With friends like these…
So, that one-game winning streak was brief, wasn’t it? 18 hours. Well, at least the weather in Chicago might be bad enough this weekend to get this team off the field.
Speaking of getting off the field, Dusty was sure leisurely in removing Marshall from today’s game. I know letting a young pitcher battle some adversity is, potentially, a useful long-term lesson, but Marshall was struggling terribly from pitch one, and I don’t understand why Baker kept him on the mound after he continued to miss the plate early in the bottom of the fourth, and especially after he loaded the bases. I think the recent offensive drought is affecting decision-making, and Baker concluded that the game was basically over after the Giants’ five-run first. Not very encouraging coming from the Dear Leader.
I do like the decision to drop Murton to the eighth slot in the order. I realize that he’s getting on base at a good clip (.371), but he hasn’t had an extra base hit for two weeks. Of course, a more original choice would have been to shift Murton to the top of the order where his power issues would be mitigated and his OBP prowess of more value, but that’s probably too much to expect from Baker, so I think the choice to hit him eighth might help take some pressure off and let him relax a bit.
Finally, it is becoming apparent that the bench is astoundingly atrocious, and with the injury to Lee it has had a chance to display its punchless nature on a regular basis. Here are the numbers (a combined 220 plate appearances):
Hairston - .259/.298/.296
Perez - .185/.214/.222
Mabry - .220/.238/.293
Bynum - .188/.212/.313
Blanco - .071/.206/.071
Of course, new call-up Ryan Theriot has had a grand total of one at bat. He obviously lacks the two traits Dusty requires for sustenance: speed or veterany goodness.
Luke Jasenosky
Posted: May 12, 2006 at 12:50 AM |
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Dusty also says he plans to rest Walker today. It might be wiser to have a full-strength (hah!) line-up if you doubt your starter's capabilities. The crowd's reactions today should be interesting.
He only lacks one; the only reason they called him up was cause of his speed, or so they said.
Actually, I think The Riot is pretty fast. He had 5 SBs against 1 CS in AAA and Dusty emphasized his speed when the Cubs called him up:
“He’ll give us some energy, and he can play all positions. He’s basically an infielder that can give us some speed. We’ve got to try something there.”
For people bemoaning the Cubs lack of OBP, Theriot's career minor league OBP is higher than his minor league SLG: .269/.353/.336. If he were capable of putting that up in the big leagues (which he's probably not), combined with his good baserunning and defense, he'd be an adequate fill-in while Lee is gone. But his .036 IsoP and lack of plate discipline at AAA this year suggest that he's only better than Blanco, Bynum and Neifi.
Well, I sure don't. Murton is one of the key guys in the lineup. I fail to see how putting him in a situation where he'll be pitched around is going to do him much good.
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