Juan Pierre began the game at 298 outs, meaning he was very likely to hit 300 before the day was through.
Not content to make just two outs, Juan doubled his pleasure, then went one better.
1. Grounded to short. #299.
2. Flied to center. #300.
3. Singled to right. Would score on Kent's homer.
4. Singled to left. Stole second. Would score on Kent's single.
5. Bunted to pitcher. #301.
6. Grounded to second. #302.
7. Flied to left. #303.
Still, that's a serious contribution -- his hits came at the right time. Not Juan's worst day.
His pace is 539 outs. He began the day three outs ahead of Rollins and Uggla; Rollins made just two outs and Uggla just one (three walks for him!), so Juan Pierre is the first man in the majors to reach 300 outs.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Not what John Sebastian intended
Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out
1. Grounded to first, #296.
Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about
2. RBI single. Stole third. Scored.
Well, the names have changed since you hung around
3. Sac. #297.
But those dreams have remained and they've turned around
4. Fielder's choice. #298.
Who'da thought they'd lead ya
Back here where we need ya
5. Singled to center. Would score.
Yeah, we tease him a lot, 'cause we got him on the spot... Welcome back!
Three outs ahead of Rollins. On pace for 536.
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!
1. Grounded to first, #296.
Welcome back, to that same old place that you laughed about
2. RBI single. Stole third. Scored.
Well, the names have changed since you hung around
3. Sac. #297.
But those dreams have remained and they've turned around
4. Fielder's choice. #298.
Who'da thought they'd lead ya
Back here where we need ya
5. Singled to center. Would score.
Yeah, we tease him a lot, 'cause we got him on the spot... Welcome back!
Three outs ahead of Rollins. On pace for 536.
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Catching up, getting ready for the second half
All apologies, gentle outwatchers. After being levelled by a cold during a cookout on July 4 -- and JimBilly4, you know that I will continue to blame your cute, infectious daughters -- I tried to soldier on, but had to make a few sacrifices due to health. The OutWatch was one of them. Fortunately, the All-Star break gives me time to catch up. Where was I?
Ah yes.
THURSDAY. The Dodgers lost this game, to the Braves, 8-6.
1. Grounded to second. #280.
2. Singled to left. Would score.
3. Tripled to center. Would not score. C'mon, Dodgers -- when Pierre does something good, you have to take advantage of it!
4. Flied to left. #281.
5. Grounded to second. #282.
FRIDAY. The Braves leave and the Dodgers get the Marlins... and lose, 6-5, in 10 innings.
1. Grounded to second. #283.
2. Grounded to short. #284.
3. Singled to right. It was an RBI, and he scored on Martin's homer.
4. Flied to right. #285.
5. Grounded into double play. #286 & #287.
6. Popped to short. #288.
SATURDAY. Marlins beat on Derek Lowe and Dodgers lose, 7-2.
1. Grounded to short. #289.
2. K, swinging. #290.
3. Singled to center. Stole 2nd.
4. Singled to right. Would score.
5. Grounded to second. #291.
SUNDAY. Desperate for a win, the Dodgers got one, beating up the Marlins 9-3.
1. Reached on bunt single. Scored on Martin's homer. Just think how awesome this team could be if Martin could be knocking in Pierre all the time... alas, only half that tandem is operating.
2. Singled to left. Would score.
3. Grounded into double play. #292 & 293.
4. Fielder's choice. #294.
5. Flied to center. #295.
Yeah, an OK series. 7-for-21 with a triple. Also responsible for 16 team outs in four games, including six in the 6-5 10-inning loss. Not saying that the loss can be pinned on Pierre -- Saito did blow that save -- but Pierre didn't help at all. 30 outs in 10 innings, right? One-fifth of the team's outs -- your center fielder, ladies and gentlemen.
Pace: 537 outs. Leading the majors! But Jimmy Rollins, it should be noted, has played one fewer game than Pierre has and is only 2 outs behind.
* * *
It's the second half. Time for an evaluation, and, if needed, a new start.
This is a great opportunity to look at Juan's stats for the year. He is batting .282/.311/.338, which is far off last year's horrid pace of .292/.330/.388, mostly in power. I do believe it's possible that Juan can pick up the pace hitting singles in the second half to bring his yearly OBP up 20 points... but ohh that slugging percentage. Juan used to hit doubles and triples somewhat regularly: 32 doubles and 13 triples last year. This year, those are down to 13 and 4, so far, putting him on pace for 23 and 7, a significant falloff.
So why are the Dodgers just one game out of first place? The Dodgers have been getting by based on great pitching. Their batting has improved somewhat in recent weeks -- thanks, I believe, without looking it up, to the performances of Kemp, Loney, and Martin. They rank 19th among all MLB teams in runs scored -- that's distinctly below average. On the other hand, their team ERA is fourth in all of baseball. It is unlikely that the pitching will get even better, since they're already near the top in the sport; in fact, I wonder if the pitching can continue to be as great as it was in the first half.
Clearly, the Dodgers will need every run they can get on offense; there is only so long that the team will be able to accommodate bats like Pierre's and Garciaparra's. If neither shows significant improvement in the next couple of weeks -- and really, I'm not holding my breath -- it's time for a major change.
It's frustrating to note that the Dodgers are not fielding the best team they can among the players available to them right now. The team would be better if Pierre sat in favor of Kemp and Ethier both playing every day. The team would be better if my former favorite player, Nomar Garciaparra, went on the DL and tried to figure out what was wrong with him in favor of Wilson Betemit -- yes, Betemit -- playing 3B every day. Otherwise, it just seems like the team is treading water.
Not that that's so bad -- treading water might be good enough to get to the playoffs... after all, the team is just one game out of first. Getting to the playoffs might be the goal, but I wonder if I really need to witness another 3-losses-and-out performance like last year (and has been the Dodgers' norm since the world championship in 1988).
In order to make the playoffs, and to make a splash when they get there, the Dodgers should bench Juan Pierre and play an outfield of Gonzalez, Kemp, and Ethier. Juan Pierre should be a pinch hitter/pinch runner.
Ah yes.
THURSDAY. The Dodgers lost this game, to the Braves, 8-6.
1. Grounded to second. #280.
2. Singled to left. Would score.
3. Tripled to center. Would not score. C'mon, Dodgers -- when Pierre does something good, you have to take advantage of it!
4. Flied to left. #281.
5. Grounded to second. #282.
FRIDAY. The Braves leave and the Dodgers get the Marlins... and lose, 6-5, in 10 innings.
1. Grounded to second. #283.
2. Grounded to short. #284.
3. Singled to right. It was an RBI, and he scored on Martin's homer.
4. Flied to right. #285.
5. Grounded into double play. #286 & #287.
6. Popped to short. #288.
SATURDAY. Marlins beat on Derek Lowe and Dodgers lose, 7-2.
1. Grounded to short. #289.
2. K, swinging. #290.
3. Singled to center. Stole 2nd.
4. Singled to right. Would score.
5. Grounded to second. #291.
SUNDAY. Desperate for a win, the Dodgers got one, beating up the Marlins 9-3.
1. Reached on bunt single. Scored on Martin's homer. Just think how awesome this team could be if Martin could be knocking in Pierre all the time... alas, only half that tandem is operating.
2. Singled to left. Would score.
3. Grounded into double play. #292 & 293.
4. Fielder's choice. #294.
5. Flied to center. #295.
Yeah, an OK series. 7-for-21 with a triple. Also responsible for 16 team outs in four games, including six in the 6-5 10-inning loss. Not saying that the loss can be pinned on Pierre -- Saito did blow that save -- but Pierre didn't help at all. 30 outs in 10 innings, right? One-fifth of the team's outs -- your center fielder, ladies and gentlemen.
Pace: 537 outs. Leading the majors! But Jimmy Rollins, it should be noted, has played one fewer game than Pierre has and is only 2 outs behind.
* * *
It's the second half. Time for an evaluation, and, if needed, a new start.
This is a great opportunity to look at Juan's stats for the year. He is batting .282/.311/.338, which is far off last year's horrid pace of .292/.330/.388, mostly in power. I do believe it's possible that Juan can pick up the pace hitting singles in the second half to bring his yearly OBP up 20 points... but ohh that slugging percentage. Juan used to hit doubles and triples somewhat regularly: 32 doubles and 13 triples last year. This year, those are down to 13 and 4, so far, putting him on pace for 23 and 7, a significant falloff.
So why are the Dodgers just one game out of first place? The Dodgers have been getting by based on great pitching. Their batting has improved somewhat in recent weeks -- thanks, I believe, without looking it up, to the performances of Kemp, Loney, and Martin. They rank 19th among all MLB teams in runs scored -- that's distinctly below average. On the other hand, their team ERA is fourth in all of baseball. It is unlikely that the pitching will get even better, since they're already near the top in the sport; in fact, I wonder if the pitching can continue to be as great as it was in the first half.
Clearly, the Dodgers will need every run they can get on offense; there is only so long that the team will be able to accommodate bats like Pierre's and Garciaparra's. If neither shows significant improvement in the next couple of weeks -- and really, I'm not holding my breath -- it's time for a major change.
It's frustrating to note that the Dodgers are not fielding the best team they can among the players available to them right now. The team would be better if Pierre sat in favor of Kemp and Ethier both playing every day. The team would be better if my former favorite player, Nomar Garciaparra, went on the DL and tried to figure out what was wrong with him in favor of Wilson Betemit -- yes, Betemit -- playing 3B every day. Otherwise, it just seems like the team is treading water.
Not that that's so bad -- treading water might be good enough to get to the playoffs... after all, the team is just one game out of first. Getting to the playoffs might be the goal, but I wonder if I really need to witness another 3-losses-and-out performance like last year (and has been the Dodgers' norm since the world championship in 1988).
In order to make the playoffs, and to make a splash when they get there, the Dodgers should bench Juan Pierre and play an outfield of Gonzalez, Kemp, and Ethier. Juan Pierre should be a pinch hitter/pinch runner.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Other Facts Include: Grilling Steak Helps Fight Global Warming
My favorite Probably Not True Fact that I Just Made Up: all of Juan Pierre's good games come in Dodger losses.
It would be fairly easy to go back and check on this fact. He hasn't had all that many good games -- and I think for most of them I went out of my way to put the words "good game" into the post, so one could just search for that phrase. I remember the extrabase extravaganza in Florida, and that time he walked twice... ahhh, memories.... okay, seriously, there have a been a handful of other good games and it would be easy enough to see if they came in Dodger wins or losses. I'm not going to do that, though. I'm going to stick with my Probably Not True Fact that I Just Made Up and see if anyone notices.
Anyway, last nice, case in point. Good game for Juan Pierre. Mark Hendrickson performs about as well as could have been expected. Brett Tomko: Not So Much.
1. Doubled to center. Stole third.
2. Grounded to short. #279.
3. Doubled to left.
4. Singled to left.
That's a good game, made even better by this: bottom of the ninth, two out, Dodgers on first and second, Pierre due up, and... Little hits for him! Takes the bat out of his hands! On a night when he went three-for-four with two doubles and a SB! It didn't work out, which makes me sad, but it was still the right move. A very small step on the OutWatch's Long March to Victory, By Which I Mean Juan Pierre's Benching!
Pace: 531 outs. Juan falls way behind Rollins in the race after the Phillie shortstop goes 1-for-5. Rollins is at 283 outs. (Of course, bear in mind that Rollins is also OPSing 835 and plays shortstop, while Pierre is OPSing 642 from center field. Just sayin'.)
It would be fairly easy to go back and check on this fact. He hasn't had all that many good games -- and I think for most of them I went out of my way to put the words "good game" into the post, so one could just search for that phrase. I remember the extrabase extravaganza in Florida, and that time he walked twice... ahhh, memories.... okay, seriously, there have a been a handful of other good games and it would be easy enough to see if they came in Dodger wins or losses. I'm not going to do that, though. I'm going to stick with my Probably Not True Fact that I Just Made Up and see if anyone notices.
Anyway, last nice, case in point. Good game for Juan Pierre. Mark Hendrickson performs about as well as could have been expected. Brett Tomko: Not So Much.
1. Doubled to center. Stole third.
2. Grounded to short. #279.
3. Doubled to left.
4. Singled to left.
That's a good game, made even better by this: bottom of the ninth, two out, Dodgers on first and second, Pierre due up, and... Little hits for him! Takes the bat out of his hands! On a night when he went three-for-four with two doubles and a SB! It didn't work out, which makes me sad, but it was still the right move. A very small step on the OutWatch's Long March to Victory, By Which I Mean Juan Pierre's Benching!
Pace: 531 outs. Juan falls way behind Rollins in the race after the Phillie shortstop goes 1-for-5. Rollins is at 283 outs. (Of course, bear in mind that Rollins is also OPSing 835 and plays shortstop, while Pierre is OPSing 642 from center field. Just sayin'.)
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Worst yet
Words fail me.
1. Sacrifice. #273.
2. Popped to short. #274.
3. Grounded to short. #275.
4. Hit back to the box. #276.
5. Force play, #277; Caught Stealing, #278.
Six Dodger outs for Juan Pierre. In eight offensive innings. In a season of uselessness, this game saw Juan at his uselessest.
Pace: 536 outs. In extra innings, Rollins also makes 6 outs, though he required 13 offensive innings to match Juan's uselessness. Still, each of those outs counts just as much, and the bottom line is that Pierre is still one back on the major league lead.
1. Sacrifice. #273.
2. Popped to short. #274.
3. Grounded to short. #275.
4. Hit back to the box. #276.
5. Force play, #277; Caught Stealing, #278.
Six Dodger outs for Juan Pierre. In eight offensive innings. In a season of uselessness, this game saw Juan at his uselessest.
Pace: 536 outs. In extra innings, Rollins also makes 6 outs, though he required 13 offensive innings to match Juan's uselessness. Still, each of those outs counts just as much, and the bottom line is that Pierre is still one back on the major league lead.
In Which, in a Rambling, Nearly Nonsensical Post, I Blame Mother Kavula for All This Nonsense
When I was a small OutWatcher, on the occasions when I took a test in elementary school, Mother Kavula would often ask me how I did on the test. I would report my score, and then, Mother Kavula's next question, invariably, would be to ask how the neighbor's kid -- my best friend at the time -- did on the test.
This was grating and not a fun experience and has led to all sorts of insecurities and bad feelings that have no doubt led me to doing something as inane, pointless, and obnoxious as counting outs...
...but I bring this up because it is not without some pity -- yes, pity -- for Juan Pierre that I ask:
Ohhhhhhh, Juan, why can't you be more like that nice Russell Martin boy?
Look, I realize that it's not fair to compare every player to an All-Star, which is -- yay! -- what Russell Martin is. I also realize that Russell is not perfect. He grounds into double plays. He strikes out with the bases loaded. But it's easy to love his game. I love the fact that he's homegrown, a Dodger through and through. I love his patience, the way he looks for the right pitch to hit. I love the way he works with his pitching staff, seeming to get along with everyone, from the mercurial Penny to the Owenwilsonesque Derek Lowe. I love that he is a catcher.
Just as I find it easy to love everything about Russell's game, I hate everything about Juan Pierre's game. Even when things work out for him, I just shake my head.
Yesterday, case in point. First, let's go through the plate appearances by Juan-for-five:
1. Flied to left. #269.
2. Flied to center. #270.
3. Grounded to first. #271.
4. Bunt doubled to shortstop. Stole third, scored on a Martin single.
5. Grounded to first. #272.
I know it's not really possible to ignore the four outs -- and believe me, I'm not -- but it's the bunt double that I want to talk about. At the time that Pierre hit that bunt double to short, the Dodgers were hanging on to a 3-1 lead over the Braves. They really did need an insurance run, and Juan did his part. He got the results -- that's all that matters, right?
No. Juan was clearly bunting for a hit, something he's done well in his career but has done very poorly this year. Chipper Jones was in on the grass at third, ready to make the play.
Then Juan screwed up the play and popped up the bunt. He also hit it way too hard.
Normally, that results in an out... but Juan got very lucky. The pop-up bunt went over Jones's head, bounced just past third base, and immediately squirted away. Juan got into second.
I hate that play. I hate everything about it. I hate the bunt, I hate that he screwed up the bunt, and I hate that it worked out for him, even if it meant that it was good for my team in the short term, because it's something that the management will be able to point to as a sign that Juan is a player who "makes things happen" and deserves a spot in the lineup, which just drags down the offense.
Juan is a below-average major-league hitter. He needs to be benched. The three every day outfielders need to be Gonzalez, Kemp, and Ethier. Kemp and Ethier switch off CF duties until we see which one plays the position less poorly.
Sigh. Juan, if only you were more like Russell Martin, who came up with four fabulous hits, including a very pretty double in the fifth that scored Furcal and tied the game. If you were like him, I wouldn't count your outs. I'd just enjoy your game.
Instead, I'll point out that you are one off the major league lead for outs (Rollins has 273) and on pace to make 531 by the end of the year.
This was grating and not a fun experience and has led to all sorts of insecurities and bad feelings that have no doubt led me to doing something as inane, pointless, and obnoxious as counting outs...
...but I bring this up because it is not without some pity -- yes, pity -- for Juan Pierre that I ask:
Ohhhhhhh, Juan, why can't you be more like that nice Russell Martin boy?
Look, I realize that it's not fair to compare every player to an All-Star, which is -- yay! -- what Russell Martin is. I also realize that Russell is not perfect. He grounds into double plays. He strikes out with the bases loaded. But it's easy to love his game. I love the fact that he's homegrown, a Dodger through and through. I love his patience, the way he looks for the right pitch to hit. I love the way he works with his pitching staff, seeming to get along with everyone, from the mercurial Penny to the Owenwilsonesque Derek Lowe. I love that he is a catcher.
Just as I find it easy to love everything about Russell's game, I hate everything about Juan Pierre's game. Even when things work out for him, I just shake my head.
Yesterday, case in point. First, let's go through the plate appearances by Juan-for-five:
1. Flied to left. #269.
2. Flied to center. #270.
3. Grounded to first. #271.
4. Bunt doubled to shortstop. Stole third, scored on a Martin single.
5. Grounded to first. #272.
I know it's not really possible to ignore the four outs -- and believe me, I'm not -- but it's the bunt double that I want to talk about. At the time that Pierre hit that bunt double to short, the Dodgers were hanging on to a 3-1 lead over the Braves. They really did need an insurance run, and Juan did his part. He got the results -- that's all that matters, right?
No. Juan was clearly bunting for a hit, something he's done well in his career but has done very poorly this year. Chipper Jones was in on the grass at third, ready to make the play.
Then Juan screwed up the play and popped up the bunt. He also hit it way too hard.
Normally, that results in an out... but Juan got very lucky. The pop-up bunt went over Jones's head, bounced just past third base, and immediately squirted away. Juan got into second.
I hate that play. I hate everything about it. I hate the bunt, I hate that he screwed up the bunt, and I hate that it worked out for him, even if it meant that it was good for my team in the short term, because it's something that the management will be able to point to as a sign that Juan is a player who "makes things happen" and deserves a spot in the lineup, which just drags down the offense.
Juan is a below-average major-league hitter. He needs to be benched. The three every day outfielders need to be Gonzalez, Kemp, and Ethier. Kemp and Ethier switch off CF duties until we see which one plays the position less poorly.
Sigh. Juan, if only you were more like Russell Martin, who came up with four fabulous hits, including a very pretty double in the fifth that scored Furcal and tied the game. If you were like him, I wouldn't count your outs. I'd just enjoy your game.
Instead, I'll point out that you are one off the major league lead for outs (Rollins has 273) and on pace to make 531 by the end of the year.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Back in business
The move went easy, like Sunday morning, thanks for asking.
All I was able to find out about the Dodgers was that they dropped Friday and Saturday but then got behind a great Chad Billingsley performance on Sunday. Let's get the details, by which I mean a certain player whose name rhymes with Juan Pierre.
FRIDAY.
1. Singled to right! Stole second! Stole third! Scored! Great start, Juan!
2. RBI single to center! Went to second on an error! Got to third on a balk -- a balk!! Awesome.
3. Singled to center! Stole second! Wow!
4. Lined to short. #261.
5. Grounded to short. #262.
SATURDAY.
1. Flied to center. #263.
2. Grounded to second. #264.
3. Bunt single to catcher! Stole second!
4. Sacrifice. #265.
5. Grounded to third. #266.
SUNDAY.
1. WALKED! But erased on Martin's DP.
2. RBI single to center! Stole second! Scored on Martin's single!
3. Grounded to third. #267.
4. Flied to left. #268.
A very good weekend for Juan! 5-for-13, BB, 5 SB, 2 R, 2 RBI! That's very fine indeed. Please keep up the good work.
All I was able to find out about the Dodgers was that they dropped Friday and Saturday but then got behind a great Chad Billingsley performance on Sunday. Let's get the details, by which I mean a certain player whose name rhymes with Juan Pierre.
FRIDAY.
1. Singled to right! Stole second! Stole third! Scored! Great start, Juan!
2. RBI single to center! Went to second on an error! Got to third on a balk -- a balk!! Awesome.
3. Singled to center! Stole second! Wow!
4. Lined to short. #261.
5. Grounded to short. #262.
SATURDAY.
1. Flied to center. #263.
2. Grounded to second. #264.
3. Bunt single to catcher! Stole second!
4. Sacrifice. #265.
5. Grounded to third. #266.
SUNDAY.
1. WALKED! But erased on Martin's DP.
2. RBI single to center! Stole second! Scored on Martin's single!
3. Grounded to third. #267.
4. Flied to left. #268.
A very good weekend for Juan! 5-for-13, BB, 5 SB, 2 R, 2 RBI! That's very fine indeed. Please keep up the good work.
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