Orlando Palmeiro

[HudsonHawk]

Anyone who thinks OP can't play, has never seen OP play.

[ValpoCory]

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Anyone who thinks OP can't play, has never seen OP play.

Completely agree.  It was only a matter of time before he turned it on.  Batting .375 in September now (6 for 16, with 6 RBI).

[Limey]

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Batting .375 in September now (6 for 16, with 6 RBI).

Batting 1.000 for the Jakes in September.  HA!

[ValpoCory]

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Anyone who thinks OP can't play, has never seen OP play.

He's not bad.  

Garner with an excellent call to use OP with Lamb and Huff still on the bench.

[Limey]

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Garner with an excellent call to use OP with Lamb and Huff still on the bench.

I thought his was going to shit his liver when Wandy was on the mound.

[Astroholic]

He sucks.  I can't believe Garner would ever play this guy.  What an idiot.  What the hell is he thinking?

[strosrays]

I really enjoyed Lamb's PH AB in the 7th.  As DeShaies said, he was standing there flat-footed, swinging from the waist up only.  You could see it.  (In addition to the team, JD was fucking on last night.  His commentary about Ensberg running through the bag on the force out at 2nd to end the 8th was fascinating.  I'd never heard of that strategy before, ever.)

I don't know if Lamb could have hit it out even if they had laid one in right down the middle, but he was going to put the bat on the ball.

I'm guessing a lot of your modern-day hitting stars don't make that adjustment.

[austro]

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His [JD's] commentary about Ensberg running through the bag on the force out at 2nd to end the 8th was fascinating.  I'd never heard of that strategy before, ever.

Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

[jeffrey]

What was JD's explanation?

[Tralfaz]

I saw Ensberg run through the bag, but I missed the explanation.  Can someone explain?

[Lefty]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

[Bench]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

I think it was that if he beats the throw by running full steam and interfering with the catch, then he would have to be tagged out and not forced out for the final out, and thus the run would count because the runner at third would cross home plate before Ensberg could be tagged. If he just slid in, he couldn't get there in time to break up (or beat) the catch.

[Limey]

With two outs and a runners on the corners (Ensberg at 1st), Berkman (IIRC) hit a grounder to short.  Rollins went to 2B for the force and got it, but Ensberg ran right through the bag as one would do at 1st when trying to beat out a grounder.   JD explained that the play may have been to run hard through the bag at 2nd in an attempt to beat the throw, get caught up in a run down as you're now somewhere in shallow CF, allowing the run to score from 3rd before being tagged out.

JD said that this had been talked about among the Astros' coaching staff, but wasn't actually certain that this is what Ensberg was doing.

[BUWebguy]

Seems like I remember seeing another Astro do the same thing recently... Maybe Ausmus? Or it could have been Ensberg, I don't remember. Heck, I might be making this whole thing up, but it seemed familiar when I saw it last night.

[homer]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

JD was saying that you run faster (get to the base sooner) if you don't slide. So, Morgan was making his best effort to reach the base at all costs... even if it meant running through the bag and getting tagged out the run would still score.

[Fredia]

JD said that this had been talked about among the Astros' coaching staff, but wasn't actually certain that this is what Ensberg was doing.

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this seems to sum up ensbergs whole season. fianlly someone got it right

[Lefty]

Heady play.  Don't think I've seen it work, though, but still.

[Bench]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

JD was saying that you run faster (get to the base sooner) if you don't slide. So, Morgan was making his best effort to reach the base at all costs... even if it meant running through the bag and getting tagged out the run would still score.

And yet in the same game Morgan also dove into first base when he hit his infield single... his baserunning approach mirroring his approach to hitting stances.

[homer]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

JD was saying that you run faster (get to the base sooner) if you don't slide. So, Morgan was making his best effort to reach the base at all costs... even if it meant running through the bag and getting tagged out the run would still score.

And yet in the same game Morgan also dove into first base when he hit his infield single... his baserunning approach mirroring his approach to hitting stances.

I think the point of the headfirst slide at first is to avoid a potential tag if Rollins throw is errant and draws the very scary Howard off the bag.

[CJM]

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I really enjoyed Lamb's PH AB in the 7th.  As DeShaies said, he was standing there flat-footed, swinging from the waist up only.  You could see it.  (In addition to the team, JD was fucking on last night.  His commentary about Ensberg running through the bag on the force out at 2nd to end the 8th was fascinating.  I'd never heard of that strategy before, ever.)

I don't know if Lamb could have hit it out even if they had laid one in right down the middle, but he was going to put the bat on the ball.

I'm guessing a lot of your modern-day hitting stars don't make that adjustment.

I heard Lamb in a post-game interview and he talked about the first two fastballs were thrown right by him so he figured his best chance was to look for something off-speed to hit.

[Golden Sombrero]

He's definately been earning his million lately.  Getting hot at the right time.

[MusicMan]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

JD was saying that you run faster (get to the base sooner) if you don't slide. So, Morgan was making his best effort to reach the base at all costs... even if it meant running through the bag and getting tagged out the run would still score.

And yet in the same game Morgan also dove into first base when he hit his infield single... his baserunning approach mirroring his approach to hitting stances.

I think the point of the headfirst slide at first is to avoid a potential tag if Rollins throw is errant and draws the very scary Howard off the bag.

Negative... if you do that, you're sliding to the side of the bag and reaching out for it.  Mo did the "fake hustle dive" straight into the bag.

[homer]

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Agreed.  As I watched the end of the inning I was saying to myself "what in the world was Ensberg thinking?"  It didn't dawn on me that there was a method to his madness until JD explained it.  If Ensberg really was thinking that way, I have to give him a lot of credit.  That's almost Bagwellian.

Quick JD recap, por favor?

JD was saying that you run faster (get to the base sooner) if you don't slide. So, Morgan was making his best effort to reach the base at all costs... even if it meant running through the bag and getting tagged out the run would still score.

And yet in the same game Morgan also dove into first base when he hit his infield single... his baserunning approach mirroring his approach to hitting stances.

I think the point of the headfirst slide at first is to avoid a potential tag if Rollins throw is errant and draws the very scary Howard off the bag.

Negative... if you do that, you're sliding to the side of the bag and reaching out for it.  Mo did the "fake hustle dive" straight into the bag.

You don't have to slide to the side, you just want to get low to avoid the catch and swipe.

[MusicMan]

Yes, but you also want to minimize the chance of the 275 pound man landing on you.

[das]

No kidding.  This is amazing:
"? 4 ? Consecutive hits in as many pinch-hit at-bats for Orlando Palmeiro, who tied the score at 4 with a pinch, two-run single in the seventh."
The Link
Getting 4 straight hits is an accomplishment.  4  pinch hits in a row, zowie.

[strosrays]

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I think the point of the headfirst slide at first is to avoid a potential tag if Rollins throw is errant and draws the very scary Howard off the bag.

Negative... if you do that, you're sliding to the side of the bag and reaching out for it.  Mo did the "fake hustle dive" straight into the bag.

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You don't have to slide to the side, you just want to get low to avoid the catch and swipe.

A lot of guys do this, in just about any situation.  I don't think it is fake hustle, and most of the time I don't think it is with any forethought about avoiding a possible tag play.  I think there is an illusion that you get there quicker sliding, even if you don't; and I think that is why most guys do it.   Ever notice they seem to mostly on crucial plays?  When the heat is on guys may do things impulsively they may know intellectually isn't best; sort of like when you start skidding in your car, you know you are supposed to steer into the skid, you've been told that a gazillion times, but your instincts tell you to go the other way.

Of course, the idea of Ensberg responding to stimuli from his amygdala sort of contradicts the idea of him devising a complicated strategy on the way to a forceout at second base last night.