This is essentially what I was saying, not sure why it would be controversial.
I imagine that the strategy wouldn't be to allow Richards to fall down 3-5 runs, but to yank him before that point. It'd be more like using Richards as an "opener" and for as long as he's pitching effectively with no more than twice through the lineup and likely even just once before going to Sale. Same with Houck and Pivetta. Perez and Whitlock (or some combo of that).
He keeps this pace up and he's going to be included in any Scherzer deal as the Nats will more than likely demand that at the very least.
Isn't this the worst way to use Richards though? Hasn't he most often been terrible the first time through the order and then better as the game goes on?
Definitely. Thus far this season, these are his numbers for the first six innings.
Yeah, this is beginning to smell like malpractice. Meanwhile, Santana's recent "torrid" streak of 6 for 25 has pulled his OPS+ up to 31.
I think we should be slightly wary of Polar Park's effect on HR rates, he has 10 HR in 79 AB at home and 5 HR in 77 on the road. His Iso also drops from .456 at home to .208 on the road. That place must be a launching pad. But even if we just doubled the road rate, that is still a big increase in HR output and he is still hitting very well down there.
At home, team is hitting .257/.342/.478 with 43 HR in 818 At bats
As much as I'd like to see him called up and think he's wasting his time in AAA, he doesn't really have a spot on the roster unless the team wants to make Enrique the super sub. Duran needs to be getting consistent at bats. I'm not sure those are available right now with Enrique, Renfroe and Verdugo hitting. It would be nice to have a better 4th OF but I'm not sure who you'd sit among the 4 if Duran was up.
Arroyo was hitting too and should be back. The only real hole in the lineup is 1b.
Part of the curious case of Garret Richards, however, is that he is worse the first time through the line up!
Sure, everybody's numbers should be taken in context. His swing change is clearly real, and his home road splits look to be more exaggerated than the rest of the team. Part of it may just be luck or random distribution, and some of it may be his power lanes matching up with the park dimensions and supposed jet stream thingy. There is no way to really tell.
If push came to shove DFA’ing Marwin would solve the roster crunch. Arroyo at 2B and Kiki the Swiss Army knife.
Per Alex Speier, Duran and Casas are supposed to join Team USA for pre-Olympic workouts right around the All-Star break (speculation is that this is why Duran isn't participating in the Futures game). So, in less than two weeks. Then I imagine the commitment is for as long as Team USA is still alive in the tournament.
So you are suggesting Cora can be a pre-cog and/or rush Sale in the game when Richards is about to shit the bed?
I am a big Alex Cora fan, and if he actually did this I would want him fired by the 7th inning stretch.
Yes they lose small battles but always seem to win the war. One nitpick they did have a 9 game winning streak after the 0-3 start which really got them jumpstarted.
They're on track by winning percentage to be a 98-100 win team.
It isn't always that simple. For example, Monday he was down 3 runs after 3 batters and 4 runs shortly after that.
Well, they do have a spot for Duran in the outfield. Kike can then indeed play the Brock Holt super-utility role that he is best suited for ...Even if they are already scoring runs, doesn't the team want to improve any way it can? They are contending! Increase the run differential from either side. They've been trotting out some weak hitters all year (albeit with some recent improvement by some ....Vazquez, Dalbec/?, Arroyo, Devers, Bogaerts, Verdugo, Duran, Renfroe, Martinez, with Hernandez as the 10th man ....Seems like he pretty obviously has a spot to me ...
I think if they were to call up Duran and Franchy, I think it would be the end of Santana and Chavis going back to AAA.
I'm guessing they moved him off the position because he wasn't very good at it. It'd be like asking Franchy to play SS. Plus a lot of players who get drafted are SS or 2b who immediately get moved off the position. They play those positions in HS and college because they are usually the best athlete and player on the team.
Yes, but Chavis goes down when Arroyo comes off the IL, so I had accounted for him already ....
Ramon Martinez had this same issue in 2000 (11.77 first inning ERA), but I don't think they ever solved it. IIRC, they tried having him do more vigorous pre-game warmup to simulate game action, but it didn't fix the issue.
Let him warm up as though he was starting the game, then make him throw another 45-50 pitches. At that point he should be third inning ready. But seriously, you're right. ATM it seems like none of those options will serve him or the team well until he fixes himself. His first inning will be his first inning regardless as to when it is. I'm still convinced a lot of this is mental due to the new sticky stuff rules enforcement.
I have no doubt he's totally in his own head about the sticky stuff, but his troubles in the first inning go back to the start of the season.
Totally. It really seems they could now trade for a single upgrade - starting pitcher - and might have all other holes patched internally, in order to "GFIN" without breaking the prospect bank. There is a small measure of luck here, but a whole lotta Chaim Bloom being one of the best executives in the game.
I hate using this term, but watching Heenandez recently - there's one thing that comes to mind: "gamer". This guy puts it all out there and I think that has to impact the clubhouse and the outfield. He's also a damn good 2B while the Sox have a terrible defensive right side. In short, I want this guy playing every day because I think he impacts the game.
in the 90s it was either Steve Avery or Tom Glavine that has this issue with Atlanta. I remember skip carey talking about working harder to simulate an inning before games to help fix it. Didn’t work there either.
