Still Fundamentally Bad

[Banedon]

Actually I'm ok with either. Sorry I'm not trying to be argumentative - I just think it's a little premature to be making a lot of assumptions on how the season is going to go based on 2 games.

 

LOL. I would be okay with either, also. And I agree that it's too early in the season to make any assumptions.

 

You guys are too easy to please. Anything short of 17 runs/game is substandard and I won't have it!

[Jehrico]

If you can't hit a ball hard, there's really no reason to swing with less than 2 strikes.

 

So should we boo Pierre everytime he swings at strike one or strike two? :)

[Illini Iceman]

One of the big reasons I'm not fond of first pitch swinging, is because for every out made on a first pitch swing, you've just extended the starting pitcher's outing. There are 27 outs in a game. What's the average amount of hits/walks/HBP in a game? 10? 12? Probably closer to 12. 12 would add up to a 1.33 WHIP, so that sounds pretty good. That's now 39 trips to the plate average. 3 pitches per at bat, minimum, and this pitcher is gased.

 

Let's just assume that the opposing pitcher is Cy Young. If Cubs hitters make 27 outs on 27 pitches, you'll never get Cy out of the game. If each hitter sees 54 pitches (27 x 2), now you're only at 54. Double it again for an average of 108 (or 4 pitches per at bat), which includes ZERO at bats where someone reached base, and Cy is going to be leaving the game early. The earlier you get the starter out of the game, the better chance you give the offense. Outside of the set up man and the closer, who are pretty much money on most teams, the rest of the bullpen are a bunch of guys not good enough to start, and not good enough to secure the best spots in the pen.

 

I watched crap pitchers go late in games against the Cubs because their pitch count was extremely low. I'm not saying it should always be that way, or hitters should always let the first 1 or 2 go right on by.

 

If you go back through last years game logs, you will find an eerily similar pattern where the Cubs starter left earlier in games than the opponents starters, and a lot of runs scored on the Cub bullpen in those games.

 

Why do Cub pitchers get knocked out so early, so often? The other team is being patient and letting the pitcher throw more pitches. I'd like nothing more than to see the opposing team swing at the first pitch against Zambrano in every at bat. But, the sooner the opposing team can get Zambrano out of the game, the better their odds. Pile up the pitch counts and hope he runs out of gas in the 5th or 6th. Meanwhile, Casey Daigle (who?) and whoever else looked like Cy Young against the Cubs recently pitch late into a game and we don't see the other teams crappy relievers.

 

It's not foolproof, but the Cubs seem to be to the extreme opposite of this philosophy. The pitching staff walks too many guys, and the offense swings too early in counts too often. I'll never knock Lee or Aramis for first pitch swinging, since they are premier hitters. Everyone else should be waiting on "their" pitch, not swinging at the "pitchers" pitch.

 

If they were "crap" pitchers wouldn't you want them to stay in the game as long as possible?

[BigbadB]

I suppose you would. But, for some unknown reason, these crap pitchers look like Cy Young when they face the Cubs. Where is Casey Daigle now?

[David]

Of course, the only reason the crap pitchers are staying in long is because they're having success. So, no, you don't want them staying in the game for a long time. You want to beat them up and knock them out of the game.