Harry Hooper said:What's it all about, Farrell? I really don't understand what he's trying to accomplish with the remainder of the season. He's pushing Tazawa hard, and wouldn't consider batting Ortiz for Vazquez in the 9th in St. Louis {Instead, he batted for Nava and was intentionally walked.}. Then last night abusing Hembree and calling Workman in for emergency duty in extras, when he could have thrown in the towel innings earlier. The manager seems to be possessed by the ghost of Billy Martin when wins aren't critical at this point. It all seems very odd.
Well, it's pretty clear that Pedroia is trying to win. Not just the heady play but the look on his face when he scored from first and on the double steal.
I'm of two minds on this issue. I want to see them focus on 2015, but I think that you only really get to develop/see what you have with the other players if you're playing in a realistic environment, i.e. playing to win. I'm not sure how much you can learn if you alter the mission, but you can definitely develop bad habits.