Bob Christiansen
- 4th & Chalmers, a few years ago...Now? Weeki Wach
So any of you guys catch last night's game? Sale, 99 pitch CG. Dude was cruisin'!!
2016 White Sox
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Figured it out: need to watch when either Sale or Quintana is pitching.
Bob Christiansen
- 4th & Chalmers, a few years ago...Now? Weeki Wach
If you didn't catch it, you missed a great game last night...albeit against the Yanks, but none the less. Sale pretty much threw strikes up there, let the defense take care of business...which they did. Couldn't say that about last years team. Offense showed up early, 6 run cushion is REAL nice to work with...
The Sox are struggling right now. They have lost 3 of the last 4 series with a sweep of the Twins thrown in there to minimize the damage. They're off today, and then have 3 with the Astros. The time between now and Memorial Day will go a long way toward shaping out summer. After 3 with the Astros, we have 3 with the Royals, 4 with the Indians, and then 4 at the Royals. That's a really crucial stretch during which they can build a pretty nice cushion.
We really need more from Rodon and Abreu during this stretch. Their ability to compete is likely the difference between taking the division and falling short.
We really need more from Rodon and Abreu during this stretch. Their ability to compete is likely the difference between taking the division and falling short.
Rodon really needs to make sure he is getting ahead of hitters. When he falls behind is when he struggles. Needs to pump some first pitch strikes in there and then he can go out of the zone with the batters chasing. When he falls behind hitters they do not chase his slider and his pitches become far less effective. What is going on with Abreu I thought he got out of his slump but it seems he is still chasing while he is up there. Is he just pressing still or has that cooled off some? I haven't been able to watch the games but I have been listening and sometimes that isn't enough to know how a batter is feeling at the plate.
Bob Christiansen
- 4th & Chalmers, a few years ago...Now? Weeki Wach
Part of it is chasing, part of it is trying to see more pitches (he had quite a few called 3rd strikes this year) and part of seems to me like he's just not seeing the ball real well right now. Not nearly as many hard hit balls this year, and a lot of his hits have been almost KC specials (which Hawk hates when another team gets 'em, but loves when we do...). Like you, qc, I'm waiting for him to "get back to normal"...
Wait till the weather heats up. Here's his career monthly splits.
That's when I'll start playing him again in fantasy! [emoji106]
Thin on options, yes. But Rollins is probably the worst or second worst offensive option of all the regulars. He should be batting 8th or 9th. Frazier would be a good option at 2. Abreu, despite his struggles would be a good option. Cabrera or Lawrie would be better options. Essentially anyone would be better. FWIW, if I was making the lineup I think it would look like this:
Eaton
Frazier
Abreu
Cabrera
Lawrie
Garcia
Avila
Rollins
Jackson
Illiniwek06
- N of I-80
I like - I think I would flip Frazier and Cabrera, but agree that anyone would be better than Rollins.
Yep. I think it lasted two games. Abreu is another great option in that spot. And I too wish I were wrong with regards to Latos. Last 4 starts: 20.2 IP, 18 ER, 5 HR allowed. It has not been pretty. We desperately need a SP if we want to stay in the race.
Illiniwek06
- N of I-80
Solid read - Buddy Bell on various prospects
Putting an even remotely productive hitter in the 2 hole would help. Speaking of Eaton though...
American League WAR leaders this season
3.3 Jose Altuve
3.0 Adam Eaton
2.6 Chris Sale
2.6 Mike Trout
Joel Goodson
- respect my decision™
Sale is good.
So good.
Yes he is. We need a bit more help so that he can take the mound in game 1 of the playoffs. With our top 2 SP, we're in a good spot should we get to the postseason. The back half of our roster is going to make that a challenge.
Ventura will never get it. He played in an era where you put a guy in the 2-hole who could bunt the leadoff guy over. Math has shown this is not a good approach, but Robin was a baseball player not a statistics major at Oklahoma State.
A lot of former players struggle with modern approaches. Look at Kirk Gibson, Dusty Baker, Nolan Ryan, etc. It is not always the same specific feature of the game that they struggle with, but they all want to do it the way that it "worked" in their day. I open to different approaches, and actually appreciate that they bring a different perspective, but unfortunately there is rarely any logic to it.
I hope you all realize that the manager can not go out there and hit for the guys right? That not scoring a run with a lead off triple two out of the three guys that did not succeed were Abreu and Frazier. In fact didn't Sanchez actually have the best at bat of the 3 in that situation. Not backing Robin but the fact that anything that goes wrong is on the manager with some of you is getting really old to read. He may not be perfect and he will make mistakes but baseball is actually a game where you will fail on offense much more than you succeed. The logic these guys are using is that they have won using these ideas in the past. There doesn't need to be any more logic to it than that. If you have been successful doing something one way people are more likely to try that way again.
Again, not backing Robin but the players are as much to blame for the mistakes on the field (if not more so) as Robin is.
That you fail so often is precisely why it is so important to have your best players hitting in positions where they will have the most opportunities to impact the game. Statistically speaking, the #2, #3, and #5 hitters get the most opportunities to impact the game throughout the season. Why would you put a guy who will has a poor on base % and a poor slugging % in one of those spots?
It is the coaches fault because he does not put his players in the best position to win the most number of games. Batting Frazier or Abreu second probably would not have affected that inning last night, but over the course of the season we will lose a significant number of runs. Given how thin this team's margin of error is, that is important.
Statistics do not work on single games and they don't even work over the course of 1/4 season. You need a large number of games, and a large sample size (such as a full 162 game season) to see measurable effects of lineup construction. But the effect, even if it is relatively small is real and important unless you have a team like the Cubs or the Braves.