in this thread.

In this weaksauce hitting streak of his.

He's only had more than one hit (a whopping two) IN ONE GAME.

And after his performace last night he should be far from praise.

making a lot of hard outs. Rather have a guy getting hits in 10 games straight than hitless for 10 straight dude. Come on.

I know when I played as long as I was getting a hit every night, I still felt mentally like I could go off any day.

Sure he isn't torrid, white-hot like when he came up... but this is a good sign.

[Nasty_Boy]

I love Jay and I think he's going to be great, but my God he doesn't have a plan at the plate. He gets ahead in the count and spins himself in the ground.

Last night in the 9th he made zero adjustments to Hoffman's change even though everyone in world knew it was coming. I don't know if scouting reports aren't clear or gone over, I don't know if he's just too nervous but the kid is not gonna see many fastballs. He needs to realize that he has to be more patient and more selective at the plate. Until he does that he will only be a mistake hitter.

[bgwilly31]

Nasty boy is dead on.

Go ahead and actually pay attention to the game and realize how many times Jay bruce either puts a ball in play the first couple pitches. And if he makes past 2 pitches go ahead see how many times the count is 1-2.

It seems like every dayum time. His problem right now is he DONT ADJUST!

He goes up with the same plan that isnt working every at bat.

Which is "im swinging at anything close."



Last night really threw me over the cliff with JAY BRUCE>

he finally gets a 2-0 count. Bases loaded. bottom of the 9th. We'll take a walk jay. Especially with kepp on deck.

So fundamentals tells you. 2-0 count bases loaded 2 outs. down by two.

This pitch has to be your Meatball pitch or your not swinging. So more than likely your going to take.

Whats he do.

Swings at a breaking ball low and away that dayum near bounces off the plate.

ARGGGGHHHHH i cant tell you how frustrated that makes me.

Its just like watching this team and continueing to throw fundamentals out the window.

ITS hard to watch anymore.

[UC_Ken]

This pitch has to be your Meatball pitch or your not swinging. So more than likely your going to take.

Whats he do.

Swings at a breaking ball low and away that dayum near bounces off the plate.

It was a great pitch by Hoffman. Bruce was looking for a meatball fastball and thought he had it but Hoffman threw the change and made Bruce look stupid. That's why Hoffman is the all time leader in saves and doesn't throw over 88.

I'm not saying that I like Bruce's approach, I'm just saying give credit to one of the best closers ever.

[bgwilly31]

It was a great pitch by Hoffman. Bruce was looking for a meatball fastball and thought he had it but Hoffman threw the change and made Bruce look stupid. That's why Hoffman is the all time leader in saves and doesn't throw over 88.

I'm not saying that I like Bruce's approach, I'm just saying give credit to one of the best closers ever.

It was a good pitch in a 1-2 count maybe.

But in a 2-0 count its another ball if he doesnt swing so hows it a great pitch.

Jay should have been in the mindset of what i just said. Only swing at a fastball in MY ZONE> Which should be much smaller than the actual strike zone.

It wasnt a fastball and the pitch started at the bottom/outside of the zone and broke down and further away from the strike zone.

If he was in the right mindset he wouldnt have swung.


Now he has a 3-0 count. bases loaded. This guy has to throw me something over the plate. Much better situation than looking stupid on a change up thats way out of the zone.

[REDSEER]

As was pointed out earlier in this thread, Trevor Hoffman's change-up is possibly one of the best pitches of all time. The arm action and movement that he has on that pitch is nothing short of amazing.

With a 2-0 count, Jay was obviously looking for a fastball, as he should've. As Hoffman lets go of the ball, it looks like a fastball coming right down the middle. Let it go miss out on a great opportunity for a BIG hit. So, naturally, Jay starts to take a big swing, hoping to put it on the moon deck. But as soon as he starts his swing, he realizes that it's not a fastball, but it's already too late. Strike one.

I play college ball and still find the changeup the most difficult pitch to recognize and hit. Can't even imagine what it would be like to face one of the greatest changeups of all time.

Sure, he's a major leaguer, a hot shot prospect...but if Trevor Hoffman throws that pitch on 2-0 to anyone in the league, I bet 80% of the players swing and miss at that pitch.

[bgwilly31]

Sure, he's a major leaguer, a hot shot prospect...but if Trevor Hoffman throws that pitch on 2-0 to anyone in the league, I bet 80% of the players swing and miss at that pitch.

I would bet your wrong.

Your missing the point just like the other guy missed it.

I understand how good the change up works. I also understand how a changeup works.

But when you step up to the plate with the right mind set that im not swinging at anything that even remotely looks funny.

Basically your taking an extra split second to watch the ball than you normally would.

I would also be more inclined to side with you guys on this if the change-up started higher in the zone. But it didnt.

The pitch started lower outside portion of the plate and then broke way out of the zone.

I dont care what kind of pitch it is. If it started lower and a little outside he shouldnt have been swinging.



We also need to remember The way Jay bruce has been at the plate for the past 2 months. Hes so impatient at the plate its ridiculous. Think about that while your trying to argue that it wasnt Jay's fault it was just the greatest pitch of all time.

[He got it!]

How does a player go from this boards favorite player and being the savior of the team to getting ripped in a thread celebrating his 10 game hitting streak? I don't get it.

[DTCromer]

Jay Bruce during his hitting streak: (original stats the day he started the streak)

Batting Average: .265 to .267
OBP: .337 to .329
SLG: .435 to .433
OPS: .773 to .762
11 K's and 1 BB

Worst 10 game hitting streak ever

[REDSEER]

I would bet your wrong.

Your missing the point just like the other guy missed it.

I understand how good the change up works. I also understand how a changeup works.

But when you step up to the plate with the right mind set that im not swinging at anything that even remotely looks funny.

Basically your taking an extra split second to watch the ball than you normally would.

I would also be more inclined to side with you guys on this if the change-up started higher in the zone. But it didnt.

The pitch started lower outside portion of the plate and then broke way out of the zone.

I dont care what kind of pitch it is. If it started lower and a little outside he shouldnt have been swinging.



We also need to remember The way Jay bruce has been at the plate for the past 2 months. Hes so impatient at the plate its ridiculous. Think about that while your trying to argue that it wasnt Jay's fault it was just the greatest pitch of all time.

When you're talking about a 90 mph fastball there's no time for an extra split second. If a hitter thinks when he's at the plate he will not hit well. It's all reaction. The ball looked like a fastball coming out of his hand. If he waits that extra split second and takes the fastball everyone here is now saying "Why did he take that pitch?"

Not saying that it was the greatest pitch of all time....but that I wasn't surprised when our 21 year old rookie, looking to break out of what is most likely the longest "slump" of his career, swung at a great pitch out of the zone...a pitch that looked great coming out of his hand.

With that said.....it is ENTIRELY too early to call Jay a bust or anything resembling a bust. Let the kid play....not many players come up to the bigs at the age of 21 and tear up the league.

[bgwilly31]

How does a player go from this boards favorite player and being the savior of the team to getting ripped in a thread celebrating his 10 game hitting streak? I don't get it.

I never once jumped on the Savior band wagon. I saw the kids stats in AAA.

I was really hoping He would continue to do well. I was rooting against the kid and im still not. The whole team sucks right now.

Nor am i Saying the kids a bust. Never did.

When you're talking about a 90 mph fastball there's no time for an extra split second. If a hitter thinks when he's at the plate he will not hit well. It's all reaction. The ball looked like a fastball coming out of his hand. If he waits that extra split second and takes the fastball everyone here is now saying "Why did he take that pitch?"

Not saying that it was the greatest pitch of all time....but that I wasn't surprised when our 21 year old rookie, looking to break out of what is most likely the longest "slump" of his career, swung at a great pitch out of the zone...a pitch that looked great coming out of his hand.

With that said.....it is ENTIRELY too early to call Jay a bust or anything resembling a bust. Let the kid play....not many players come up to the bigs at the age of 21 and tear up the league.

Come on.

Now you have to resort to putting words in my mouth to WIN your argument.Never once said the kid is a bust
I also played ball. I know the game and situations.

In that siutuation your Waiting on your pitch. I dont care whos pitching or whatever else is happening. If you swing at a breaking ball down and away that skims the dirt. You MESSED UP BIG TIME. PERIOD.

You also keep saying the pitch looked good out of his hand. No it didnt. It didnt start down the middle and break all the way across the plate and down in the dirt. It was a change up that started low in the zone shading the outside. Then broke completely out of zone. So what your trying to tell me is JAY's meatball pitch is a low and outside fast ball?

For you to keep argueing this is ridiculous.


Nobody is also saying he should tear up the league.

My biggest concern with Jay, and this entire team really, is the lack of adjustments this team makes.

Jay was incredibly patient when he was hitting so well. That has nothing to do with being hot. Thats a mindset when you go to the plate.

You either sitting, in the on deck circle, with the attitude anything close im putting in play(which is jays attitude) Or you go up there with a more patient style, take until you get a strike type attitude. There's many different styles of attitudes players can use to fool pitchers.

Jay seems to be using the same, Swing at anything close style, even though its obviously not working(especially when hes batting lead-off for crying out loud)

Although he should never be batting lead off in the first place. But thats a whole different story.

[REDSEER]

No need to be angry and defend yourself, I'm not attacking you nor do I intend to. I was not putting words in your mouth; guess alot can be lost in print. And I don't attempt to get into or "win" arguments. I know that you did not say anything about Bruce being a bust. That just seems to be the attitude around here right now and I'm just trying to get anything positive out of the torture has come with being a Reds fan lately.

I'm not going to argue about where the pitch was originally headed for, but it looked to me personally that the pitch looked like a fastball about belt high coming out of his hand, only to have it dive across the plate at the last moment. That's the nature of a great changeup...it looks amazing out of the hand and induces a swinging strike or an end of the bat ground ball; exactly what Hoffman got.

I absolutely understand where you're coming from about having the mindset and looking for his one and only pitch. Hopefully that is what Jay was doing at that point, but just made a mistake in swinging at a great pitch by a great closer; it's baseball and it happens. Hopefully he can have a good game tonight and put last night behind him.