GDT #34: 5/9/14 Cubs (Hammel) vs Braves (Teheran)

Certainly true about the force, and the lefty matchup. It's just hard to imagine choosing to pitch to the .321 hitter.
 
Julio3000 said:
Certainly true about the force, and the lefty matchup. It's just hard to imagine choosing to pitch to the .321 hitter.
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Well coming into tonight Freddie was a 278 hitter against lefties. Justin was 333 against lefties. It was the correct match up. Freddie can also be prone to double plays.
 
50PoundHead said:
Didn't see the game, but I don't know why walking Upton was a bad move after Heyward stole second. One run wins it, so Upton doesn't matter and it puts the force in order at 3B or 2B.
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While I agree with your reasoning, the man on deck after Justin is by far our best hitter and is starting to get hot. Upton is prone to striking out. After the steal, I pitch to JUp. I have him beat me rather than Freddie.

By the way, valid points made by all. Cap tipped. I'll be nice to skip till we lose again. :-).

Also, just got over having the norovirus, that along with this losing streak almost made me strangle my wife.
 
thewupk said:
Well coming into tonight Freddie was a 278 hitter against lefties. Justin was 333 against lefties. It was the correct match up. Freddie can also be prone to double plays.
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It's a defensible move. Don't know that I'd have done it under the circumstances, but it was playing the percentages. Wesley Wright isn't that good. I wouldn't choose to pitch to Freddie unless I had a certified hammer on the mound.
 
Julio3000 said:
It's a defensible move. Don't know that I'd have done it under the circumstances, but it was playing the percentages. Wesley Wright isn't that good. I wouldn't choose to pitch to Freddie unless I had a certified hammer on the mound.
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It's a bad spot either way. Justin kills lefties and Freddie is no slouch against them either. I think you have to walk Justin and hope for the DP.
 
thewupk said:
It's a bad spot either way. Justin kills lefties and Freddie is no slouch against them either. I think you have to walk Justin and hope for the DP.
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That's my thought. You walk Upton and roll the dice with Freeman and if you get him out, the DP is still a possibility.
 
Also of note for those still thinking it was a mistake to pitch around Upton last night. His WRC+ against lefties this year is 243 which is the 6th best in baseball. He crushes them.
 
thewupk said:
Also of note for those still thinking it was a mistake to pitch around Upton last night. His WRC+ against lefties this year is 243 which is the 6th best in baseball. He crushes them.
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When you're in that situation, you really have to play the odds and put the force play in order. Upton's success against LHP's only reinforces why it needed to be done in that particular situation.
 
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