Diamondbacks vs Royals series thread

[IndyDevil]

Do you guys watch the game while your posting?

As long as the feed from MLB.com isn't too choppy, yes.

Hairston had to swing because the runner was stealing. I don't understand the hit and run call.

If MLB.com (KC's telecast) wouldn't have been too choppy and delayed, I would have seen the hit & run, and not directly blamed Hairston for swinging at the first pitch - I agree with Zona90 that the hit & run call was a bad one in that spot.

 

[IndyDevil]

No....as what what discussed earlier in this thread.. must of the blame should be directed toward Mark Davis...

He's the common thread/link to the pitching coaching staff that is responsible for why the Dbacks are experiencing a woeful bullpen today.

Who gets credit for the starters? For the most part, they have done much better than expected - take away our bulls**t....er, bullpen, and we win at least 5 more games. I'm not defending Davis, but I'm curious if it's the personnel or the coaching that take credit in that case.

 

[KingLouieLouie]

Who gets credit for the starters? For the most part, they have done much better than expected - take away our bulls**t....er, bullpen, and we win at least 5 more games. I'm not defending Davis, but I'm curious if it's the personnel or the coaching that take credit in that case.

I figured someone might ask that...

Vasquez was a proven ace pitcher before he went to NY and I guess could not contend with the constant pressure of pitching in the midst of intense media scrutiny in the Big Apple... Plus.. he might have had some ailment in which he failed to disclose....

Webb has been highly successful since '03, but we all know that his victory total of last season (7) was extremely misleading because he was victimized by lack of run support and horrible defense.. (the earlier was the case again today)...

Estes is a veteran savvy starter, but hasnt exactly been dominant this year whatsoever...

Ortiz would have been removed from the starting rotation awhile ago, but the Dbacks don't want to concede that they erred so drastically by investing so much money into someone who I'm finally beginning to realize was not worth it whatsoever (especially for a long-term deal)....

Halsey..he's taken dramatic steps backwards and I'm afraid that he'll be demoted w/in the near future if his struggles continue.....

 

[asudevil83]

this potentially pretty good season WILL be ruined by our Bullpen. they are the WORST i have ever seen....and i am not joking.

NO lead is safe. we could be up by 8 (and we were) and the other team would tie it up (and they did).

 

[AZZenny]

The relievers have a little competition thing going, sort of like the starters do - but for the relievers, it's to see who gets lynched first by their teammates.

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

I figured someone might ask that...

Vasquez was a proven ace pitcher before he went to NY and I guess could not contend with the constant pressure of pitching in the midst of intense media scrutiny in the Big Apple... Plus.. he might have had some ailment in which he failed to disclose....

Webb has been highly successful since '03, but we all know that his victory total of last season (7) was extremely misleading because he was victimized by lack of run support and horrible defense.. (the earlier was the case again today)...

Estes is a veteran savvy starter, but hasnt exactly been dominant this year whatsoever...

Ortiz would have been removed from the starting rotation awhile ago, but the Dbacks don't want to concede that they erred so drastically by investing so much money into someone who I'm finally beginning to realize was not worth it whatsoever (especially for a long-term deal)....

Halsey..he's taken dramatic steps backwards and I'm afraid that he'll be demoted w/in the near future if his struggles continue.....

If by "dramatic steps backwards" you mean two poor back-to-back starts, then you'd be right about Halsey.

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com..._gamebygamelog.jsp?playerID=433517&statType=2

 

[KingLouieLouie]

If by "dramatic steps backwards" you mean two poor back-to-back starts, then you'd be right about Halsey.

http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com..._gamebygamelog.jsp?playerID=433517&statType=2

Well.. it appears that the ML hitters have finally begun to solve Halsey, so now he must make the necessary adjustments to counter that... It's also mainly up to Davis (this is one of his specific job criteria/responsibilities) to assist Halsey along in that process.... I'm not saying that Halsey has no future basing it on a small sample size or...for that matter saying that he will be HOF caliber either on just a few solid outings he had earlier, but the fact is that I dont see how Davis is really doing an effective job as a pitching coach, but it seems he's doing more harm than good......

 

[Cody]

As long as the feed from MLB.com isn't too choppy, yes.

thats cool...i watch it on tv....is the mlb tv thing laggy or blurry?

 

[AZZenny]

Hairston had to swing because the runner was stealing. I don't understand the hit and run call.

Ummm...OK, I realize this is way premature, and please place it in the context of I know it's a very small sample size and it's only sort of a vague little tweak in the rear of my brain on occasion so no need to land on me with all four feet at once.... I am starting to have teeny microscopic concerns about Melvin's managing.

Bullpen use for one - you cannot ruin young arms like Lyon and Cormier just because you don't trust your other guys - you tell the GM to figure something out. And if you are the pitching coach, you stand up to the manager and say 'You can't have Lance to pitch two innings every other day.' You can see Cormier's arm tiring and his effectiveness dropping with every new outing. Some of Melvin's in game calls and PH decisions or double switches have seemed questionable at the time, and also with benefit of hindsight.

In short, BoMel - The Honeymoon Is Over! Bring on the Clowns!

Re Halsey - two thoughts. One, to my real surprise, Baseball America rated him a lower prospect than many other guys - Gosling for example - saying he didn't have good enough control, power, or stuff to be a long-term starter, but might be fine for a short-use lefty reliever. They felt he would not finesse or fool big league hitters after much exposure. Perhaps we are seeing that. The other thing is, in ST and since then, he has sounded (from his and other people's comments) like he gets bullheaded when he gets in trouble, and rather than try to adjust or get smart, he wants to keep pounding away with what he thinks 'should' work - all evidence to the contrary.

 

[IndyDevil]

thats cool...i watch it on tv....is the mlb tv thing laggy or blurry?

Most of the time the MLB.com games come in pretty well online (Cable Modem via Comcast); some feeds are delayed and/or choppy, which today was probably caused by nasty weather screwing with the satellite feed (KC broadcast).

 

[AZCB34]

Did I miss something? Cormier bats in the bottom of the 10th with a runner on (I thought) and Hairston is still on the bench and yet Bruney pitches the 11th? For some reason that seems very strange managerial decision-making to me when you had the chance to put it away assuming it went down the way it seemed to.

 

[AZZenny]

Dodgers just got swept by the Royals. Somehow I think this says more about the NL West than about KC or Buddy Bell - although heaven's knows, major props to him. Hmmm...Sort of make Tony Pena look really lame, doesn't it?

 

[BC867]

The thing about Gonzalez is - he's not a reliever. Why they persist in throwing young starters (like Cormier, Gosling) abruptly into the bullpen puzzles me, since everything I read says it's an entirely different preparation, pitch selection, and mind set.

I support that point completely, Zenny. Bring up a starter -- use him as a starter. Don't introduce him to the Major Leagues by 'playing him out of positon'.

With baseball more specialized than ever before, they need a middle inning reliever, bring up a middle inning reliever. They need a closer, bring up a closer.

If they're going to change a player's position, the place to do it is, of course, in the Minors, as they're doing with Jackson. But too many Manager don't apply that to Pitchers.