4-15 Post Game Thread

[TimeForGuinness]

Any interest in moving Jimmy and Duncan around in the lineup? Doesn't have to happen today, but should it happen if Duncan and Jimmy continue to hit like they are?

Eckstein
Edmonds
Pujols
Duncan
Rolen
Wilson/Ency/Spezzers
Kennedy
Molina
Pitcher

Duncan between Pujols and Rolen looks like a stronger middle lineup. Plus, Edmonds might see some better pitches to hit when hitting in front of Pujols.

Just a thought.

I think it's fine, but when you say Jimmy continue to hit like he has to you mean that in a good way or a bad way? Edmonds absolutely smoked the ball yesterday. I have two !'s in my scorecard, which I use to denote an exceptional play, one is a 9! and the other is a 4!-6-3/gdp, both on Edmonds.

Yeah, like yesterday. I don't see Jimmy "as much as" a power threat as he was in the past. He he likes to look for the walk, and can move the runner to third because he can still smoke it to the gaps. Plus, with AP behind him...I think he might get some better pitches to hit. I've mentioned in earlier threads during the offseason and preseason that I have a concern with Jimmy's offense this year, which could be mitigated by batting him 2nd.

As it looks today, Duncan's power would scare me more than Jimmy's.

TFG

I would be fine with it. I actually still am one of those that would like to see the major power threat hitting 4th. Edmonds/Dunc/Pujols/Rolen, something like that.

I wouldn't mind that either, I was just holding Pujols constant because it didn't look like he was moving anywhere in the lineup anytime soon.

TFG

[jim]

I think what you said makes some sense. Duncan probably is more of a power threat that Edmonds, but Edmonds will continue to get his walks and have a good OBP. Plus he still has some power.

Makes alot of sense actually.

[BenNX74205]

I agree with the notion of swapping Duncan and Edmonds in the line-up. At this point in their careers, it would not be hard to convince me that Duncan has more power than Edmonds. Edmonds superior OPB ability while providing good power makes him an ideal 2-hitter for TLR, and Duncan would probably rack up the RBIs lower in the line-up.

But I think this discussion is quite premature. I personally beleive Duncan's hitting is no fluke and he will be a very good hitter in the years to come. Right now it's too early in the season: Duncan isn't going to stay above .400 and Edmonds is not going to get robbed all season. If Memorial Day rolls around and things look the same, then I would make the switch. Anybody have a website link that would let us play around with making that lineup change? I remember a threat from a while back with something like that...

[TimeForGuinness]

I agree with the notion of swapping Duncan and Edmonds in the line-up. At this point in their careers, it would not be hard to convince me that Duncan has more power than Edmonds. Edmonds superior OPB ability while providing good power makes him an ideal 2-hitter for TLR, and Duncan would probably rack up the RBIs lower in the line-up.

But I think this discussion is quite premature. I personally beleive Duncan's hitting is no fluke and he will be a very good hitter in the years to come. Right now it's too early in the season: Duncan isn't going to stay above .400 and Edmonds is not going to get robbed all season. If Memorial Day rolls around and things look the same, then I would make the switch. Anybody have a website link that would let us play around with making that lineup change? I remember a threat from a while back with something like that...

Oh, I defintely agree that it is premature. I don't like basing things off of two weeks of the season. But it was an interesting thought I had while watching the game yesterday.

I do like seeing Duncan bat now, he's really improved his eye over last season.

[greenback44]

I'm just amazed that the word on Molina hasn't become more widespread. If you're a trail baserunner on first with two outs and you drift away from the bag, he will pick you off. This isn't complicated.

This is especially true if your weight is closer to that of an elephant than that of Juan Pierre.

--P--

I was at the game with a birdseye view, and that looked like a set play between the Looper/Molina/Pujols. Is that what the announcers were saying? I think the pitch was intentionally off the plate by a wide margin, Albert was breaking as the pitch was delivered.

I'm pretty sure Albert calls most of those pickoff attempts. I didn't know the pitcher was involved.

[GatewaySnayke]

Looper has thrown 19 innings so far this season. His average is ~74 innings, so he's nearly thrown one-third of his season average, and it's April 15. I still worry that by the time he's hitting the 100 inning threshold that he's going to wear out.

[jdk82]

Looper has thrown 19 innings so far this season. His average is ~74 innings, so he's nearly thrown one-third of his season average, and it's April 15. I still worry that by the time he's hitting the 100 inning threshold that he's going to wear out.

If he can stick it out till Mulder comes back I think we will be ok. But who knows how Mulder will bounce back from surgery.

[jim]

I'm just amazed that the word on Molina hasn't become more widespread. If you're a trail baserunner on first with two outs and you drift away from the bag, he will pick you off. This isn't complicated.

This is especially true if your weight is closer to that of an elephant than that of Juan Pierre.

--P--

I was at the game with a birdseye view, and that looked like a set play between the Looper/Molina/Pujols. Is that what the announcers were saying? I think the pitch was intentionally off the plate by a wide margin, Albert was breaking as the pitch was delivered.

I'm pretty sure Albert calls most of those pickoff attempts. I didn't know the pitcher was involved.

I would guess he is, you are going to want the pitch about a foot outside so to prevent the guy from putting the ball in play and to put Yadi in the best position for a quick release.

[Richie Allen]

Looper has thrown 19 innings so far this season. His average is ~74 innings, so he's nearly thrown one-third of his season average, and it's April 15. I still worry that by the time he's hitting the 100 inning threshold that he's going to wear out.

I'd be surprised if most relievers weren't able to effectively pitch quite a few more innings than they typically do. Their role in today's game, however, dictates that limited amount of innings over the course of the year. In most cases, so they're ready to pitch again on very little rest.

Yesterday was a good example. Had his outing been a typical relief outing, it would have been one bad inning and out of the game. Instead, he actually pitched much better as his pitch count went up and he settled into the game.

The argument that starting pitching is more difficult than relieving is one that I agree with, for the most part, but one of the things that makes relieving more difficult is that you have to be ready to be "settled in" immediately. You can have a rough inning as a starter, go into the dugout and collect yourself, and go out and pitch a decent game. I'm glad to see Looper has already done this once in his brief career as a starter.

[Jmodene]

Well, there is also the argument that a starting pitcher's job is easier because he only has to go out there every fifth or sixth day, whereas a reliever is going to be going out there three or four times a week, and that doesn't count all the times he may have to warm up for the possibility of going into a game.

It doesn't surprise me, therefore, that a reliever can only go 70-80 innings nowadays, although it should be pointed out that guys like Sutter and Gossage used to pitch 100 innings routinely, and of course Mike Marshall once pitched more than 160 innings - in relief (1974 or 1975).