Episode 74: David Ross Is Dragging the Reds Down
By
Amanda
Posted at 10:09 pm
I didn’t say it! It wasn’t me! Get off my freakin’ back, already!
Jonny, my beloved husband and Red Hot Mama’s own Crack Technical Staff, does not have the love for the Reds’ number one catcher and attributes their loss in the two games yesterday to his return from the DL. I think that’s probably going a bit far, myself, but I can’t deny that I loves to see the Latin Love Machine behind the plate.
Tonight on the podcast, in addition to the CTS’s ranting about the catching situation, we also rant about the management of the team, both on the field and in general. As it has been every single time an interim manager has done well, Red Hot Mama’s stance on the situation is to allow said interim manager to interview for the position, but not to remove the interim tag before the interviews. Will the team get it right this time? That alone is reason to keep watching.
Episode 74: David Ross Is Dragging the Reds Down (16.7MB, 24:21)
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Err I blame Majewski myself.. I think he is throwing games I really do. He was scared to do it at home ever since I blasted him verbally but on the road he’s right back at it. He’s a mole I just know he is…
Well, it’s hard to deny that LLM has hit a lot better than Ross.
Narron, as a former catcher, just couldn’t stand the rest of LLM’s game, but his hitting is clearly superior to Ross’.
Y’know, a statistical argument could be made for benching Hamilton against lefties. Here’s the splits (batting average and OPS)…
[b]Hamilton[/b]:
VS. LEFT: .219 / .598
VS. RIGHT: .306 / 1.021
[b]Hopper[/b]:
VS. LEFT: .359 / .831
VS. RIGHT: .303 / .696
[b]Ellison[/b] (last three years):
VS. LEFT: .320 / .845
VS. RIGHT: .228 / .600
I think Mackanin really is playing to win, in his way.
FWIW, the [url=http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070830/SPT04/708300339/1071/SPT]Enquirer[/url] said today that Votto and Cueto may be called up, but Bruce likely won’t be.
That platoon split is undoubtedly why Hopper starts against lefties instead of Hamilton. Pete says all the right things about wanting to keep guys sharp, but he has probably half a dozen guys who struggle against southpaws. Hamilton’s one of ’em. Dunn is another. You can add Valentin, Hatteberg and Griffey to the list too. I think that’s why Pete likes Hopper, Keppinger, and Cantu. Also, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s playing to win. He’s not going to ge to keep the job by losing.
😎
Yeah, Mackanin’s playing for his job next year, at least.
But a lot of fans seem to think that he’s just giving Ellison at-bats to see what he can do, or to keep him sharp. Or, OTOH, that he should play Hamilton every day, because “He’s never going to learn to hit lefties if you don’t let him try.”
Mackanin’s not going to do that (unless his boss tells him to). He wants to win now, if only to burnish his chances of keeping his job.
The Reds do have an awful lot of lefties. That extends to the minor league system, too. Even that new outfielder they got yesterday, Buck Coats, is a lefty.
Hey lady,
I’m gonna miss the smack talk tonight AND tomorrow 😥 . I’ll be at the game tonight and have my dad’s b-day tomorrow. I will be here to take my lumps on Sunday, rest assured!
Aw man. We’ll miss ya. Have a good time, though. You’ll be treated to the pitching stylings of Tom Shearn tonight, which ought to be a pretty good show.