My god....Buchholz is falling apart...making the Marlins look good this inning....would really like to win this one, but we're gonna have to score 6 or 7 it looks like.
Yeah, he's another season away from being solid. So good sometimes. Out of gas today. Can our bats respond? Hmmmm ...
My biggest problem with Phil Garner isn't just his insistence on following righty/lefty matchups in every situation. It's how inconsistent he is in following it. For example, take a look at Mike Lamb's OPS against lefties this year. Even though he bats left-handed, you can't tell me that Eric Bruntlett and Willy Taveras give you a better chance to produce runs. In general, a right-handed bat is a better option... but not when the right-handed bat sucks and the left-handed bat is very good. But, even that isn't my biggest problem with him. It's what will happen in the next few innings. We need runs now. And the Marlins will pull Olsen (the lefty) sometime soon... his pitch count is getting high. And when a righty reliever comes in... the logical response should be to come back with your best hitters, especially when you're left-handed. But I predict we'll sit and watch horrible at-bats from Taveras and Bruntlett, while lefties with power like Lamb and Scott will sit on the bench. I hope I'm wrong, but I've seen it way too often this season. Phil is terrified of pulling his regulars during a game, even if they become an unfavorable matchup.
And right on time, Eric Bruntlett can't get a bunt down and strikes out swinging on a pitch that was ball four way out of the zone. Is there seriously anyone out there who would rather have Bruntlett in that situation than Lamb or Scott? Sometimes I think Garner would bench David Ortiz for Willy Taveras or Eric Bruntlett just because Ortiz is left-handed. It's unreal. I mean, I can understand the righty/lefty fascination if you have quality bats from both sides of the plate. But we don't. Taveras and Bruntlett probably couldn't be good hitters against AAA level pitching. Leave the R/L fascination behind, Phil, until you acquire some real right-handed bats for the bench.
The Cat is perfectly CORRECT so far. Garner .. I want to like him, & yet I HATE him. Dislike, I should say. Hate is a strong word.
Runner on 2nd NO ONE OUT, and we can't do ANY professional hitting...like hitting BEHIND the runner etc. Pathetic. And bring in a .239 hitter in Palmero instead of Lamb....unreal. DD
This team is just plain flawed....a lead-off double with the bottom of the order up HAS to score...this team has failed to execute this time and time again....plain and simple, they do not play winning baseball.
That tends to happen, DD, when you regularly sit your quality hitters (Lamb) for the likes of Eric Bruntlett.
Awesome....double to start the inning and he goes nowhere..... The Astros are a weak hitting team right now....very frustrating. DD
If the Stros continue to play .500 ball, management should consider playing for next yr and deal off Ensberg/Taveras/Pettite....there are just too many areas in which this team fails to execute....for a professional ball player like Bruntlett to not be able to at least bunt Munson over to 3rd is sad....
The righty reliever is in. Taveras' spot is due up to start the next inning. The right move, at that point, would be to move Bruntlett to center and either stick Scott in right or put Lamb at first and put Berkman in right. But, I feel very confident that we'll see Willy Taveras inexplicably lead off the next inning, and we'll concede an out with the best part of our order coming up. By the way Phil... you notice that? A lefty just hit a homer off a left-handed pitcher (Wandy)!!! It CAN happen! How amazing is that concept?!?!
