Rangers vs. A's game thread

[jta4437]

Mitch should've been hitting there. What a dumbass.

He came out bc a lefty was pitching, what part of that don't you understand? .188 this year and .229 in his career

 

[guitarmy21b]

MY is in maybe the worst slump of his career and I'm starting to wonder if he's lost a step this year.

 

[romeo212000]

He came out bc a lefty was pitching, what part of that don't you understand? .188 this year and .229 in his career

I understand that. I also understand he has been red hot. You don't take a hitter out who's already hit two hr's for you and is clearly locked in. What part of that don't you understand?

 

[romeo212000]

MY is in maybe the worst slump of his career and I'm starting to wonder if he's lost a step this year.

He sure as hell shouldn't be hitting third or fourth.

 

[guitarmy21b]

I understand that. I also understand he has been red hot. You don't take a hitter out who's already hit two hr's for you and is clearly locked in. What part of that don't you understand?

You do if it's against a lefty. It's not that he's bad against LHP, he's awful. So what if he has 2HR on the day...what are the odds of him getting his 3rd hit of the day, against a LHP no less? Not as high as RHB like Snyder getting on base.

 

[romeo212000]

You do if it's against a lefty. It's not that he's bad against LHP, he's awful. So what if he has 2HR on the day...what are the odds of him getting his 3rd hit of the day, against a LHP no less? Not as high as RHB like Snyder getting on base.

Two different ways to look at it I guess.

 

[WilltheThrill]

You do if it's against a lefty. It's not that he's bad against LHP, he's awful. So what if he has 2HR on the day...what are the odds of him getting his 3rd hit of the day, against a LHP no less? Not as high as RHB like Snyder getting on base.

No, you don't. You do NOT take out a guy with 2 HR under any circumstances. Moreland was totally locked in. When you're that locked in, percentages go out the window. Moreland was seeing the ball better than usual and he should have been given the opportunity for another at-bat. It's just like the other night when Craig Gentry was 3 for 3 and had hit the ball hard all 3 times. He was feeling it. Anyone who has ever played the game can tell you that there are certain games where you can get a hit off of just about anyone. Wash took out Gentry and pinch hit with the cold Murphy all because of the lefty-righty matchup. Murphy struck out quickly and then did so his next at-bat.

Normally playing the percentages is the smart move, but NOT when a guy is crushing the ball. Moreland has a better shot of getting a hit, even with his .180 average against lefties on a day like today than a cold Brandon Snyder does. The best managers throughout history will tell you that games are not always played on the stat sheet.

Rangers deserved this loss. The hitting with runners in scoring position was embarrassing. 14 left on base.

 

[guitarmy21b]

No, you don't. You do NOT take out a guy with 2 HR under any circumstances. Moreland was totally locked in. When you're that locked in, percentages go out the window. Moreland was seeing the ball better than usual and he should have been given the opportunity for another at-bat. It's just like the other night when Craig Gentry was 3 for 3 and had hit the ball hard all 3 times. He was feeling it. Anyone who has ever played the game can tell you that there are certain games where you can get a hit off of just about anyone. Wash took out Gentry and pinch hit with the cold Murphy all because of the lefty-righty matchup. Murphy struck out quickly and then did so his next at-bat.

Normally playing the percentages is the smart move, but NOT when a guy is crushing the ball. Moreland has a better shot of getting a hit, even with his .180 average against lefties on a day like today than a cold Brandon Snyder does. The best managers throughout history will tell you that games are not always played on the stat sheet.

Rangers deserved this loss. The hitting with runners in scoring position was embarrassing. 14 left on base.

First off, welcome to the board. 2nd, I disagree because the reason he was locked in was because he was facing a righty. Had he been facing a lefty all day I highly doubt he'd still have those 2 HR's. I see yours and romeo's point, but I still think if there was a stat for this area it would show that PH'ing for the opposite side of the plate is generally the right call. Either way, it's not a call you can really blame Wash for. If Moreland had struck out, Wash would have been an idiot, and if Snyder had won the game, it would have been a great move, and vice versa. It's a decision that's going to be second guessed no matter what it is unless it has the results that you wanted.

 

[WilltheThrill]

And Ron Washington JUST said in his post game press conference "I don't play the odds. It's a human game not played on paper". So you didn't take out Moreland due to the odds against a lefty? Really?

 

[WilltheThrill]

Thanks for the welcome. Normally I have no problem with managers playing the percentages, both with pitchers and hitters. But I also think there are too many times when managers get a little too caught up with having to have that appropriate lefty/righty matchup. I cringe when a manager pulls a pitcher who just struck out 4 batters in a row just to bring in someone else to get that matchup. More times than not it backfires. If a pitcher is dealing or a hitter is mashing, I think they should be allowed to stay in and prove themselves.

 

[guitarmy21b]

It would be one thing if Snyder is just slightly better against LHP than Moreland and you're playing the odds on such a marginal percentage, I wouldn't agree with that...but Snyder is 8-for-22 against lefties and Mitch is 3-for-16. I think regardless of how Mitch was hitting today, Snyder not only had a better chance, he had a much better chance.

 

[jaar01]

So we just drop 3 of 4 at home to the Royals and A's. Thanks Wash for your retarded lineups and your "I don't play the odds" bullcrap. I swear this team wins in spite of its mensa manager. Seriously you DO NOT take out a 2 HR guy no matter the percentages and then PH your best hitter in the exact WRONG place. Defend Wash all you want but the guy is a player's manager and that's it. His baseball acumen is ridiculously wanting.

 

[Al Falfa]

I take it by the tone of this thread, I missed a day game that the Rangers lost.

 

[guitarmy21b]

Well since jaar agrees with you guys, now I know I'm right

 

[jaar01]

I think regardless of how Mitch was hitting today, Snyder not only had a better chance, he had a much better chance.

Guitarmy21b, how much baseball have you watched or played? Its a cardinal sin in baseball to play percentages over a HOT hitter, no matter what the "book" suggests. But you know that, right?

 

[WilltheThrill]

So a guy who's hit 2 HR already who averages 4 hits per 22 AB against lefties has a much worse chance of getting a hit than a guy coming in cold off the bench who has 8 hits in 22 AB? Those extra 4 hits are enough justification to lift a red-hot hitter?

The only reason guys hit better against lefties or righties is because of how they see the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand and how it comes across their body. It's not magic or some funky science. But the point is when a guy is that locked in, it doesn't matter what hand the pitcher throws the ball with. On an average day Moreland is pretty bad against lefties. But on a day like today, when he's seeing the ball well and clearly is feeling very comfortable at the plate, his chances of hitting a lefty are better than usual.

 

[guitarmy21b]

Guitarmy21b, how much baseball have you watched or played? Its a cardinal sin in baseball to play percentages over a HOT hitter, no matter what the "book" suggests. But you know that, right?

Sounds like a philosophy that came from a book. Your argument refutes itself.

 

[guitarmy21b]

So a guy who's hit 2 HR already who averages 4 hits per 22 AB against lefties has a much worse chance of getting a hit than a guy coming in cold off the bench who has 8 hits in 22 AB? Those extra 4 hits are enough justification to lift a red-hot hitter?

The only reason guys hit better against lefties or righties is because of how they see the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand and how it comes across their body. It's not magic or some funky science. But the point is when a guy is that locked in, it doesn't matter what hand the pitcher throws the ball with. On an average day Moreland is pretty bad against lefties. But on a day like today, when he's seeing the ball well and clearly is feeling very comfortable at the plate, his chances of hitting a lefty are better than usual.

Maybe not on that small sample size alone, but if you look at the career numbers, it shows Moreland sucks against lefties. I would have posted both their career numbers, but Snyder is technically a rookie.

 

[jaar01]

If Moreland had been struggling today then sure, play the percentages. But hitters are streaky, just ask Napoli and Cruz two of the streakiest hitters in baseball. Moreland was hot and locked in today. You just have to roll the dice with Mitch at that point, who was clearly feeling it today with 2 bombs and a walk.

 

[WilltheThrill]

Nadel and Busby both agreed on the radio broadcast it was a highly questionable move as well. Both are smart baseball guys. But oh well, what's done is done. The 14 men left on base certainly cost them the game more than anything Wash did or didn't do.

Playing .500 baseball isn't going to cut it, and that's what the Rangers have been doing since starting 13-4. The Rangers are just too good and too deep of a team to be playing like that. Young, Cruz, and to a lesser extent Kinsler and Napoli need to be more consistent. Colby and Matt need to revert back to their early season form. Hopefully this upcoming stretch against Houston and Seattle gets them back to their dominating ways.