Rangers contend with a possum and dirty water in the Oakland sewer 05/11 - 05/15

[armadillooutlaw]

Good start for Gray. 10 pitch inning.

Sharp.

 

[Kelleyman]

Weird small ball with bunt and.run scored
Oaktown with the IF in and only 3rd inning

 

[saddles]

Gross man taking strike 3 again

 

[saddles]

 

[jta4437]

Smith has been swinging a much better bat lately

Wouldn't mind when Seager returns
LF- Smith
CF- Tavares
RF- Garcia
DH- Duran

 

[saddles]

From the article:

“I’d gotten caught up in thinking in the box these last couple of weeks,” Smith said. “[Now I’m] thinking a lot in my work, and then just in the game kind of not thinking and having fun.”

Smith credits preparation (”when you do the stuff beforehand, you really don’t have to think about it,” he said). Bochy said simplicity is key.

“You have to have a self awareness about yourself,” Bochy said. ‘[Smith and I] talked about that, be the hitter that you should be and what we need, and not somebody who you aren’t. Smitty, I do think we was getting a little too geared toward power.”

Bochy inserted Smith as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning of Friday’s 9-7 loss to the Oakland Athletics. It wasn’t with the direction to bunt or intentionally sacrifice himself; rather it was to pull a pitch to right field and “maybe do some damage” with ghost runner Ezequiel Duran at second base. Smith instead worked a five-pitch walk and came around to score on a Marcus Semien single.

“He worked hard, he had some time, and I talked to him,” Bochy said. “Getting back to the swing that I saw this spring — using the whole field, not getting too big, not too geared toward power ... he’s in a better place now, he’s tightened it up a little bit. It’s good to see, he put a lot of work in to get back to where he was.”

 

[Kelleyman]

Smith has been swinging a much better bat lately

Wouldn't mind when Seager returns
LF- Smith
CF- Tavares
RF- Garcia
DH- Duran

I am hoping he plays pretty regularly but we will need someone to give guys a day off.

 

[Kelleyman]

From the article:

“I’d gotten caught up in thinking in the box these last couple of weeks,” Smith said. “[Now I’m] thinking a lot in my work, and then just in the game kind of not thinking and having fun.”

Smith credits preparation (”when you do the stuff beforehand, you really don’t have to think about it,” he said). Bochy said simplicity is key.

“You have to have a self awareness about yourself,” Bochy said. ‘[Smith and I] talked about that, be the hitter that you should be and what we need, and not somebody who you aren’t. Smitty, I do think we was getting a little too geared toward power.”

Bochy inserted Smith as a pinch hitter in the 10th inning of Friday’s 9-7 loss to the Oakland Athletics. It wasn’t with the direction to bunt or intentionally sacrifice himself; rather it was to pull a pitch to right field and “maybe do some damage” with ghost runner Ezequiel Duran at second base. Smith instead worked a five-pitch walk and came around to score on a Marcus Semien single.

“He worked hard, he had some time, and I talked to him,” Bochy said. “Getting back to the swing that I saw this spring — using the whole field, not getting too big, not too geared toward power ... he’s in a better place now, he’s tightened it up a little bit. It’s good to see, he put a lot of work in to get back to where he was.”

Totally agree he was too geared for power
He should be a gap hitter like he demonstrated today. He has a good eye and works the pitcher
That is good. He is plus defender in LF and the IF.
He is a savvy and speedy base runner

There is spot for him on this roster

 

[saddles]

I am hoping he plays pretty regularly but we will need someone to give guys a day off.

Bochy plays his veteran regulars just about every day.

 

[Duane1952]

Smith has been swinging a much better bat lately

Wouldn't mind when Seager returns
LF- Smith
CF- Tavares
RF- Garcia
DH- Duran

I would love that. But don’t think Bochy is going to take Robbie out of the starting lineup.

 

[Kelleyman]

Bochy plays his veteran regulars just about every day.

Well Heim is sitting and Adolis did. Lowe has not and of course Duran plays every day.
Bet Smith can spell JUng

He might be a regular pending Garver

 

[Kelleyman]

Smith playing LF well

 

[saddles]

Well Heim is sitting and Adolis did. Lowe has not and of course Duran plays every day.
Bet Smith can spell JUng

He might be a regular pending Garver

Now, they may trade for a hitter and change this whole discussion, but I like JTA's idea for now. Smith can still spell Jung every once in awhile and someone else can play LF on those days. Of course, that is all dependent on Smith continuing to hit.

 

[jta4437]

Now, they may trade for a hitter and change this whole discussion, but I like JTA's idea for now. Smith can still spell Jung every once in awhile and someone else can play LF on those days. Of course, that is all dependent on Smith continuing to hit.

Or not getting hit apparently #8

 

[saddles]

Now, they may trade for a hitter and change this whole discussion, but I like JTA's idea for now. Smith can still spell Jung every once in awhile and someone else can play LF on those days. Of course, that is all dependent on Smith continuing to hit.

If we can keep him from getting hit so often.

 

[Duane1952]

Leon what were you looking for. That almost right down the middle.

 

[Kelleyman]

First hit off Gray who has been dealing

 

[Duane1952]

First hit off Gray who has been dealing

Hope he can go 9. Don’t want to see the crappy bullpen.

 

[Uncle Siggy]

If we can keep him from getting hit so often.

There's an art to being HBP and not getting hurt...

Single-Season Leaders &amp Records for Hit By Pitch | Baseball-Reference.com

Single-Season HBP Leaders:1.Hughie Jennings+/51/1896/602, 2.Ron Hunt/50/1971/638, 3.Hughie Jennings+/46/1897/544, Hughie Jennings+/46/1898/665, 5.Dan McGann/39/1898/635, 6.Dan McGann/37/1899/580, 7.Curt Welch/36/1891/627, 8.Don Baylor/35/1986/687, 9.Craig Biggio+/34/1997/744, <str

www.baseball-reference.com

 

[Kelleyman]

Out confirmed