Fire the hitting coach at least. Shuffle some papers if you’re not going to try and get a better manager.
Fire the hitting coach at least. Shuffle some papers if you’re not going to try and get a better manager.
He pinch ran for Winker in the 7th in the loss last night.Originally Posted by 757690
I never said he stopped making moves. Just that he’s doing it less frequently, and more logically. Winker was a PH for SS Farmer last night, so that was his only AB no matter what. That was a smart move.
At the beginning of the season, he was constantly running out of players in the late innings. That’s not happening anymore.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
- I do get it can take time to know you're roster....but some of this wasn't rocket science and feels like Bell/Dick Williams over-complicated it
1. Bullpen usage has been my biggest problem with Bell....It was a given Amir, Lorenzen and Iglesisas were the main three guys and the rest I can see was a crapshoot. I can give Bell a pass on Lorenzen's failing that cost us games....but we didn't use Amir enough. This crap of not ever pitching him more than 1 inning....he pitched 16.2 innings and touched 18 games out of 55. Nate Jones got 21 games and 18.2 innings...does that seem like a good idea?
2. The 2nd issue for me goes along with #1...we pulled our starters just about every game after the 6th inning regardless in the first 30 games of the year....only to put more innings on a bad bullpen that lost games (or any chance of close games we could have won). There were at least 5 games off my memory that Mahle, Gray, Castillo, etc...were not even struggling even a little bit and we're pulled in 6th inning and then the bullpen gets torched. Bell was adamant to pull the starters at the 6th inning remark regardless of how the starter actually felt. In the end Bell managed like this was a marathon (162 games) instead of spring (60 games) and we should have gone into season with a gameplan to lean on starters more innings when they looked strong enough.
3. The final issue was Bell's nonsense of pinch running/defensive subs on dudes so much in 6-7th inning. So we're pulling Votto/Winker/Cast...so now when they come up for a final at bat....we're batting guys like Janko, Van Meter, etc... in games we're tied/behind along with a bad bullpen.
The rest of the problems you could argue were more on Dick Williams with why Davidson vs. Acquino...Colon/Van Meter at 2b, Ervin stinking was a downer, I wish we'd have cut bait on Barnhardt and let Stephenson platoon at catcher which was all about trying to keep him from getting MLB service time, etc.. All those little things might end up costing us a post season that will boil down to 1-2 games here and there.
Last edited by UK Reds Fan; 09-23-2020 at 10:23 AM.
Phoenix2 (09-23-2020)
The Reds most glaring flaw is the .211 team BA. All other issues pale in comparison.
As manager, Bell must take some responsibility for this. The team’s batting approach is not just up to a hitting coach. The manager must have some role in that decision.
He won’t be fired, they did improve, but he must willingly and effectively help fix this problem. It can’t happen again next year.
Last edited by Kc61; 09-23-2020 at 04:58 PM.
Phoenix2 (09-23-2020),Tony Cloninger (09-23-2020)
I've never seen so many guys strikeout looking (i.e. guessing wrong). So many 94-95 mph fastballs coming down Main Street and not even a hint of a swing. That has to be an organizational strategy...
Phoenix2 (09-23-2020)
Reds want to emphasize walks, in today’s environment (good defensive positioning, high strikeout pitchers), trying for base hits is hard.
So their guys are taking pitches to the bitter end, and sometimes it results in strikeouts looking.
The drill seems to be: if you can drive the ball do so, otherwise take as many pitches as possible.
Last edited by Kc61; 09-23-2020 at 02:49 PM.
sdm24 (09-23-2020)
Beyond bullpen usage, I was amazed how in a short 60 game season how often Bell was playing his less talented position players. Seemed to me like he was more interested in playing everybody then winning baseball games. The only way for management to stop it was to take those lesser talented players away from him.
Bruce Berenyi (09-23-2020),UK Reds Fan (09-23-2020)
I'm not going to get hung up on one move, but I disagree it was smart. 1) it was a low leverage situation to use Winker in the first place, with no one on base; 2) why did it have to be his only AB anyway? Put him in left and move Galvis to SS. Winker's statistically the best hitter on the team this season. Either use him in a better situation or keep him in the game in case he gets another chance, which he would have, but instead Garcia K'd.
That move didn't cost the game. Not scoring runs when given the opportunity was their demise last night. But I'm not ready to cement Bell in as the manager because of this late season rally. As a .500 club, the last 4 games could put this team squarely in the playoffs or on the outside looking in after yet another losing season.
Last edited by RedsBrick; 09-23-2020 at 01:47 PM.
TexasRedsFan (09-23-2020)
All I know is, if you were being projected to be one of the favorites to win the division, and then you fail to make the EXPANDED playoffs, you don't deserve a Big League job.
Are we talking about the same thing?
A low leverage situation?
Down 1, with a win potentially stamping a playoff spot and KO’ing the Brewers. And you put your “(debatably) best” hitter up to the plate? Forget “the who and what” of the decision...I can’t get over “low leverage.”
Not sure what to tell ya. A mammoth shot across the river in that situation only ties the game, nothing else. A base hit, walk, HBP, passed ball on third strike...nothing...does anything but put a runner on. Doesn't even tie the game. Heck there were higher leverage situations earlier in the game where it would've been more effective...like runner on third <2 outs. Runner on 2nd <2 outs...base hit ties it and that same mammoth shot across the river gives the Reds the lead, so yeah, there were better, higher leverage situations to use him.
Also, yes, he is statistically the best hitter on the team, which is how I described him. #1 in BA, OBP, SLG, OPS, OPS+. I didn't state opinion.
Winker might technically be the teams best hitter, but he has been stuck in slump since his suspension.
Hoping to change my username to 75769024
Which was why i prefaced that with “debatably,” to which offense was taken.
Your sentence above is correct and different people are going to have a different opinion on “best hitter.”
757690 (09-23-2020)
Took offense? Not even close. You were simply incorrect based on what I stated.
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