How often is it that...

[buckeyenut]

the two best hitters on a team end up batting eighth and ninth?

With Hanigan and Owings batting 8/9, an argument could be made that we were doing just that this evening. And it looks like it might have actually paid off.

[kaldaniels]

Originally Posted by buckeyenut

the two best hitters on a team end up batting eighth and ninth?

With Hanigan and Owings batting 8/9, an argument could be made that we were doing just that this evening. And it looks like it might have actually paid off.

Hanigans got a third of an MLB season batting low in the order under his belt. No way no how is he one of the top 2 in the lineup...I love his play so far for what its worth. Now Owings, he is interesting...

Give me BP and JB as the top 2 hitters in the lineup tonight.

[redsmetz]

I was driving my sister's van back to Pleasant Ridge when Owings came to the plate. And then...silence! They went off the air. I called my son down at the ballgame, "LW's off the air, what did Owings do?" "He hit a home run," said the son. Holy Cow! The game didn't come back on for another 10 minutes or so and then still went out a bit after that.

[Homer Bailey]

Don't expect it to change:

Jay Bruce(notes) also homered and Ryan Hanigan(notes) had two hits to help the Reds squeeze out the win despite no production from the first five batters in the lineup, who went a combined 0 for-17. The only baserunner among the top five batters was Brandon Phillips(notes), who walked in the fourth inning, but manager Dusty Baker didn’t mind.

“I wasn’t counting,” he said. “I was just trying to get to the finish line with the lead. We needed to get Micah a win. That was a huge performance by him—offensively and pitching-wise.”

That's basically coach speak for "Let's not worry about things I can affect, I'm just gonna throw a lineup together that makes not sense and root from the dugout."

[The Baumer]

Sometimes people say what they are supposed to say, not what they really mean. And sometimes that is the right thing to do.

[reds44]

Dickerson and Hanigan should bat 1-2.
Phillips 3rd
Bruce 4th

Whatever the rest of the order, it's all bad anyway.

[redsmetz]

Originally Posted by The Baumer

Sometimes people say what they are supposed to say, not what they really mean. And sometimes that is the right thing to do.

Not to mention that sometimes there are games you have no business winning and you're glad to cross the finish line in the W column. It's not often that you only get four hits and two walks and score four runs. It's nice to get the win when your offense has been anemic. You take what you can get.

[PuffyPig]

It's hard to know where to place Owings in the scheme of things , but Phillips, Nix and Bruce are certainly better hitters than Hannigan.