Okay, the Playoffs are down to their final series as I write this. I took special notice this time around and shook my head as KC, Houston and Pittsburgh went down in agony in the NL. I am not that tuned in with the AL but I find that Anaheim has better pitching, just not sure it will hold up against the Durham hitting and I have no way of determining if the Reds will beat the Brewers or vice-versa. I had been thinking about starting this sooner but that would have been kibitzing if I accidently posted it and I am not into that. For the most part I tried to help a little but for some reason that really went unheeded or wasn't understood.
IMHO the Reds should have been beaten by the Pirates. So where did the Pirates go wrong? The very first game there was an unforgivable mistake by the Pirates that cost them the game and maybe the series. Theirs had to do with Managers settings. You see, in a playoff game, you cannot make wholesale changes in your lineup and take out your best players unless your up by 5 runs. Not much to say about game 2 as you must hit to win and they didn't do that. Game 3 was another matter, they did things right, they got Yamil out of the game but just couldn't score runs. My question was why wasn't Andy Reagan batting second in the lineup during the series?
Here is some food for thought for everyone. Power hitters love power pitchers. Power pitchers have several things in common. Usually good stamina so they can go deep into games, good splits because they strike batters out, and normally some very good pitches. To beat power pitchers is relatively simple, you must get them out of the game by the 6th inning and get to a hopefully weaker bull pen and be within striking distance. You say that is simpler said than done, I say it isn't. You must use their strengths against them. For one, they have a tendency to give up home runs to the power hitters or walk them. That means you need guys with good eye, power and contact to neutralize them and the preceding hitters must get on base somehow as not to have solo shots or be walked. Everybody has them, so this is not something that can't be done.
The powers hitters need to be your 3-6 hitters to start, only two of them need to be overwhelming (3 and 4 slot). It also helps if they have a tendency to walk also. The lead off hitter needs to be your best for average hitter (always helpful if he is a speed guy but not necessary). The second batter in the lineup needs to be the best OBP guy that doesn't fall into the other two categories. The player needs to have a great walk to strike out ratio. The object is to get the first two on base so the power hitters can get him home with either an extra base hit at least. The 5th and 6th hitters need to have enough power to protect the power hitters (light home run production but doubles hitters at least), you have to make him pitch to them. I have never understood about the 7th and 8th hitters for the most part but you can get away with with just about any kind of slap hitter. I guess because if he gets a hit by some miracle, runs will score. It just happens more often against power pitchers for me anyway.
Okay, so you run into a team like KC, power hitting from top to bottom for the most part. How do you neutralize a power team? Simpler than one thinks. Use an off speed pitcher. Most power hitters are Ceranoesque, they can't hit a good curve ball and Joe Boo is not gonna help. A good off speed pitcher will have a high control and some good pitches, especially the first three. GB is always a big plus because if he does hit it, you want it on the ground, let the defense take care of it. Splits are a matter of opinion, the higher the better of course and a lefty needs to have a very good right split. The biggest problem that leaves me scratching my head is the relief pitcher the engine brings in sometimes. Some of it can be controlled, but sometimes it does something off the wall that has no explanation.
You might find this funny, but the object is to stay close during a game if you don't have a lead. Down by three runs actually gives you a better chance of winning during the season. Why? If you can get the starting pitcher out of the game and your only down by three in the late innings, most have their Management settings set to a three run lead, which means lineup changes are coming which can be a boon as they are not always the best in hitting and sometimes fielding. Of course it will help if you have a good pen yourself.
Now for Brewers vs Astros match up. I think the Astros should have won the series IMO. I have no respect for Hithcock and Wagner at all, sorry but even the Indians make mince meat out of them. Those were the last two pitchers I figured would start the first two games or gone at the first sight of trouble at least. Herrera won game three, hmm...off speed pitcher versus power lineup...hmm.. I was hoping and expecting Key, Espinoza, and Herrera as the starters. The lineup was almost brought into the right configuration I was talking about. Would have Juan Santiago in the #2 slot, Sid Bryant in the 5th spot followed by Russell Relaford made a difference?
As for Kansas City. I am not sure what happened to them as it just seemed the engine actually turned against them for some reason or everyone found a reasonable way to beat them. This is evident as they went 15-32 to end the season. It could be a case of an easy schedule to start then a tough one to finish and you have to recognize that to combat it.
The Reds-Brewers match up was a classic as these two total power teams did battle, the Reds were the better team in this instance.
I am not saying this to be condescending or telling anyone that this is the way to do it because there is more than one way to do it. I am not saying to dump the power pitchers either as they have their place, but a better mix could be more advantageous. The best thing to do is what works for you. This is just the way the season seemed to have worked for me and for the most part a common theme throughout the season. You must trust all the stats because that is the only way to win. Besides, we need to get these power pitchers out of the Cy Young races every season.
A few last tidbits:
Something I noticed throughout the season is the stolen base setting in the Management settings. I run average and had 104 stolen bases and only got caught 27 times. I know Houston runs aggressive and had 189 steals but got caught 78 times. Doing the math indicates that was an actual total of 34 more stolen bases over the season. Is 34 actual stolen bases worth it compared to 51 more outs?
(189-104) - (78-27) = 34
One last thing is the sacrifice setting. I run aggressive and I am not sure, but it sure seems like I kind of failed in this aspect. I only had 19. However, the funny thing is that I led the league in sacrifice hits. Figure that one out. So did the sacrifices turn into hits? The only thing I can say is that it did.
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