Those of us scratching our heads over certain tactics from World Series managers Ron Washington and Tony LaRussa should consider checking out the Inside the Book in-game threads devoted to analyzing decisions by the skippers, as well as those of their players.
The game two thread features co-proprietor MGL’s snap defense of LaRussa’s decision to abruptly lift his star reliever in the top of the ninth:
Good (and ballsy) move by TLR. Motte has a large platoon split, mainly because fastballs have a large split.
Rhodes is much better than Motte against lefties (near 1 run per 9). And Hammy [Hamilton] has large splits as well.
Of course, you have a bunch of RH hitters coming up, so you have to consider that.
Earlier, he had opined on potential pinch-hit opportunities:
Yup, Phil, I would have PH for Lewis in the 6th. No manager would though. Yeah, Colby is a barely above average starter in the first place. Third time through the order? Any reliever is better.
Pinch hit for Punto in the 7th? I don’t see any reason why not. If he brings in Schumaker (or Moreland) to PH, will Wash put in a lefty? I don’t think so.
He even took a swipe at FOX color analyst Tim McCarver:
You would think that McCarver, after catching for 20 years and then broadcasting for another 20, would be able to tell the difference between a slider and a change up, especially when they show the hand and the spin in super slow motion close up. But, I guess not…
The game one thread is here.