I'd have to go back and look at each individual game to be more sure of what I'm about to say, but it sure seems like when Juan has an unambiguously good game, like he did on Saturday, the Dodgers lose, but when he has a good-game-with-faults or a bad game, they win. It's strange.
There was the April 17 game, in which he hit the double and the triple, going 2-for-5, but five bases. That's unambiguously good and the Dodgers won. I think that's it, but I'd be willing to stand corrected.
FRIDAY... 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI looks okay, but add in the SF and that caught stealing -- caught by a mile, too; it was really a pickoff -- and the fact that if he had just sat still on first base, the Dodgers wouldn't have need to work quite so hard to squeak this one out... it's upsetting. It looks okay, but he still makes four outs and if the Dodgers had lost, that CS would have bee costly indeed.
1. Grounded to pitcher. #162.
2. Beat out a bunt to the pitcher! Yay! Caught Stealing! Oh, no! #163.
3. Singled to center. Would be moved up and score.
4. Bunted to catcher. Out. #164.
5. Sac Fly to center. #165.
SATURDAY is an unambiguously good performance, from the box score (I didn't watch)... and the Dodgers lost.
1. Flied to right. #166.
2. Singled to left. Didn't foolishly try to steal... would get pushed to third and stranded. Oh, Luis Gonzalez, please hit.
3. Flied to center. #167.
4. Singled to center.
That's a fine game. I wish his two outs had been grounders instead of fly balls, but whatever... 2-for-4 -- two bases and two outs -- is about all you can expect from any ballplayer on any particular day. Can Juan enjoy it if his team doesn't win?
Pace: 552 outs.
2 comments:
If he doesn't get picked off Friday, that was another solid game. SF might irritate you, but they actually accomplish something (score a run), which is better than a pop-up, strike-out, weak grounder, or double play. You can't blame hime for making it hard for the Dodgers when it was the bullpen that melted down in the 7th.
As far as the play well Dodgers lose thing... A) I don't think it holds up and B) You can't seriously believe it is anything but weird bad luck. Might as well believe hitting with RISP is a sustatainable stat while you are at it (I am looking at you, Nomar).
Your points are all valid. My Pierre-hate is coming on strong today. The bile is up.
1. If he doesn't get picked off Friday, it's another solid game, true. But: he did get picked off -- against a left-handed pitcher, I might add. It was predictable and foolish and it's not a solid game.
2. Sacrifice flies (and sac bunts, for that matter) do irritate me. In fact, I don't know why baseball scores them in such a way that they don't hurt the batting average. Sure, they accomplish something, but so does Not Getting Out. It's weird. At least sac bunts it's clear what the batter is doing is giving himself up for a base... has any ballplayer ever said to himself, "Ya know, rather than try for a hit here, I think I'll go for a Sac Fly?" Every one I've ever seen looks like a guy swinging for a hit who just gets too much under it.
3. I don't really believe the play well/Dodgers lose thing, of course. As I said, it doesn't really hold up in the first place. Besides, isn't that was A-Rod is accused of by Yankee fans -- only contributing when the game isn't on the line? Maybe Juan Pierre is just another A-Rod. Heh.
Post a Comment