Distinguished Senators, the Washington Nationals Blog That Is Great

Monday, May 16, 2005

Free Jamey!

Just back from the game. This will be short, because I need some sleep. The more closely you follow a game, the worse Frank Robinson looks. Marlon Byrd is a center fielder, right? Coming into this year, he'd played 231 games in center and only 2 elsewhere. So why is he in left tonight? It's more understandable when Ryan Church is out there; neither he nor Wilkerson is a true CF. But Byrd is, so put him out there. I remember Bwilk grousing in the offseason about how wanted to have one position all to himself, and maybe Frank is just trying to keep him happy.

Jamey Carroll is still hitting second, which is fine. Unfortunately, he seems to be there mainly to bunt over Wilkerson (when he manages not to get picked off). Tonight, Brad led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, and Carroll went up to bunt. I think that's a bad play to begin with, but it got worse. Doug Davis threw him two straight balls; the count was 2-0, and Carroll had already drawn a walk in the game. With a hitter's count like that, the odds are pretty good that Jamey will get a walk or a nice juicy fastball. So of course Frank keeps him bunting, and Wilkerson is sacrificed to second.

But we won, and it was relatively easy, so what am I complaining about?

5 comments:

Chris Needham said...

Unfunny nitpicking strategy analysis? What? You think you're me all of a sudden?

Ryan said...

Oh, and Dayn Perry's a jackass!

How's that?

Brian said...

But Frank has forgotten more baseball than us schmucks will ever know. How dare you question conventional baseball wisdom. ;)

Harper said...

I think Frank may have forgotten more baseball than he ever knew.

He's forgetting stuff that was never true like the time Brooks Robinson once robbed a HR from third base, or that he was taught by Earl Weaver you should always bunt with a man on third and no one out.

Ryan said...

Yeah, I remember when Weaver said he'd rather send a right-handed corpse up there than go lefty vs. lefty. Frank learned his lessons well.