Hokies

[THWG]

Is this our first winning series in conference?

Yes, unfortunately.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

Is this our first winning series in conference?

Really? You are blessed to not know.

 

[awbuzz]

After the horse show, was able to listen due to the rain delay. The win along with some great catches made the drive home great!

Congratulations to the boys for winning the series.

If I understand correctly, we are two games back from the last playoff position with nine games left. We just need to win a lot of games and get into the ACC tourney. That'll give a a chance to pull out the feelingsof dread that have come with the season so far.

Also need to WIN this Tuesday!

 

[FredJacket]

If I understand correctly, we are two games back from the last playoff position with nine games left. We just need to win a lot of games and get into the ACC tourney.

Technically....at this moment (Sat night), we're 1.5 games out of 12th place (Pitt). If they lose to UNC tomorrow... it'll be down to 1 game. Pitt is our next ACC series & in Atlanta. HUGE series.

....and as dirty as it feels, I'll say it... Go Heels!!

 

[RoosterJacket]

Maybe this will jump start the team for the rest of the year. I was also very encouraged by the pitching this weekend (other than Ryan).

Agree on the pitching. Curry was great. Shadday did well enough. Gibson was put in a very tough spot today, but did well the first two innings and has done well his last few outings. Datoc, Combs, Carpenter, and Lee were all tremendous.

 

[THWG]

Agree on the pitching. Curry was great. Shadday did well enough. Gibson was put in a very tough spot today, but did well the first two innings and has done well his last few outings. Datoc, Combs, Carpenter, and Lee were all tremendous.

I didn't like the decision to bring Gibson back out after the delay. You don't bring a pitcher back unless the delay is less than 30 minutes.

 

[AE 87]

I didn't like the decision to bring Gibson back out after the delay. You don't bring a pitcher back unless the delay is less than 30 minutes.

... but sticking with Ryan after 2 2-out walks last night was the only right move.

I yield to your genius.

 

[THWG]

... but sticking with Ryan after 2 2-out walks last night was the only right move.

I yield to your genius.

Ryan is the closer. You have to trust that he can get out of that situation because he has gotten out of trouble all year. A rain delay is a completely different scenario. A team can make adjustments over the delay and your guy gets tired of waiting or tired just because he has to warm up again. Two completely different scenarios, but I'm sure that you in your infinite wisdom can't and won't see that.

 

[AE 87]

Ryan is the closer. You have to trust that he can get out of that situation because he has gotten out of trouble all year. A rain delay is a completely different scenario. A team can make adjustments over the delay and your guy gets tired of waiting or tired just because he has to warm up again. Two completely different scenarios, but I'm sure that you in your infinite wisdom can't and won't see that.

I understood you the first time. There are times when managerial decisions can be questioned and times when not. You know these times, and I don't.

Why didn't you just agree with me?

 

[augustabuzz]

Really? You are blessed to not know.

No, just a case of a stunning thought running through my mind. I can't recall ever being this late in a conference season before winning a series.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I didn't like the decision to bring Gibson back out after the delay. You don't bring a pitcher back unless the delay is less than 30 minutes.

Another case where Howell couldn't tell in the bullpen whether the pitcher was ready. Gibson had only thrown 26 pitches in the game plus warm up.

Is it that hard from the bullpen how a pitcher will do?

Anyway, here was Gibson's 3rd. When do you pull the pitcher?
Single
HR
HBP
FO
HBP
Single
Lee comes in.

 

[FredJacket]

Another case where Howell couldn't tell in the bullpen whether the pitcher was ready. Gibson had only thrown 26 pitches in the game plus warm up.

Is it that hard from the bullpen how a pitcher will do?

Anyway, here was Gibson's 3rd. When do you pull the pitcher?
Single
HR
HBP
FO
HBP
Single
Lee comes in.

There are really 2 key decisions that relate:
1) When do you get the reliever up & warming?; then
2) When is it time to get the current pitcher out?

In the specific case with Gibson... that sequence could have happened so fast... even if Howell went out for a mound visit to buy time, that Lee was not ready. I don't know... and I wasn't listening at the time to know.

Not defending Hall or Howell here... perhaps they both are unable to figure out either decision the right way consistently.

I do believe you can err too far in the other direction though... warming guys too early & too often creating other problems & generating similar results.

 

[THWG]

I understood you the first time. There are times when managerial decisions can be questioned and times when not. You know these times, and I don't.

Why didn't you just agree with me?

You can question them all the time if you want to. I know that I question a lot of them, but I also know that Hall's knowledge of the game far exceeds any of ours and I trust him to make the right move. With Ryan, he is Hall's go to guy and the one that Hall trusts with the game in the line. So we know that CDH is going to leave him in as long as possible and once he's in, he's not coming out.

 

[THWG]

Another case where Howell couldn't tell in the bullpen whether the pitcher was ready. Gibson had only thrown 26 pitches in the game plus warm up.

Is it that hard from the bullpen how a pitcher will do?

Anyway, here was Gibson's 3rd. When do you pull the pitcher?
Single
HR
HBP
FO
HBP
Single
Lee comes in.

I wouldn't have even brought him back, but in that scenario, I would've pulled him after the HR.

 

[MWBATL]

You can question them all the time if you want to. I know that I question a lot of them, but I also know that Hall's knowledge of the game far exceeds any of ours and I trust him to make the right move. With Ryan, he is Hall's go to guy and the one that Hall trusts with the game in the line. So we know that CDH is going to leave him in as long as possible and once he's in, he's not coming out.

And therein lies the problem, imho. Unless you are really REALLY good, I don't agree with the idea of "designating" a closer. You put out the guy who is pitching well. It drives me nuts in the majors, and it drives me even more nuts in other levels. You'll watch a guy pitch a perfect 8th inning, then they change pitchers and bring in the "closer" who blew his last save opportunity....and all too often, boom! If a guy is pitching lights out, leave him in, at least until he allows one baserunner.

 

[GTNavyNuke]

I wouldn't have even brought him back, but in that scenario, I would've pulled him after the HR.

I would have after the first HBP.

Whether I would have brought him in depends on how he looked in bullpen. If you can't tell from bullpen, I'd have a backup plan.

 

[THWG]

And therein lies the problem, imho. Unless you are really REALLY good, I don't agree with the idea of "designating" a closer. You put out the guy who is pitching well. It drives me nuts in the majors, and it drives me even more nuts in other levels. You'll watch a guy pitch a perfect 8th inning, then they change pitchers and bring in the "closer" who blew his last save opportunity....and all too often, boom! If a guy is pitching lights out, leave him in, at least until he allows one baserunner.

It drives me nuts too, but it's just a part of baseball that I've come to accept because it's not going to change. I completely agree with you that if a guy has a shutdown inning then he should be brought back out. An example of this would be the Braves and Padres from last weekend when Ramirez got 2 outs on 3 pitches and Snit decided to not bring him back out the next inning. That led to a 2-run HR and the Braves started losing. They were very lucky to get a walk-off win. However, Ryan has been our best and most consistent bullpen pitcher, so I understand why Hall trusts him so much and will leave him in to work out of his own mess.

 

[65Jacket]

And therein lies the problem, imho. Unless you are really REALLY good, I don't agree with the idea of "designating" a closer. You put out the guy who is pitching well. It drives me nuts in the majors, and it drives me even more nuts in other levels. You'll watch a guy pitch a perfect 8th inning, then they change pitchers and bring in the "closer" who blew his last save opportunity....and all too often, boom! If a guy is pitching lights out, leave him in, at least until he allows one baserunner.

I'm with you on this, I have never understood why you take out a pitcher who is going great just to bring in a designated closer. As for the situation with Gibson yesterday, I wanted to see him have a big outing, but the rain messed up that. If I gave in to my better judgement, I would already be warming up another pitcher, and I would have taken him out after the home run.

 

[AE 87]

You can question them all the time if you want to. I know that I question a lot of them, but I also know that Hall's knowledge of the game far exceeds any of ours and I trust him to make the right move. With Ryan, he is Hall's go to guy and the one that Hall trusts with the game in the line. So we know that CDH is going to leave him in as long as possible and once he's in, he's not coming out.

If Hall's knowledge is so much greater thsn yours and you trust him to make the right move, why did you post this?

I didn't like the decision to bring Gibson back out after the delay. You don't bring a pitcher back unless the delay is less than 30 minutes.

 

[THWG]

If Hall's knowledge is so much greater thsn yours and you trust him to make the right move, why did you post this?

Because I'm a fan who didn't like the move. I still trust him to make the right decision though.