If We Win Does It Matter?

Yes, is the answer

It is hard to complain when we are doing so well with the record breaking injuries we have had, but it is fair to question certain behaviors.

Before I get to a bunch of questions that you can also answer via leaving a comment or sending me an email (if you like), I want to discuss last nights game.

We are up 5-0 early with a great 2 out rally and all looked good.  Green gave us two innings of no runs and then we turned it over to Cortes Jr. who was as sharp as we have seen him going 3 innings and now allowing a hit or a walk throwing  only 49 pitches.  He was a starter and has thrown 4 innings twice for us with 76 and 72 pitches in those outings.  Taking him out made zero sense.  I am fine with keeping him him on a short leash, but we are up 5-0 and he is cruising so you could give him two base runners before pulling him out.  I also understand that the bullpen needs work, I think it is good for them to get 2 or 3 games every week to stay sharp, but we don't have to be so programmed where each of them pitches a specific inning no matter what.  I would rather matchup correctly and if that means Britton pitches the 6th or 7th or comes into the middle of the inning, I am ok as well (just an example).

Greg Mohr and I watched the game together so he heard my comments as they happened and I was not happy when Kahnle didn't pitch well and allowed 4 runs.  Honestly, his numbers were awful, but he wasn't as bad as it looked  (not to excuse the performance).  The issue was selection and some control.  The Indians scouted that they should swing at the first pitch off of Kahnle and the 3 first batters each jumped on a first pitch fastball and got a HR, a hard hit fly out and a single.  They were clearly looking for his fastball.  He then worked in some changeups but missed them for strikes and then allowed another hit on a fastball before allowing another HR on a another fastball.

In the 7th it was Ottavino's turn and he allowed a 3-0, green light swinging HR to tie the game at 5.

Britton put up a 0 in the 8th and we went to the 9th tied.  With bases loaded and 1 out and a 3-2 count, Frazier well struck a sac fly to get one run in, but we could have opened it up better.

Here was my 2nd gripe...and Greg heard me chirping about it to the point I was sure I was annoying him as it probably wouldn't make a difference.  You are giving Didi a day off, so why bring him in, sort of cold,  for defensive purposes and then shift 2 other players to newer positions?  Gleyber will bounce some between SS and 2nd base and DJ will bounce all over, but DJ is an excellent 2nd baseman.  This will be an interesting decision as we move forward, but with Didi just coming back, I did not like putting him in there cold.

Chapman would have a tough one run save and allowed a leadoff single.  After throwing past DJ for an error moving the tying run to 2nd base, the replay showed that the throw was wide, but should have been handled by a good experienced first baseman.  DJ will probably be our defensive switch, but it is not as easy jumping around so much and Chapman threw that hard.  Regardless, switching hurt us.  After a walk Chapman was fortunate that Francona called for a sac bunt by Baeurs as he had a poor bunt attempt at the first strike.  I assumed it would be taken off, but they kept it on and he popped up the 2nd attempt for a gift out.  After getting a fly out we might escape with a win.  Chapman got a ground ball to SS that the just inserted Didi booted and it went down the LF line to easily allow the tying run to score and the other runners to move up.   It was a fairly routine play for Didi to get the force out but it wasn't an easy play.  Again, why bring in te cold player you were giving a rest to that has just been back for a few games?  With the game about to be lost, Chapman got a strikeout on a 3-2 pitch (slider)

Onto extra innings...Maybin lined a double and was able to get knocked in by a Hicks double and we once again had a 1 run lead.  The issue now is because we used everyone we only had Hale or Stephen Tarpley, who was just called up again after having about a 10 ERA.  Tarpley struck out the first batter on a 3-2 count and then had 2 balls on each of the other batters, but struck out each of them as well for a great save!

It was a relief to win, but if Boone leaves Cortes Jr in we probably win the game easier.  If Boone did not make the defensive changes at the end of the game, we probably win at that spot as well... and we also would not have to rely on hoping a just called up guy can close out a one run ball game

Questions

• Do you like pitchers all having a defined inning and that is theirs to hold down every game?
• Would you like to see the defensive substitution like the one Boone made that will move so many people around (assume the question is for when Didi is fully back in swing as the answer right now should have been no)
• Taking defensive situations into account, is the lineup of (Urshela, Didi, Torres and DJ our best infield?
• So if we win, does it matter?
• Switching gears, Was it time to root for Boston to beat Tampa?   

I will give my answers in my next blog

Onto some of the most meaningless games of the year; the NL games (Not sure why so many people love these Met games; bragging rights mean nothing and in fact playing them so many times has cheapened it)  I would rather see less games against NL teams.