Ausmus' fault?

[Holy Cow]

First of all, yes Lidge hung it really bad, and yes he does have the final say. But Ausumus has a very good reputation, so I kind of understand why a young reliever would not want to shake him off. But here's the important part: it looks to me like he was calling for a back-door slider for a strike. What kind of a call is that!?!?' I would have intentionally walked Pujols. Yes, its bad to put the winning run on base, but he isn't really a threat to score on a double. More importantly, Sanders had a 28.4 K% this season - thats the kind of guy Lidge can have his way with. Maybe if Pujols took a ball on the first pitch I would call for a strike, but after he just swung at a ball in the dirt? Just bad baseball. Do you guys see the same thing?

[TB_11]

If this is the way the Astros are thinking, the team is done.

[adamb0719]

First of all, yes Lidge hung it really bad, and yes he does have the final say. But Ausumus has a very good reputation, so I kind of understand why a young reliever would not want to shake him off. But here's the important part: it looks to me like he was calling for a back-door slider for a strike. What kind of a call is that!?!?' I would have intentionally walked Pujols. Yes, its bad to put the winning run on base, but he isn't really a threat to score on a double. More importantly, Sanders had a 28.4 K% this season - thats the kind of guy Lidge can have his way with. Maybe if Pujols took a ball on the first pitch I would call for a strike, but after he just swung at a ball in the dirt? Just bad baseball. Do you guys see the same thing?

 

I thought Lidge did shake him off. May have been the pitch before though.

[gflore34]

First of all, yes Lidge hung it really bad, and yes he does have the final say. But Ausumus has a very good reputation, so I kind of understand why a young reliever would not want to shake him off. But here's the important part: it looks to me like he was calling for a back-door slider for a strike. What kind of a call is that!?!?' I would have intentionally walked Pujols. Yes, its bad to put the winning run on base, but he isn't really a threat to score on a double. More importantly, Sanders had a 28.4 K% this season - thats the kind of guy Lidge can have his way with. Maybe if Pujols took a ball on the first pitch I would call for a strike, but after he just swung at a ball in the dirt? Just bad baseball. Do you guys see the same thing?

 

I thought Lidge did shake him off. May have been the pitch before though.

 

I definitely would have pitched around him most especially after the first strike, all breaking balls in the dirt. Perhaps, that's what Lidge was trying to do but, the slider just rolled on him. With Lidge' fastball, there's a more than average chance Sanders doesn't put the ball in play.

[fromthestretch]

First of all, yes Lidge hung it really bad, and yes he does have the final say. But Ausumus has a very good reputation, so I kind of understand why a young reliever would not want to shake him off. But here's the important part: it looks to me like he was calling for a back-door slider for a strike. What kind of a call is that!?!?' I would have intentionally walked Pujols. Yes, its bad to put the winning run on base, but he isn't really a threat to score on a double. More importantly, Sanders had a 28.4 K% this season - thats the kind of guy Lidge can have his way with. Maybe if Pujols took a ball on the first pitch I would call for a strike, but after he just swung at a ball in the dirt? Just bad baseball. Do you guys see the same thing?

 

Regardless of whose decision it is to throw a certain pitch in a certain situation, it's up to the pitcher to execute.

[YearofDaCubs]

Bottom line Lidge hanged it, but I agree with the rest of you. I would have walked Pujols.

[T2E]

Walking Pujols in that situation would have been, in my opinion, a terrible baseball decision. I cannot see any sane manager walking the bases loaded in that situation, putting two runners in scoring position, no matter if Pujols is up or not. Seems like serious second guessing to me.