There isn’t much to say about the Cardinals crushing loss to the Dodgers in the ninth inning of game two of the NLDS that will not be said with greater emotion elsewhere.
Some will want the head of closer Ryan Franklin, who only gave himself one chance to get the final out and continues a stretch of undependable play. Others will blast outfielder Colby Rasmus for making a rookie baserunning mistake that cost his club an additional run cushion.
Most will direct their venom toward outfielder Matt Holliday, who misplayed a line drive that should have been the 27th Dodgers out into the error that directly led to the defeat. Some are already calling for the Cardinals not to re-sign him due to the miscue.
Certainly the error was costly but not unprecedented.
Tom Orf confirms the other time in the history of the Cardinals franchise that the club lost a post-season game in the ninth inning with the lead was game six of the 1985 World Series. That is most commonly known as the Denkinger game.
In that case, the Cardinal Nation had someone else to blame as first base umpire Don Denkinger clearly blew the call on a play in the bottom of the ninth, calling the Royals’ Jorge Orta safe when it was clear he was out. It was a momentum-changing play in a potential clincher for the Cardinals as the Royals went on to win both that contest and then the deciding game seven.
For Cardinals faithful, there is no Denkinger this time other than one of their own – Holliday. Like it or not, if the Cardinals cannot come back to win the next three games against the Dodgers, the free agent-to-be may be labeled the 2009 Cardinals version of Bill Buckner, whose infamous error in the possible clinching game six of the 1986 World Series opened the door for the Mets to come back and defeat the Red Sox in seven games.
It will be most interesting to see how both Holliday and his teammates respond to the Thursday loss. In Buckner’s case, following his error, the 1986 Red Sox still had another opportunity – another game could still be played. Just as in the previous year in the Denkinger series, the controversial play did cost the chance to clinch, but did not lose game seven.
The 2009 Cardinals are in a position somewhat reminiscent, but again, Holliday’s error did not occur in a clinching situation for his club. It remains to be seen if the Cardinals can recover. It is up to them. Saturday is a new day with another chance to win along with the opportunity to do the same thing two times more.
Will the Cardinals answer the bell or fold like their predecessors in 1985 and the Sox in 1986? If they can’t come back, Holliday may become the convenient lightning rod, fair or not.
It was an ugly play, but he did hit a home run earlier in the game. The team’s ineffective offense has been more to blame for this series than any pitching, defensive, or baserunning issues.
Glad I did not watch this one. It was a strange error by Matt. Left fielders are not superstars with the glove, but he is usually dependable.
Its a tough mishap in more ways that one. It could be hard for a free agent to re-sign if there is a sad mishap.
Shrug it off and go beat those rascals in game 3.
My take on the play:
Holiday is charging a slicing line drive. He is at attack speed because he has every intension of diving for that ball if it sinks. He is moving so quick, eyes shaking, that he intersects the ball at a crucial point. He is in a situation to make the catch look easy now so he moves from a glove up to a basket position. He is moving so fast he takes it in the nuts. I have no doubt he sacrifices everything to make that catch. Its just one of those things.
The good part………….. this emotional scenario can mean the end to Albert’s personal demon. Don’t ask……..Also Tony’s complete abandonment of reason in handicapping his players so negatively. Joe Torrey ask all his players to be ready, and uses them with confidence. That loss was not Franklin’s, but the emotional struggle he displays trying to regain his confidence isn’t timely. Smoltz can and should be utilized now. Use Franklin in the 7th like Torrey would. If we win one, Carp is likely to contribute a little more in game 4. I like Waino again in 5.
Westy, if your description of the play is correct, he got what he deserved. Too bad it wasn’t a bowling ball.
Given that Franklin’s performance was pretty much typical of what he’s been doing, it would be maddness for Tony to trot him out there in the ninth again. That doesn’t meen he won’t though. After all, the Albert/Matt -3/4 thing hasn’t been working for quite a while either.
Rapidly changing background………..lights, towels. Dodger stadium has 4 decks and they are high. Tough break.
Look who the delivery boy is Brian…………….. Look who is setting the parameters of the dialog. What exquisite timing.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/AE56B4BD9566548E8625764A0008B285?OpenDocument
I like the picture at the head of the article. Mo is spinning it furiously. BD isn’t buying, and that was before game two.
The vibes at Busch saturday should help prop up all the damaged psyches. Hopefully there will be no lights or towels. Every player must recognize that there is still a chance to prove their manhood. Mo needs some help establishing that he traded away all the prospects for results on the field not just big stats. What we need is a hero, somebody duck into a phone booth and don a cape.
The Dodgers have trouble in their starting rotation. They are dragging a useless Manny Ramierz around their necks. They are capable of loosing three in a row, perhaps more so than any other team in the playoffs. For those of you that don’t think Rick Ankiel is a possible starter on Saturday, sober up now………………. The pressure is now off of this team, Albert in particular. You think Holiday isn’t going to get a little interested. I sense a comeback, with only one obstacle. Thats Tony LaRusa……………. not Joe Torrey. I wish it weren’t so We could come all the way back, to the 9 inning on Monday, and he would put Franklin in saying, “its your game to win or Lose big guy”. Just like it was Izzy. That bothers me.
Holliday said he lost it in the lights. From the replay, this seems clearly true. He was coming in nearing the catch, but then he never moves his glove to fine tune and catch the ball. It must have become invisible as it got near so he had no idea where to move his glove.
Poor Buckner was not able to catch a grounder that went between his legs, but I doubt he lost the ball in the lights or against fans waving white flags. For his part, Denkinger simply missed making the right call.
Holliday’s mishap is easily understandable. It owed to the playing conditions of the stadium.
In the final game of the 2006 WS, Chris Duncan settled under a high pop. It came down into his glove, he did not use two hands, and the ball popped right out. That is an error 100 percent attributable to the player. I can’t really give Holliday an error, because if you cannot see the ball, how can you catch it?
Jumbo, you would be a kind and benevolent scorer, but not a very good one.
Major league outfielders are expected to catch balls hit right at them. Holliday has played in 43 career games at Dodger Stadium, most under the lights. That total is far more than any other Cardinal since he has spent the vast majority of his career in the NL West. If any Cardinal should be aware of the conditions there, it should be Holliday.
It is a shame this was the time that got him.
Most games do not start at 3:40. Would lights be more distracting in late afternoon? When it gets dark, perhaps they are less distracting. If they had not turned the lights on, he probably would have caught it, because it was probably not all that dark yet. Holliday has played many night games at Dodger Stadium, but not late afternoon games.
Things happen. Its life. But I don’t hold it against the guy.
It was hard to see flies in the 87 WS up in the Homer Dome, against the ceiling. If you lose sight of the ball, you can’t catch it. Holliday had a much different experience than Chris Duncan in 2006 in his home ballpark. Duncan tracked it into his glove and could not catch it. That was inexcusable.
Holliday gets credit for an error, if I am scorer, because otherwise the pitcher gives up a double and thats not right. But scorers do not have latitude to allow for loss of sight. So even though Holliday earns an error officially, I cant give him one in my fan capacity, because you cant catch what you cant see.
Add three hours, Jumbo, since the play in question was in the bottom of the ninth. One might think the lights could be a bigger factor later, not earlier, anyway. Perhaps time of day was somehow involved, though I did not see it mentioned. I am not holding it against Holliday, either. Simply pointing out the conditions did not seem extraordinary.
The Metrodome is a home field advantage site but it is different in that the 1987 Cardinals had never played there. Duncan should definitely not be mentioned in this discussion.
Holliday made an unfortunate error. It is over and done.
Each ball has its own unique flight. He was on the ball until it disappeared momentarily. It left no time to react when it reappeared. Thats the game. He could have played a 100 games and not had that play occur, at that particular time. Lets talk about the all lefty lineup coming.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Ankiel either. Striking out 3 times and getting one hit when it mattered would be better that somebody else getting 3 hits that don’t matter and striking out when it does. Worth a try. Put him in left. Clutch hitting clinic going on in NY right now.
I assume the Dodgers do not waste money by turning on lights for a matinee. And there are night games. But the 3:40 local time start for TV purposes might be a tweener. I dont know when the game ended or when they flicked on the lights, but the lights could have become a factor late.
Brian, I have to compliment you for the column above. Its not little achievement to watch an awful ending like Game 2 and still have the composure to sit down and knock out an essay.
Jumbo, thank you for the kind words. It is therapeutic for me to write and as such it was a most natural thing to do. Yet, I am human as the other inhabitants of my household can attest as I made a very loud exclamation the moment that baseball hit the turf.
Any pilot will tell you the toughest time to see (lights or no lights) is at twilight (also known as pink time).
CC, do you suspect twilight was a factor in Holliday losing that liner in the lights?
Brian, it’s quite likely you uttered the same word I did, but then maybe not. I could not sit any longer when Franklin came in the game as I feared an Izzy type ending. Hopefully I learned my lesson about controlling my emotions as I turned to see my 10 year old had entered the room unbeknownst to me, just in time to hear daddy drop the f-bomb.
Anyway, we can make all the excuses we want for Holliday, the fact is that an inning (or two) earlier Manny Ramirez came running in and made a backhanded catch on the same type of ball Matt flubbed. Was it an error? Oh god yes! Having been a centerfielder for most of my short amateur career, I knew when I screwed up, but I didn’t look for excuses. I took responsibility, which Holliday did. Bottom line, Matt blew it big time and he knows it. It’s just wrong that after all the positives he brought to the team this year, he should end his Cardinal career this way because you know darn well he isn’t going to want to come back now. I’m sure that somewhere Boras is smiling knowing that the bidding war for Holliday’s services can now resume in earnest. Earnest, of course, being a small suburb of Los Angeles where Boras has a winter home.
One of my pet peeves about baseball is that outfielders are given a free pass on errors. An infielder has a split second to react to a bouncing ball (which obviously changes trajectories a number of times), but will still be given an error if it gets by him. An outfielder has 3 to 5 seconds to settle under a ball most times and yet if they whiff on very catchable ball it’s a hit, when in reality a major league player should catch it. Brian why are outfielders not held to the same standards as the infielders? It’s a double standard that shouldn’t exist.
Nutlaw, you are indeed the correct one here. This individualistic group of underachieving hitters is the reason for the defeat. They have not hit as a team all year. No reason to think that they could all of the sudden turn it on in the playoffs. Waino deserved a far better fate for a performance that was classic. Even the second hit he gave up was a misread by Ludwick, who broke the wrong way and as the announcers so correctly observed; it would have been a routine fly ball if he hadn’t misjudged it so bad. To Adam’s credit, he showed the greatest character you could in supporting a team that has let him down very badly in two consecutive starts. I have the utmost respect for him as a person and a player.
God bless Carp and Waino for an amazing year. If only Pineiro and Franklin hadn’t magically lost their brillance in the last month, we could have greater hope. In fact, it’s the pitching staff as a whole that has gotten us this far, in spite of an offense that could best be discribed as disfunctional.
All I screamed was “No! No!” though it was at an ear-splitting level. Nutlaw can attest that I have often said much worse, but not this time. The “no cheering in the pressbox” mentality has been so ingrained in me by now that most of my emotion in watching sporting events is gone.
The significance and unexpectedness of the Holliday error caught me.
At night-time, there is the better backdrop of a black sky to show the white ball. In late afternoon, however, there would have been the lights and white flags and no good dark backdrop behind them. For seeing a white ball, there was too much white and light, not enough good backdrop. It may be surprising that it is harder to see a ball when there is still a lot of prevailing natural light, but the lack of good visual backdrop may be the issue. Fans may think oh what a klutz, not appreciating the difficulty of tracking a lowish liner at that time of day against a poor backdrop, amid lights and fan flags.
Possibly too the pupil of the eye is less open than it will be later when it the backdrop is soothingly black.
The P-D reported Rasmus had difficulty tracking the previous fly, though he caught it.
It must have been an awful second for Matt Holliday. He tracked the ball so perfectly it hit his body dead center, right in the gut. Even though his timing and position was excellent, at the very last second he could not see the ball, so could not direct his glove to swallow it.
Buckner got blamed in 1986, though pitchers had already blown a three run lead. Buckner’s blame was heightened because it was the World Series and the Red Sox had had a long drought in winning a WS. Fans like scapegoats.
Denkinger was a perfect scapegoat. Again it was Game 6 of a World Series. The ump blows a call. And the Cards had a great record that season when they entered the 9th inning with a lead, thanks to Lahti, Ken Dailey, and Worrell.
Steve Bartram got notoriety for interfering with a ball that Alou might have caught in a Cubs playoff game. It was silly of him, but he was just a fan. His action fit with the myth of the Cubs as loveable losers held back by bad karma and Unlucky Fate. But actually the SS for the Cubs made an error while their lead fell apart. Bartram got media hype, since a freak incident and freak excuse, but the Cubs did themselves down, as Dusty manfully admitted at the time.
With Holliday’s missed catch, he is a competent professional fielder (unlike novice OF Chris Duncan who made an inexcusable drop in Game 6 in 2006). It has to be ruled an error, no ifs ands or buts. However his mishap was truly Unlucky Fate. Holliday had been a hero earlier with a home run. He deserves the final out. Reliable determined guy. Everything seems perfect. And yet through no inattention on his part, Holliday loses sight of the ball, against the bad backdrop. Thats unlucky Fate, not incompetence.
Brian, I can’t say with any credibility because I don’t know actually what the conditions in the stadium were at the time. Jumbo’s comments are reflective of the problems that exist at twighlight. I would add that not only is it slightly more difficult to see at that time of the day but most people don’t realize the difficulty and the extra focus/attention they might need to adjust for the difficulty. Navy pilots emphasize training during this time in order for pilots to have experience in these light conditions which are the most difficult. As mentioned earlier, players don[t have a lot of experience playing at this time of day.
The stakes regarding the 2nd game error are high. The Cards gave up a lot of prospects to add Holliday with the hope of signing him to a long contract. This was in part to provide a top flight hitter to collaborate with Pujols, giving him more reason to re-sign and stay in St Louis.
If Holliday leaves after this season, his contribution will not be easy to replace for the 2010 season, unless Joe Mather miraculously rebounds from injuries.
As soon as this season ends, Mo is going to be super busy. If Dave Duncan departs, at least a new pitching coach will be needed. There will be an intense two week window and soap opera to try to re-sign Holliday to a mega deal. DeWitt has proposed to negotiate with Pujols about a long term extension, but his agent is going to play hard to get and non-eager about this idea. Lots of stress ahead.
Fenway Park in Boston is a nice example of the value of a dark backdrop that enables hitters to be able to focus on the white ball, without background distractions from fans. The premise of Tal’s hill at Enron Stadium would be a different way of providing a solid green (dark) background behind the pitcher to help batters see the ball when pitched. Of course many games are played during the afternoon, so its not a matter of there being sufficient light, but rather of being able to see the ball, within light and against a dark background.
If a batter cannot see a pitched ball, he could get drilled in the head and grievously injured, so this justifiably is a vitalconsideration in ballpark design. And of course, they do not put banks of bright lights 10 feet off the ground above the CF wall.
So we can infer from the commonplace design of ballparks to better understand why Holliday could not make looked like an easy catch. He was so well positioned, the ball hit him square in his tummy. Not being able to see the ball when it got near, he was unable to move his glove as he normally would.
We appreciate that there can be occasional times when a ball is lost to sun blindness. Players where dark glasses when there is a bright sun and if it is a high fly, may have time to angle their approach to the ball so as to keep it out of the sun.
When its late afternoon, there is still plenty of ambient light, but the sun high overhead should not be a fielding risk. So Holliday reasonably was not wearing dark glasses.
Would it make sense to wear dark glasses because of stadium lights? I bet players do that seldom. It would look weird and they would get criticized.
Holliday was caught in an unexpectedly difficult situation. A white ball blending into stadium lights or fan white flags they are unlikely to wave to distract Dodger left fielders. It was when the ball got close to Matt he could not see it, the opposite of what one might assume. His “error” serves to illustrate that to see a ball, you need a visual backdrop.
The post catcher may have snared one of mine.
Joe Mather? Recovery from injury or no, I don’t think that he could hope to replace Holliday’s contributions …
Joe Mather hit 31 HRs at AA/AAA in one season. This was prior to hamate and wrist injuries that cost 2009. If he could recapture his prior physical peak, Mather could replace Ludwick or Holliday in terms of HRs. He is not as good as Holliday in terms of high average hitter.
Allan Craig could be an candidate. His defense is less than Holliday’s or Mather’s, but with a good season at Memphis in 09, Craig is for him potentially in the right place at the right time, where he might catch an opportunity.
Another possibility, if Holliday departs, would be re-signing Ankiel for left, in hopes he can strengthen his right shoulder and recover his physical peak.
Nothing beats re-signing Holliday. Ankiel, Craig, Mather are three Plan B choices.
I’d have to call them Plan C choices, better as reserves. In between would be signing or trading for an established major leaguer. If the money allocated for Holliday comes available, they can and should do a lot better than Ankiel, Craig or Mather in the 2010 starting lineup.
The difficulty for the Cards is obtaining access to an impact player who merits the money. Among free agents there are Holliday and Bay, then a drop off. Even if you have the moola to invest, there may not be a player worthy of it.
In 2009, the Cards gave up five good prospects to secure Holliday and DeRosa for half seasons. Now they have less trading material. To get a player in his prime, they need to shell out money or prospects or both.
In 2008, the Cards gave playng opportunity to Ankiel and unheralded Ludwick and Schumaker, three non-established OFs. If there are not established MLers who can be obtained this off-season, for an appropriate price, it seems not unimaginable the Cards might give playing time to less established athletes, again. The Holliday signing issue looms large for 2010.
Of course, it is difficult. All these potential moves are difficult.
I am not about to give the organization a free pass to start a marginal major leaguer in left if they cannot sign Holliday. I expect them to have a reasonable Plan B and figure out a way to make it work.
The Cardinals have one cheap OF in Rasmus, they have another arbitration-eligible player under control in Ludwick. They have low-price middle infielders. They need big bats in left and at third base if they can’t re-sign the ones they have.
Albert can’t do it alone for a championship-caliber club and would likely not look favorably on a 2010 lineup with Allen Craig starting in left and David Freese at third base as being the competitive kind of team to re-sign with.
Next year, the Cards could add Jay as CF backup and Craig or Mather as the 4th OF. Freese could get a shot at 3B; he seems mature enough, and we have tried expensive injured (Glaus) and expensive (morale) in Khalil; we need to give their moola to Holliday. Tyler Greene could be backup 3B as the new Thurston.
In any event, Holliday’s choice for 2010 looms large. We hope he does not suffer any more late afternoon mishaps and the fans give him a standing O before his first at bat.
Lets see, we are looking at Tony’s coaching staff, because surely all won’t be back……….. Those are just loving provocations for a guy that just got kicked in the balls. Tony is gone. The attempt at shaping cause and public perception has already started. The wool that you pull over your eyes this early has got to be home spun. In BD’s interview the other day he said,” we have no plans to start CV right now”.
Don’t waste time speculating at this very important time, least you miss what is really happening.
I won’t miss Tony. I won’t miss Rick and I hope Ankiel and Glaus, Greene……… Franklin needs to be a 7th inning man and so on. What you should fear, is a wishy washy yes man hired as a coach.
Brian, your thinking doesn’t jive with the Cardinal’s stated thinking. They have often stated that the money is there “for the right player”. In the past when the player they wanted wasn’t obtained they haven’t necessarily gone for another player to replace that gap.
Brian, your thinking doesn’t jive with the Cardinal’s stated and demonstrated thinking. They have often stated that the money is there “for the right player”. In the past when the player they wanted wasn’t obtained they haven’t necessarily gone for another player to replace that gap.
Westy, you don’t like what we have now but you fear a yes man? Tony is probably as far from a yes man as managers go – i guess some people can’t ever be satisfied.
westy, do you think Jose would be a wishy washy yes man?
I’m not sure what putting Ludwick at #2 is all about. A contact hitter is more appropriate, if you have one that is.
With Joe Torre saying he will not risk Albert beating him, I might put Albert second where he would get walked less. No point having him in an RBI spot if he will not get chances to swing with RISP.
CC, I hear you regarding past Cardinals actions. I was stating my personal expectations, not what I expect the club to do. I know the former, but am unsure of the latter. I do know that if they deliver less as Jumbo seems to be suggesting, I will be writing about how the club’s actions did not meet my expectations.
Trading the prospects for Holliday was done for the purpose of getting Albert pitched to more often with runners on. So here we are in the postseason and Torre says he will walk Albert even if it means putting the go ahead run on base. So my question is, what was accomplished by trading those prospects? What was not accomplished is what was intended, that is an indisputable fact, since Albert is being walked with abandon.
Interesting, bb, but what would you like do to correct this? The trade has been made. Should the Cardinals not re-sign Holliday because he had the audacity to slump in a two-game series after posting an OPS of 1.023 since joining the team?
I think BD knows how much easier life would be without a coaching legend to manage his property.
His personal preferences don’t gravitate toward just any coach.
Ludwick will be getting very specific instructions in this role. Look for him to be taking the ball deeper. This will produce center and right field chances. Its all going to be headed toward Holiday and Rasmus. We will need to score early and often. Look for Lohse in the third, score 3/4 Dodgers.
Brian, fall back options can include in house possibilities, Mather (if healthy) and Craig. Mather was a nice prospect and enjoying some success in the majors, before a hamate injury. If he bounces back, it would give a nice lift, “found money.”
In 08, Ryan did not get much chance; he has advanced this year. Schumaker got his first real chance in 08, as with Ludwick and Ankiel. We are trying to homegrow more talent and as a result should give a look at internal options, if they exist.
The team’s business strategy has been spend “for the right player” for some years. We do not like to just spend money. An example was wooing of Brian Fuentes. When Fuentes decided to play in California, we held onto the money for other purposes and contented ourselves with Franklin, Motte, and Perez.
In this economy, cash is king. The Cards are freeing up a lot of budget after this season. Maybe we could find a decent value veteran some other team would like to off-load and who would be a notch above a platoon of Craig and Jay. But if not, so be it. In 2006, we began with Taguchi, Bigby, and J Rod in LF. Allan Craig could be a step up.
Jumbo, thanks for the primer. I didn’t know any of that.
If that is the game plan followed, we can probably say goodbye to Albert. All the money saved won’t help in signing him if the team is not competitive. Having one Pujols and a team of role players is not a championship-caliber offense. He would surely break Bonds’ record for intentional walks before leaving.
This is just an incidental observation…………….. Joe Torrey knows Albert is struggling right now. He could challenge Albert and maybe break the Cardinals back. By walking Albert as too dangerous, he is carrying forward the popular advertising and MLB propaganda about Albert being the best player in the game, which he isn’t right now………………………………. This is also the pathway that leads toward Albert moving on toward greener pastures and (smog filled skies) maybe. Not everyone in baseball is ignorant to the benefits of having a player that thinks he can can walk on water……………. even if they see he’s up to his waste right now. He knows Albert will be attracted to his own myth, whom ever holds and protects its essence.
Albert is represented by the stable of rascally Hollywood types who represented Fuentes. Even if we were to sign Matt Holliday, we cannot be 100 percent sure about the outcome of the Pujols negotiation.
Signing Holliday makes Albert’s return more likely, but it also guards the Cardinals in case of Albert’s departure. It would serve twin purposes. Boras knows this, without me writing this. He has a strong hand. Everything is going to hinge on Holliday. He is in charge of what he does in 2010.
Stan the Man did not have a Hollywood agent with leverage. This offseason could be a roller-coaster ride. A lot is unsettled. The Cards hope TLR and Daddy Dunc will return. But the team has not announced new contracts yet.
All true Jumbo……………. It could even be said that MLB owners see and understand BD better than you might think. Maybe they think its in there best interest that Pujols gravitate to a larger market soon. They certainly act like it, I would say. Maybe some of them think that if the jackpot wad ever makes it on shore, some middle America team might just be able to buy pennants like the Yankees. It is a business.
Brian, do you think Torre is walking Albert because Holliday is having a two day slump? I think the answer to that is no. You are obsessed with stats. If Holliday’s presense does not cause Torre to pitch to Albert, Holliday’s OPS is irrelevant. We did not obtain him to put up a big OPS stat, we obtained him so opponants would pitch to Albert.
We obtained Holliday so opponets would pitch to Albert or pay the price. If Holliday hits well behind Albert the trade has accomplished its purpose whether Albert is pitched to or not.
Westy, so Torre is part of a conspiracy to keep Albert a star and the face of major league baseball? Yeah, right. Why don’t they just throw the games so Albert can advance in the playoffs?
bb, I use stats to support my positions as I have found people respect that more than making emotional comments that can’t be backed up. If you consider that an obsession, so be it. Since this is my blog, I get to do as I please. That means you get more stats.
The point to be made is that Holliday did serve as protection for Albert. Torre isn’t buying it in this NLDS, but the NL as a whole did.
Albert’s IBB before Holliday: 34 in 411 PA = 1 per 12.1 plate appearances
Albert’s IBB since Holliday: 10 in 289 PA = 1 per 28.9 plate appearances
In other words, the rate of Albert’s intentional walks was more than cut in half once Holliday was batting behind him.
Now let’s look at the Dodgers, specifically.
During the regular season, Pujols had 35 PAs against the Dodgers, all after Holliday joined the team. Pujols was intentionally walked just once.
In the NLDS, Pujols has been intentionally walked three times in just nine PA over the first two games. How do you explain the change in strategy, bb?
My explanation remains that Torre sees that Holliday isn’t hitting as well right now so is willing to take his chances when he didn’t before.
All seven of the LA-STL regular season games came in Holliday’s first 24 games with the Cardinals when he was absolutely blistering the baseball. Here’s the clincher. During those games, Torre had his pitchers issue two intentional walks to Holliday, one more than Albert.
I await your reply.
Its going to be Smoltz……….. Lohse left practice with the Flu yesterday.
They didn’t disable Lohse so perhaps they are hoping to use him in later games if they get there. That also made the game four decision to start Carp even easier.
Yeah, I had always thought that Holliday was acquired to upgrade left field.
Anyway, this game is not going well. Very disappointing.
Brian, lucky for you the season ended before I destroyed your arguement
Tonight, I think Joe was coming right at Albert no matter the situation for two reasons. 1 He sensed that the Cards were not a threat offensively, and 2. It was a psychological boost to his team not being afraid of ‘the best player in MLB”.