Sunday Notes: Grimm’s Inning, Schoop, Shifts, Mueller, more

Justin Grimm wasn’t credited with a save when the Cubs vanquished the Cardinals on Tuesday. That doesn’t make his contribution any less important. Fourth-inning runs count just as much as late-inning runs, and St. Louis was poised to erase an early 4-2 deficit.

Grimm entered the game after starter Jason Hammel – shaky through three frames – issued a lead-off walk. He promptly induced a chopper, but third baseman Kris Bryant, in his effort to turn two, bobbled the ball. All hands were safe. Through no fault of his own, and with apprehension gripping Wrigley Field, Grimm was in a pickle.

The righty was more than ready. Grimm initially warmed in the second, and he got hot again in the third. When he finally strolled to the mound in the fourth inning, Joe Maddon handed him the ball and said, “Hey, man. Be you. Do your thing.”

Grimm did his thing. Putting the miscue in his rear-view, he took a deep breath and fanned Kolten Wong. Then he fanned Tony Cruz. Up came Tommy Pham, and the pinch-hitter likewise found nothing but air. All three batters went down swinging.

“I was trying to get a double play,” an exuberant Grimm told me after the game. “KB has been unbelievable defensively all year, and after the little hiccup it was just about getting two. That’s all I was trying to do. To come up with three punch outs was pretty awesome.”

The 27-year-old reliever has strikeout stuff – he had a 12.1 K-Rate this year – and he can also be prone to wildness. Grimm walked nine batters over his final six-and-two-third regular-season innings. But he was in control in Game 5, and pitching coach Chris Bosio helped make sure he stayed that way.

“After the first two strikeouts, I got a little geeked up,” admitted Grimm. “I think Bosio kind of saw it in my demeanor, because he came out and talked to me a little bit. He said, ‘Hey, you’re not out of this yet. You’ve got one more guy, one more out. Stay hard here; go right after him and make your pitch.’”

Grimm blistered a 97-mph fastball past Pham and proceeded to pump his fist as a cacophony accompanied him to the dugout. In the biggest inning of his life, he’d blown away three batters to quell a Cardinals rally.

“I like to just walk off the mound like I did my job, so the fist pump was kind of abnormal,” said Grimm. “But it was a big out. It was really loud out there, and I was fired up.”

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A couple of leftover post-game quotes from NLDS Game 3 at Wrigley Field:

Jake Arrieta on the NLDS: “These are the big boys duking it out. It’s like a heavyweight fight. The Cardinals won 100 games in the regular season and we won 97. We can both really play.”

Anthony Rizzo on Arrieta: “When he came out of the game, we were saying, ‘We have to pick up our horse.’ Let’s get some more runs for him. He battled and competed, and he deserved that.”

Rizzo on the Cardinals: “They never ever give up. Ever. No matter if you’re up 10 or 15, they’re going to find a way do something.”

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St. Louis hitters were well-acquainted with the pitchers they faced in the NLDS. The Cardinals and Cubs went head-to-head 19 times in the regular season, so there weren’t going to be many secrets. Did that mean there was less need for video and reports going into the series? According to assistant hitting coach Bill Mueller, that largely depended on the player.

“Understanding what the pitcher has always impacts you going into a game,” said Mueller. “Obviously, the more times you face a guy, the better your understanding of things like sequencing and location. How much you look at is an individual thing, and I think it’s for each guy to decide.”

Sort of. Not every Cardinal has carte blanche when it comes to how he prepares. “An individual thing” took on new meaning when the former batting champion elaborated on his answer.

“Is it entirely up to the player? To some degree yes, and to some degree no,” clarified Mueller. “It is individual, but some guys have more time in the league than others.”

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Jonathan Schoop has a lot of pop for his position. The 24-year-old (as of two days ago) Oriole led all second baseman with a .482 slugging percentage. He did so in 86 games, his second full season in the big leagues having been truncated by a knee injury. Schoop was on the shelf from mid April until early July.

The Curacao native remains a work-in-progress. His raw talent is beyond question, but there are notable holes in his offensive game. Schoop had the fourth-highest K-rate (24.6) and the second-lowest (2.0) walk rate among second baseman with at least 320 plate appearances. Refining his approach has been a primary goal.

“I’m trying to see the ball longer, and not just go get it,” Schoop told me in September. “I’m trying to swing at strikes. I feel I’m getting better and better, but I still have a long way to go. It’s about learning. All young players… Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Bryce Harper – even them; they’re all learning. You get better by learning every day.”

Schoop is 6-foot-3 and weighs in the neighborhood of 230 pounds. Talk that he’ll one day outgrow his position followed him throughout his ascent in the Baltimore system. With his defense remaining adequate, the talk now revolves around his potential to hit 30-plus home runs. When I asked him about the importance of power to his game, he answered indirectly.

“I’m a big second baseman, you know,” said Schoop. “I go up there trying to have good at bats and I want to drive the ball. But I just let my power come, I let my game come through.”

I followed up by asking if he views his offensive future as being similar to Brian Dozier’s. The Twins’ second baseman had a .307 OBP this year, but he slugged .444. Nearly half if his hits — 71 of 148 – went for extra bases.

“Brian Dozier is a really good player,” answered Schoop. “I like him a lot. But I just want to play, no matter what my numbers are. If I go out there and compete and help my team win games, and at the end of the season we’ll see what my numbers are.”

Schoop slashed .279/.306/.482 and bashed 15 home runs in 305 at bats.

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According to Neil Walker, Tony Watson’s teammates call him “The Ice Man.” Calm, cool and collected, the Pirates’ lefty is as unflappable as they come. He’s also one of the best set-up men in the business. Pitching almost exclusively in the eighth inning this year, he held hitters to a .501 OPS in high-leverage situations.

When I talked to the even-keeled reliever prior to this year’s NL Wild Card game, he stressed the importance of staying true to one’s talent. He also espoused confidence as a necessity.

“Trying to make too perfect of a pitch isn’t a good recipe,” said Watson. “You have to just trust your stuff. Everything is magnified in the playoffs, so you have to go out there with conviction. Hitters can smell when a pitcher lacks conviction, and he’s not trusting his stuff. When that happens, it’s a fight to the bat rack. They can’t wait to get in the box.”

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As you know, Daniel Murphy took advantage of a mental lapse on Thursday night. In what turned out to be one of the game’s biggest plays, the heads-up Met cruised unimpeded into third base when no one covered the bag on a walk to Lucas Duda. As you also know, the Dodgers were shifting Duda and third baseman Justin Turner was stationed in short right field.

How often is the third baseman stationed in a similar fashion when a team shifts? Glad you asked.

According to Baseball Info Solutions positioning data, the shortstop is the third fielder on the right of the second base bag 79 percent of the time. The third baseman is third fielder on the right of the second base bag 21 percent of the time.

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A few people have suggested that I weigh in Jose Bautista’s “bat flip” (which was really more of a “bat fling,” but we’ll not delve into semantics here). I addressed unwritten rules two Sundays ago, but the subject is worth revisiting. In short, I’m fine with what Bautista did. First and foremost, the atmosphere was fraught with tension, and the Blue Jays slugger was reacting with emotion. Sure, there was a little “How about them apples, Rangers?!” to his actions, but I’m willing to let that slide given the circumstances. It didn’t appear to be choreographed, and once the lumber was loosed, he pretty much just ran around the bases. There was no pimping.

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On June 18, 1953, the Red Sox had a 17-run inning on their way to a 23-3 win over the Tigers at Fenway Park. The second base umpire that day was Eddie Rommel, who pitched for 13 big-league seasons before becoming an arbiter.

The last of Rommel’s 171 wins came on July 10, 1932 when the Philadelphia Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians 18-17, in 18 innings. Working in relief, Rommel went the final 17 frames and allowed 14 runs on 29 hits and nine walks.

On October 12, 1929, Rommel was the winning pitcher in one of the worst defeats in Chicago Cubs history. Down two-games-to-one in the World Series, the Chicagoans led 8-0, only to see Philadelphia plate 10 runs in the seventh inning. In Game 5, a final nail was driven into the Cubs’ coffin. Rommel’s squad scored three times in the bottom of the ninth to win 3-2.

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The 1969 Jack Zanger Major League Baseball handbook predicted that the New York Mets would finish fourth among the six teams in the newly formed National League East. Referring to them as “another below-.500 team among the Old Guard,” the preview publication opined that “it will take a supreme effort for the Mets to nose out the failing Phillies.”

These were, of course, “The Miracle Mets” (aka “The Amazin’ Mets”) that went on to win the World Series. The ’69 Chicago Cubs, meanwhile, were picked to finish second. They led the division by nine games in mid-August, only to fritter it all away, black cat and all. It’s what they did. These were the pre-Theo Cubs, the cursed Cubs.

As for the team that turned the baseball world upside down, the 1970 Zanger handbook put it this way: “What the Mets did last year against overwhelming odds was a simple and beautiful thing.”

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Speaking of odds, do fantasy sports contests qualify as gambling? Personally, I don’t think there’s any doubt. As the chairman of Nevada’s gaming board put it, “They’re in the business of accepting wagers on the outcomes of a day’s events; that is gambling.”

Many have argued that these contests are exempt from laws limiting online gambling, because they require skill. That’s true, but the MIT Blackjack Team wasn’t the subject of both a book and a movie because Jeff Ma and friends were lucky. ESPN doesn’t broadcast the World Series of Poker because its contestants are dependent solely on chance.

I’ve competed in a Scoresheet league for the past several years; I’m fine with fantasy sports. I also have no major qualms with gambling; people have every right to risk their money. As for professional sports leagues partnering with, and profiting from, daily fantasy sports contests…. Pete Rose weeps.

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Looking ahead to the World Series, different rules will be in place at each venue. In the middle three games, the pitchers will hit. In the bookend games, the pitchers won’t hit. Some of you might like it that way, but I’m of the opinion that we should have uniformity, DH or no DH.

Unless, of course, uniformity is accompanied by absurdity. From 1976-1985, a DH was used for all World Series games in even-numbered years, while pitchers had to swing the bat in odd-numbered years.

Beginning with the first pitch of the season, either both leagues should have the DH, or neither league should have the DH.

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In 2013, when he was managing the Rays, Joe Maddon used nine pitchers in Game 4 of the ALDS. Tampa Bay lost that night, but not because of Maddon’s strategy. The final score was 3-1.

Earlier this week, Maddon used eight pitchers as the Cubs captured the NLDS with a 6-4 win in Game 5. Starter Jason Hammel worked just three innings, despite allowing only two runs.

Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta will be counted on to go deep into games, but don’t be surprised if they’re the only Cubs starters to work more than a handful of innings going forward. Not because Hammel and Kyle Hendricks aren’t capable, but rather because Maddon loves match-ups. I expect to see one, and perhaps two, bullpen games in the NLCS.

Let’s take this a step further. If Maddon does opt for a bullpen game, might he consider starting one of his left-handed relievers? Two of the first three batters in the Mets lineup – Curtis Granderson and Daniel Murphy – hit from the left side, as does Lucas Duda, who typically hits fifth. Maddon has repeated cited the importance of scoring first, and the chances of his team doing so improve if the Mets are blanked early (Murphy’s home run off of Lester last night being an anomaly).

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RANDOM FACTS AND STATS

In 1985, the New York Mets won 98 games and didn’t qualify for the playoffs.

Royals pitchers issued 10 intentional walks this year, the fewest of any team. The Angels, Braves and Diamondbacks issued the most, 45 each.

Reds pitchers committed 11 balks this year, the most of any team. Orioles pitchers weren’t charged with any balks.

J.D. Martinez led all qualified hitters with a 42.3% hard-contact rate this season. Among non-qualified players with at least 300 plate appearances, Giancarlo Stanton (49.7) and Miguel Sano (43.2) ranked higher.

The Hall of Fame will reportedly send out 475 ballots for the upcoming Hall of Fame election. BBWAA members cast 549 ballots in the most-recent election.