Jim Tracy should be fired tomorrow...

[N41D]

Rockies up 4-2 in the Top of the 9th at home with their season on the line... Ryan Howard steps to the plate with two runners on and two outs... Huston Streeton the mound... So Ryan Howard comes up as the go ahead run... Get him out and you send this thing back to Philly and keep your season alive... So what do youdo?

Here's the catch... Ryan Howard's season splits:

RHP: .320/.395/.693
LHP: .207/.298/.356

So against RHP, the guy is pounding balls on a level only Albert Pujols and a couple others than comprehend... Against LHP, he's damn near YunieskyBetancourt and Jason Kendall... Not convinced? Ryan Howard's career splits:

RHP: .308/.409/.662
LHP: .226/.310/.444

A little better, but he's still only going from Jason Kendall to the 2009 version of Andruw Jones or Hank Blalock...

Going to the pen to get a left-handed pitcher is the obvious, absolutely unquestionable move at this point in the game with your World Series hopes riding ongetting one more out... Situations like this are the reason you went and got Joe Beimel last offseason... And yet, what does Tracy do? He sticks with HustonStreet because "He's their closer and they trust him." ...

I know people on this board hate the statistical side of things but, in baseball especially, things like this are very significant and carry a TON of weight inthe decisions made by managers... The fact that Tracy stuck with Huston Street, because he's the closer and you don't pull a closer for a leftyspecialist, despite mounds and mounds of evidence that it was absolutely the wrong decision with their hopes of extending this series and going back toPhiladelphia on the line is absolutely unbelievable and inexcusable...

 

[what up]

Hindsight is 20/20. Because if Street had gotten the save, everyone would be praising Tracy for sticking with his closer. Analysts would be saying Street nowhas confidence to go into Philadelphia and get big outs. Kinda/sorta what happened with Manuel and Lidge. All of a sudden, Lidge can be trusted again becausehe didn't blow it.

Fact of the matter is, Tracy's Rockies went 74-42. So even with that wrong decision against Howard, he doesn't deserve to get fired.

 

[erascism]

That sounds silly. He is their closer. 35 saves and 2 blown saves. Lefties hit .200 off him. It's just silly to play the percentages in thatsituation. He's a closer. I've never seen a manager relieve their closer in the bottom of the 9th of a playoff game with 2 outs. Don't be ageek with the numbers.

Maybe if you were mad that they didn't put him on base, I guess you'd have a valid point, but Howard doesn't hit the slider well and that isStreet's best pitch.

 

[erascism]

Street does have baby nuts though. He's never had the demeanor of a closer. You could tell after he walked Utley it was gonna be a wrap.

 

[durden7]

Tracys also the reason they were even playing last night.

 

[never seen b4]

I swear some of you should have your posting ability revoked.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Originally Posted by Durden7

Tracys also the reason they were even playing last night.

Originally Posted by ERASCISM


That sounds silly. He is their closer. 35 saves and 2 blown saves. Lefties hit .200 off him. It's just silly to play the percentages in that situation. He's a closer. I've never seen a manager relieve their closer in the bottom of the 9th of a playoff game with 2 outs. Don't be a geek with the numbers.

Maybe if you were mad that they didn't put him on base, I guess you'd have a valid point, but Howard doesn't hit the slider well and that is Street's best pitch.

Because the majority of managers are buffoons, and the closer position is the height of buffoonery.

 

[durden7]

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

Originally Posted by Durden7

Tracys also the reason they were even playing last night.

You disagree?

 

[lb510]

What up wrote:

Fact of the matter is, Tracy's Rockies went 74-42. So even with that wrong decision against Howard, he doesn't deserve to get fired.

 

[frenchblue23]

Tracy's decisions are questionable, he would do this all the time in L.A.

 

[incredibleev]

Huston Street opponents batting average vs. rightys - .217, vs. leftys - .167

I mean there's already 2 outs, and Huston Street was a top 5 closer this year, one of the reasons the Rockies made it this far. I wouldn't have put alefty in if I was Tracy.

 

[proshares]

Originally Posted by Never Seen B4

I swear some of you should have your posting ability revoked.

Because you've brought such wonderful insight to the subject.

Huston Street opponents batting average vs. rightys - .217, vs. leftys - .167

I mean there's already 2 outs, and Huston Street was a top 5 closer this year, one of the reasons the Rockies made it this far. I wouldn't have put a lefty in if I was Tracy.
True, but he was already rattled from losing a game in the series already and looked shaky in the one save he got. His control has been allover the place in the series and he looked genuinely scared when Howard came up to the plate.

 

[dland24]

Originally Posted by Durden7

Originally Posted by Osh Kosh Bosh

Originally Posted by Durden7

Tracys also the reason they were even playing last night.

You disagree?

OKB disagrees that a manager can have anything but a negative impact on his team

. The Rockies were trash before he got there. Tracy took over and theybecome one of the best teams in baseball. Obviously, he has something to do with it. Could he have made a different move? In hindsight, sure.

 

[N41D]

Originally Posted by IncredibleEv

Huston Street opponents batting average vs. rightys - .217, vs. leftys - .167

I mean there's already 2 outs, and Huston Street was a top 5 closer this year, one of the reasons the Rockies made it this far. I wouldn't have put a lefty in if I was Tracy.

Street took an L the night before, wasn't exactly throwing the ball well before Howard got to the plate, and the last time he was in theplayoffs he pitched like hell too....

If Street looked like he was throwing well before Howard came up, cool, leave him in... But he wasn't throwing well, didn't throw well the nightbefore, and hasn't thrown well in the playoffs in the past... It's an easy decision...


Being married to the idea that one guy is your closer and if you have a lead in the 9th you're not pulling him regardless of every piece of evidence sayingotherwise is stupid...

 

[flintgrey]

I think its easy to play armchair QB right now, but Street had two outs in the ninth. As ERASCISM pointed out, I don't know another person on the team youwould want to have on the mound than a guy with 35 saves with only 2 blown that year. Tracy did the right thing.

Blaming Tracy is like blaming Matt Holliday on the Cardinals' fortunes. Sure he had the error that cost them a game, but its his bat that largely got themthere.

I think the more questionable move was letting Rodney pitch three innings for the Tigers in the one game AL Central playoff. If anyone should be fired a dayafter losing, its Jim Leyland. To walk into September with a 7 game lead, take a dump for a month, then let your closer pitch a career high 3 innings andlose....Leyland deserves the boot.

 

[lazyj10]

Who else did Colorado have to go to (I really don't know as I don't follow them)? Also, you want to put someone into that role/pressure that may havenever experienced it before?
They lose the game either way, he's damned if he did and damned if he didn't. Meaning, roll with Houston Street get beat and question why he was inthere given how he's pitched. Go for someone else, lose the game, question why Houston Street WASN'T in the game.