Pirates @ Dbacks Series Thread

[GatorAZ]

Our bullpen will be toast by June. Already a league leading 75 inning.

 

[Kel Varnsen]

Miller in left field... Should be interesting!

Best left fielder today?

 

[thirty-two]

That call was pretty bad. I don't blame Nick for arguing and getting tossed. Sucks we were so close but oh well. On to the Cardinals!!

 

[Avondale Red Rage]

I am curious what you mean by the Cooler role. Are you talking about Goldy's steady demeanor? It is interesting that his MVP competitor Andrew McCutchen is having the same slow start at bat as Goldy.

On his throw to home, it was clear that Goldy was in the motion of throwing when he saw that Wagner was coming right into the path (for which you cannot blame him) and instinctively raised the trajectory of the throw. It was a freak play.

I am concerned about Nick Ahmed. Although he is as nearly perfect in the field as any SS could be, and despite his quick start just as last season, his batting average stands at .226 (just as he finished last year), with a lifetime average of .222. He has established that as his level.

Can we afford to have him in the starting lineup, especially when we have a SS (Gene Segura) playing 2B and leading the league in hits? 'Probably until Pollock returns, freeing up Chris Owings to return to the infield.

My obscure reference at the time was to an older movie with William Macy and Alec Baldwin called The Cooler where Macy is employed by casino boss Baldwin because he had the ability to walk up to a table if someone was on a hot streak and kill the hot streak.

My concern with Goldschmidt isn't so much the start this season, but a continuation from his second half of last season. More specifically it seems to have coincided with the birth of his son. In my opinion he's looked uncomfortable in all facets of the game. I was at Friday's game and there were a couple of fairly routine defensive plays that he made look more difficult than they were. Offensively, he's not driving the ball, especially at important times that seem to arise for a #3 hitter. I don't know, he just seems out of sorts to me on a too regular basis. In no way am I giving up on him, but I certainly hope it starts to click soon. Of course it won't mean a thing if the guys behind him are going to strike out when he gets walked.

I'm with you on Ahmed...torn, because the guy is a wall at SS, but he seems to be a career .200 hitter at this point. I also like Owings in the lineup, just not playing CF. Pollacks injury has definitely mucked up the mix both defensively and offensively.