Cubs 16-15
Pirates 14-18
POTG: SP Jason Marquis (SHUTOUT, 3 H, 0 BB, W [5/61])
Runner Up: LF Alfonso Soriano (HR), C Michael Barrett (2 2B, BB), RF Matt Murton (2H, 2B)
DO NOT MAKE JACQUE FACE LEFT HANDED PITCHING!
DO NOT MAKE JACQUE FACE LEFT HANDED PITCHING!
DO NOT MAKE JACQUE FACE LEFT HANDED PITCHING!
DO NOT MAKE JACQUE FACE LEFT HANDED PITCHING!
DO NOT MAKE JACQUE FACE LEFT HANDED PITCHING!
9 runners left on base. He didn’t even strike out. They don’t need him to strike out.
My word, Marquis threw a brilliant three hitter (though aided by a tired opposition), and all I can think of is how quite nearly it went to waste because ONCE AGAIN, Jacque Jones was forced to face left handed pitching.
Why do they keep doing this to the man? Why drive him insane like this? He’s a tough guy who’s going to try hard, but when you set up a man to fail and fail and fail again, it’s only going to start hurting everything he actually does well. This is destructive short term and destructive long term. It’s plain dumb.
Here’s the other problem – I know Felix Pie is also a left handed guy and not really hitting well. But he doesn’t have the years of evidence that he can’t hit left handers, and if you’re not going to use Pie when Jones is at his weakest, when exactly does he start? If he’s only going to be a defensive replacement, does he really have more value to the Cubs than Buck Coates? If he’s only going to be a pinch runner, does he really have to the Cubs than Angel Pagan? One of them can easily take his place and enjoy being a bench guy, and Pie can get his at bats and not plateau at a 220 hitter.
This usage of Jacque cost the Cubs last night’s game, nearly cost them this game, and looks like it will cost them more down the road. It’s not a surprise to anyone any more. I don’t understand it.
One of the more agonizing facets of being a baseball fan is seeing bad strategical moves on a about regular basis. Unless it’s a super critical situation, managers aren’t judged by the moves they make on the field. You can be smart, you can screw them up, but it never seems as important to the front office as how they manage the clubhouse and deal with the things that happen off the playing field (unless it costs you a trip to the World Series, and even that’s iffy.) The beat writers will pay attention a little more to a bad mood, because it’s 162 games and you’ve got write something every day. Still, they don’t seem to judge managers on their in-game so much either, because they get an insight to how the team runs internally, day to day and get to know the manager for more than what’s listed in the play by play data.
As a fan, we get that insight second half at best, and I don’t suppose I’ll ever be having daily talks with Lou. So all I know him for is what I see him do on the field, and what I’m seeing here is very disappointing. Maybe there are extenuating factors, maybe there’s sensible reasons which will never come to light. Maybe Jacque has the ability to be a .300 hitter versus lefties and just has had an very unlucky 9 years. I don’t know any of those things, and I don’t know enough to assume them. All I see is the same bad decision made again and again, without defense, apology or improvement.