Check out the line for our bullpen in this game: 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 6 K (5 pitchers) We needed to lean heavily on them given Ortiz' lack of command and we may not have had all these options if the first game took several innings to complete. So, if you want to look at the bright side, imagine if we went several extra innings in the first game, used up a bunch of arms... then still lost. That would have made a 2-loss day even more likely.
Ortiz sounds like a moron right now. He actually said, "I don't know why I got pulled out tonight." He's complaining about everything other than his own performance. Is anybody else listening to this?
To add to the previous post... He expressed absolutely no satisfaction that the team won. It was all about Russ Ortiz. He said stuff like "nobody talks to me about anything" and "they have never given me a real chance... I've been on a short leash since day one" and "somebody needs to explain what's going on to me".... He was actually trying to justify his performance tonight. I watched every pitch he threw. He couldn't find the plate. He was awful. Cooper seems to make his share of blunders but pulling Ortiz tonight was the right move and obviously necessary. I also give Cooper credit for not completely flipping his lid after the Tejada error in the first game.
Russ is an idiot. He is lucky to have a job in the big leagues after ROBBING the Diamondbacks. He has terrible control and should be DFA and bring up Norris or Bazardo.
I agree...awful timing. My only concern with Coop on this issue is this isn't the first time we've heard from a player that he's a poor communicator. Justice (fwiw) has been saying that the players have been complaining about that all season. But it's hard to argue with the fact that Cooper has this team that most of you thought would be cellar-dwellers playing at .500 and just about 4 games back of first.
To be fair, I don't think most people would've been shocked if you had said the Astros would be 42-43 after 85 games. They have enough talent to hang just a few games under .500, and that's not exactly an accomplishment. The only reason they're still in contention is the unexpected mediocrity of the rest of the NL Central. I'm just as happy as you are that we're still playing meaningful baseball, but let's keep it in perspective -- the only reason these games are meaningful is because the rest of the division is garbage. In a normal year, this team is virtually buried. Let's not give Coop a pass for things out of his control.
Just waiting on Russ to attack Coop with a chokehold. Lol. I question whether Russ actually wants the team to win games versus just wanting to pitch at any cost. He does sound pretty arrogant.
No, I think their record is right about where it should be, given the talent level. Maybe they're a game or two better, but more or less the same range. I'm not saying I think Cooper is utterly terrible -- what I'm saying is let's not give him credit for keeping the team "in contention" when they're playing right around their talent level and are only in contention because of how much the rest of the division sucks.
I think their record should be better. We blew quite a few games that were winnable and I think we should have won. Of course, it is easy to think we should have won but we probably lost the games in question because we are an average-to-below-average team. I could see this team being 5 or even 10 games over .500 at this point. I think Coop blew some games we should have won through poor decisions. Valverde has also blown some games cause he couldn't hold 9th inning leads. Don't forget about all of Oswalt's starts where he left the game with the lead only for the bullpen to blow his lead. Oz should definitely have a better record than he has.
I agree..but I don't think it's as rare as you seem to. Last year the D-Backs finished around .500 and were in the thick of it...The AL Central didn't have a 90 game winner...the year before, the Cubs won our division with 85 wins...the best record in the NL was the D-Backs with right at 90 wins. If you can hover around .500 at the all star break, you're "in it" a lot of the time. That was my position coming into the season, as I recall...that no one in the division scared me enough to think we couldn't at least be competitive....because we've seen that over and over again. In fact, we'd be in virtually the exact same spot even if we were in the NL East or AL Central this very season. Having said all that...and back to topic.....DOES RUSS ORTIZ HAVE THE WORST PITCHING MECHANICS FOR A MAJOR LEAGUER EVER??? He pitches off the HEEL of his front foot...then that foot turns and his toe is pointing almost at the first base line....it's freaking awful...and it's no wonder to me he has a difficult time with pitch count and throwing strikes.
Yeah Cooper ain't the greatest manager but people like Dick Justice and Alyson Footer have it out against him all the time. They question all his moves. Sure he makes mistakes but he is one game under .500 with this team. A team with RUSS ORTIZ, MIKE HAMPTON, and BRIAN MOEHLER. Your starting third baseman is Geoff Blum. He was a bad utility player and now he is your starter. Come on. They never praise him for Bourn, Pence, Aries, and Fulchino. I am sure he doesn't want to put Matsui out there.
If he is going to talk like that, he can go ahead and kiss his rotation spot goodbye. We've got six starters in the bigs right now, and two in the minors that can give probably equal or possibly even better outings than Ortiz & Moehler. Ortiz should just be happy he has a job, and do whatever the organizations asks of him. Does he forget that we picked him off the trash heap? He's been a good pickup so far, but not nearly good enough for those kind of comments.
Completely agree. What kind of idiot bashes the team that brought him back from obscurity? Dude was out of baseball for 2 years. G-d forbid he actually had to work to win a spot...and then maintain it. He couldn't hit the side of a barn yesterday from the first pitch. He was pulled and the pen did a masterful job to stop the bleeding. This guy needs a good kick in the ass...something to the effect of DFA.
lol definitely.. he doesnt know why he got pull out last night??? AHhaha the idiot gave up 4 runs and 6 hits prior to the 3rd inning and he wants to stay in the game? This fool is an idiot.. Russ Ortiz you are a SCRUB!
