brinoch

You know what? Your post has crossed the line into trolling. :club:

That's the point, you gotta take Thomas's defense to get his offense. You have to take Mink's "offense" to get his defense. Just because teams don't evaluate pitcher's offense doesn't mean it doesn't have an effect. And, hey, if you can find a way to develop/acquire good pitchers who also hit well, you help your team in two ways.

I'm not exactly pleased with Lou's managing thus far this year. I understand, though don't agree with, his usage of Hill. He most likely wanted Rich to gain some confidence out there, and so he pulled him after five innings. I get that. What I don't like, or understand, is why he used Lieber for 2/3rds of an inning and Marshall as a loogy. Those are your long guys, not your short guys. And then to bring Marmol in for two innings and 40+ pitches? That's nuts. Against the bottom of the order in the 7th inning, Wuertz, Howry or Hart would be fine. Use Marmol/Wood in the 8th/9th innings against the better hitters. Personally, I would have left Hill in for one more inning, though with a short hook. I also wouldn't have brought Marmol in to start an inning until the 8th; which also preserves him for a high leverage situation tomorrow where I have him if I need him.

Quit the personal attacks, people.

He might strikeout the side in the 8th as well.

I'm not watching the game since I'm at work (heh heh), but I get the sense from the gameday switches, etc., that Lou really, really, really wants to win this game.

It's possible they wanted to pull Hill then so he could leave the game on a positive note. He wasn't great today, but the results up until that point were. Had he gone back out and struggled, it might have carried over into his next start. Oh, I agree. I posted to that effect, as well. I tend to believe that Hill would have gained even more confidence if he'd gotten through Bay and Nady. But, the bullpen is relatively rested, so I'm not particularly worked up about it.

The very quick use of Lieber, Marshall and then Ward is why I probably would have left Rich in the game. That way, assuming Rich gets through the 6th with no damage, you use just Ward and have two more pitchers in the bullpen.

Probably because Hill was beginning to tire and Lou didn't want him to struggle against Bay/Nady. Just a guess.

I think that it's important that the 9 players selected to play each day participate in both hitting and defense.

I really don't enjoy being called a reactionary because I prefer pitchers hitting to having a DH.

Thanks for being a dbag and derailing a potentially serious baseball discussion. Go back to Cubs.com Ease it down a notch there, killer. No personal insults please.

Well, Theriot did hit a home run last night. :-k

This thread is very likely to be moved. Can we get back on topic and drop the relatively pointless conversation on race, grammar, and new Magic: The Gathering cards?

I'd promote Murton, but then, I'm biased.

I'm with Tim.

Pedroia hit 182/308/236 in the month of April last year. Chris Young through May 3rd: .202 .255 .383 Tulowitzki through April 25th: .185 .274 .246 Josh Fields through 23 games: .218 .274 .333 Each of these guys had cups of coffees (~80 PAS)the year before and were bad then as well. That's just from guys who got rookie of the year votes last year. The only ones to start well were Braun, Delmon Young, and Reggie Willits. Pie hit .362 .410 .563 in AAA last year. I'd say he has a clue. Are you telling me he has nothing left to work on at the plate? That is just ridiculous...the massive holes in his long swing are glaring and nevermind the fact he doesnt have a good idea of the strike zone at all He is talented but still very raw.....he knows what he needs to work on now, and if he doesnt he probably wont ever stick up here You've made a completely ridiculous straw man argument in the part of your post here. Of course Pie needs work -- everyone knows that. SSR never says that Pie doesn't need work -- just that he has a clue about AAA pitching (which Pie dominated). What SSR is doing here is demonstrating that other players have struggled just like Pie is doing now. Yes, Pie needs to shorten his swing, identify pitches better, and learn the strike zone. So did every other player who has made it in baseball. Not everyone can hit like Albert Pujols or Ryan Braun their first day in the big leagues -- that kind of immediate success is extremely rare. More common are early struggles followed by increasing success as young players learn. And they learn by playing, not watching.

I'd rather have Fukudome lead-off than Soriano.

I would do nothing with the rotation. I'd ensure that the pitchers were working to figure out their problem, fix their mechanics, etc. But that's it.

Personally, I want Corey to do well. Just not against the Cubs.

It's what LaRussa teaches... 'nuff said. Of course, I didn't see the play, so I really don't have an opinion on it. I know that I generally don't like LaRussa and all his excuses, double standards, and general whiny-ness.

Utley doesn't get the praise he deserves from the baseball press. He's an incredible talent.

You know what? I think Theriot is a poor hitter and SS. He's a perfect utility guy and not the answer at SS. But, that said, it is too early to draw meaningful conclusions about a player's performance for the season. I would rather have Ronny out there right now, but I also have confidence that Lou will make the switch. It may not be when I want it, but he's proven to me that he will make a change.

We'll play better later... let's not lament a little luck here in the early going. Remember last year when we were like 5 games worse than our pythag in May? That was awful.

Cubs win!!