252 replies to this topic

[Pedro Cerrano]

Lame duck? Not at all. He went oppo field on a pitch outside. This speaks to the O's general issues with backing off good hitting teams from freely lunging like that (the Dodgers held a clinic last month on this). 

 

ETA - the Dodgers are another fantastic hitting team (well coached, particularly), too. 

 

I don't think it's possible for me to disagree with this post any more outside of the "Dodgers are good" clause.

 

He stuck his bat out, hit it softly and it found some grass.  It was incredible luck.  No chance he was thinking "let me hold back, go 'oppo' (lol) and hopefully I'll bloop one in."  If that's your approach as a major league hitter, regardless of the situation, your BABIP will be close to zero.  

 

If you want to say he exhibited good bat control or whatever, fine, I don't buy it, but fine.  But to act like that was some master class of hitting is a joke.

[mdrunning]

If Perez covers first in time we probably avoid almost all of that late inning drama.  

I'm sure Houston fans are grousing over Dusty Baker's decision to try and squeeze one more inning out of his starter. If he pulls Hunter Brown after six, maybe we don't get Mounty's two-run homer. 

[jamesdean]

Knocking hitters off the plate, brushing them back, some chin music or whatever you want to call it doesn't exist anymore in the game. You just can't do it because if it's thrown with deliberate intent, you're going to get warned and then throw out of the game the next time you do it.  Or the hitter will start something with you.  Many of the great pitchers of the past, Jim Palmer included, would have to radically change their approach if they were around today. So, all this talk about Oriole pitchers not going inside is just a product of how the game is played today.  I don't think it has much to do with them as a team or individual. 

[CantonJester]

I don't think it's possible for me to disagree with this post any more outside of the "Dodgers are good" clause.

 

He stuck his bat out, hit it softly and it found some grass.  It was incredible luck.  No chance he was thinking "let me hold back, go 'oppo' (lol) and hopefully I'll bloop one in."  If that's your approach as a major league hitter, regardless of the situation, your BABIP will be close to zero.  

 

If you want to say he exhibited good bat control or whatever, fine, I don't buy it, but fine.  But to act like that was some master class of hitting is a joke.

 

Holy crap. Am I talking to a wall? The joke here is you not appreciating the game situation. He went oppo on an 87 mph curveball that tailed off the plate. If he wasn't sitting on that curveball, he'd have swung through it. The fact it found the grass doesn't change the fact it was a good piece of hitting. And no, if your approach to hitting is choking up on the bat and figuring away to put the ball in play, your BABIP will not be close to zero. You may not hit for a lot of power, but it won't be anywhere near close to zero. 

 

 

Get your facts straight. 

[CantonJester]

Knocking hitters off the plate, brushing them back, some chin music or whatever you want to call it doesn't exist anymore in the game. You just can't do it because if it's thrown with deliberate intent, you're going to get warned and then throw out of the game the next time you do it.  Or the hitter will start something with you.  Many of the great pitchers of the past, Jim Palmer included, would have to radically change their approach if they were around today. So, all this talk about Oriole pitchers not going inside is just a product of how the game is played today.  I don't think it has much to do with them as a team or individual. 

 

You don't need to throw chin music to back hitters off the plate.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Holy crap. Am I talking to a wall? The joke here is you not appreciating the game situation. He went oppo on an 87 mph curveball that tailed off the plate. If he wasn't sitting on that curveball, he'd have swung through it. The fact it found the grass doesn't change the fact it was a good piece of hitting. And no, if your approach to hitting is choking up on the bat and figuring away to put the ball in play, your BABIP will not be close to zero. You may not hit for a lot of power, but it won't be anywhere near close to zero.


Get your facts straight.

If you told the Astros and Baker that the ball was going to be a bloop towards shallow right, 10/10 times they say “no thanks”

[CantonJester]

If you told the Astros and Baker that the ball was going to be a bloop towards shallow right, 10/10 times they say “no thanks”

 

No, Baker would prefer that Cano serve up a heater that lays flat in in the zone that Dubon could turn on for a drive in the gap, but that's not really relevant. 

 

I'm not saying Mauricio Dubon is going to win a PoW award for that AB, but it was a good piece of hitting. 

[Pedro Cerrano]

Great and all I took exception to was calling Cano “useless” after that AB. that’s an out more often than not

[jamesdean]

You don't need to throw chin music to back hitters off the plate.

That's just one option.  I'm telling you, pitching inside is a lost art.  Everyone here might as well stop dreaming about it.  Not going to happen. 

[CantonJester]

That's just one option.  I'm telling you, pitching inside is a lost art.  Everyone here might as well stop dreaming about it.  Not going to happen. 

 

Breaking balls down and in can accomplish this to an extent, because of course, predictability run up the pitch counts of even the best pitchers, and basically destroys good ones. This is why good pitchers try to command of the entire strike zone, and that includes keeping hitters from comfortably stretching out to go opposite field. The great ones successfully command the entire zone, and know the value in making hitters foul off a fastball in on the hands. That crap hurts. 

[jamesdean]

Breaking balls down and in can accomplish this to an extent, because of course, predictability run up the pitch counts of even the best pitchers, and basically destroys good ones. This is why good pitchers try to command of the entire strike zone, and that includes keeping hitters from comfortably stretching out to go opposite field. The great ones successfully command the entire zone, and know the value in making hitters foul off a fastball in on the hands. That crap hurts. 

Pitchers usually won't throw breaking stuff down and in.  If you're a hitter and you sneak a peak where the catcher is sitting and he's inside, it's going to be hard.  Yes, the elite pitchers know how to use the whole strikezone but you can count on one hand the amount of those types.  Most pitchers aren't going to be knocking anyone off the plate.  It just isn't done anymore.  They just try to overpower a hitter with velocity and if it's down the middle, so be it.  They aren't going to catch up to it the majority of the time.  Or they'll try to locate the breaking stuff off the plate and make a hitter fish. 

[russsnyder]

Wasn't able to watch it, but that was a good win.

76 straight series without being swept is impressive.

Go to the West Coast and inflict some damage fellas.

[85Knight]

This team just refuses to fold. Seven times this season they've avoided being swept by winning the last game of the series. This 4-2 homestand sets us up nicely to have a strong road trip and possibly take control of the division. As we get closer to September that 4 game lead over the Rays in the loss column is looking more and more comfortable.