Was there a reason that Williams pulled Stone in favor of Cruz to start the 11th? Stone only pitched to one batter in the 10th. He wasn't pinch hit for and no double switch was made. Stone has been the Astros most consistent reliever this year and has certainly pitched better than Cruz.
I don't know but Im officially a trooper for watching the full game. I would like to thank.............
That game sucked. We just ran out of pitchers. I agree with bobrek on the Stone vs. Cruz move. I actually thought, if anything, they would have brought Mann in since he has experience as a closer. I have to admit, though, it would have been horrible for D-Backs fans if they lost that game. 11 walks, 10 hits and they couldn't score anything? We go through that every game, so we're more used to it.
Very questionable move. Stone didn't pitch in the first game, threw only 11 pitches in the second, only 3 in his 1/3 of an inning last night, and the Stros have an off day today. It could be that, with Merced at 3rd & Ginter at SS, Jimy wanted a fly ball pitcher (Cruz) instead of the sinker-baller Stone. I dunno. Hopefully there's not something going on health-wise that we don't know about (tired arm? - he's been a workhorse so far this year). Innuresting stats from the game: Hou pitchers - 13 BBs (4 int) & 8 Ks Zona - 1 BB & 12 Ks Hou - 5 LOBsters Zona - 19 LOB Hou - 1-7, 2 RBI w/ RISP Zona - 2-15, 3 RBI, 7 BB w/ RISP Houston is now 3-11 in 1-run games.
It could be that, with Merced at 3rd & Ginter at SS, Jimy wanted a fly ball pitcher (Cruz) instead of the sinker-baller Stone. I dunno. That would make sense. That infield, would have been scary all the way around with Biggio's inability to move and/or catch balls (Cruz would have won the game if Biggio doesn't bobble the double-play ball) and Bagwell's shoulder issues combined with Ginter who had never played SS and Merced who had played 3rd only once.
It's the only logical (yeah, I know, we're dealing with Jimy here) reason I can think of - other than, of course, "manager's decision". What are the odds, if his play continues on this level for the remainder of the season, that Bidge retires after this year? I'd like to think that his pride, instead of a paycheck, would win out. I don't want people to remember him like this. It happens to every player, but it's sad to watch.
It's the only logical (yeah, I know, we're dealing with Jimy here) reason I can think of - other than, of course, "manager's decision". Yeah -- to back up the point, the outfielders had some phenomenal plays in the late innings last night (Ward & Hidalgo) to keep runners on 3rd / less-than-2-outs from scoring. The infield, on the other hand, had some significant lapses. What are the odds, if his play continues on this level for the remainder of the season, that Bidge retires after this year? I'd like to think that his pride, instead of a paycheck, would win out. I don't want people to remember him like this. It happens to every player, but it's sad to watch. I agree. He just seems to have lost it. Every so often, he'll have a big game, but more often than not, he looks clueless. I'm also starting to get worried about Bagwell. Not his age or long-term health, obviously, but he's on pace for something like 25 HRs and 80-90 RBI's this year. I wonder if that shoulder is affecting his hitting.
