Well, it looks like Professor Wrong has lived up to his name once again. Nice work, Joe. Now where will Dontrelle Willis be working in 2014?
2013 Official Major League Baseball Thread.
- Thread starter Special K
- Start date
Hmmm no prediction from Professor Wrong. Maybe he's sitting out a "sympathy ban."
Meanwhile, in the Hub of the Universe, with 2013 Fluke Number 105, the Magic Number drops to 3.
Meanwhile, in the Hub of the Universe, with 2013 Fluke Number 105, the Magic Number drops to 3.
HEY BOYZZZ!
His absence is mystifying, but you know Joe can't resist being wrong. He'll be in soon.
Also, I was just listening to WEEI about a big cowardly fantasy excuse the Cardinals' pundits and fans have been coming up with this morning for why Lester dominated them so thoroughly. It ignores the bad mistakes in the field the Cardinals themselves made and goes looking for phantoms. I won't say what it is, but as soon as sir DELUSIONAL catches up to it he'll come running in here like it's all true, because nothing scares him more than facts.
Hey Joe, it was a glove slap. :thumb:
The CALL:
I'm amazed this morning at the psychology in baseball for clinging to a rotten tradition where the...first call must stand. INCREDIBLE!!! On the attempted throw to get Pedroia at second at the start of the game to begin a double play the umpire covering second was starring at the feet of the players to prevent a frequent situation where the fielder is not on the bag when receiving a throw. The umpire called Pedroia out but admitted he had not looked at the ball entering the glove. The play was reviewed and all the other umpires agreed there was never a catch. Replay showed the umpires were absolutely correct, the ball never entered the glove at all. THEY GOT IT RIGHT. But because reversals of this sort never happen, the Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is crying about being robbed...by seeking the truth. It's NUTS!!!
http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=31173653&topic_id=59733046&c_id=mlb
Hey Cards fans, there's a simple solution. CATCH THE BALL!
(Reuters) - The Boston Red Sox took advantage of sloppy St. Louis Cardinals fielding with superb pitching and timely hitting to run away with Wednesday's World Series opener 8-1 at chilly Fenway Park.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-baseball-worldseries-idUSBRE99N03V20131024
Red Sox starter Jon Lester threw 7-2/3 scoreless innings and was backed by a three-run double by Mike Napoli and a two-run blast over the rightfield wall by David "Big Papi" Ortiz.
Boston took advantage of a Cardinals' comedy of errors early on to take a commanding lead in the game and seize a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
"We had a wake-up call," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "That is not the kind of team that we've been all season. And they're frustrated (and) I'm sure embarrassed to a point."
The Red Sox scored three runs in the first inning on Napoli's bases-loaded double off St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, and two more runs in the second, helped in each inning by errors charged to shortstop Pete Kozma.
Ortiz poured it on with a booming two-run homer in the seventh in support of winning pitcher Lester, who deftly mixed his array of pitches in yielding only five hits and just one walk while striking out eight.
"I thought he and David (catcher Ross) did a very good job of getting his curveball in the mix ... to create a little more separation in his pitches in terms of velocity," said Red Sox manager John Farrell.
"Once he was able to establish that, I thought he had a very good cutter, particularly some backdoor cutters to some right handers.
"As he got deeper into the game, he got his change‑up in the mix a little more. Just a solid, solid outing by Jon."
Matt Holliday finally put St. Louis on the scoreboard with a ninth-inning home run off reliever Ryan Dempster.
Losing pitcher Wainwright gave up five runs on six hits in five innings on the mound but only three were earned.
The pitcher contributed to the Cardinals' sins in the field, allowing a harmless pop up to drop at his feet for a single to start Boston's second-inning outburst in confusion with catcher Yadier Molina over who would catch the ball.
Boston capitalized on the Cards' generosity with timely production as they outhit St. Louis by just 8-7.
The mishaps began in the first when Ortiz grounded to the second baseman with one out and men on first and second.
Matt Carpenter tossed the ball to shortstop Kozma for a force. Although the ball was dropped, the umpire called the runner out at second, ruling that the drop was due to transferring the ball from Kozma's glove to throw.
After an argument from the Boston manager, the umpires conferred and changed the call to safe at second and Kozma was charged with an error. With the bags loaded, Napoli ripped a bases-clearing double to left-center for a 3-0 lead.
The pop up by Stephen Drew that fell comically between Wainwright and Molina for a silly single began a second-inning rally that included another error by Kozma that loaded the bases.
Pedroia singled in one run and even more damage was dodged when Ortiz was robbed of a grand slam by rightfielder Carlos Beltran, who reached over the wall to deny him, although a run scored on the sacrifice fly.
Beltran left the game due to a rib injury and was taken to hospital for tests. He was later considered as day-to-day.
Lester set the Cardinals down quietly save for a serious threat in the fourth inning.
A walk and singles by Allen Craig and Molina loaded the bases with one out and brought 2011 World Series MVP David Freese to the plate.
Freese tapped weakly back to Lester, who threw home and catcher Ross fired to first to complete a 1-2-3 double play.
St. Louis got runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth but Lester escaped again when he got John Jay, who replaced the injured Beltran, on a grounder to short.
Game Two of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday in Boston with John Lackey starting for the Red Sox against rookie sensation Michael Wacha for St. Louis.
Boston took advantage of a Cardinals' comedy of errors early on to take a commanding lead in the game and seize a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
GO SOX GO,
Merlot
His absence is mystifying, but you know Joe can't resist being wrong. He'll be in soon.
Also, I was just listening to WEEI about a big cowardly fantasy excuse the Cardinals' pundits and fans have been coming up with this morning for why Lester dominated them so thoroughly. It ignores the bad mistakes in the field the Cardinals themselves made and goes looking for phantoms. I won't say what it is, but as soon as sir DELUSIONAL catches up to it he'll come running in here like it's all true, because nothing scares him more than facts. Hey Joe, it was a glove slap. :thumb:
The CALL:
I'm amazed this morning at the psychology in baseball for clinging to a rotten tradition where the...first call must stand. INCREDIBLE!!! On the attempted throw to get Pedroia at second at the start of the game to begin a double play the umpire covering second was starring at the feet of the players to prevent a frequent situation where the fielder is not on the bag when receiving a throw. The umpire called Pedroia out but admitted he had not looked at the ball entering the glove. The play was reviewed and all the other umpires agreed there was never a catch. Replay showed the umpires were absolutely correct, the ball never entered the glove at all. THEY GOT IT RIGHT. But because reversals of this sort never happen, the Cardinals manager Mike Matheny is crying about being robbed...by seeking the truth. It's NUTS!!!
http://wapc.mlb.com/play/?content_id=31173653&topic_id=59733046&c_id=mlb
Hey Cards fans, there's a simple solution. CATCH THE BALL!
(Reuters) - The Boston Red Sox took advantage of sloppy St. Louis Cardinals fielding with superb pitching and timely hitting to run away with Wednesday's World Series opener 8-1 at chilly Fenway Park.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/24/us-baseball-worldseries-idUSBRE99N03V20131024
Red Sox starter Jon Lester threw 7-2/3 scoreless innings and was backed by a three-run double by Mike Napoli and a two-run blast over the rightfield wall by David "Big Papi" Ortiz.
Boston took advantage of a Cardinals' comedy of errors early on to take a commanding lead in the game and seize a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
"We had a wake-up call," St. Louis manager Mike Matheny said. "That is not the kind of team that we've been all season. And they're frustrated (and) I'm sure embarrassed to a point."
The Red Sox scored three runs in the first inning on Napoli's bases-loaded double off St. Louis starter Adam Wainwright, and two more runs in the second, helped in each inning by errors charged to shortstop Pete Kozma.
Ortiz poured it on with a booming two-run homer in the seventh in support of winning pitcher Lester, who deftly mixed his array of pitches in yielding only five hits and just one walk while striking out eight.
"I thought he and David (catcher Ross) did a very good job of getting his curveball in the mix ... to create a little more separation in his pitches in terms of velocity," said Red Sox manager John Farrell.
"Once he was able to establish that, I thought he had a very good cutter, particularly some backdoor cutters to some right handers.
"As he got deeper into the game, he got his change‑up in the mix a little more. Just a solid, solid outing by Jon."
Matt Holliday finally put St. Louis on the scoreboard with a ninth-inning home run off reliever Ryan Dempster.
Losing pitcher Wainwright gave up five runs on six hits in five innings on the mound but only three were earned.
The pitcher contributed to the Cardinals' sins in the field, allowing a harmless pop up to drop at his feet for a single to start Boston's second-inning outburst in confusion with catcher Yadier Molina over who would catch the ball.
Boston capitalized on the Cards' generosity with timely production as they outhit St. Louis by just 8-7.
The mishaps began in the first when Ortiz grounded to the second baseman with one out and men on first and second.
Matt Carpenter tossed the ball to shortstop Kozma for a force. Although the ball was dropped, the umpire called the runner out at second, ruling that the drop was due to transferring the ball from Kozma's glove to throw.
After an argument from the Boston manager, the umpires conferred and changed the call to safe at second and Kozma was charged with an error. With the bags loaded, Napoli ripped a bases-clearing double to left-center for a 3-0 lead.
The pop up by Stephen Drew that fell comically between Wainwright and Molina for a silly single began a second-inning rally that included another error by Kozma that loaded the bases.
Pedroia singled in one run and even more damage was dodged when Ortiz was robbed of a grand slam by rightfielder Carlos Beltran, who reached over the wall to deny him, although a run scored on the sacrifice fly.
Beltran left the game due to a rib injury and was taken to hospital for tests. He was later considered as day-to-day.
Lester set the Cardinals down quietly save for a serious threat in the fourth inning.
A walk and singles by Allen Craig and Molina loaded the bases with one out and brought 2011 World Series MVP David Freese to the plate.
Freese tapped weakly back to Lester, who threw home and catcher Ross fired to first to complete a 1-2-3 double play.
St. Louis got runners on second and third with two outs in the fifth but Lester escaped again when he got John Jay, who replaced the injured Beltran, on a grounder to short.
Game Two of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday in Boston with John Lackey starting for the Red Sox against rookie sensation Michael Wacha for St. Louis.
Boston took advantage of a Cardinals' comedy of errors early on to take a commanding lead in the game and seize a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
GO SOX GO,
Merlot
Was John Lester using foreign substance?
John Lester suspected of using foreign substance
Interesting. First Clay Bucholz, now John Lester. Will we ever see an end to those accusations against Red Sox pitchers?
John Lester suspected of using foreign substance
Interesting. First Clay Bucholz, now John Lester. Will we ever see an end to those accusations against Red Sox pitchers?
Not as long as there are fools willing to gobble it up. Wonder how long it will be before this kid who has embarrassed the Cardinals organization is DFAed. Mike Matheny sounded mighty pissed when apologizing to Lester on behalf on the Cardinal's organization.
Possibly. However, as long as there are pitchers such as Bucholz & Lester who keep on attracting suspicions, the scrutiny will continue. I mean, just take a look at Bucholz when he pitches. He looks like a greaseball from head to toe. And now we are to believe that the green substance in Lester's glove was sweat? If so, why does it happen only to Boston's pitchers?
I think it's finally time that Bud Selig & MLB take notice & start scrutinize Boston's pitching staff more closely. I also think it's time that they start testing David Ortiz more frequently. His power numbers are indeed very fishy. His numbers are starting to remind me of Mark McGuire's numbers back in the time when he broke the homerun record. Something like 7 out of every 10 at bats were homeruns in that final week. We later found out why.
p.s. I'm not upset, i'm just stating what's out there. I'm all for cheating anyway, since you'll never get totally rid of cheaters. Just the other day, Carlos Beltran needed a couple injections of Toradol in order to play with his rib injury. Tell me this isn't performance-enhancing when the only way a player is able to play is to get injected with a potent pain killer?
I think it's finally time that Bud Selig & MLB take notice & start scrutinize Boston's pitching staff more closely. I also think it's time that they start testing David Ortiz more frequently. His power numbers are indeed very fishy. His numbers are starting to remind me of Mark McGuire's numbers back in the time when he broke the homerun record. Something like 7 out of every 10 at bats were homeruns in that final week. We later found out why.
p.s. I'm not upset, i'm just stating what's out there. I'm all for cheating anyway, since you'll never get totally rid of cheaters. Just the other day, Carlos Beltran needed a couple injections of Toradol in order to play with his rib injury. Tell me this isn't performance-enhancing when the only way a player is able to play is to get injected with a potent pain killer?
Seriously,
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-b...ims-didn-t-know-spitballs-were-162119934.html
http://nesn.com/2012/06/jose-valverde-denies-throwing-spitball-claims-he-was-wiping-sweat-from-face/
Because Doc you are either misinformed or guilty of BS. I hope it's the latter. A quick Google of "spitball claims" in just 0.48 seconds showed two other names, Alex Sanabia of the Marlins this year and Jose Valverde of the Tigers last year in 2 of the first 3 links that came up as spitball suspects. The first guy dared say he didn't know spitballs were illegal. Then there was the video showing Rivera spitting on the ball.
If you want to believe the claims or enjoy them for your personal amusement fine. Just check the facts and avoid making a LIE of it. I know you've heard of Google.
If you support cheating why complain?http://www.rxlist.com/toradol-drug.htm
Toradol is "non-steroidal". Why is that cheating. Take Advil for a headache, take Pepto-Bismol for an upset stomach, get a shot against the Flu, inject Toradol to deal with a specific pain. I don't see medical assistance to get back to previous natural healthy conditions without steroids or banned substances as abuse. If Tommy John is the only way one can ever pitch again that would be cheating by your standards too.
Meanwhile:
A beautifully pitched game by John Lackey was blown most glaringly by Sox relief pitcher Breslow, who has been awesome previously, on a rotten throw to 3rd trying to cut down a late runner who definitely would have been out. With Peavy having looked poor in his last game, and Buchholz looking shaky with some dubious injury, the Red Sox now have to prevent the Cardinals from winning three in a row in their stadium with the possibility of having to use the iffy Doubront. It's a poor prospect. Plus, the 2-3-2 home field sequence gave the Cards a huge advantage if they could just split the first two games. Even the NBA is getting away from this format.
Merlot
And that's my point. All drugs should be legal. These are professional athletes, not amateurs. They are grown men, not kids. If some grown man wants to spend his own money and buy whatever drug he wants, whether it's HGH, steroids, andro, aspirin or whatever, then it's his business and should be left alone about it.
As for John Lackie, he must be the ugliest man in major league baseball! He looks absolutely hideous! He reminds me of that hillbilly playing the banjo in the movie "Deliverance". When i see him, i'm reminded of the line said by the character played by Ned Beatty: "Talk about genetic deficiency."
As for John Lackie, he must be the ugliest man in major league baseball! He looks absolutely hideous! He reminds me of that hillbilly playing the banjo in the movie "Deliverance". When i see him, i'm reminded of the line said by the character played by Ned Beatty: "Talk about genetic deficiency."
Actually, Merlot, Doc has decided to turn into the Official Merb Clown. I posted a reply to his nonsense earlier...but then decided the only way to deal with the poor guy is to ignore him. Pretend he's Tony; maybe he is.
Cards win 5-4 to leads World Series 2 games to 1
Wow!!! What a game!!! What a game-ending play!!! Great call by third base ump Jim Joyce, by the way. Baseball Central analyst Greg Zaun agreed with the call 100% (as did all of the other experts) and watching the replay, i have to agree with him. It was definitely interference on 3rd baseman Middlebrooks!! What a way to end a great ballgame! Wow, wow, wow!!
p.s. Why didn't Farrell walk Jon Jay in order to pitch to the totally inept Pete Kozma, who has yet to get a hit in the series? Unbelievable!
Wow!!! What a game!!! What a game-ending play!!! Great call by third base ump Jim Joyce, by the way. Baseball Central analyst Greg Zaun agreed with the call 100% (as did all of the other experts) and watching the replay, i have to agree with him. It was definitely interference on 3rd baseman Middlebrooks!! What a way to end a great ballgame! Wow, wow, wow!!
p.s. Why didn't Farrell walk Jon Jay in order to pitch to the totally inept Pete Kozma, who has yet to get a hit in the series? Unbelievable!
Tough call for sure. Problem is it never should have come down to that. Saltalamacchia should have NEVER thrown down to 3rd base at that point and as far as I'm concerned Salty shouldn't have even been in the game at that point. Blame to me goes almost 100% on Farrell. Down 2-1, series ain't over yet!
Hmmm,
I was listening to Jim Joyce and an unknown MLB official explain the interference rule. A fielding player in the way of an advancing runner is automatically guilty of interference simply by being there if he does not have the ball to attempt to get the runner out. Middlebrooks did lift his legs off the baseline into the path of the runner, but that didn't matter for the call. According to Joyce nothing else mattered. Middlebrooks had ended up laying in the path of the runner and that alone gave St Louis the game. The throw after was then a non-play. Even some Cardinals think it's a poor way to win a game.
In any case the game was lost as SK said, because of another unnecessary misguided throw to third for the second game in a row. That's two lost games on poor throws from home.
:noidea:
Merlot
I was listening to Jim Joyce and an unknown MLB official explain the interference rule. A fielding player in the way of an advancing runner is automatically guilty of interference simply by being there if he does not have the ball to attempt to get the runner out. Middlebrooks did lift his legs off the baseline into the path of the runner, but that didn't matter for the call. According to Joyce nothing else mattered. Middlebrooks had ended up laying in the path of the runner and that alone gave St Louis the game. The throw after was then a non-play. Even some Cardinals think it's a poor way to win a game.
In any case the game was lost as SK said, because of another unnecessary misguided throw to third for the second game in a row. That's two lost games on poor throws from home.
:noidea:
Merlot
Hard to disagree with you. After the game, a Cardinals official supposedly said that maybe the Red Sox should stop throwing to third base. Of course, he was likely joking, but he does have a point. It seems that everytime there's a play at third base, the Boston catcher winds up throwing the ball in left field and it leads to some critical runs that may not have counted had the catcher held on to the ball.
Yea but it wasn't the catcher that threw the ball in game 2, that was the pitcher backing up the catcher who should have handled the ball to the plate in the first place! Lol.
No, it ain't over yet, K, but you can't be giving games away to a good team and still expect to win. Both of the last two games were eminently winnable and bad decisions by Salty and Breslow cost the Sox games.
I also maintain that Middlebrooks was out of position when Matt Holliday hit what should have been a double play ball, but was instead a two run triple.
I also maintain that Middlebrooks was out of position when Matt Holliday hit what should have been a double play ball, but was instead a two run triple.
Farrell out-managed in game 3 loss to Cardinals
by Shi Davidi, Sportsnet
Lost amid the gutsy, controversial and ultimately correct obstruction call that provided such a bizarre end to a riveting Game 3 of the World Series is the curious way the Boston Red Sox ended up in such a bind.
As fans of the Toronto Blue Jays know well from experience, thinking through the game along with John Farrell can sometimes give you migraines, and so it was throughout the ninth inning Saturday in St. Louis in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory that gave the National League champions a two-games-to-one edge in the Fall Classic.
Long before Jim Joyce ruled that a prone Will Middlebrooks at third base interfered with Allen Craig’s charge home, allowing the winning run to cross, Red Sox Nation had plenty to mull over, from letting reliever Brandon Workman bat in the top of the ninth to leaving Mike Napoli on the bench all game long.
Let’s start with the game in the ninth, with Trevor Rosenthal on the mound for the Cardinals in a 4-4 contest and Brandon Workman due up second in the frame. Though Middlebrooks struck out swinging to open the ninth, it was an obvious time to use Napoli, Boston’s second-best hitter who’d been relegated to the bench because there’s no DH in the NL. True, the situation wasn’t especially promising, but it was the ninth inning of a game in which another opportunity for him to bat wouldn’t necessarily present itself.
But Farrell believed he needed a second inning from Workman in the bottom of the ninth – he had already pitched the eighth – and hoped for a better opportunity to use Napoli later on. Unsurprisingly, Workman struck out looking on three pitches, Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out weakly to end the frame and the bottom of the ninth came up.
Of course, that dilemma could have been prevented had Farrell double-switched when he brought Workman into the game for the bottom of the eighth. After Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out to end the top half, Farrell could have put Workman into his spot and had backup catcher David Ross – a superior defender – slip into the pitcher’s slot.
Instead, he tied his hands in the ninth by not thinking far enough down the line.
"In hindsight, probably should have double switched after Salty made the final out the previous inning," Farrell said afterwards. "I felt like if we get into an extended situation, which that game was looking like it was going to, held Nap back in the event that spot came up again."
The flaws in that thinking presented themselves nearly immediately in the bottom of the ninth, as after Yadier Molina’s one-out single, Farrell brought closer Koji Uehara into the game anyways—he didn’t even get what he needed from Workman after letting him hit.
Why go that route?
"I felt like we had four outs with Koji, four to five outs," said Farrell. "If the thought was to go for a two inning outing for Koji, we would have pinch hit for Workman the inning before. We were trying to get two innings out of Workman. Once his pitch count was getting in the 30s range, with the go ahead run on base, that was the time to bring Koji in, even though this would have been five outs.
"We fully expected (Uehara) to go back out for the 10th."
That strategy backfired in a couple of ways, as Workman, at 18 pitches before the inning, had little leeway to work with if Farrell wasn’t planning to keep his pitch count down (he finished with 30). And rather than starting with a clean slate, Uehara had to deal with an inherited runner in a key spot.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, on the other hand, played things perfectly, using his bullet off the bench by pinch-hitting for Rosenthal with Allen Craig, who ripped a double that put runners on second and third with one out.
The light-hitting Jon Jay was due up next, but with a base open and the even lighter-hitting Pete Kozma to follow, an intentional walk would have set up the force at any base and the potential for a double play. But Farrell opted to pitch to Jay, who hit a chopper that triggered the remarkable set of events that led to the obstruction call.
A diving Dustin Pedroia snared the ball and threw home to get Molina – a defensive gem not getting the praise it should – but when Craig broke for third, Saltalamacchia unwisely threw the ball to Middlebrooks, instead of playing it safe and letting Uehara get Kozma.
The ball sailed past a diving Middlebrooks, who tripped up Craig on his way home. Joyce called obstruction, negating the tag put on Craig at home, and Farrell came out to argue to no avail, with so much leading up to that moment already to lament.
To be fair, the Red Sox were in a tough spot, with only Ryan Dempster and Franklin Morales left in the bullpen after Uehara. The longer the contest went, the better things looked for the Cardinals. But that’s exactly why Farrell should have been playing for the win early, rather than thinking too far ahead.
As a result, the Red Sox ended up losing with their best reliever needing to clean up someone else’s mess, and one of their best hitters not even getting an at-bat. Regardless of how you feel about the obstruction call, that simply can’t happen.
Farrell out-managed in game 3 loss to Cards
All i can add is that the reporter is absolutely correct.
by Shi Davidi, Sportsnet
Lost amid the gutsy, controversial and ultimately correct obstruction call that provided such a bizarre end to a riveting Game 3 of the World Series is the curious way the Boston Red Sox ended up in such a bind.
As fans of the Toronto Blue Jays know well from experience, thinking through the game along with John Farrell can sometimes give you migraines, and so it was throughout the ninth inning Saturday in St. Louis in the Cardinals’ 5-4 victory that gave the National League champions a two-games-to-one edge in the Fall Classic.
Long before Jim Joyce ruled that a prone Will Middlebrooks at third base interfered with Allen Craig’s charge home, allowing the winning run to cross, Red Sox Nation had plenty to mull over, from letting reliever Brandon Workman bat in the top of the ninth to leaving Mike Napoli on the bench all game long.
Let’s start with the game in the ninth, with Trevor Rosenthal on the mound for the Cardinals in a 4-4 contest and Brandon Workman due up second in the frame. Though Middlebrooks struck out swinging to open the ninth, it was an obvious time to use Napoli, Boston’s second-best hitter who’d been relegated to the bench because there’s no DH in the NL. True, the situation wasn’t especially promising, but it was the ninth inning of a game in which another opportunity for him to bat wouldn’t necessarily present itself.
But Farrell believed he needed a second inning from Workman in the bottom of the ninth – he had already pitched the eighth – and hoped for a better opportunity to use Napoli later on. Unsurprisingly, Workman struck out looking on three pitches, Jacoby Ellsbury grounded out weakly to end the frame and the bottom of the ninth came up.
Of course, that dilemma could have been prevented had Farrell double-switched when he brought Workman into the game for the bottom of the eighth. After Jarrod Saltalamacchia struck out to end the top half, Farrell could have put Workman into his spot and had backup catcher David Ross – a superior defender – slip into the pitcher’s slot.
Instead, he tied his hands in the ninth by not thinking far enough down the line.
"In hindsight, probably should have double switched after Salty made the final out the previous inning," Farrell said afterwards. "I felt like if we get into an extended situation, which that game was looking like it was going to, held Nap back in the event that spot came up again."
The flaws in that thinking presented themselves nearly immediately in the bottom of the ninth, as after Yadier Molina’s one-out single, Farrell brought closer Koji Uehara into the game anyways—he didn’t even get what he needed from Workman after letting him hit.
Why go that route?
"I felt like we had four outs with Koji, four to five outs," said Farrell. "If the thought was to go for a two inning outing for Koji, we would have pinch hit for Workman the inning before. We were trying to get two innings out of Workman. Once his pitch count was getting in the 30s range, with the go ahead run on base, that was the time to bring Koji in, even though this would have been five outs.
"We fully expected (Uehara) to go back out for the 10th."
That strategy backfired in a couple of ways, as Workman, at 18 pitches before the inning, had little leeway to work with if Farrell wasn’t planning to keep his pitch count down (he finished with 30). And rather than starting with a clean slate, Uehara had to deal with an inherited runner in a key spot.
Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, on the other hand, played things perfectly, using his bullet off the bench by pinch-hitting for Rosenthal with Allen Craig, who ripped a double that put runners on second and third with one out.
The light-hitting Jon Jay was due up next, but with a base open and the even lighter-hitting Pete Kozma to follow, an intentional walk would have set up the force at any base and the potential for a double play. But Farrell opted to pitch to Jay, who hit a chopper that triggered the remarkable set of events that led to the obstruction call.
A diving Dustin Pedroia snared the ball and threw home to get Molina – a defensive gem not getting the praise it should – but when Craig broke for third, Saltalamacchia unwisely threw the ball to Middlebrooks, instead of playing it safe and letting Uehara get Kozma.
The ball sailed past a diving Middlebrooks, who tripped up Craig on his way home. Joyce called obstruction, negating the tag put on Craig at home, and Farrell came out to argue to no avail, with so much leading up to that moment already to lament.
To be fair, the Red Sox were in a tough spot, with only Ryan Dempster and Franklin Morales left in the bullpen after Uehara. The longer the contest went, the better things looked for the Cardinals. But that’s exactly why Farrell should have been playing for the win early, rather than thinking too far ahead.
As a result, the Red Sox ended up losing with their best reliever needing to clean up someone else’s mess, and one of their best hitters not even getting an at-bat. Regardless of how you feel about the obstruction call, that simply can’t happen.
Farrell out-managed in game 3 loss to Cards
All i can add is that the reporter is absolutely correct.
I agree to the above statement that the Sox gave away two winnable games. However, Farrell's questionable decisions were as to blame as the ones by Saltylamachia and Breslow. As for the Middlebrooks play, i believe he was positioned correctly. However, he was simply too slow to react. At least half of the third basemen in baseball would have been quick enough to at least stop the ball.
Tonight's game will be interesting with Bucholtz starting. I don't believe he's got the stamina to last 6 innings, and the bullpen must be getting tired. Will Farrell let him go past 90 pitches? It'd be risky if you ask me, but this is the world series after all.
Watching the replay many times of Holliday's 2 run double I still believe Middlebrooks was in a position to 100% make that play but believe it or not I agree with Doc in that he flat out didn't make the play that a major league 3rd baseman should have.
Overall, it was a completely disgusting game to watch and the Sox season rides on the noodle arm of Cautious Clay "my arms's sore" Buccholz. Good grief!!
Overall, it was a completely disgusting game to watch and the Sox season rides on the noodle arm of Cautious Clay "my arms's sore" Buccholz. Good grief!!
I'm happy i'm not a Red Sox fan since i would have been extremely upset (and maybe even depressed) over the outcome of the past two games. I'm amazed at how civil Red Sox fans on this board have reacted to the disappointment. I tip my hat off to you guys & i'll admit i wouldn't have handled it as well as you have.
There's nothing like having the Red Sox or Yankees in the World Series to maintain my interest level. Now, that's what baseball is all about! :smile:
There's nothing like having the Red Sox or Yankees in the World Series to maintain my interest level. Now, that's what baseball is all about! :smile:
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