John Smoltz, who in my humble opinion does an outstanding job of color commentary, said the Yankees blew their chances and "should've, could've, would've" won that game.
Let's look at the blown opportunities. In the first inning, only one run on what should've been a double play ball hit by Stanton. Pitcher struggling, on the ropes, Donald Duck and Torres come up with terrible at bats to end the first.In a later inning, Yanks have second and third, nobody out, and fail to score. Once again, Stanton, Donald Duck and Torres do the honors.
In the 9th, Stanton takes it into his own hands and wipes out the game with a double play ground ball. So (perhaps) thankfully, we never get to see Donald Duck and Torres fuck up their at bats.
The 9th inning was particularly egregious because their closer was on the ropes and having a stopwatch meltdown. I don't know how many times the ump came out and tapped his wrist for a pitch clock violation, but it was a lot. All Stanton had to do was outlast that bozo, who was melting down faster than an ice cream cone on a 105 degree late June day. I'm sure Stanton would've drawn a walk, if he'd taken two strikes. Anyway, that's another at bat where you sure wish the batter would've had the good sense to strike out.
Last point, did hitting Judge in the two spot help the Yankees yesterday, or thus far in the two games? Doesn't look like it to me.
Judge in the first inning in Game 1, comes up bases empty and homers. Followed by a Rizzo single. Yanks only score 1 run in that first inning. But they do win the game 5-0, so no harm no foul I suppose. Although it very well could've would've should've been 2-0 after one inning, if they'd flip flopped Judge and Rizzo in the lineup order.
In yesterday's game, Judge comes up in the first inning, bases empty, and singles. Then is pushed to second by a Rizzo walk. Ends up scoring on the botched Stanton double play ball.
In the third inning, Judge leads off with a strikeout. In the fifth inning, DJ doubles, Judge singles. Rizzo follows up with a double, but only one run scores that inning.
In the seventh inning, with bases empty, Judge flies out.
In the ninth inning, Volpe singles, DJ walks. So Judge comes up as the tying run. Obviously, though, that's a tall order, to hit a three run jack there to tie the game. He does the next best thing, which is an RBI hit.
You can argue that hitting Judge #2 got him to the plate in the 9th inning with a chance to tie the game. Or you could argue that hitting Judge #3 might have resulted in a better outcome.
Essentially, what hitting Judge #2 in yesterday's game did was to put the RBI chances in the hands of lesser hitters. And the lesser hitters did what they usually do, which is to fuck everything up.
Look, I know this lineup is extremely challenged. They essentially only have one guy who scares pitchers. Doesn't it make more sense to put Rizzo in the #2 slot? I guess Boone wants to break up the righty hitters with a lefty thrown in at #3, which is not his fault that the Yankees have to field a lineup with 7 righty hitters against a righty starting pitcher.
Excellent analysis!
ReplyDeleteLet’s get some ESPN + shots of Hicks on the bench today….
AA, especially when he dozes off.
ReplyDeleteOh wait, he does that in the batter’s box
I agree with everything but the Smoltz comment. He hates the Yankees, and to my mind, nobody with such a glaring bias should be covering Yankee games. 95% of the time, all he does is criticize us, often in a passive-aggressive way that drives me up a wall. He obviously can't say, "I hate this organization and have ever since they whupped us in the 90s," so he finds little sideways, oh-I'm-not-really-shitting-on-them ways to get his digs in.
ReplyDeleteThis is especially too bad since he isn't stupid and his criticisms can be valid. But he's so biased, it's hard to separate the sniping from the sound commentary. And he's very good at making his sniping sound like maybe it is sound commentary.
As for the Yankees yesterday, it was the same old shitshow. The middle of the order failed again. The bullpen melted down. Our hot young closers weren't so hot.
Another year, and nothing changes. I'm not sure why Judge wants to be here so badly. You'd think he'd want to be with an organization that isn't so blatantly inept. And I can say that because I've always be a fan, unlike Smoltz.
JM, I've heard that quite often about Smoltz from Yankee fans. Maybe I'm just not concentrating or listening to him with any kind of critical thinking in mind, but I've yet to hear the guy make an anti-Yankee dig. I'm sure you must have heard it right, if you say so, but for the life of me, I can't remember him doing any digs against the Yankees. Yesterday, for instance, I did not hear him say anything biased.
ReplyDeleteHammer -
ReplyDeleteWell done Sir!
Judge has to hit in either the 2 or 4 spot. Most important hitting positions. I think he has to hit #2 to get him a few dozen [is that correct?] more at bats over the course of the season. Either way, The Riz is #3.
ReplyDeleteHammer, I won't listen to Smoltz anymore. I listen to John and Suzyn and fiddle until I sync the picture to their commentary.
ReplyDeleteMy wife feels the same way about Smoltz. Can't stand him, and it's the way he's said some things as much as what he said. There's nothing in particular I remember, which isn't surprising since I can't remember what I ate for breakfast. Considering what other NYY fans think of him, it is possible that the network asked him to rein in his comments.
Or not. I guess this is one of those subjective things that hits us different ways.
Your analysis of the game and the batting order situation was spot on, by the way. Well done!
I agree with JM. Schmoltz is a schmuck.
ReplyDeleteAfter the first inning the circumstances under which Judge will come to bat ate a matter of random chance. All his PAs could in crucial spots or none. The tiny sample of a few PAs in one game does not constitute an argument, especially since the final and most important PA is a counterexample for you ("You can argue that hitting Judge #2 got him to the plate in the 9th inning with a chance to tie the game." That's not arguable--it is a fact.)
ReplyDeleteThanks, AboveAverage, JM, Doug K.!
ReplyDelete@EDB, Judge came to the plate in the 9th inning with a chance to tie the game. No argument there. But you forget that this strategy of hitting Judge #2 doesn't come for free. It has what's known in economics as an opportunity cost. You reduced the possibility of Judge hitting with someone on base in the 1st inning, in exchange for an extra at bat later in the game.
ReplyDeleteIn that game, Judge got to hit but the lineup got to Rizzo and then to Stanton. So, in effect, you gave up the potential RBI chance in the 1st and ... got nothing in exchange. Put another way, if Judge had been in the #3 slot, he most probably gets to hit in the 9th, probably with the bases loaded. (Rizzo walked in the 9th.) If everything had happened the same way, except Judge and Rizzo were flipped around, Judge hits in the 9th with the bases loaded and only one out.
The strategy of hitting Judge #2, in other words, doesn't really make a difference in the later innings, if the lineup goes well past him (to the cleanup hitter, in this particular case).
Think about it: you gave up the possibility of an RBI at bat in the 1st inning, and got what in return?
Well, you get the extra fifty at bats per year. In this game, though, I'm saying that it did not make any difference. Judge most probably comes up to bat even if he'd been in the 3 slot. And it might have been a better chance for the team to win the game, if he had been up with the bases loaded and one out, instead of Stanton.
So, in fact, for this particular game, you gave up the possibility of an RBI but didn't really get anything in return later in the game. Regardless of hitting #2 or #3, Judge would've come up to bat in the 9th.
Sorry if my explanation is a bit verbose and rambling, it's getting late.... Hope you understood what I was saying.