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10/19 Red Sox vs. Tigers ALCS Game 6 Thread
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Post by mattpicard on Oct 18, 2013 17:59:00 GMT -5
Look at the wording: "as good ... as the end of the regular season". That may just be a dodge if there were issues "at the end of the season" as well. I've wondered if he wasn't still having problems with the thumb. Back in June, Farrell mentioned that his swing does that digit some dirt every once in a while. It's possible I suppose, although it's worth noting that he was terrific at the end of the season. .333/.400/.476/.876 in September, and .379/.400/.517/.917 in the final week. I'm sure there's, at the very least, some minor irritation with his thumb, but his numbers both at the end of the regular season and so far in the postseason indicate that he's healthy enough to be a better contributor than Gomes against RHPs. His defensive advantage and OBP skills (.455 this postseason) alone are enough to justify it. Agree with this (is this Ben Buchanon who runs the OTM Twitter?): OverTheMonster ?@overthemonster 1h Though the fact that he's not even pinch-hitting late is a bit curious. Expand OverTheMonster ?@overthemonster 1h Concealing it would give the Sox the tiniest of strategic advantages in exchange for making Nava look unwanted and bringing heat on Farrell. Expand OverTheMonster ?@overthemonster 1h Don't see a scenario where Farrell doesn't come out and say Nava has an injury--however minor--if he has one. Expand OverTheMonster ?@overthemonster 1h Daniel Nava has a 128 wRC+ this year. That's equivalent to 2007 Mike Lowell. Expand OverTheMonster ?@overthemonster 1h The marginalization of Daniel Nava is a seriously sour sidestory to these playoffs. As for the pinch-hitting though, if you're not going to let him start and get 3 PA's against a righty, why should we be surprised he's not going to pinch-hit for Gomes late in the game against one? That's basically acknowledging you started a worse player and now it's time to put in the better one... Well, that's truly been the case all along for Gomes RHP starts in the playoffs (this is assuming there is no significant injury).
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Post by onbase on Oct 18, 2013 18:18:35 GMT -5
Why is the guy with the 5th best OBP in the AL in 2013 sitting on the bench? Inquiring minds want to know.
The game threads here are too negative for my taste once the game starts, and I let that impression carry into my reading of the complaints about Nava not playing. But it's gotten to me. Nava is the better hitter - better than most of the American freaking League never mind better than Jonny Gomes - and equal on defense as far as I can see. I don't understand it, and came to the conclusion yesterday that it's experience bias. I guess if it's injury we might find out after the post season ends.
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Post by jmei on Oct 18, 2013 18:45:20 GMT -5
What's more likely-- that Daniel Nava has a secret injury that noone has heard a peep about or that Farrell has a misplaced trust in trusted veterans? Remember, we're talking about the same manager who consistently refused to sit Stephen Drew against lefties, give Lavarnway playing time when Ross was hurt, or play Mike Carp when Napoli was slumping and suffering from plantar fasciitis. Farrell is a great manager of personalities and the media, but he shares the Francona-like trait of having perhaps too much faith in his veteran players.
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Post by mattpicard on Oct 18, 2013 18:55:43 GMT -5
What's more likely-- that Daniel Nava has a secret injury that noone has heard a peep about or that Farrell has a misplaced trust in trusted veterans? Remember, we're talking about the same manager who consistently refused to sit Stephen Drew against lefties, give Lavarnway playing time when Ross was hurt, or play Mike Carp when Napoli was slumping and suffering from plantar fasciitis. Farrell is a great manager of personalities and the media, but he shares the Francona-like trait of having perhaps too much faith in his veteran players. Exactly. That's why I'm pretty sure it's the latter of the two scenarios you mentioned. Of course, I hope it's the former, for the sake of me wanting to have confidence in our manager (of course, I don't wish injury on any player, especially one of my favorites in Nava; it's just that there's no other logical rationale for this nonsense). If I'm Cherington, yeah blah blah Farrell's been terrific and all leading the team and so there's trust with him, but goddamn I'm on the line with him saying what the hell are you doing.
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Post by adiospaydro2005 on Oct 18, 2013 19:56:00 GMT -5
Farrell needs to manage like it is game 7 tomorrow as you don't want to go into game 7 with Verlander scheduled to start for the Tigers given the way he has been pitching over the last month. Buchholz did not pitch well in Game 2 of the ALCS and Farrell left him in there way too long which almost put that game out of reach. If he starts to falter Farrell should get the bullpen up much sooner than he did in game 2 of the ALCS and do not hesitate to pull him to use either Doubrant or Workman to keep the game close.
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Post by James Dunne on Oct 18, 2013 19:58:52 GMT -5
What's more likely-- that Daniel Nava has a secret injury that noone has heard a peep about or that Farrell has a misplaced trust in trusted veterans? Remember, we're talking about the same manager who consistently refused to sit Stephen Drew against lefties, give Lavarnway playing time when Ross was hurt, or play Mike Carp when Napoli was slumping and suffering from plantar fasciitis. Farrell is a great manager of personalities and the media, but he shares the Francona-like trait of having perhaps too much faith in his veteran players. It's much worse than Francona, though. I can't imagine Francona giving a "young" player 536 plate appearances in the regular season and then suddenly benching him in the playoffs for a veteran, with no other reason. Francona stuck with Bellhorn and Millar too long in 2005, but was totally willing to give Olerud at bats down the stretch in '05, and benched Crisp for Ellsbury in 2007.
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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Oct 18, 2013 20:00:18 GMT -5
What's more likely-- that Daniel Nava has a secret injury that noone has heard a peep about or that Farrell has a misplaced trust in trusted veterans? Remember, we're talking about the same manager who consistently refused to sit Stephen Drew against lefties, give Lavarnway playing time when Ross was hurt, or play Mike Carp when Napoli was slumping and suffering from plantar fasciitis. Farrell is a great manager of personalities and the media, but he shares the Francona-like trait of having perhaps too much faith in his veteran players. I think you pretty much nailed it. Farrell said the other day that the team just" looked different" when Gomes was on the field. Essentially looked like it was playing sharper. With more intensity was my interpretation although it's difficult to know exactly what he meant. It is such a slap in the face of Nava who has clearly performed better than Gomes all year long. He may not exude confidence but he has been performing better than Gomes and better than a lot of these guys in a very small sample size. He played against the stud pitchers and he was the one who got the only hit against Sanchez in the first game if I remember correctly and has drawn some walks. It is patently unfair and inappropriate given the numbers Nava has put up. Farrell looks the part...Is he the part? I hate a manager who puts players in a doghouse based on perceptual bias. Some people make decisions based on looks. Others make decisions based on the data. I prefer the later.
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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Oct 18, 2013 20:14:02 GMT -5
If Farrell is making out the lineup based on looks he should take a gander at Drew who has looked like Crap!
Sorry to Drew. I know he's trying but so far he has been just terrible this series. Hopefully he breaks out for a solid game Saturday!
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Oct 18, 2013 21:19:35 GMT -5
I actually like Gomes as a player... but it is such a damn slap in the face to Nava who I also like. Just a puzzling move. Hopefully Benny C gives him a call.
Looks like the Cardinals are going to win here so don't have to worry about a potential Drew-Kershaw match up. Although the Nava-Gomes LF decisions loom for the forseeable future..
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Post by Guidas on Oct 18, 2013 22:22:32 GMT -5
btw, small samples being what they are Middlebrooks & Salty have both been pretty good vs Scherzer this year.
Middlebrooks in the play off game 1-3 with a double & 2 ks in Sept game 1-3 with double and 1k
Salty 1-4 in playoff, 0ks 1-4 with a k in June 22 game
Barring an injury, Sitting a pitch-count rising, high OBP guy who plays average defense for a "leader" who does not perform as well or better at the plate vs. RHP, or in the field in general is just mystifying. Gomes has grown on me but Nava is on of the five best on-base men in the league. Nothing about starting Gomes over Scherzer I can support, except beardiness. Then, Gomes is HOF.
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Post by Don Caballero on Oct 18, 2013 23:04:36 GMT -5
If I'm Cherington, yeah blah blah Farrell's been terrific and all leading the team and so there's trust with him, but goddamn I'm on the line with him saying what the hell are you doing. Yeah, no you're not, especially because of what you said in your former sentence. Nava not being there, not even as a PH, means Farrell saw something there that he wouldn't trust (for whatever reason) putting in such a tight post-season series. It's not like Nava was relegated to the bench during the regular season.
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redsox04071318champs
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 18, 2013 23:11:20 GMT -5
Evan Drellich ? evandrellich 17h I asked Nava on Tues night if he was healthy. He said he didnt have anything nagging and that he felt as good as he did at end of reg season I don't know why they would refuse to disclose an injury. I mean, Farrell damn sure is due for a real explanation on how he's making these LF decisions. Given that Nava has not PH for anyone yet, or come in for the field, its why I think its some sort of injury.... Its either a "minor" one or its not, and they want to see how he progresses before they take him off the roster (which could explain why he has not PH), since once they do that he is out for the WS (if we get there). Its not uncommon to not disclose an injury I dont think.... Why is it so hard for you to believe that Nava actually is healthy and for whatever reason Farrell prefers Gomes in the bigger games? Nava started games 1 and 4, games they both lost, and I think Comcast keeps spouting the worthless and coincidental stat that the Sox are 6-0 in the post-season when Gomes starts. My guess is that Farrell hopes that Gomes gets hot and starts smashing home runs, which he is more likely to do than Nava. FWIW, he's a better baserunner than Nava. Personally I prefer Nava's OBP capabilities, against a righty anyways, and I prefer Nava's defense (slightly) although I do think that Gomes plays the wall well and does have a good arm. It is strange that Nava and his high OBP is hitting the bench. I also honestly wouldn't be shocked to see Ross start Game 7 if it gets that far. Bottom line, it's a strange move. I like Gomes and when hot, he definitely can add a lot to the team, but he hasn't been hot lately - hope Fenway revives him, but it seems that Farrell doesn't trust Nava over Gomes, and that seems to be dictating the logic.
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Post by mattpicard on Oct 19, 2013 4:50:09 GMT -5
If I'm Cherington, yeah blah blah Farrell's been terrific and all leading the team and so there's trust with him, but goddamn I'm on the line with him saying what the hell are you doing. Yeah, no you're not, especially because of what you said in your former sentence. Nava not being there, not even as a PH, means Farrell saw something there that he wouldn't trust (for whatever reason) putting in such a tight post-season series. I t's not like Nava was relegated to the bench during the regular season. So the guy who was the clear cut best option for the entire regular season suddenly has something about him that he can't handle in the postseason? Something different than his .455 OBP so far and better defense than Gomes? Gomes is a far better baserunner, and that's about all you can say. You really think, simply because it's the playoffs and not the regular season, that we need to flip the script on something that worked so well all season? I mean, shouldn't what worked brilliantly over 162 games be kept in place for these must-win games? Trust? Well, I don't trust Gomes and his inability to properly run down routine fly balls. I don't trust his career .225/.310/.423/.733 (.745 OPS this season) line vs. RHP's as my #6 hitter. He's yet to get an actual non-infield hit this postseason, or even a walk. But, yeah, gotta trust his beard and intangibles, right? "Even as a PH?" I mean come on man, what the hell could it be that now you can't "trust" him even as a pinch-hitter? You do realize you're talking about the second-best hitter (vs. RHP) on the team this season, right? Let's not try to create nonsensical arguments. Forget trust in Nava being the issue - it's either an unwarranted infatuation with Gomes and his "veteran" and leadership status, or a significant injury to Nava. Most likely the former. Edit: Another thought we shouldn't completely overlook: If there was really something about Nava - an injury preventing him from starting, a ridiculous trust issue, etc. - it'd make sense to consider giving Carp a start out there against one of these tough righties. Again, Carp over Gomes in LF, when Nava was playing a lot of RF, was something that worked out very well this season (.904 OPS for Carp vs. RHP, .904 OPS playing LF). This all the more reinforces the idea that this is really all about Farrell and Gomes.
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Post by thelavarnwayguy on Oct 19, 2013 5:10:19 GMT -5
The more mellow guys, Lavarnway, Carp, Nava all put up great numbers but Farrel obviously wants "intensity" on his team.
I recommend that Nava does an Ortiz on the water cooler next time he strikes out.
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Oct 19, 2013 5:42:51 GMT -5
Here's a set of Scherzer splits that might well explain this admittedly puzzling decision.
[All of the following splits are based on Scherzer's career numbers against guys with a minimum 150 MLB PA versus RHP in 2008-2013, excluding all but a handful of the best hitting pitchers (guys with a wRC+ of 40 or more, a range that includes plenty of backup catchers and shortstops).
For each metric, I calculated the mean and standard deviation of performance versus RHP from 2008-2013 for the 745 MLB players with 150 or more PA against them (of whom Scherzer had faced 486), weighted by each player's total PA, then divided the players into five buckets accordingly: extreme players were 2 or more standard deviations from the norm (rounded to the nearest SD), while neutral players rounded to zero. Edit: I decided these buckets should not be done separately for each handedness, but that the other splits should be; see the later post.]
Look at Scherzer's splits by opponent GB% and handedness (Edit: Norm is the EqA of the guys in that split, Diff how much better or worse than that Scherzer was):
Hand Split N PA BA OBP SA EqA Norm Diff Who RH XGB 15 146 .265 .329 .348 .245 .246 -.001 RH GB 64 520 .219 .281 .365 .227 .248 -.021 RH Neu 82 642 .200 .246 .340 .205 .250 -.045 Pedroia RH FB 52 485 .246 .305 .442 .255 .267 -.012 Napoli, Middlebrooks, Ross RH XFB 14 82 .276 .329 .474 .273 .237 +.036 Gomes LH XGB 23 195 .232 .272 .319 .212 .243 -.030 LH GB 50 376 .246 .314 .385 .246 .253 -.007 Ellsbury LH Neu 93 912 .266 .333 .415 .262 .270 -.008 Carp LH FB 77 729 .267 .355 .474 .286 .276 +.009 Ortiz, Drew LH XFB 15 172 .231 .285 .369 .229 .273 -.043 Nava, Saltalamacchia
The first lesson is that, as I've long suspected, GB/FB splits can be completely different depending on handedness. The second (which I learned years ago) is that you need five buckets rather than three, because the splits for extreme guys are often very different than for the more modest types. Edit: for instance, extreme RH FB hitters are, as a group, simply not very good (.246 as a group; Scherzer has faced a slightly below-average selection), and lumping them with ordinary flyball hitters just muddies the waters.
They are very small samples, but RHB who are extreme flyball hitters have given Scherzer trouble, while he has dominated LHB who are extreme FB types. And that includes Gomes and Nava respectively.
(I would not dismiss the LH-XFB split simply because it breaks the trend. I saw patterns like that all the time, back when I was running splits like these for every pitcher we faced. In fact, you'd sometimes see a Z-shaped pattern, where a guy was great against one extreme, bad against the other, but in between there was a clear trend that ran the other way.)
Now, I don't think for a minute they would base this decision on splits like these, because of the SSS. But these splits do correspond well to swing paths, and we do know that they analyze those. And that's essentially a scouting / mechanics sort of analysis, that doesn't depend on sample sizes at all. In which case, this data would simply be evidence for a conclusion that was reached via scouting.
Having said that, there are other splits that make the opposite argument. Edit: My original plans for this afternoon got cancelled, and that gave me the opportunity to redo those splits and add some extra data (the Norm and Diff columns) to help interpret them. That stuff is now in a later post (or will be soon).
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Post by brianthetaoist on Oct 19, 2013 6:48:29 GMT -5
What's more likely-- that Daniel Nava has a secret injury that noone has heard a peep about or that Farrell has a misplaced trust in trusted veterans? Remember, we're talking about the same manager who consistently refused to sit Stephen Drew against lefties, give Lavarnway playing time when Ross was hurt, or play Mike Carp when Napoli was slumping and suffering from plantar fasciitis. Farrell is a great manager of personalities and the media, but he shares the Francona-like trait of having perhaps too much faith in his veteran players. I dunno, this doesn't track for me. What about Gomes makes him a "trusted veteran" on the Red Sox in relation to Nava? This is Gomes's first year on the club, he was a platoon/bench player the whole season, and Nava was a mainstay for the Sox all year. I guess you could argue that Gomes is a "gritty veteran" in his overall demeanor and reputation, but I don't really buy the idea that this has much to do with any trend on Farrell's part to go with the starter/veteran over the less-tested player. Nava should be the trusted veteran in this scenario instead of Gomes. And Farrell hasn't managed this series as if he's afraid to piss off veterans. He yanked Lackey astonishingly early from my perspective, and did the same with Lester last game. He's going with Bogaerts again next game ... So there's something else, it seems to me. I think Eric's on the right path, although as he mentioned, I doubt they're going with those particular splits. Personally, it seems to me that Farrell seems to care a lot about "power" in pitchers and how particular hitters match up with it; that seems more important than more traditional splits to him. So I suspect that there is something in the power pitching style of these Tigers pitchers that he doesn't think Nava matches up well against. I'm still skeptical of the decision, mind you, and think that Nava's probably the better choice because he's just a much better hitter against RHP than Gomes. But I'm willing to admit that I could be wrong, and I'm pretty sure that Farrell is working with information that I don't have.
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Post by adiospaydro2005 on Oct 19, 2013 7:38:21 GMT -5
The Dropkick Murphy's are scheduled to appear during tonight's game 6 of the ALCS and I am sure that Dr Charles will go all out with the pre-game festivities, including Irish step dancers. They appeared before game 7 of the ALCS in 2007 and whipped the crowd into a frenzy before the first pitch. Pedroia had a monster game in that game 7 with 5 RBIs It is time for him to break out of his slump.
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CMF
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Post by CMF on Oct 19, 2013 9:33:33 GMT -5
John Farrell's pre-game speech to Clay Buchholz
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 19, 2013 10:33:13 GMT -5
You guys are insane. I love it, but this is playoff baseball you do what you need to do to win and if that's flipping some scripts you do it. Law of averages don't matter anymore because you don't have time to let's samples play out. You go with the " hot-hand" or "what's working" for the most part. Nava isn't one of the core guys in the lineup, those are Els, Vic, Pedey and Ortiz. Those 4 you don't mess with too much (maybe you moveVic, but don't take him out).
A guy like Nava had a great regular season for him, but he's not a dangerous hitter. You want to point to Nava's OBP vs Gomes OBP... Well who gives a rats ass when Nava has helped to produce ZERO runs. Hasn't scored or driven one in. Gomes has scored 5 runs and driven in 2 more. 7 separate runs he's been directly involved in. Sox are 1-3 in Nava games and 6-0 in Gomes games. Just because there isn't a stat for what Gomes brings to the field doesn't mean you ignore his impact. You have to look past the numbers or deeper into them with JG.
Game 2: 1-4, Run and 3ks. His strikeouts came against Scherzer (saw 6-3-7 pitches respectively for an average of 5.3 per PA) then started the winning rally and scored the winning run in the 9th. Goes down as an IF single but it's probably through the hole with another SS. Regardless his hustle beat it out rather easily and who knows what impact his recklessness had on Fielder to help the ball go into the dugout. He had Good ABs on 2 of the Ks then helped produce the winning run. Won by a run.
Game 3: He was 1-3 vs Verlander with 2ks... In the ABs he struck out he saw 9 and 7 pitches. Good ABs.
Game 5: he was 0-4 with a run scored. Second AB his ground out advanced Napoli to 3rd who then scored on a wild pitch (run doesn't score that inning if he doesn't make a productive out. Won by a run.
We talk about abandoning Nava, but he's played 4 of 10 to Gomes 6 of 10. At the time Farrell decided to make the adjustment they had basically split the games and Sox were losing with Nava playing and Gomes sitting. Farrell can't wait to make an adjustment. There isn't time.
I know Nava is a nice story and people love him, but he's not the best option. Gomes should be playing and he is. It's not even a good debate from a playoff baseball point of view. Game isn't played on a computer don't treat it like it is.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Oct 19, 2013 11:12:00 GMT -5
Eric, seriously, can you put a TL;DR summary in your posts or something? I'm sure there's a point buried in the numbers there somewhere, but I'm not seeing it.
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Post by beasleyrockah on Oct 19, 2013 11:33:04 GMT -5
You guys are insane. I love it, but this is playoff baseball you do what you need to do to win and if that's flipping some scripts you do it. Law of averages don't matter anymore because you don't have time to let's samples play out. You go with the " hot-hand" or "what's working" for the most part. Nava isn't one of the core guys in the lineup, those are Els, Vic, Pedey and Ortiz. Those 4 you don't mess with too much (maybe you moveVic, but don't take him out). A guy like Nava had a great regular season for him, but he's not a dangerous hitter. You want to point to Nava's OBP vs Gomes OBP... Well who gives a rats ass when Nava has helped to produce ZERO runs. Hasn't scored or driven one in. Gomes has scored 5 runs and driven in 2 more. 7 separate runs he's been directly involved in. Sox are 1-3 in Nava games and 6-0 in Gomes games. Just because there isn't a stat for what Gomes brings to the field doesn't mean you ignore his impact. You have to look past the numbers or deeper into them with JG. Game 2: 1-4, Run and 3ks. His strikeouts came against Scherzer (saw 6-3-7 pitches respectively for an average of 5.3 per PA) then started the winning rally and scored the winning run in the 9th. Goes down as an IF single but it's probably through the hole with another SS. Regardless his hustle beat it out rather easily and who knows what impact his recklessness had on Fielder to help the ball go into the dugout. He had Good ABs on 2 of the Ks then helped produce the winning run. Won by a run. Game 3: He was 1-3 vs Verlander with 2ks... In the ABs he struck out he saw 9 and 7 pitches. Good ABs. Game 5: he was 0-4 with a run scored. Second AB his ground out advanced Napoli to 3rd who then scored on a wild pitch (run doesn't score that inning if he doesn't make a productive out. Won by a run. We talk about abandoning Nava, but he's played 4 of 10 to Gomes 6 of 10. At the time Farrell decided to make the adjustment they had basically split the games and Sox were losing with Nava playing and Gomes sitting. Farrell can't wait to make an adjustment. There isn't time. I know Nava is a nice story and people love him, but he's not the best option. Gomes should be playing and he is. It's not even a good debate from a playoff baseball point of view. Game isn't played on a computer don't treat it like it is. Nava started the series clinching win in the ALDS. One of "Nava's losses" was part of a 1-0 near no hitter that he broke up. Nava has three hits and three walks in 14 PA's. Gomes has 4 hits and 2 walks in 23 PA's. And you're over there talking about freaking runs scored? Yeah, that's sustainable. Usually guys who get on base less score more runs, right? Maybe if Nava was more gritty his teammates would be more motivated to knock him in. Nava was the RH option for the best team in baseball this year...you don't switch your season long strategy over 2 RBIs and a couple runs scored as if that means anything at all. If there's something else at play here fine, but don't tell me it's because Nava didn't get any RBI's or runs in four freaking games. Good grief indeed.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Oct 19, 2013 11:58:04 GMT -5
That would be funny if Gomes ends up hitting a walk off bomb tonight or something. Or Nava conversely comes in as a pinch hitter and just crushes it on the first pitch.
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 19, 2013 12:15:31 GMT -5
I didn't tell you that was the sole reason, but you guys act like Nava's OBP is the end all and be all. It's like it's a law of the universe that this means he should be playing right now. And you do change things up in the post season. It's a world of small same sizes. You run with what's working. Gomes has been productive beyond OBP. Whether it's grinding an AB or moving a run over or hustling in a run or a play in the outfield. Farrell has a much better pulse then any of us and if Gomes brings more collectively then Nava right now in a playoff atmosphere then you play him. A ground out that moves the runner to third doesn't show up in OBP not does a 9 pitch strikeout but they are valuable.
Don't fall into the trap that everything can be explained by OBP and OPS it's complete bullshit and something that people buy into like it's some sort of law. It's not. Just because what value Gomes brings doesn't fall into a nice statistic for you to point to doesn't mean it's not there.
If you think playoffs and regular season are the same things I don't know what to tell you.
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Post by rjp313jr on Oct 19, 2013 12:20:20 GMT -5
By the way - not trying to say Nava is useless by any stretch just that Gomes should be playing tonight over him at this point. Whatever Gomes is bringing doesn't have to be sustainable over a season just for another week and a half.
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Post by Don Caballero on Oct 19, 2013 12:43:46 GMT -5
Trust? Well, I don't trust Gomes and his inability to properly run down routine fly balls. I don't trust his career .225/.310/.423/.733 (.745 OPS this season) line vs. RHP's as my #6 hitter. He's yet to get an actual non-infield hit this postseason, or even a walk. But, yeah, gotta trust his beard and intangibles, right? "Even as a PH?" I mean come on man, what the hell could it be that now you can't "trust" him even as a pinch-hitter? You do realize you're talking about the second-best hitter (vs. RHP) on the team this season, right? Let's not try to create nonsensical arguments. Forget trust in Nava being the issue - it's either an unwarranted infatuation with Gomes and his "veteran" and leadership status, or a significant injury to Nava. Most likely the former. Edit: Another thought we shouldn't completely overlook: If there was really something about Nava - an injury preventing him from starting, a ridiculous trust issue, etc. - it'd make sense to consider giving Carp a start out there against one of these tough righties. Again, Carp over Gomes in LF, when Nava was playing a lot of RF, was something that worked out very well this season (.904 OPS for Carp vs. RHP, .904 OPS playing LF). This all the more reinforces the idea that this is really all about Farrell and Gomes. I meant health my man. We don't know whether Nava has an injury, so all we can do is speculate. I'm speculating he does. Mike Carp is a terrible defensive outfielder. While Gomes is bad, Carp is Peralta bad. I do not want that in the starting line-up in the post-season.
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