AND THAT'S A WHITE SOX WINNER!!!

[southsider2k5]

Plenty of guys would bunt there but we know Alexei is bad at it, and then we'd be screaming that Robin made a guy do something he couldn't do.

 

So you'd have to lift him, and pinch hitting to lay down a bunt would be pretty unconventional. It all worked out fine, and as somebody who is always on alert for tactical errors by Robin, I was fine with the way he managed that inning.

 

And with the corners in tight, he had more of a chance for a hit.

[Kyyle23]

So you don't think he should have bunted?

 

i dont see how you got that from what i said

[Southwest Sider]

Maybe baseball has changed, but, I think in a 1-1 game in extra innings, where the Sox only run came from stealing home, at least 1 manager in baseball might think it's a good idea to lay a bunt down in the bottom of the 10th with runners on 1st and 2nd and nobody out, when you have a hitter who is 0-3 at the plate, rather than gamble and let Alexi swing away. It was a bad decision. And as for hindsight, the entire landscape of the game changes if it's 2nd and 3rd with one out. Soto may be intentionally walked instead, and he may change his hitting approach at the plate. I promise you 9 out of 10 managers will bunt in that situation. Just don't want to lose that way in the future.

 

I think Robin also knows ALexei is terrible at sacrifice bunting. Alexei would be a better bunter if he always tried to bunt for a base hit, but when he squares to bunt, he is just terrible. Add to the fact that you were pretty sure he was going to see offspeed, which makes even harder for a bad bunter to bunt, and I kind of agree with the decision to let him swing for it.

 

EDIT: sorry pretty much just repeated what shysocks has already said.

Edited May 19, 2015 by South Sider

[Eminor3rd]

1) The scoring play by Eaton was really not that different than a lot of the "dumb" attempts the Sox have made on the bases this year. A lot of people pointed out that the baserunning luck would turn around a little, and that was an example.

 

Thank you.

[pettie4sox]

Alexei has to execute better than that. Not necessarily sac bunt but getting the runner over is something he has done before.

Edited May 19, 2015 by pettie4sox

[Buehrle>Wood]

At bp yesterday they made everyone practice bunting, even Abreu. Anyways, Alexei was by far the best bunter. He was putting everything fair within an inch of the line. I found that funny.

[Y2Jimmy0]

No it's Robin's fault for not taking him out and bunting to move the runners over to second and third with one out in an extra inning game. That's about as basic of a managerial decision as it can get. Leaving Lexi in obviously didn't work out too well, unless you thought the infield pop up was a good result.

 

 

No it's not. Sacrifice bunting there is stupid and gives you less of a chance to win. I would have criticized Robin for bunting. I loved his answer in post game. He said they had 3 tries to get a single. I will never understand the infatuation with giving away outs.

[pettie4sox]

No it's not. Sacrifice bunting there is stupid and gives you less of a chance to win. I would have criticized Robin for bunting. I loved his answer in post game. He said they had 3 tries to get a single. I will never understand the infatuation with giving away outs.

 

If you get a guy on 3rd with 1 out, that is less pressure on the next guy to get a hit and to just find something he can lift into the air. It changes the entire dynamic of the AB.

 

I hate Soto's swing and Alexei is one lazy mother f***er.

Edited May 19, 2015 by pettie4sox

[Leonard Zelig]

[caulfield12]

 

Yep, thought he'd hit into at least one triple play.

 

Not sure how many double plays...but the results have been pretty horrific when he's not bunting for a hit and just trying to advance the runners/sacrifice.

[Leonard Zelig]

What is the YouTube embedding code now?

I just turned HTML on in the pulldown below.

[Balta1701]

At bp yesterday they made everyone practice bunting, even Abreu. Anyways, Alexei was by far the best bunter. He was putting everything fair within an inch of the line. I found that funny.

Alexei's problem is that when he has to bunt for a sacrifice he gets the "Yips". When he's bunting for a base hit he does it beautifully quite often because he's squaring and putting the bat on the ball in one motion, but when he has to square early he can't resist the temptation to jab at the ball.

[Balta1701]

THE MAN ON DECK DID IT!

I love how Hawk nailed that call

[Special K]

No it's not. Sacrifice bunting there is stupid and gives you less of a chance to win. I would have criticized Robin for bunting. I loved his answer in post game. He said they had 3 tries to get a single. I will never understand the infatuation with giving away outs.

 

I will never agree that having a guy on 3rd with one out is "stupid" and gives you a better chance to win than having a guy on second with no outs, especially when you are only playing for 1 run, not several runs. A single does not guarantee the run will score. You want to get a guy on 3rd and then have 2 chances to knock him though a myriad of ways including a sac fly. Plus it brings the infield in and increases your chances for a ground ball to get through. Makes way more sense than just playing for a hit, especially given the batter that was up.

[southsider2k5]

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2...icted_at_h.html

 

Adam Eaton, meanwhile, was on third base looking to rattle Kluber's cage.

 

"With a guy like Kluber, who has been striking out the world in his last two starts, you have to take a chance," said Eaton.

 

The chance came with Jose Abreu at the plate, two out and the Indians clinging to a 1-0 lead. Kluber had a 1-1 count on Abreu, who has hit him hard in his two seasons in the big leagues.

 

Third base coach Joe McEwing leaned into Eaton and said, "He's going to get nasty on this one. Be ready to go."

 

Kluber threw a curveball in the dirt. Abreu swung and missed and catcher Roberto Perez blocked it. The ball rolled to the right of the plate, barely touching the infield grass.

 

It was ignition time for Eaton.

 

"I told Joe, "If it gets on the grass or is even close, I'm going," said Eaton. "Sometimes you have to be risky, especially when there's a guy on the mound throwing the ball really well."