IGT 06/25, Mets at Blue Jays

[Guest Edgy DC]

I spoke too fast.

Again.

[Zvon]

If he walked Glaus I wouldnt went off.

Deep fly out, but Ill take that over a walk.
Lets get this last one Wags.

[Guest KC]

He walks another freakin' batter.

[Zvon]

UGH!
was that 3-2 to Wells high?!

it looked right at the letters to me!

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ouch. Tough call by Wally Bell.

[nymr83]

wagner gets out of it in John Franco-like style

[Guest Edgy DC]

Franco never had heat like that.

Here's another pointless argument to key Wagner toward lefties and elevate Sanchez (If he's OK) to co-closer to go after rigties.

[Zvon]

Wagner looks wicked on Overbay tho- burns him with fastballs.
What [u:ca9a906d3c]IS[/u:ca9a906d3c] Wagners problem?
They mentioned 1st pitch strikes, or lack there of.
I dunno, maybe it just comes with being a Met closer.
Some kinda curse from the Gs of BB.

But he gets it done, ThNkYoUvErYmUcH.

[Guest KC]

Trax wins fourth straight as Wags prevails (the guy makes me as nutty as
Francobenitezblowjas ever did). Sisk was pre-internet.

[Zvon]

Edgy DC wrote: Here's another pointless argument to key Wagner toward lefties and elevate Sanchez (If he's OK) to co-closer to go after rigties.

Wagner does look like himself vs lefties.
Maybe if we give Sanchez a HUUUUUUGE raise everyone will find this acceptable

[dinosaur jesus]

Trachsel gets the benefit of some run support again. I wouldn't mind if he stayed this luck for the rest of the season.

If you gave Pedro, game for game, the runs that Trachsel has gotten, he'd be 13-2. The weird part is that Trachsel would still e 6-4. Obviously the solution is to switch them in the rotation. Is there any way to let Willie know about this?

[Zvon]

dinosaur jesus wrote: Trachsel gets the benefit of some run support again. I wouldn't mind if he stayed this luck for the rest of the season. If you gave Pedro, game for game, the runs that Trachsel has gotten, he'd be 13-2. The weird part is that Trachsel would still e 6-4. Obviously the solution is to switch them in the rotation. Is there any way to let Willie know about this?

lol--but this is a tragic truth.

[dinosaur jesus]

I meant to say, if you turned the tables and gave Trachsel Pedro's run support. I guess that was fairly clear.

[Guest ScarletKnight41]

It was the reverse of yesterday's score

[Frayed Knot]

The Reyes HR leading off the game is a great example of why "plate discipline" or "working the count" means so much more than just talking walks.
Sometimes it means taking pitches just out of the zone to get yourself ahead in the count and then smacking the snot out of a 2-0 fastball when the pitcher realizes he better start throwing strikes.

Reyes will never walk a lot, but planting the idea in the pitchers head that he's at risk of walking him is going to be a fierce weapon in and of itself. Walks for him (and for most) should be a by-product of the process, not the aim.

[nymr83]

wrong and wrong. the WORST thing that can happen is for Reyes to start swinging for the fences. walks SHOULD be the goal for him because he needs to get his ass on base any way he can to benefit from his speed.

[Frayed Knot]

Not saying he should swing for the fences, at least not indiscriminately.
But what he's doing now that he hasn't done in the past is "zoning" on pitches when the count is in his favor - or even just neutral counts. In the past it wasn't so much that he swung at too many balls, it was that he went after virtually any pitch which was in or near the strike zone; iow, he was swinging at strikes, but they were pitcher's strikes.

Given the choice - when ahead 2-0 in the count - between selectively choosing a pitch and going after it agressively, or automatically taking the pitch because the walk is the ultimate aim, I'll choose the latter more often than not with a speedy/contact hitter.
The key, of course, is the discipline to pick out a particular type/location of pitch and spitting on anything else that doesn't fit the criteria. That is what he's developing and it will, in turn, lead to more walks as a matter of course because pitchers have to be much more careful with a dangerous hitter.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Walks shouldn't be the goal for anybody.

[dinosaur jesus]

Is he really swinging for the fences when he hits it out, or is he just trying to make good contact?

[Frayed Knot]

Good contact, IMO.
He's got great hand/eye coordination, so centering on better pitches - as a result of being agressive when he's ahead in the count - has resulted in better (more level) swings hence more line drives.
That's why I picked today's 1st inning HR as an example. He smoked that bad boy.

[nymr83]

]Walks shouldn't be the goal for anybody.

getting on base should be the goal for anybody who doesn't have great power (situations aside.)

unless you are Ichiro, getting on base means drawing walks. trying to draw walks is a good idea, you take the hits when they come but walking should be your intention because you can't make an out when you walk as opposed to when you swing at a good pitch you can still ground out.

the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time did it with walks. (career line of .279/.401/.419)

[Guest Edgy DC]

]unless you are Ichiro, getting on base means drawing walks.

Getting on base means getting on base.

[Elster88]

Frayed Knot wrote: Good contact, IMO. He's got great hand/eye coordination, so centering on better pitches - as a result of being agressive when he's ahead in the count - has resulted in better (more level) swings hence more line drives. That's why I picked today's 1st inning HR as an example. He smoked that bad boy.

I liked his second single even more. (I think it was the second, it was the one he grounded up the middle.) In the replay, you can see him almost getting up on his feet and swinging perfectly level, almost down on the ball, and hit it solidly. Perfectly in control the hole time, not stepping up the line, not upper-cutting. Our little baby's all grows up.

[dinosaur jesus]

A hit is better than a walk. Even a single with no one on is marginally better, since it sometimes results in an error. Unless there's no one on base and you're going to steal second anyway, I don't think walking should ever be the primary goal. The walks should come when you're not getting good pitches to hit--that is, when the chances of getting a hit are quite low. And if you're willing to take the walks, you'll get more pitches to hit. Rickey did it with walks, especially late in his career, but I don't think anyone ever complained that Tony Gwynn didn't walk a lot. The ideal balance is what Boggs had: if it's in the strike zone it's a hit; if not, it's a walk.

I don't see Reyes ever walking 100 times anyway; it's just not the kind of player he is. If he can hit for average, 60 would be plenty.