4/15 - White Sox vs Indians

[Dick Allen]

Pitching to Chisenhall with open base, letting LaRoche bat in the 8th vs LHP and having Eaton bunt with 2 strikes are decisions that are pretty indefensible. This sucks

You had the L/L match up with Chisenhall who has been pretty brutal vs LHP in his career. If that backfired, Robin would have been skewered.

[fathom]

You had the L/L match up with Chisenhall who has been pretty brutal vs LHP in his career. If that backfired, Robin would have been skewered.

 

Chisenhall has done well vs Danks in his career, and you have a minor league catcher up next.

[chitownsportsfan]

I most of watched Eaton try to bunt 20 times during ST games, and it seems he fouled off every single attempt.

 

See, even the fans know it! How does the manager not?

 

You guys that defend Robin can talk about me and some other posters beating a dead horse and try and poo poo it away but the reality is that he's actively costing the Sox wins and when you spend as much money as JR did this offseason you expect the manager not to hold the team back. So far, the team is sloppy, beyond sloppy really.

[fathom]

The thing is, Ventura's approach to trying to get Abreu a chance to tie the game makes it more likely for the opposition to pitch around him if Cabrera doesn't deliver.

[Dick Allen]

Chisenhall has done well vs Danks in his career, and you have a minor league catcher up next.

4 AB.

 

As for Eaton, you can blame Robin all you want, but the fact remains, he should be able to get a bunt down.

 

 

[shysocks]

Clearly if Eaton didn't bunt, this was a victory.

Dude, you don't have to support Robin at every opportunity. This was an indefensible decision and whether it "cost us the game" or not, it certainly, inarguably did not help.

[Dick Allen]

The thing is, Ventura's approach to trying to get Abreu a chance to tie the game makes it more likely for the opposition to pitch around him if Cabrera doesn't deliver.

And Abreu struck out.

[caulfield12]

Clearly if Eaton didn't bunt, this was a victory.

 

Weren't you the cello player on the Titanic?

 

Deflecting isnt going to save Ventura's ill-conceived managerial foray.

[fathom]

4 AB.

 

As for Eaton, you can blame Robin all you want, but the fact remains, he should be able to get a bunt down.

 

But he hasn't been able to do so at all this year. There were games this spring where he tried bunting in consecutive at bats, and the announcers were laughing at how unsuccessful he was. If Eaton's going to be treated as an NL pitcher, then this team is really going to suck.

[southsideirish71]

4 AB.

 

As for Eaton, you can blame Robin all you want, but the fact remains, he should be able to get a bunt down.

 

The fact remains that you shouldn't call for a 2 strike bunt with 0 outs in the 9th facing a hard throwing righty who has shown an inability to throw strikes.

[greg775]

I don't get what problem people have with Beckham. He's had good at bats and played solid defense. Bonifacio, on the other hand, has looked like he's done with baseball since the second Spring Training games started.

Simple. Beckham is old news; Bonifacio the mystery new guy. People always want the mystery guy. Like you said, Beckham has been OK so far. Too many guys in the lineup aren't hitting yet. Some horrific averages.

 

First person who defends that decision gets kicked in the teeth.

 

Also, EATON. You're a professional baseball player, time to act like it.

Yeah it was dumb to bunt with two strikes. But at least execute the bunt and see what happens. Don't have three miserable attempts and strike 3.

 

A 5'4 lead off hitter can't execute a bunt? Jesus.

Great post. I mean, he's already overpaid if he can't bunt and he's a short guy like that. I mean, if you can't bunt, work on it, Eaton.

 

That 2-1 pitch should have been crushed.

 

Oh well, bad defense, don't take advantage of scoring opps, that's a loss.

I noticed Francona was mad during postgame after Game One of the series. He said he made a "mistake to a guy you can't make a mistake to." Sounds like there was another mistake pitch today? I didn't see it, but he could have crushed it again?

 

Eaton may be he dumbest baseball player to ever roam the earth. Crashing into the wall on a ball that was not catchable last year was my first indication, getting thrown out at home to end a game you are 6 runs down in was another and today is just icing on the cake.

 

Cabreara is not doing the things he was brought in to do but then eaton is not helping him

 

Abreu looks a 20 year old that is mystified by the breaking pitch

 

Garcia better have some reason why he could not bat today.

 

The offense really should have pounded the ball yesterday and then today after bauer left.

 

Again this team was not ready for the season to start and still is not.

Nice post. I know you can't win 'em all, but this team still looks .500ish at best unless the pitching becomes so damn good it makes up for lousy defense, bad baserunning and bad fielding.

 

You should never play for the tie on the road...what happened to that tried-and-true axiom of baseball?

That is a GREAT question. You rarely see managers not do the old baseball cliche, "Play to tie at home and win on the road." Very interesting. Even if you tie it, Cleveland wins it on the walk off in theory. Weird.

[Dick Allen]

Dude, you don't have to support Robin at every opportunity. This was an indefensible decision and whether it "cost us the game" or not, it certainly, inarguably did not help.

Eaton's AB did not help. As I stated, I don't agree with having him bunt with 2 strikes, but the fact is the player should be able to execute the bunt. And when I disagree with what a manager did, I don't always assume my way would have resulted in 10 runs. Melky was retired. Abreu struck out. Assuming that remains the same, a heck of a lot would have had to go right for the White Sox to win, even if Eaton is swinging away.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Dick Allen

[Rowand44]

The thing is, Ventura's approach to trying to get Abreu a chance to tie the game makes it more likely for the opposition to pitch around him if Cabrera doesn't deliver.

Definitely

 

4 AB.

 

As for Eaton, you can blame Robin all you want, but the fact remains, he should be able to get a bunt down.

We can say that all we want but you have to know your players and we all know that Adam can't bunt.

 

I have nothing against Robin but this was a boneheaded move imo.

[caulfield12]

And Abreu struck out.

 

 

If Cabrera comes through or not (assuming a successful Eaton bunt), you're still odds on taking the bat out of Abreu's hands.

 

One can only assume the idiotic bunting was Robin's way of forcing them to pitch to Jose. What great vision and foresight!

 

 

[shysocks]

Eaton's AB did not help. As I stated, I don't agree with having him bunt with 2 strikes, but the fact is the player should be able to execute the bunt.

And the player is being rightly criticized as well.

[greg775]

Eaton's AB did not help. As I stated, I don't agree with having him bunt with 2 strikes, but the fact is the player should be able to execute the bunt.

When I saw him square with two strikes, I had to laugh. First of all, I knew he was gonna bunt it foul. Second, when he did, I thought, 'Man, the manager just put the goat horns squarely on one guy.' I mean Eaton is a huge goat there.

The problem is like you all said the manager blew it. With two strikes at least let him hit. What happened after the buzzkill bunt was deflating, even if the ss made a dandy play.

Abreu's at bat was absurd. I must have glanced away on the pitch everybody said was a mistake pitch on 2-1. Cause his swings on the junk pitches were horrible.

[Dick Allen]

And the player is being rightly criticized as well.

Not that much. He deserved the strikeout with that effort. But it is comforting to know he would have reached base if Robin didn't put the bunt on.

[greg775]

Not that much. He deserved the strikeout with that effort. But it is comforting to know he would have reached base if Robin didn't put the bunt on.

I used to use the same argument when Oz called for the bunt and people fried him. I'd blame the player. But nobody is addressing what caufield said: Why was Robin playing for the tie on the road??? That's wild.

[caulfield12]

The only argument is that he had faith and confidence Abreu would somehow homer there.

[shysocks]

Not that much. He deserved the strikeout with that effort. But it is comforting to know he would have reached base if Robin didn't put the bunt on.

Plenty, and so what? Why do you care so much how Soxtalk distributes its criticism? Nobody is saying Eaton would have reached base without the bunt call, that's just a pointless deflection. The manager made a bad decision that hurt the team's chance to win. Period.

[Dick Allen]

I used to use the same argument when Oz called for the bunt and people fried him. I'd blame the player. But nobody is addressing what caufield said: Why was Robin playing for the tie on the road??? That's wild.

I think Robin likes his bullpen. Playing for a tie on the road isn't necessarily wrong anymore.

[greg775]

I think Robin likes his bullpen. Playing for a tie on the road isn't necessarily wrong anymore.

Yeah, I actually thought of that seconds after I posted. Good take. You might be right about the end of that baseball axiom. I'd like some proof, though, of how many managers are now playing to tie on the road.

[Dick Allen]

Yeah, I actually thought of that seconds after I posted. Good take. You might be right about the end of that baseball axiom. I'd like some proof, though, of how many managers are now playing to tie on the road.

I wouldn't call it playing for a tie, but getting at least a tie.

[chitownsportsfan]

Yeah, I actually thought of that seconds after I posted. Good take. You might be right about the end of that baseball axiom. I'd like some proof, though, of how many managers are now playing to tie on the road.

 

I don't mind playing for the tie so much as the fact that everyone that even follows the sox casually knows that Adam Eaton cannot sac bunt. Yea, he's a 5-8 speedy slap hitter -- but he can't sac bunt! You can expect him to bunt because 5-8 slap hitters are supposed to be Good Solid Fundamental Players but the reality is that Eaton is a .300 hitter that had the platoon advantage.

 

Let him f***ing swing. Put your guys in a position to succeed.

Edited April 15, 2015 by chitownsportsfan

[fathom]

In 850 at bats, Eaton's hit into 8 double plays during his career.