Hal McCoy's quick fix

[Dunner44]

http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...0506mccoy.html

These are not the best of times for the Cincinnati Reds to be playing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but then, these are not the best of times for them to be playing the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

While they might have a better chance these days against New Hampshire, the Fisher Cats are busy this weekend playing the New Britain Rock Cats.

So, the Dodgers it is, leaders of the National League West.

The Reds enter the weekend series lugging the load of a seven-game losing streak.

Manager Dave Miley was asked by a TV-type after Wednesday's seventh straight loss, "Given what's happened, is anybody on this roster safe?"

Said Miley, "Next question."

What's a manager to do when the pitching, the offense and the defense take a late-April and early-May paid vacation?

Well, Tahiti and Aruba are always nice this time of year. But Miley knows he can't run and he can't hide.

He must fill out the lineup card, then sit in the dugout and push some buttons, hoping one of those buttons isn't a destruct button, which seems to be the button he keeps hitting these days.

Some helpful suggestions from the press box:

• Put Ryan Freel, a .300 hitter who finds ways to locate first base and brings enthusiasm and excitement to the field, at second base and bat him leadoff. Forget D'Angelo Jimenez and his Mendoza-line batting average and limited range.

• Move third baseman Joe Randa into the No. 2 spot in the batting order to utilize his contact hitting and his ability to hit the opposite way to move runners.

• Drop Ken Griffey Jr. from second in the order to his more comfortable third, the spot from which he has hit most of his career.

• Wily Mo Pena's leg hurts, which is why he wasn't pinch-hitting for Jimenez in the ninth inning Tuesday with two outs, two on and the Reds down, 4-2. Jimenez flied to left, ending the game.

• When Pena is healthy, bat him fourth and put him in right field until Austin Kearns, if and when, finds his way. Until Pena is healthy, bat Kearns fourth. He'll come around.

• Drop Sean Casey to fifth. He'll give Pena/Kearns some protection and drive in some runs, if he can solve his dilemma of grounding into 4-6-3 double plays with a man on first.

• Bat Adam Dunn sixth, a good spot for RBIs.

• Play Felipe Lopez at shortstop until Rich Aurilia locates his bat. If Lopez is the shortstop of the future, now is the time to find out while the team slips toward oblivion.

• Use catcher Javier Valentin more than once every five days. He is hitting .263 and is a decent defender. Jason LaRue is hitting .210 with no homers and only six RBIs.

• Now we come to the pitching, and uh, well, Miley and pitching coach Don Gullett are on their own on this one.

While they wait for Luke Hudson and Josh Hancock to come off the disabled list, the earned-run averages continue to rise faster than a Phoenix thermometer in August.

Suggestions abound that the club should turn to Ryan Wagner as the closer. While he is the team's most effective bullpenner and probably will be the closer next year when the team doesn't re-sign Danny Graves, Wagner is only 22 and devoid of experience.

Shoving him suddenly into the closer's role might be applying too much pressure too soon. Why risk ruining him at this juncture. Continue to let him develop in the set-up role ... for now.

Trades aren't likely. Teams don't trade good pitching this early in the season. That comes at the July trade deadlines, when teams out of contention begin dumping large salaries.

At the rate it is going, though, it will be the Reds shedding big salaries when late July arrives.

[RedsBaron]

Batting Dunn, the Reds best hitter, sixth is not a "helpful" suggestion from the press box. It simply demonstrates that some members of the media are clueless.

[westofyou]

Bat Adam Dunn sixth, a good spot for RBIs.

And great place to die on the bases too!!

Play Felipe Lopez at shortstop until Rich Aurilia locates his bat.

May I suggest checking out Pier 39? I think he left his bat (and range Hal, what about his range?) instead of his heart in San Francisco.

[flyer85]

Hal covers baseball. Doesn't mean he really understands it.

[Joseph]

Wouldn't now be the ideal time for Wagner to move to closer? The teams so far out that there's nothing to lose, so the pressure is minimal.

[MWM]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Cabesa

Hal covers baseball. Doesn't mean he really understands it.

I was thinking the same thing. Hard to believe that came from someone who's been around baseball as long as he has.

[LincolnparkRed]

Originally Posted by Dunner44

http://www.daytondailynews.com/sport...0506mccoy.html

• Put Ryan Freel, a .300 hitter who finds ways to locate first base and brings enthusiasm and excitement to the field, at second base and bat him leadoff. Forget D'Angelo Jimenez and his Mendoza-line batting average and limited range.

• Drop Ken Griffey Jr. from second in the order to his more comfortable third, the spot from which he has hit most of his career.


• Play Felipe Lopez at shortstop until Rich Aurilia locates his bat. If Lopez is the shortstop of the future, now is the time to find out while the team slips toward oblivion.

• Use catcher Javier Valentin more than once every five days. He is hitting .263 and is a decent defender. Jason LaRue is hitting .210 with no homers and only six RBIs.

Suggestions abound that the club should turn to Ryan Wagner as the closer. While he is the team's most effective bullpenner and probably will be the closer next year when the team doesn't re-sign Danny Graves, Wagner is only 22 and devoid of experience.

Shoving him suddenly into the closer's role might be applying too much pressure too soon. Why risk ruining him at this juncture. Continue to let him develop in the set-up role ... for now.

Now insight like this is why I read his column every morning when I get into work. For some reason maybe I'm just spoiled by Hal but the Cubs/Sox writers always seem to complain and never offer anything constructive.

I definitely think he is right about Wagner, find me a closer who was annointed as such before 24 that was half way successful, I can't think of one.

[WillPitch4Food]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Cabesa

Hal covers baseball. Doesn't mean he really understands it.

I'll take a Hall of Fame writer's opinion over most of ours any day of the week... Hal is a student of the game and a great writer, so I'll defer to his "non-understanding" more often than not... although I didn't agree with Dunn in the 6 spot, the rest of his suggestions are right on point. Give the guy a break...

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by MWM

I was thinking the same thing. Hard to believe that came from someone who's been around baseball as long as he has.

I traded numerous e-mails with Hal last year and I can honestly say he doesn't get it. Im paraphrasing here, he told me that he really didn't care what the numbers said, you could manipulate the stats to get any answer you wanted. He knew he the good players were by watching the game and didn't care if the numbers told a different story. I can tell you that he plays favorites.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by WillPitch4Food

I'll take a Hall of Fame writer's

He is a HOF writer, not a HOF baseball executive. He is the HOF because of his writing ability and longevity.

[WillPitch4Food]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Cabesa

He is a HOF writer, not a HOF baseball executive.

I forgot all of us where baseball executives... bottom line is, the guy knows the game... Casey is hitting .301 with 9 RBI, not terrible numbers 27 games in, but if you've watched/listened to every game you know he's killed some big innings with DPs... I tend to agree with him in that respect... the numbers don't tell the story every time... He made one questionable point in the entire post and everyone jumps all over it...

[WMR]

Just switch his ideas concerning the respective batting position of Randa and Dunn and everything that he said is right on point. Hey I'd rather have Hal managing the team and be 5 for 6 in things that need to be changed than Miley who continues to go O'fer every single game.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by WillPitch4Food

I forgot all of us where baseball executives... bottom line is, the guy knows the game... Casey is hitting .301 with 9 RBI, not terrible numbers 27 games in, but if you've watched/listened to every game you know he's killed some big innings with DPs... I tend to agree with him in that respect... the numbers don't tell the story every time... He made one questionable point in the entire post and everyone jumps all over it...

What's Casey got to do with it, I never brought him up. I think maybe you have another agenda.

The point is this, just because Hal covers the Reds does not mean that he has greater baseball knowledge than anybody else. The fact that he interacts with the players on a daily basis and knows them makes him more susceptible to bias. He readily admitted that he will dismiss the statistical evidence if it conflicts with his preconceived notions or beliefs about things.

[WillPitch4Food]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Cabesa

What's Casey got to do with it, I never brought him up. I think maybe you have another agenda.

If you followed your own posts on the thread you said Hal doesn't get it becuase he doesn't go with the Stats, he watches the game. My Casey comment spoke exactly to that.. scroll up a bit and read it again... I'm not taking a shot at you, I was just making the opposite side of your argument... I said I didn't agree with the Dunn @ 6 move, but every other point was right on... I just get tired of people jumping all over a knowledgeable guy when 95% of the content he gave was great... he's got more of a clue than the rest of the management in the organization...

[NJReds]

I agree with many of the posts on this thread...Dunn has to hit higher, not lower in the batting order. I wouldn't have a problem with Freel, Dunn, Jr., Pena/Kearns, Casey, Randa, Lopez, LaRue.