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Saturday, May 13, 2006 |
A Total Waste Of Time: Mariners 5, Angels 4
Completely unable to get a clutch hit past the third.
Pathetic.
Let's get some things straight now.
- Howie Kendrick needs to be sent down immediately. He clearly has a lot to learn at AAA, and he sure isn't learning it sitting on the bench in the majors and getting three at bats every five days and going 0-3 when he does.
- Lackey needs to stop elevating the ball. I don't know what the heck happened tonight, but he got stung several times on balls up in the zone.
- Figgins needs to work on his throws. This hasn't been a problem hitherto, but it cost the Angels an out in the fourth. Luckily, it didn't matter, but after seeing Cabrera fail to catch a bad-hop ball, it's just getting too much to deal with.
- Mike Napoli isn't a real offensive solution at the dish at this time. His early success got me thinking there was maybe a chance, but his "hit" in yesterday's game was due to really, really generous scoring. Given the alternative is Jeff Mathis, who can not hit just as easily as Napoli, I'm betting the Angels start Jose Molina behind the dish tomorrow as well and leave Napoli in the Show and Mathis in AAA. Mathis' circumstance in AAA something like the loony bin: once in, it's hard to get out.
- Salmon was trying too hard. A silver sombrero for old Timmy, mainly because he had so durned many at bats. I mean, it was nice that he got to 1,001 RBIs and all, but the fact that he didn't make it to 1,002 is the difference in this game.
- Q is one heckuva bench player, but he's not a replacement for a power-hitting first baseman. Let's hope Casey Kotchman is that guy, because the Angels have sure put themselves into quite a positional corner if not.
Comments:
On Lackey, you're correct, and yes, Kendrick needs to be sent down. Figgins' throws need work, though his formal and informal errors last night had no impact on the run totals. But otherwise, in looking for answers to why we lost last night, wow, you really picked the wrong targets.
You critique Quinlan, who went three for six last night with a double? That's inadequate? Compared to what? Q's hitting .355 against lefties, and Jarrod Washburn and the better part of the Seattle bullpen were lefties. I don't exaggerate when I say you'd have to be a complete idiot not to put Q at first against lefties, and he did a damn fine job there last night.
And you save some scorn for Napoli, who has contributed offensively or defensively in every start he's had, and came into last night's game as a late-inning replacement with an OPS of .891. Three unproductive at-bats later, you've got the guy pegged. Only took you 18 ABs to do that, but hey, you're not in an emotional panic or anything, right?
For me, it's clear that the 'difference making' mistakes in last night's game were:
1. Hitting Garret in the third spot, where he was hitting .189 coming into last night's game. Of course, he hits .300 behind Vlad, but Mike S is gonna show those pointy-headed split readers who's boss! 4 of the 15 men left on base were attributable to him.
2. Playing Jose Molina, and not starting Napoli from the outset. Is this an equal time thing? Can't make the rookie feel too good about that .350+ OBP....gotta give him some challenges! Let's platoon him and see how well he hits when he's out of rhythm...smug young turd. Let's put in a sub-200 hitter who can't take a walk or handle Lackey's slurve...I mean this is progressive Cali right? Got to make room for the "differently abled".
3. Lackey's inconsistency.
4. Kendrick, who looks overmatched and is trying too hard, and should never have been in the game to begin with.
You critique Quinlan, who went three for six last night with a double? That's inadequate? Compared to what? Q's hitting .355 against lefties, and Jarrod Washburn and the better part of the Seattle bullpen were lefties. I don't exaggerate when I say you'd have to be a complete idiot not to put Q at first against lefties, and he did a damn fine job there last night.
And you save some scorn for Napoli, who has contributed offensively or defensively in every start he's had, and came into last night's game as a late-inning replacement with an OPS of .891. Three unproductive at-bats later, you've got the guy pegged. Only took you 18 ABs to do that, but hey, you're not in an emotional panic or anything, right?
For me, it's clear that the 'difference making' mistakes in last night's game were:
1. Hitting Garret in the third spot, where he was hitting .189 coming into last night's game. Of course, he hits .300 behind Vlad, but Mike S is gonna show those pointy-headed split readers who's boss! 4 of the 15 men left on base were attributable to him.
2. Playing Jose Molina, and not starting Napoli from the outset. Is this an equal time thing? Can't make the rookie feel too good about that .350+ OBP....gotta give him some challenges! Let's platoon him and see how well he hits when he's out of rhythm...smug young turd. Let's put in a sub-200 hitter who can't take a walk or handle Lackey's slurve...I mean this is progressive Cali right? Got to make room for the "differently abled".
3. Lackey's inconsistency.
4. Kendrick, who looks overmatched and is trying too hard, and should never have been in the game to begin with.
# posted by 
: 5/14/2006 11:26:00 AM
: 5/14/2006 11:26:00 AM
You critique Quinlan, who went three for six last night with a double? That's inadequate? Compared to what?
Compared to, say, a good-hitting first baseman. He is basically a singles hitter (.391 SLG).
And you save some scorn for Napoli, who has contributed offensively or defensively in every start he's had, and came into last night's game as a late-inning replacement with an OPS of .891. Three unproductive at-bats later, you've got the guy pegged. Only took you 18 ABs to do that, but hey, you're not in an emotional panic or anything, right?
Try looking at his 2005 stats. As far as I can tell, a guy who K's that much is going to ultimately be a sub-Mendoza hitter at the major league level. You don't get gifts every night, though. He's going to have to do it over more than a few dozen at bats to convince me otherwise.
Compared to, say, a good-hitting first baseman. He is basically a singles hitter (.391 SLG).
And you save some scorn for Napoli, who has contributed offensively or defensively in every start he's had, and came into last night's game as a late-inning replacement with an OPS of .891. Three unproductive at-bats later, you've got the guy pegged. Only took you 18 ABs to do that, but hey, you're not in an emotional panic or anything, right?
Try looking at his 2005 stats. As far as I can tell, a guy who K's that much is going to ultimately be a sub-Mendoza hitter at the major league level. You don't get gifts every night, though. He's going to have to do it over more than a few dozen at bats to convince me otherwise.
Against lefties, Quinlan does not have a .391 SLG. This season his SLG vs lefties is .484, and his three-year splits vs lefties is .542. My comment clearly indicates I was talking about Q vs lefties, and you know I was talking about Q vs lefties...why try to distract with something else? Let's at least be honest disputants here.
And re: Napoli. The stat I like from 2005, and 2004 as well, is 88 walks. To go with 30 HRs over 130 games, nice totals.
Like Dunn, he walks enough to compensate for those K's. I'm surprised that someone as smart as you chooses to fetishize one stat over the whole picture, when there are clearly counterexamples to prove Napoli can be a very productive catcher at this level.
And, after today's game, Napoli is back to an .899 OPS, with a .375 OBP anchoring that.
I guess he's just lucky in the end.
And re: Napoli. The stat I like from 2005, and 2004 as well, is 88 walks. To go with 30 HRs over 130 games, nice totals.
Like Dunn, he walks enough to compensate for those K's. I'm surprised that someone as smart as you chooses to fetishize one stat over the whole picture, when there are clearly counterexamples to prove Napoli can be a very productive catcher at this level.
And, after today's game, Napoli is back to an .899 OPS, with a .375 OBP anchoring that.
I guess he's just lucky in the end.
# posted by : 5/14/2006 05:10:00 PM
: 5/14/2006 05:10:00 PM
Against lefties, Quinlan does not have a .391 SLG. This season his SLG vs lefties is .484, and his three-year splits vs lefties is .542.
And when the Angels are consistently playing lefties, let me know. He's at best the short end of a platoon the Angels don't have an answer for. It's not a good idea to start complaining about me changing the subject when you were the one starting it.
And when the Angels are consistently playing lefties, let me know. He's at best the short end of a platoon the Angels don't have an answer for. It's not a good idea to start complaining about me changing the subject when you were the one starting it.
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