Vis had the highest average against Izzy, thus the reason he got the call... plus it was a lefty on righty, so that is another reason he got the nod over Bagwell, althought Orlando is a lefty too.
FWIW, in case you didn't see the game thread, Viz has a 0.420 lifetime average against Izzy, and a 0.500 lifetime on-base percentage. Since you just needed to get on there, I think Garner was saving Bagwell for Willy's spot if we need a game-tying or game-winning single there. Viz was as likely as Bags to get on base there.
And believe it or not Viz has more pop then Bagwell does right now, Baggy while hitting well doesn't have the power he once had.
i don't see him hitting homeruns either with that shoulder but he is still driving the ball pretty well. no reason he can't some up with some singles and doubles. IF the stros get to the WS, i would rather have berkman DH, and put burke in the OF. two homers already...get him in the lineup.
is the this the same vizcaino that has had a sub-300 obp two out of the last three year? I wonder what the sample size is for viz's average against izz? I can't imagine it being very large. the last three years, and especially this year, he's been pretty horrible with the bat. at this point in his career he doesn't hit for average, doesn't get on-base and doesn't hit for power. moreover, it's not like he has been playing well lately or has even looked good swinging the bat. He hit 190 in september, and for the life of me, i can't remember the last time he hit the ball hard. I just find it curious that a manager would rely so heavily on what has to be a small and statistical insignificant stat like viz's ba. against the pitcher, when a much larger body of information tells you he's not the guy in that situation. Especially, when you have a much better option in palmeiro available. That said, garner and vizcaino aren't the reasons the astros lost the game last night. The cardinals playing well, pettitte having a poor outing,and the astros inability to take advantage of offense opportunities earlier in the game was really the main cause of of the loss. Luckily they can make up for it, with a big win tonight.
i'm with dickau...i can't imagine the sample size of Viz vs. Izzy is enough to justify keeping either Bagwell or Palmeiro on the bench in his place. this is where we see over-managing, I think. you have a hitter on your bench like bagwell?? give him the shot at hitting. but that's me...
usually, with a sample size of 14 or 16 or whatever, I'd actually side with the stats. However, in this case, we were dealing with Viz (lefty, .400+ avg against Izzy, healthy, not hitting great of late) Bags (righty, .300+ avg against, bum shoulder, hitting well of late off the bench) If it was purely Viz and his good avg, that's one thing. But it was Bags on the bench with a good avg, just not AS good. I feel like it was 2 out of 4 factors above, but the "hitting of late" should have factored in more..so I'd have gone Bags. But also not as clear as it seems.
You have to go with the guy that gives you the best chance to score. In that case, it was Bagwell. If it was the pitchers spot to lead off the inning, use Viz. With 2 outs, down 2 runs, a man in scoring position, and Biggio on deck it should have been Bagwell. He doesn't have to hit it out of the yard to be successful. A base hit puts us down 1 with Everett running at 2nd and the fact that they are conceding the run by playing deep to not give up the extra base. It was the wrong move, period.
Garner has proven to us time and time again that he knows his players better then anyone else. We have no idea what exactly his reasoning was, but I am sure there are a few factors that played into it that we have no clue about. Bagwell could have not felt right, and with the climate change (pretty cool at night in St. Louis) he just might have told Garner he wasn't up to it. I don't see Bagwell saying that, but then again he IS a true team player and may very well have done something like that. Either way, it was one move that really didn't have an outcome on the game. The chances of either one of them getting a hit and keeping the game alive in that position are few and far between.... not saying it wasn't possible, but it is far from a "huge mistake" by Garner. The team lost because they couldn't execute twice with men on third and 1 out, not because Garner chose Viz over Bagwell.
svpernaut -- i agree. i'm being critical..but i don't know what i don't know. you're exactly right...bags could have been feeling bad...or any number of other things. this is why i typically don't second-guess. i was just VERY surprised to see Viz step in the box last night.
If batting and throwing were related, then Bagwell would not be on the roster as a PH. Plus, I think saying his arm is jello isn't really exemplifying his particular problem. The shoulder surgery seemed like a success with no complications during rehab. While he does have enough strength to bat, he doesn't have the strength to throw yet. And while he does have the strength to bat, he doesn't have the power back yet. That said, is he still a threat to go yard...well if Burke can hit consecutive HRs (one into the upper deck of Busch) and Ausmus can hit one into left-center of MM, I think Bagwell is capable of blasting one, however small the possibility is right now. Now I'm not debating Garner's use of Viz... Bagwell is not the answer? Well yes, in fact, he is... he was the answer in two of our wins during the stretch run. Would he have been the answer last night or in nights to come...he might not have been last night, but I'd like to think he will offer something in this NLCS.
