Hector Santiago has been just OK

[Second Base]

My apologies, folks I talked to called him Santi, I also recently watched the movie "Goal" and the main characters nick name was Santi, so I assumed this was an acceptable moniker.

[Blarg]

This is why we miss Joe Madden. He was all over these situational stats when with the Angels and had Scioscia's ear.

 

Maybe you forgot we hired two new guys, one is Francona's son, to do all of the situational matchups from culminated stats. Either they are doing a crappy job or there isn't enough data to put together what any given battery mates would do outside of Weaver and Wilson.

[Stradling]

Define "us"?

Chuck I say us so I don't sound like I'm calling out people who bitch and complain.

[Blarg]

...and Santiago pitching like crap and not making it out of the 5th didn't help either.

 

Scioscia pulled him at 78 pitches so the choice was not Santiago's to go more. He could have made it out of the 5th but Scioscia is coaching scared.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Nickname that works: Weav for Weaver.

Nicknames that don't work: Richie for Richards, Skaggie, Aggie or Ska for Skaggs, Willie for Wilson and Santi for Santiago.

what about go-go,

[Stradling]

I don't know about scared. He allowed a homer to lead off the fifth then two straight singles.

[Blarg]

Chuck I say us so I don't sound like I'm calling out people who bitch and complain.

 

You mean them.

[Blarg]

I don't know about scared. He allowed a homer to lead off the fifth then two straight singles.

 

If that was the criteria for pulling ptichers then half the league wouldn't get out of the 3rd inning most games. Scioscia is constantly pulling his starters with 2 outs (shades of Gene Mauch Game 5) and also yanking relievers with 2 outs even without a runner on base. Except for a certain closer that he leaves in to burn the stadium to the ground then brings in a reliever after the last embers died out.

[Second Base]

If that was the criteria for pulling ptichers then half the league wouldn't get out of the 3rd inning most games. Scioscia is constantly pulling his starters with 2 outs (shades of Gene Mauch Game 5) and also yanking relievers with 2 outs even without a runner on base. Except for a certain closer that he leaves in to burn the stadium to the ground then brings in a reliever after the last embers died out.

 

I think Scioscia's trying to change.  Granted for a traditional manager like he is, this sort of expertise takes time.  Before, he'd leave pitchers in too long, and it was noticeable to everybody and their mother, and infuriating for fans.  I think now, he's trying to be more proactive in his pitching staff management and is relying on the info fed to him by a new team of coaches Dipoto's supplied him with.  Pulling a pitcher after 77 pitches in the 5th inning in April is just stupid, I agree.  But hopefully he'll have the common sense to pull the trigger when the situation calls, like in the 6th/7th inning at 90 pitches in August/September.

 

Baby steps.

[jshep]

Scioscia pulled him at 78 pitches so the choice was not Santiago's to go more. He could have made it out of the 5th but Scioscia is coaching scared.

 

I can't believe I'm really defending Scioscia here, but I don't think "coaching scared" has anything to do with it.

 

Santiago was pulled because he had already given up 3 runs in the 4 innings prior, and then kicked off that inning by going HR, single, single all on fastballs up in the zone while not getting anything else over.

 

The next hitter he was going to face was Alfonso Soriano, who is both a good fastball hitter and a better hitter against lefties. Who would have been facing a lefty who wasn't getting anything besides his fastball over the plate and was leaving it up.

 

That was not a recipe for success, and people would have justifiably blown a gasket if Santiago served up YET ANOTHER high fastball that Soriano deposited into the seats for a 7-3 Yankees lead.

 

It's not like Santiago was cruising yesterday and got the hook at the first sign of trouble. We're usually crying about Scioscia NOT pulling a struggling starter before the score gets out of hand. But yesterday he was actually proactive about it.

Edited April 27, 2014 by jshep