White Sox Offense: 6th-9th innings

[Paulie4Pres]

I would love to see some statistics on how many runs we've scored in innings 6-9 this year, compared to what we score in innings 1-5. I can't imagine our sixth through ninth inning totals being even 25% of our totals for the first five innings. Why does this team suck so bad in the late innings? Because they're all old and tired? I really just don't get it. If the Sox are losing after the 5th inning, I pretty much just turn the game off, because is is almost a guarantee that they ARE going to lose the game. They're something like 0-43 when trailing going into the ninth....

 

I'm lost.

[jenksycat]

Inn 1-3 = 154 runs in 1254 PA 12.3%

Inn 4-6 = 187 runs in 1288 PA 15%

Inn 7-9 = 110 runs in 1149 PA 10%

[witesoxfan]

Inn 1-3 = 154 runs in 1254 PA 12.3%

Inn 4-6 = 187 runs in 1288 PA 15%

Inn 7-9 = 110 runs in 1149 PA 10%

 

Which is completely logical. Relievers are good if they have ERAs under 3, great if they have ERAs under 2. Starters are good with ERAs under 4, great with ERAs under 3.

[fathom]

IIRC, the first month or so, the Sox were doing a lot more damage from the 6th inning on than they were from innings 1-5.

[witesoxfan]

IIRC, the first month or so, the Sox were doing a lot more damage from the 6th inning on than they were from innings 1-5.

 

I prefer the roughly ..580 winning percentage since they were 7 under. I'm not doubting your point, just saying I'd rather them be winning from innings 1-6 and later rather than them winning from innings 7-9. Wins from innings 1-6 are much more predictable than those from 7-9.

 

I would like one win like Swisher's extra inning walk-off homer against the Tigers last year though. I'm a big SABR guy and like to play most things by statistics, but this team, even with the young, fiery Beckham and a rejuvenated Podsednik, lacks some type of flare. It's just a boring team to watch (outside of only Beckham and maybe seeing Quentin get back on track, because I seem to recall seeing 4 good balls off his bat this evening, even if one was merely your average deep flyball to left field...it did take a hell of an adjustment by Span in the 9th to catch that ball), especially in the later innings, mainly because you know what you are going to get and there is no pop off the bench. Ozzie never pinch hits with his catchers...didn't really have the opportunity tonight, but Getz/Nix, Wise, and Fields don't inspire much confidence.

 

To be fair though, Fields was pretty damn close to hitting a flyball go-ahead homer tonight. I thought it was gone when he hit it, and it probably was, but I'm sure the air conditioning was going and it would have been gone had Brendan Harris hit that ball.

Edited July 28, 2009 by witesoxfan

[Buehrlesque]

Hello Soxtalk! I've lurked for a while around here and finally decided to jump into the fray. This topic really makes my blood boil because it seems like the Sox pack it in after the 5th inning on offense.

 

You want the numbers? In the Sox last 9 games, the team has scored a total of 4 runs--all in one game-- from the 6th inning on. I watched all the games and checked all the box scores. That's a span of 35 innings in which the Sox have put up nothing but goose eggs in all but one game.

 

That one game was last Wednesday in a come-from-behind victory over the Rays at the Cell. Since that game, the Sox have gone 6 games and 25 innings without scoring a run in the 6th inning or later of any game.

 

That is just not going to cut it. There have been three one-run games in that stretch in which the Sox took an early lead but never added on, allowing the Tigers and Twins to come back and win in the late innings. It's not a sabremetric formula that can be proven, but I feel like if you rest on a slim early inning lead without adding on you're playing with fire. Even just adding one or two insurance runs in the middle to late innings makes a huge difference in the momentum of the game, and the psyche of the opposition. The Sox have done nothing in the way of run-scoring in those situations in the past week, putting momentum on the opposition's side and undue pressure on the bullpen to be literally perfect.

 

Something is wrong with that. Yes the bullpen has struggled, but they're given literally zero margin for error. The Sox need to score some late inning runs!!!!

[NorthSideSox72]

Hello Soxtalk! I've lurked for a while around here and finally decided to jump into the fray. This topic really makes my blood boil because it seems like the Sox pack it in after the 5th inning on offense.

 

You want the numbers? In the Sox last 9 games, the team has scored a total of 4 runs--all in one game-- from the 6th inning on. I watched all the games and checked all the box scores. That's a span of 35 innings in which the Sox have put up nothing but goose eggs in all but one game.

 

That one game was last Wednesday in a come-from-behind victory over the Rays at the Cell. Since that game, the Sox have gone 6 games and 25 innings without scoring a run in the 6th inning or later of any game.

 

That is just not going to cut it. There have been three one-run games in that stretch in which the Sox took an early lead but never added on, allowing the Tigers and Twins to come back and win in the late innings. It's not a sabremetric formula that can be proven, but I feel like if you rest on a slim early inning lead without adding on you're playing with fire. Even just adding one or two insurance runs in the middle to late innings makes a huge difference in the momentum of the game, and the psyche of the opposition. The Sox have done nothing in the way of run-scoring in those situations in the past week, putting momentum on the opposition's side and undue pressure on the bullpen to be literally perfect.

 

Something is wrong with that. Yes the bullpen has struggled, but they're given literally zero margin for error. The Sox need to score some late inning runs!!!!

Welcome to the board!

 

And you definitely make a good point, which I think we all have seen recently.

 

[SoxFan562004]

the top 3 teams in this division are so flawed, especially with Slowy out for the Twins. All three teams will hover around each other the rest of the year

[mmmmmbeeer]

To be fair though, Fields was pretty damn close to hitting a flyball go-ahead homer tonight. I thought it was gone when he hit it, and it probably was, but I'm sure the air conditioning was going and it would have been gone had Brendan Harris hit that ball.

 

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had that run through their head last night. That ball looked gone off his bat, looked like he hit it on the screws. The ball flight looked like a 9 iron against the wind. Paranoia probably, but off his bat it looked like he made better contact than PK had on his homer.

[chw42]

I'm glad I'm not the only one that had that run through their head last night. That ball looked gone off his bat, looked like he hit it on the screws. The ball flight looked like a 9 iron against the wind. Paranoia probably, but off his bat it looked like he made better contact than PK had on his homer.

 

http://www.aem.umn.edu/outreach/Baseball_L...r/startrib1.pdf

 

Read that.

 

A former Metrodome superintendent admitted that he tried to manipulate the air flow of the Metrodome in the later innings.

 

They still might be doing it today. Who knows?

[chw42]

Forgot to add that on the ball Fields hit, Span broke all the way back to the wall and then ended up catching the ball right in front of the warning track.

 

I don't think he misread it either. Something fishy.