can't use up your whole bench when it looks like it could go extras Why not? You dont have to worry about the pitcher hitting, and you essentially have all your best guys out there. move Edmonds to center, Kosuke to right, DeRosa to 2nd Soto to catch. You do have to worry about the pitcher hitting. Soto would have had to come in to catch, so the Cubs would have lost the privilege of using the DH for the rest of the game. The pitcher would be slotted into the 8th slot. From what it sounds like, Johnson's bunt had a 30% or better chance of succeeding. Normally, that's not very good odds. But when you need 1 to tie like that and a runner on 3rd (making a single a much better outcome than it normally is), it's better to try it than to continue batting against a tough closer. Actually I would say its close to 50-60%. The bunt was really well timed, but hit a little too hard. Longoria had to make a pretty great barehanded grab/throw, and Aybar had to catch it on a long bounce and hold on with Reed about to run into him in order to make the play.