Too Much Craziness For One Post
So I’ll just throw this up there and let you guys post your reactions about the game as a whole in the comments. We’ll have more tomorrow, but for now:
Mike Napoli vs LHP, career: .294/.400/.555
Mike Napoli vs RHP, career: .253/.343/.498
Mark Rzepczynski vs LHB, career: .205/.289/.284
Mark Rzepczynski vs RHB, career: .266/.357/.427
LI of Napoli vs Rzepczynski: 4.13
I just have no idea how you can let that match-up happen.
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Dave is the Managing Editor of FanGraphs.
McCarver made the point of saying Rzepczynski struck out the 3 righties he’s faced so far in this series, but I am in complete agreement with Dave.
hope i dont need to point out the flaw in the genius McCarver’s argument…
hmm… does it rhyme with “ample thighs” and “trample prize”?
you just don’t understand the MLE
love me some exponential distribution
Flaws. Besides SSS, those three righties were Torrealba, Gentry, and German – I can’t think of anything they have in common with Napoli besides handedness.
j walter – there you go underestimating handsomeness. typical moneyball guy. smh. that particular variable is really hard to quantify and best left to the McCarvers and TLRs of the world.
yikes, j walter said “handedness” and not “handsomeness.” Complete reading comprehension fail on my part. sorry, all, and thanks for not nailing my arse to the wall over it.
whats crazy is dave cameron still thinks missing delmon young is no problem for the tigers.
?
4.13????????
…BUT….Dave….the announcers said that Napoli hit .319 .vs Lefties and .320 .vs Righties this season….Case Closed?…right?
But what it if worked?! TLR would be a genius again!
he would be a Maverick!! Sarah Palin would be so proud!
“But what if it worked?” seemed to be the subtitle of tonight’s game in regards to TLR’s decisions.
That’s the awful decision that stood out to you? Me, I’m stuck on giving away an entire inning of ABs through sac bunts and nearly another inning of outs through bizarro Allan Craig steals/hit-and-run/I-don’t-even-know-whats.
according to TLR it was a mix-up in the bullpen
Because TLR.
TLR says they sent in the wrong pitcher (couldn’t hear on the phone). He wanted Motte, not Lynn. Crazy!
Tony had to save a pitcher for that IBB.
Quick poll on the most outlandish decision made tonight:
1) The Rzepczynski Decision
2) McCarver & Buck concluding that Pujols called a H&R from the batter’s box and then didn’t swing.
3) TLR bringing in a pitcher to IBB a batter and then taking him out, without a pinch hitter being involved.
4) Mike Scioscia gouging out his eyes from one of the luxury boxes after Napoli single-handedly won the game with his offense and not completely inept defense (this happened, right?).
5) Me setting my DVR NOW for next year’s all-star game when I get to see these two managers IBB every hitter in the lineup until the bases are loaded because “they’re all so dangerous.”
“5) Me setting my DVR NOW for next year’s all-star game when I get to see these two managers IBB every hitter in the lineup until the bases are loaded because “they’re all so dangerous.” ”
brb, crying from laughter
You forgot
6) All of the above.
2)! That’s some false consciousness they’re attributing to Pujols… (I know, I know, I’m not using that concept rigorously.)
Yeah, every great hitter likes to have the decision to swing or not made for them with a H&R. Y’know that crafty Pujols, always hitting ground ball singles to the opposite field so the runner can go 1st to 3rd via the H&R.
That Pujols, so sneaky.
“and not completely inept defense (this happened, right?).”
I feel the need to counter the continuing and annoying understatement of Napoli’s ability. Napoli’s defense last night was not completely inept, just like Albert Pujols did not look completey overmatched at the plate in game 3. You could also credit Napoli, the God-King, with dominant defense.
i mean, it’s not every catcher that can catch allen craig stealing with a bad jump when he looks back halfway there, right? right?
There were far too many bad managerial decisions in this game to isolate just one, but certainly the Rzep-Napoli one ended up coming to the fore.
Why was David Murphy allowed to bat against Rzep?
What the hell was with the Lance Lynn-Jason Motte screwup?
What in God’s name was Allan Craig stealing for in the 9th inning?
Great game to watch, but the managing was horrific.
Honestly, the Murphy one doesn’t bug me that much. Yes, Murphy is pretty below average for his career against LHP (and especially a LOOGY like Scrabble), but unless Wash was going to pinch hit with Torrealba–which I’m not sure he would do judging by his decision earlier in the series to go with Gentry–I’d rather just take my chances with the Murph..
TLR says they sent in the wrong pitcher (couldn’t hear on the phone). He wanted Motte, not Lynn. Crazy!
I was stuck at work following the ES*N Gamecast. I came by to check the action and the play-by-play was “Lynn relives Rzepczynski, Intentional Walk, Motte relieves Lynn.” and was like WTF is that all about?
hey, TLR, if you wanted a pitcher for just the IBB, you could have asked me to do it for far less salary.
I love what one of the commentators said (I think it was McCarver but I was so stunned by it that I couldn’t remember). I actually heard them question who’s hit was more valuable – Murphy’s or Napoli’s. I think they were trollin’, ’cause I lol’d
It was McCarver adding a deep thought — moments after the Fox booth went silent to emphasize the crowd’s reaction to Napoli’s game-winning blast.
At least we can all agree that no one does post game like Ozzie Guillen
The intentional walk to Pujols with the bases empty was just bonkers. I don’t have the faintest idea why Washington thought it was better to put the go-ahead run on base in front of Holliday rather than let Pujols hit (with a 1-1 count already) with the bases empty.
For what it’s worth, .253/.343/.498 is still a very good line. Napoli’s splits aren’t anywhere near as terrible as Murphy’s.
how about Dotel’s attempt at an IBB? He nearly threw away all 4 throws.
IMO, that was out of pure spite. Dotel was pissed. Not only did he seem to want to go after Cruz, but being left in the game just to IBB a batter is salt in the wound.
But really, he lobbed all 4 throws and only bounced one. It was still bizarre.
It shows you how insanely overrated Nelson Cruz has become overnight. Guy with .312 OBP (and 24% strikeout rate) gets intentionally walked by one of the best right-handed specialists in the game, thanks to that extra base-runner Napoli got to bat with bases loaded.
I really like the spite theory.
Also, why not bring a regular in from a different position to throw the IBB if Timmy was right and Motte just wasn’t ready? The regular would get his warm ups as well, then he can throw the IBB and go back to his position and Motte could come in for the pitcher that was standing in LF or wherever and you don’t burn a relief pitcher. It didn’t end up mattering but it could have.
Also highly entertaining to watch Dotel in the dugout while Lynn was handing out the second IBB, yelling “WTF?!” and grilling the 3b coach as to why he was pulled.
La Russa generally, for all his faults, handles a bullpen pretty well but tonight was a clusterfuck of gigantic proportions. I couldn’t believe he let Rzep…face Napoli and then the whole Motte/Lynn/whatever….Your bullpen couldn’t hear Motte’s name? And then heard “Lynn” when you asked for “Motte?” I’d call “bullshit” but it’s so ridiculous it must be true.
I can’t help but wonder why the Texas bullpen had no trouble hearing Washington calling for certain pitchers to get warmed up. And La Russa said he had no intention of using Lynn tonight so why didn’t someone in the pen ask Tony, “umm…are you really sure you want Lynn up?” when they heard Lynn’s name (which is actually, apparently, pronounced “MOTT”).
As a Cardinal fan I’m wondering WTF is going on? Absolutely ridiculous.
Me too.
Next up TLR accuses the Rangers of tampering with the bullpen phones.
Dave Duncan, the pitching coach doesn;t look down at the bullpen in between pitches to see the pace of the guy warming up? I’d think he’d be double-checking everything in that situation. He never noticed WTF is Lynn doing?
Apparently the visitor’s dugout can’t see the bullpen well in that ballpark – the phone was all they had to go by.
@ DD, but at one point La Russa said that he looked down there and saw Motte wasn’t warming up so he called again and they heard “Lynn.” It may be obstructed but La Russa did have somewhat of a view.
Why aren’t the bullpens underground, connected to the dugout, and not requiring a job in from the OF? Just have that crap right by the dugout.
There are TV’s in the clubhouse and execs/scouts in boxes who could see over there fine. The Cardinals had every reason to know who was warming up in their bullpen.
When Napoli’s turn came, I left the room like a big shot. “Where are you going?” my wife asked.
“Zip is done. Only a total crackhead would let that match-up happen.”
When I returned just in time to see Napoli pumping his fist on second, my wife said, “Turns out Ron Washington and Tony LaRussa have more in common than you thought.”
Hilarious crackhead comment LOL!
I never get tired of the Ron Washington is a crackhead jokes.
Black man + one failed drug test for cocaine + excitement = crackhead
White man + DUI +Dorothy Hamill haircut + terrible managing = genius, not wino
In all fairness, a major league manager getting caught on a DUI and everyone just moving on like it never happened is depressing. A major league manager failing a drug test for cocaine and everyone just moving on like it never happened is hilarious.
I agree that we don’t have a great history with this in baseball, see: Raines vs. Molitor, but I truly believe that if Tony LaRussa and his haircut had failed a cocaine test it would have been regarded as eight thousand times funnier, irregardless of honkitude.
I honestly do believe that managers get worse at managing in the postseason. TLR had the worst managing game I’ve ever seen in this one. And Washington was pretty terrible with all those IBB’s too.
Maybe Washington will reward Napoli’s latest game-changing hit by dropping him in the lineup yet again, this time by putting the pitcher in the 8th spot and Napoli in the 9th spot.
the tendency to over manage is great i’m sure… so i agree generally. I will say though the Bruce Bochy had a great post season last year.
either that or cody ross went nuts out of nowhere. either one.
I don’t think dropping Napoli to the 8 hole was all that bad. Murphy is an above-average hitter against righties (Carp), and Wash was aware that TLR reallllly likes to play bullpen chess in the later innings so by swapping Napoli and Murphy, he didn’t allow TLR to ROOGY Cruz and Napoli back to back, and then LOOGY Murphy and Moreland back to back as well.
That doesn’t change the fact that Napoli should have been batting in a premium lineup spot since he was aruguably the team’s best hitter this season. But Wash has progressively lowered him from batting 6th to 8th in the lplayoffs even though Napoli has still been producing. What other manager would do that to his best or hottest hitter?
“I just have no idea how you can let that match-up happen.”
Yep, should have IBB’d Napoli.
I was hoping with Craig on 1st and Pujols up with a 3-2 count and Craig running, that Washington would call for a pitchout.
Yeah, like that wouldn’t happen in THIS game.
Well, I’m pretty that’s what the book would tell Washington to do if he thought LaRussa was trying to pull off the old “run Allen Craig all the way from first to third on a walk” play.
Totally defensible if he had called for it.
Awesome.
TLR and Washington aren’t making poor decisions, but rather managing for the wrong teams. Consider: Wash walks Albert with the bases empty because, apparently, Pujols is just that dangerous, while TLR sends runners with Pujols on because, apparently, Pujols isn’t dangerous enough. Accordingly, if the managers switched teams, the Rangers would NOT walk Albert with the bases empty, and the Cards would NOT send runners with Albert up. Problem solved.
re: McCarver’s “argument”. I’ve got one five-letter word for you:
S-A-M-P-L-E.
you are so S-M-R-T
Good one.
I actually believe TLR on the bullpen mess up since he loves playing matchup. He’s not one to play the “hot hand.”
This is the 21st Century where the government can use remote control to kill terrorists hiding in the mountains of far away lands and I’m supposed to believe that the Cardinals could not communicate from two areas separated by 1,000 feet?
less than that.
I think it’s just another one of TLRs bitching sessions. Always have to have an excuse. “be a different story if both pitchers had the same zone” is what he said and got fined for it. Now he’s complaining about the pen not hearing him.
This is why over the past 5 years I’ve went from a Braves and cards fan, to hating the Cards and rooting for the Chubbies to win the central.
Did LaRussa actually confirm that he would have used Motte to face Napoli if his bullpen phone calls had been clear? Or did he just imply it to deflect blame from himself?
I’m thinking he would have stayed with Rzepzynski anyway, saving Motte because:
1) he was very short on pitchers,
2) it was the 8th, and it was tied, so there could have been many innings to go,
3) Moreland was on deck and he had homered off a righty earlier
1) it’s the world series, you need to win this game more than you need to worry about running out of pitchers.
2) you still want to use your better pitchers, especially in a case with that much on the line–saving motte for innings that may or may not happen is just reducing his chance of appearing and impacting the game. with the LI of that at bat being that high, there is almost no chance that motte could possibly come in at a more important point later.
3) moreland’s not terrible, but leaving in rzep in for napoli = worse than any matchup the cardinals could create against moreland.
4) i realize that you may be expressing tony la russa’s thought process, in which case you are depressingly correct
Thanks. Yes, I was trying to guess TLR’s thoughts, and I was wondering if he was bringing up the phone issue to deflect criticism.
Another way to ask it: TLR said that as he brought Rzep in, he saw that Motte was not throwing, and he then called the pen again. So as Murphy was batting TLR thought that Motte had started to throw. So did he not replace Rzep for the Napoli AB only because he thought Motte hadn’t had enough warmup time yet, or because he simply chose to let Rzep face Napoli? If he had wanted more warmup time he could have stalled for it, right? But he didn’t.
Does Tony not have any bench coach’s to help him during the game?? What was Dave Duncan doing while Tony screwed the pooch?? Hech, if they can’t hear the phone maybe he could have his outfielders relay the message?? last time I checked thay are out near the bullpen.
Which is the more appropriate response?
a. TLR – LOL !
b. TLR – OMG !
c. TLR – WTF !
d. TLR – FTW! He had to go for it, he wasn’t about to be out-Tonied by Ron Washington.
TLR should communicate with his bullpen by text message.
I know what TLR did.
TLR wasn’t managing for Game 5. He was managing for the World Series.
Right now, TLR is so deep in Ron Washington’s head. RW has no idea what TLR will do next. Will he pinch-hit for Albert Pujols? Will he have his starter walk the leadoff batter, and then yank him? Will he drop a sacrifice bunt with the bases empty?
TLR has RW – and the Texas Rangers – right where he wants them.
“Will he drop a sacrifice bunt with the bases empty?”
He could also do what Ray Knight used to do now and then when managing the Reds: Call for a sac bunt with two outs and then fine himself after the game for losing track of the outs.