Astros @ Red Sox August 14, 2014

[Mr. Happy]

Your lineups for tonight's road tilt:

Astros

LFRobbie Grossman (S)
2BJose Altuve (R)
DHChris Carter (R)
CFDexter Fowler (S)
CJason Castro (L)
1BJ. Singleton (L)
3BMatt Dominguez (R)
RFJake Marisnick (R)
SSMarwin Gonzalez (S)
Scott Feldman (R)  (6-8, 4.14)

Red Sox

SS Brock Holt (L)
2B Dustin Pedroia (R)
DH David Ortiz (L)
LF Yoenis Cespedes (R)
1B Mike Napoli (R)
RF Daniel Nava (S)
3B W. Middlebrooks (R)
CF Jackie Bradley (L)
C C. Vazquez (R)
BOS: Allen Webster (R)  (2-1, 4.91)

[jbm]

Astros up 2-0 after three. A hard hit ball by Singleton, ruled an error, knocked in Fowler.  Grossman, in another inning singles in Marwin, who had doubled to right.

[jbm]

Dominguez with a two run bomb over the monster. 4-0.

[jbm]

Feldman knocked around pretty hard, but only gives up one. Grossman with a good play to start the eventual out of Napoli at home. Bad relay by Altuve but an athletic play by Castro on the catch and tag.  4-1 going to the fifth.

[mrpink]

Porter's bullpen management just confounds me.

[mrpink]

I can't watch the game, but Gameday indicated that Feldman lost every bit of command he had.  It looks like Downs never had any to begin with and now the bases are juiced (again) with Pedroia up (again).  This is after a 5-spot got dropped on them.

Folty in to face Pedroia.

[jbm]

Porter's bullpen management just confounds me.

The choices aren't great.

Folty gives up a double on the right field line to Pedroia, then gets Ortiz on a grounder. 8-4

[Reuben]

We gave up 4 runs in the top of the 1st in my softball game yesterday. With 1 out in the bottom of the 1st, I beat out an infield single, and rashly decided to go for 2nd on the overthrow. The throw beat me, and the tag beat me, but the lone ump didn't have a great view from behind home plate so I was called safe. Still, I immediately realized that it was very, very stupid of me to take that big a risk when we're down by 4 runs. What Marisnick just did, trying to score on a shallow fly ball against a RF known for his arm, while down 4 runs in the 7th, was much stupider.

[jbm]

This team is brutal:  2nd and third with no outs, Grossman watches strike three and then Marisnick attempts to score on a very short fly to right and is gunned down. No runs. 8-4

[mrpink]

Still, I immediately realized that it was very, very stupid of me to take that big a risk when we're down by 4 runs. What Marisnick just did, trying to score on a shallow fly ball against a RF known for his arm, while down 4 runs in the 7th, was much stupider.

With one of the three hottest hitters in baseball over the past month coming up next, no less.

[juliogotay]

This team is brutal:  2nd and third with no outs, Grossman watches strike three and then Marisnick attempts to score on a very short fly to right and is gunned down. No runs. 8-4

In some defense of Grossman, Sparks claims strike 3 was a shitty call.

[mrpink]

It was off the plate on gameday. FWIW

[Reuben]

What the fuck is up with Marwin tonight? That's at least 3 balls that seemed within reach for him to at least knock down, if not outright make a play on, but instead he just sort of half-assedly waves at the ball as it goes by. Is he injured and trying not to overdo it or what?

[Reuben]

It was off the plate on gameday. FWIW

The one he just took for strike 3 to end the game was right over the plate. Ashby is right on this point: Grossman takes wayyyyy too many borderline pitches with 2 strikes. Particularly baffling when it's a man on third, less than 2 outs situation like earlier.

[mrpink]

The one he just took for strike 3 to end the game was right over the plate. Ashby is right on this point: Grossman takes wayyyyy too many borderline pitches with 2 strikes. Particularly baffling when it's a man on third, less than 2 outs situation like earlier.

That's interesting.  Fangraphs shows that he's swinging at fewer pitches out of the strike zone this year (19.4% vs. 22%), which in general sounds like a great thing.  But if you can't change your approach and expand the zone with two strikes, you're not doing yourself any favors.  I'd love to find out what his swing% is with two strikes.

[Ron Brand]

Mr. Happy is pining, and it isn't for the fjords.

[mrpink]

Revisiting the point about Grossman taking too many pitches with 2 strikes...when you compare his 2-strike approach with Altuve's it's almost laughable.  Check these heatmaps out...
http://www.fangraphs.com/zonegrid.aspx?playerid=5254&position=OF&ss=2014&se=2014&type=2&hand=all&count=a,2&blur=1&grid=10&view=bat
and
http://www.fangraphs.com/zonegrid.aspx?playerid=5417&position=2B&ss=2014&se=2014&type=2&hand=all&count=a,2&blur=1&grid=10&view=bat.

Also, I agree with Happy that Feldman's no number 1, but that can't be what Luhnow and co. thought they were getting, can it?  I sure hope not, but maybe they did considering the way Porter left him in when he had clearly lost it.

[Reuben]

Had he clearly lost it? I saw about 3-4 grounders in a row that all found holes, at least to start the inning, plus a possible DP that Singleton took too long to start. I got pulled away from the TV after that, so I dunno if he started giving up rockets before Downs came in.

[jbm]

Also, I agree with Happy that Feldman's no number 1, but that can't be what Luhnow and co. thought they were getting, can it?  I sure hope not, but maybe they did considering the way Porter left him in when he had clearly lost it.

As to Porter, what should he have done?  I imagine he knew four or five hitters before he pulled Feldman that Feldman was in trouble, but what are his options?  Leave in the vet, hoping he regains form, or turn to an unreliable (Downs) an untested (Folty) or to the slightly more reliable Sipp (which Blum criticized him for not doing).  He doesn't have any good options, IMO.

[mrpink]

Had he clearly lost it? I saw about 3-4 grounders in a row that all found holes, at least to start the inning, plus a possible DP that Singleton took too long to start. I got pulled away from the TV after that, so I dunno if he started giving up rockets before Downs came in.

I shouldn't spout off when I'm just going off gameday, but the play by play read as:
Line Drive
Line Drive
Sharp Ground Ball
Ground Out
Ground Ball Single (this was by Napoli, was it hard hit?)
Walk
Line Drive
Pitching Change

I would have liked to see Fields or Sipp ready to come in after the Napoli hit and definitely after the walk to Nava.  I realize Porter's options are limited, but why turn to Downs with the game on the line unless there's no more reliable options.  I'm glad Blum questioned the move.

[jbm]

Well, Fields had two shitty performances in the last two games, IIRC, and  I guess the Sipp criticism is understandable, but it avoids the larger question of "if the partially reliable Sipp pitches well, then who fills the void until Qualls?"  The most important question is why Porter's options are so limited in the first place.  Porter takes a lot of criticism that should be directed at Luhnow. 

[mrpink]

The most important question is why Porter's options are so limited in the first place.  Porter takes a lot of criticism that should be directed at Luhnow. 

I get this, but he's got to make the best out of what he's got.  At THE critical point in the game (thus far) when you really need a strikeout or ground ball, you give it to...Downs?  I think I'd have preferred Buchanan at that point.  You have to make your best attempt to get out of that current jam, and then if you're in need of a stopgap you give it to a mediocre bullpen guy with the  bases empty and let him make his own mess.  IMHO, of course.

[Reuben]

Well, Fields had two shitty performances in the last two games, IIRC, and  I guess the Sipp criticism is understandable, but it avoids the larger question of "if the partially reliable Sipp pitches well, then who fills the void until Qualls?"  The most important question is why Porter's options are so limited in the first place.  Porter takes a lot of criticism that should be directed at Luhnow. 

They spent money on the 'pen over the winter, and coming into the season it looked like it would be decent. The Albers injury and Crain non-recovery have really hurt, and while Fields has started to fulfill his potential and they caught lightning with Sipp, nobody else has emerged as even a halfway-decent option. So they've had bad luck with injuries and non-performance. Signing Jerome Williams instead of one more actually good reliever was a mistake. At least they didn't take an already-bad bullpen and trade away its best pitcher this year.

But I agree that Porter has made baffling pitching moves at times, even considering his limited options.

[chuck]

I'm still trying to figure out what hoodoo possesses Porter to bat Fowler cleanup.

[mrpink]

I'm still trying to figure out what hoodoo possesses Porter to bat Fowler cleanup.

One one of the pregame shows against the Twins he said something about protection for Carter.  I don't get it either.

[BudGirl]

One one of the pregame shows against the Twins he said something about protection for Carter.  I don't get it either.

Then who protects Fowler??

[chuck]

Then who protects Fowler??

Castro. It's a veritable Murderer's Row.

[NeilT]

Castro. It's a veritable Murderer's Row.

And we're the victims.

[VirtualBob]

Castro. It's a veritable Murderer's Row.

More like a suicide row.