8/31/12 - Reds at Astros

[Reds Fanatic]

Rolen walks.

[Tom Servo]

Nice night for Navarro.

[Reds Fanatic]

Navarro singles to center. 1st and 2nd

[Kc61]

Would like to see the Reds run up the score in this series. Not to insult the Astros.

Just to beat out the Cardinals in the pythag race.

[Tadasimha]

Would seriously consider letting LeCure hit and pitch another inning instead of Cairo

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by Kc61

BABIP doesn't have much to do with it. BABIP only applies to balls hit in play.

When a batter is patient he can walk more. He can strike out less. He can perhaps homer more. None of those things are reflected in BABIP.

Patience, waiting for a pitch you can handle, is a fundamental part of hitting. Great ball strikers can succeed without it, but most mortals do better if they wait for a pitch they can handle.

It's not a fundamental and frankly it doesn't even make sense.

The first pitch is sometimes the best pitch a hitter is going to see in an at-bat. Why should a hitter let that pitch go for the sake of being patient? When you're down 0-2 or 1-2, you're giving the pitcher an advantage because you now have to protect the plate and sometimes swing at a borderline ball because you can't afford to let close pitches go by. So why waste a fastball down the middle, if you happen to see it early in the count, for the possibility of having to hit defensively? You're not guaranteed a walk, so you shouldn't go up to the plate expecting to force one.

If a hitter gets a good pitch to hit early in the count, you should take it. That is not bad fundamentals, that is good hitting. Being patient for patience sake is not a good way to hit.

[Kc61]

Originally Posted by Tadasimha

Would seriously consider letting LeCure hit and pitch another inning instead of Cairo

Agree. No reason to take out Lecure here.

[WVRedsFan]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

I don't know that anybody believes he's the 'answer' in CF, but at this point he's better than Stubbs.

True, but the enthusiasm for him is fool's gold. Stubbs is a black hole, but it's good to see some production there even if it is temporary.

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by Brutus

If a hitter gets a good pitch to hit early in the count, you should take it. That is not bad fundamentals, that is good hitting. Being patient for patience sake is not a good way to hit.

See: Stubbs, Drew.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by WVRedsFan

True, but the enthusiasm for him is fool's gold. Stubbs is a black hole, but it's good to see some production there even if it is temporary.

Who's enthusiastic? I'd call it more of relief than enthusiasm. He's a better option.

I used the analogy the other day that no one really considers chemo to be a great option, but it's a better option than doing nothing (not to call Stubbs a cancer, mind you).

[Tom Servo]

Brantley defending Cairo.

[Reds Fanatic]

Cairo singles to left. 8-2 Reds!

[Tadasimha]

Berry and Rolen lucky that throw was off line - Rolen would have been dead meat at the plate otherwise.

[Brutus]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

See: Stubbs, Drew.

Agreed 100%. Even Dusty pointed that out the other day.

I think borderline pitches early in the count should be taken for strikes. But one should not let free pitches go by just to work the count.

[WVRedsFan]

Originally Posted by Brutus

Who's enthusiastic? I'd call it more of relief than enthusiasm. He's a better option.

I used the analogy the other day that no one really considers chemo to be a great option, but it's a better option than doing nothing (not to call Stubbs a cancer, mind you).