Or not. Maybe the Phils just can't hit a knuckleball.

I am starting to think I am a drama queen. On Friday, I thought Manuel might be fired by now. After 3 well pitched games, I am pretty optimistic about this club.

You weren't alone.

Bay has, indeed, been very streaky since 2008 at least. Early in 09, he looked like Manny+ at the plate. Then, for about 3 months, he was just terrible, before picking it up a bit at the end of the year. I predict you will really enjoy the next month or so.

Bay in 09:

April 1-May 10: .324 .468 .667
May 11-July 30: .217 .337 .414
July 31-Oct 04: .302 .394 .626


Amazing! Horrible! Good!

A 1.020 OPS is just good?

I'm always skeptical of the idea that seeing a similar pitcher the following day somehow improves a batter's performance.

The same game? Not certain, but I can see it. (Batters do improve when they face the same pitcher multiple times in a game - here's 2009, for example - but that could be a function of pitcher fatigue as much as a batter "getting used to" the guy on the mound.)

But 24 hours later, after seeing maybe ten or twelve pitches total the day before? Seems pretty unlikely to me.

Has there been any research on this at all? Or is this just one of the old baseball truisms that has thus far escaped critical analysis?

(And if there is evidence of this, why not hire a half-dozen career minor leaguers with different styles as "warmup pitchers" and have them pitch batting practice based on the other team's expected starter?)

CC,
I don't know that it is a baseball truism. It's my own observation. Also, teams do bring in guys to throw pitches like tomorrow's starter, if tomorrow's starter isn't in the "typical" category. They hire knuckleball BP guys and the like.

IIRC, I think there is some study that indicated the Braves had issues with Glavine/Avery/Leibrandt going back-to-back in the early 1990s and split them up for similarity reasons. But I could be misremembering.

Absolutely no clue whether you are arguing Dickey should have pitched or not.

Well, if the Phils had caught on to Wakefield in the 6th or 7th, then I’d say don’t pitch Dickey.  But they never did.  And they never have.

Since they have not, then pitch Dickey.

Or not. Maybe the Phils just can't hit a knuckleball.

fixed.