Thursday, May 24, 2018

Offensive Game - Wednesday night

When you score 10 runs in the first 5 innings of a game you should win! 

However, when your pitcher walks two batters with a lead and the surrenders hit 2nd HR on a terrible 2 strike pitch you allow the other team back into a game.  In fact, we blew a 4 run lead to be down 5-4.  This team came back from that and posted a 6 spot in the 5th inning to go up 10-5.  CC still struggled and was correctly taken out for Holder who allowed a single but got the next 2 batters to get out of the inning at 10-7 going into the 6th.

For some reason, Boone took out Holder (who has been pitching very well) and brought in Shreve.  Chasen allowed a single, a strikeout and a single and was about to face the lefty Shoo.  Shoo is MUCH better against righties (.811 OPS against righties and .562 lefties).  But Boone decided to pull Shreve for the righty Robertson...in the 6th inning???  Shreve looked OK, but surely I would have left him in against the lefty in the 6th inning...but nope.  While I have faith in Robertson, and I would not have expected what happened, I thought a bad decision to take Holder out was exacerbated by taking Shreve out.  Robertson was awful!  He walked Shoo to load the bases and then walked the next batter before getting a strikeout for the 2nd out.  Then Robertson allowed a double to clear the bases...that was all they needed, even though they added a run against Betances, who looked good but did throw a ball away on a pickoff and then allowed him to steal 3rd and score on a single.

My only other complaint was how bad the umps called the check swings.  Shoo should have struck out against Robertson as he sort of checked his swing on the 3-2 pitch.  This was a HUGE play in the game.  Later another Texas player swung (I thought) and then I was pissed when they said Sanchez swung when it wasn't even close to a swing.  UGH... 

Robertson has 4 blown saves already and has not been good.  I am not sure why he doesn't throw his cutter up and in to the lefties...or even in as he used to?

Holder threw 14 pitches and Shreve 8...Bad job by Boone.

Texas' bullpen pitched the final 4 innings allowing only 1 and no walks as we must have gotten tired from running around the bases.

On the positive side, Didi homered and Gardner hit 2 doubles. 

On the negative side, Didi may be showing signs but he still has not been lining up the ball well...and Gardner got caught going to 3rd on a grounder in front of him after one of his doubles.  CC was simply bad.  None of his pitches were good and one could argue he should have come out after 4, but being up 10-5 I would have left him in as well.  he got the first out and then a soft single to CF was followed by a pop up that just landed fair down the RF line and then took an odd bounce for a triple.  It was questionable to leave him in here, but I wasn't upset leaving him in because a lefty was up and CC has been good against them.  The next grounder could have been fielded by CC but he deflected it and Didi couldn't barehand it and that was his night.

Boston lost to TB tonight so we are 1 game back.

1 comment:

  1. I agree; Boone really mishandled the bullpen in this one, particularly taking out Shreve and putting in a righty.

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