workthecount
07-17-2006, 03:49 PM
I was at yesterday's game. The only person Dusty has warming up once Marshall started to struggle in the 6th is the righty Novoa. Now, Novoa only throws mid- to high-90s fastballs. It's 95 degrees out there and the wind is blowing straight out. Anyone who's been around baseball as long as Dusty has knows that if anyone makes contact with a 95 mile an hour fastball in those conditions, it's gone. So why warm up Novoa in the first place over a ground ball pitcher?
So Floyd is up. Dusty leaves in Marshall because Novoa is a righty while Floyd is a lefty, and he doesn't want a lefty-righty matchup. Now, if you're halfway competent, you have two people warming up in this situation, so this doesn't happen--you can bring in a lefty to face a lefty, because your pitcher is obviously struggling. The Mets had been teeing off on Marshall for the past two innings--everything had been hit to the warning track, a couple balls left the yard but were foul--nothing had left the yard fairly yet, but some balls were very close. The Mets obviously had his number and were making contact with everything, and the ball was carrying. It was just a matter of time, as anyone could see.
Floyd hits a grand slam.
Now, any halfway competent manager is warming up two people in that situation because at that time Marshall is getting pummeled and you can't afford not to change pitchers. By only warming up one pitcher--and your worst one for the situation, at that--you simply are asking to get smacked around, because if the upcoming batter hits opposite what your pitcher throws, then you can't bring in that pitcher and have to stay with the guy getting beat up--and eventually, you'll pay like Dusty did.
Unbelievable.
So Floyd is up. Dusty leaves in Marshall because Novoa is a righty while Floyd is a lefty, and he doesn't want a lefty-righty matchup. Now, if you're halfway competent, you have two people warming up in this situation, so this doesn't happen--you can bring in a lefty to face a lefty, because your pitcher is obviously struggling. The Mets had been teeing off on Marshall for the past two innings--everything had been hit to the warning track, a couple balls left the yard but were foul--nothing had left the yard fairly yet, but some balls were very close. The Mets obviously had his number and were making contact with everything, and the ball was carrying. It was just a matter of time, as anyone could see.
Floyd hits a grand slam.
Now, any halfway competent manager is warming up two people in that situation because at that time Marshall is getting pummeled and you can't afford not to change pitchers. By only warming up one pitcher--and your worst one for the situation, at that--you simply are asking to get smacked around, because if the upcoming batter hits opposite what your pitcher throws, then you can't bring in that pitcher and have to stay with the guy getting beat up--and eventually, you'll pay like Dusty did.
Unbelievable.