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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...
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...