Offense from the shortstop position, in the #8 hole, isn't the problem. Offense from the corner outfield positions, in the middle of the lineup, is the problem, at least offensively. Everett must start, his defense at SS is invaluable.
And, up the middle... shades of the 2004 playoffs when Viz was playing SS. (and strange how we didn't see much of that during the 2005 playoffs).
Which ball was it? Burke's or Berkman's? (sorry... I'm not watching the game). Also, isn't it funny that "Berk-man" bats after "Burke"?.... That leads us to the obvious conclusion... Chris Burke's new nickname should be "Burke-boy". In any case, this IS the lineup (+/- Everett)... Willy will either be sent down, or be pinch-runner/defensive replacement extraordinaire.
Berkman's. Both of Wilson's doubles were pretty close to being out too. The first one bounced off the top row of the scoreboard in left, and the second was a few feet away from being out by the right field foul pole. I really hope he's coming around. Burke's triple was to the right field power alley, but it didn't make it even to the track in the air. It bounced off the right fielder's glove and got behind him. Now that home run by Berkman went to the second deck in right.
Now comes the chicken or the egg question... is Wandy pitching good because he got good run support (and calmed him down), or is the offense getting a chance to produce (and not pressing when being down by a lot) because Wandy has been effective thru the first 4 innings? This is why baseball is both fun, and exhausting, at the same time.
I like Woods' method of dealing with keeping his ERA low despite the possibility of a potential big inning. Throw away a ball on a bunt play so that all the runs are unearned.
Great catch by Pierre. All you guys who like Adam Everett, don't start hating on me, but I think it's much more important to have a defensive wiz in CF than at SS. When a ball gets past your SS, it's typically a single. But when a ball gets past your CF, it's almost always a double.
I always thought the rule should have been changed so that if the pitcher makes the error... the runs are charged (and earned) to him. After all, if a pitcher can have his ERA inflated when an outfielder completely "mis-judges" a ball that should be caught, his ERA should also go up when its HIS mistake. Once again... another complication of baseball... exhausting (but fun).
Look how many balls are hit between 2nd and 3rd base over the course of a game/season... vs. the number of balls that are hit to straightaway CF, or hit high and hanging in the power alleys. Its the reason why this team was able to survive a full season of Biggio in CF, but wasn't able to overcome a couple of Julio Lugo errors in the playoffs. CF defense is valuable if you have it... but if I had the choice, I'm still choosing the guy who gets more chances to make the spectacular play, and has the ability to get 2 outs with one good fielding effort.
