The Buccos

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

In the other sports you can (somewhat) scheme your way around a talent deficit, especially if it is not a large one. In baseball you can't do that. There is no different way to pitch to guys on the other team that might even things out, there is no odd ball defensive strategy that can overcome better hitting, nothing like that.

Which is why it made me laugh the other day when I happened to be in the car and listening to the FAN to hear if they made any trades, and one of the dimbulbs on there was talking about Shelty and said that he wasn't a manager like a Chuck Tanner was, a manager that you knew would win you 14-16 extra games a year (note, it might not have been exactly 14-16, but it was in the teens). The idea that any manager, the best manager in the world, was going to win you 14 extra games in a season is mind-bogglingly stupid. And the fact that one of those guys suggested it made me remember why I don't listen to local sports talk radio anymore, and haven't for a couple of decades.

Yeah, that's a pretty bad take, which is not abnormal for them. Some of the stuff I've heard Starkey, Cook, and Dunlap say about Pitt over the years (such as there being no excuse for them not being a top 25 team every season) just showed a stunning lack of understanding about how college football works.

But yeah - any baseball manager worth 14-16 wins/season would be sitting on a golden throne in New York City with his own secret service team. That's a higher WAR than the best of the best. Even if a manager makes a crafty or piss poor decision late in the game, that didn't singlehandedly win or lose the thing. You'd have to take into account every other decision they made in that game, also, as well as plenty of the things said manager did before that game even began (obviously it's not a quantifiable statistic, which I suppose lends itself to proclamations such as the one above).

 

[Dointhatrag]

Mistakes last night:
- Shelton PH for Tellez with Joe then Padres immediately change pitchers
- Shelton not pinch hitting for Triolo with the bases loaded. Even Cruz would have been a better option as PH
- Comedy of defenses let downs (not errors) by Tellez, Triolo and Bae. All makeable outs but couldn't execute. Woodford again got the raw end of the deal

 

[303vND]

We went to the game and left at 930.

I read the Pirates are offering two free tickets to anyone attended - that's the right thing to do.

 

[Pittisit4me]

I think as of last night and considering the remaining schedule, it is safe to turn our focus to the Steelers and Panther football. The Buccos stayed in it longer than I anticipated, but, this seasons flame was snuffed last night by the deluge that passed through the Burgh.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Even if a manager makes a crafty or piss poor decision late in the game, that didn't singlehandedly win or lose the thing. You'd have to take into account every other decision they made in that game, also, as well as plenty of the things said manager did before that game even began (obviously it's not a quantifiable statistic, which I suppose lends itself to proclamations such as the one above).

The other thing that some people seem to not get is that even making the correct decision won't make any difference more often than not. For example Dointhatrag suggests a couple of post ago that not pinch hitting for Triolo last night was a mistake. And I agree, it was. And thought so at the time. But even if he had pinch hit for him, what does that do, increase the chances of a good outcome on that at bat by 10%? Maybe 20% at the extreme? And then what are the chances that a better outcome there is enough to win a game that in reality you lost by six runs? We're talking maybe a couple percent at max. Which means that making the correct decision there makes a difference in your record maybe once every 40 or 50 times that you make it (if not more). And you have that decision a few times a year.

That doesn't mean that you don't make the correct decisions. But any one individual decision really doesn't change your chances of winning or losing any one particular game by all that much. Which is why the difference between one of the best managers and a merely competent manager isn't very much at all.

 

[pittbb80]

Holderman in. Another soul crushing loss

 

[Dan1911]

Holderman is exquisitely awful.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Amazing to let Bae bat in that spot. Literally anyone else would have been better.

Amazing to let Holderman pitch in that spot. Literally anyone else would have been better.

Amazing that they were playing for the double play instead of having the infield in. You couldn't plate a run with one out and the bases loaded, and now you think you're going to get two?

*Edit: I guess the clairvoyant one anticipated three straight walks and a wild pitch.*

It's time for Shelton to put down the booze and the the f#%& out if this town.

 

[pittbb80]

What a difference two weeks makes

This team went from being fun to watch to being painful to warch

Four soul crushing losses where they blew leads has completely crushed any hopes of contending

Hopefully this last month plus is the last we’ll see of the Shelton Tubby Telez
And the snail Grandal

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Lots of action in the bottom of the 10th. None, of course, involved a hard hit ball from this bitch lineup. Joe and Bae and clowns. Grandal is a clown. Absolute joke of a lineup.

And I am the biggest clown of all for staying up until 10:45 on a Wednesday night to watch these losers.

 

[pittbb80]

Lots of action in the bottom of the 10th. None, of course, involved a hard hit ball from this bitch lineup. Joe and Bae and clowns. Grandal is a clown. Absolute joke of a lineup.

Needed one effing fly ball to tie the game.

Ground out strike out and Grandal snail walk to first.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Needed one effing fly ball to tie the game.

Ground out strike out and Grandal snail walk to first.

It is now officially football season Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

 

[Dointhatrag]

10th inning. 0 outs, runners on second and third, down by 1 and you cant score. enough said.

 

[303vND]

Needed one effing fly ball to tie the game.

Ground out strike out and Grandal snail walk to first.

They have to be the worst situational hitting team in MLB history. They can't do any of the basics - just failure after failure!

 

[Dointhatrag]

Im surpirsed we played it that close considering we started 4 players hitting below .200. You cannot win games with that kind of offense. Also I hate the last two nights seeing Tellez being replace by Joe halfway through the game to then watch joe strike out in every at bat.

 

[Dan1911]

Im surpirsed we played it that close considering we started 4 players hitting below .200. You cannot win games with that kind of offense. Also I hate the last two nights seeing Tellez being replace by Joe halfway through the game to then watch joe strike out in every at bat.

How incredibly stupid of them. What are they thinking?

 

[pittbb80]

Bednar choking like a dog again

Massive choke Job

Need to find another closer for next year. I’d dump bender and make Chapman the closer

Yes they are lacking bats But the stretch of games they’ve blown has been due to knuckle headed plays and poor pitching (mostly the inability to throw strikes )

 

[pittbb80]

This team needs a wake up call. They are stale under the dope Shelton. Might as well fire his ass now

 

[BreakingPitt]

Screw the Pirates.

 

[pittbb80]

Cruz giveth and Cruz taketh away

 

[NCanton Panther]

Bednar choking like a dog again

Massive choke Job

Need to find another closer for next year. I’d dump bender and make Chapman the closer

Yes they are lacking bats But the stretch of games they’ve blown has been due to knuckle headed plays and poor pitching (mostly the inability to throw strikes )

Pick a reliever, any reliever on the Bucs, doesn’t matter much. Pretty safe to say the bullpen has been the biggest disappointment on this team this year. Was a given the offense would struggle but the pen has blown way too many games this year.

 

[303vND]

And just think - the Orioles were willing to give up a top 5 prospect for Bednar and the Pirates said no.

 

[pittbb80]

lol Holderman placed on injured list with a bruised ERA er a wrist

 

[Upg bobcat]

Need to find another closer for next year. I’d dump bender and make Chapman the closer

Hindsight is certainly 20/20, but Bednar should have been traded last trade deadline, and Chapman should have been moved this trade deadline.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

Im surpirsed we played it that close considering we started 4 players hitting below .200. You cannot win games with that kind of offense. Also I hate the last two nights seeing Tellez being replace by Joe halfway through the game to then watch joe strike out in every at bat.

I have to imagine most guys who have played most of the season and are hitting below .200 on August 7th have been DFA'ed some time ago. Kind of incredible that we managed to insert that many into the starting lineup.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

lol Holderman placed on injured list with a bruised ERA er a wrist

Shit the Bednar will be next. Torn ego.

This team is still going to find a way to finish at least ten games under .500, most likely. Might as well shut Skenes down soon.

 

[303vND]

lol Holderman placed on injured list with a bruised ERA er a wrist

I told you they were going to find an phantom injury.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Pretty safe to say the bullpen has been the biggest disappointment on this team this year. Was a given the offense would struggle but the pen has blown way too many games this year.

Pretty much everyone thought that the starters would be the weak point, and they would just need those guys to to pitch well enough get the ball to the bullpen. It sure hasn't worked out that way.

If the bullpen was as good as everyone was expecting this team's record would be a lot better.

 

[Dan1911]

Shoulda been sellers. Or Really been buyers. These half measures never work. The team has collapsed. 7wild card teams ahead of them. Looking up at the Cubs now. Wow, just wow.

 

[pittbb80]

Losing close games you should have won takes the steam out of your Salil’s This team is toast.

Good news is I won’t have to watch Tubby Telez Grandal and fire starter Hilderman next year.

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

Good news is I won’t have to watch Tubby Telez Grandal and fire starter Hilderman next year.

I agree that Telez and Grandal are unlikely to be back next year, but there is a really good chance that they only way you are going to avoid seeing Holderman next year would be if you decided to not watch the games at all, or only watch the first few innings.

 

[pittbb80]

Here's a question. With IKF looking like a solid pickup do you trade Cruz for a legit first baseman or OF bat

Should be an interesting off season.

 

[303vND]

Hers a question. With IKF looking like a solid pickup do you trade Cruz for a legit first baseman or OF bat

Should be an interesting off season.

It will be an interesting off- season and a very telling one based on what moves are made - you'll see if they are about making a serious run. I believe the almost the entire infield should be reshaped. If you can get a taker for Hayes(you'd have to package him with one of your top prospects) you do that in a NY minute. As for Cruz - I think he goes to right field.

 

[Dan1911]

It will be an interesting off- season and a very telling one based on what moves are made - you'll see if they are about making a serious run. I believe the almost the entire infield should be reshaped. If you can get a taker for Hayes(you'd have to package him with one of your top prospects) you do that in a NY minute. As for Cruz - I think he goes to right field.

Everyone batting below .200 needs to be cut after the season if Not before. I deal Cruz. He has great potential that other teams will bid for. Dump Hayes if you can. Sign one or two really good free agent in the off-season. Unload bednar and Holderman.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I wonder if there's any consideration in making Bart the first basemen once Endy comes back. Though I do keep waiting for Bart to come back down to Earth.

 

[pittbb80]

I wonder if there's any consideration in making Bart the first basemen once Endy comes back. Though I do keep waiting for Bart to come back down to Earth.

Bart has been a pleasant surprise.

Bednar with another blown save. Dude is hot garbage right now

 

[Pittisit4me]

Not that it matters, but, David shit the Bednar has done it again!

 

[pittbb80]

lol. 0-2 count and he blows it

 

[Joe the Panther Fan]

I wonder if there's any consideration in making Bart the first basemen once Endy comes back. Though I do keep waiting for Bart to come back down to Earth.

I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez plays at least some first base next year, especially at the beginning of the year. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if they had him get some at bats playing first base in the minors sometime before this season ends.

 

[TheWerewolfFromTwilight]

I wouldn't be surprised if Rodriguez plays at least some first base next year, especially at the beginning of the year. Heck, it wouldn't surprise me if they had him get some at bats playing first base in the minors sometime before this season ends.

I was thinking they'd want the weaker bat catching. Probably too soon to definitively say Endy is the weaker bat, but if Bart keeps this up he would be tough to surpass. Of course, they'd be confined by the whole having to have the ability to play first base thing. Not that it's stopped them from putting a guy in the certain position in the past *cough* Cruz *cough*.