The 6th inning bunt.

[Platoon]

A bloop single presents Molitor with an almost no brainer decision in a close game. One of arguably the 3 fastest players in baseball at first, his top hitter at the plate, a RH pitcher and a defensive catcher with a 9 % throw out rate! That is not a typo, 9%! Taking at least two strikes while Buxton stole second would be in order, at the least. But no, we bunt? And with Buxton not running, it likely means the bunt was called? We bunt to what is currently the worst hitter on the team. And that's saying a mouthful. He promptly follows his part in the script, allowing the RH pitcher to walk Mauer and face the 4 hitter. Armed with more than the 74 mph curve ball last seen leaving the yard, the 4 hitter is quickly dispatched and order is restored. There were only two reasons to bunt Nunez. One should get the manager fired, and the other should get Nunez sent to Rochester, as it is easily a dumber move than stealing a wide open base. You do not need twenty years in the majors to come to several conclusions. You don't bunt and give up an out, when the odds of a successful steal are approaching 96%. You don't bunt to a terrible SO prone hitter, so their RH pitcher can walk your best LH hitter, to get to your SO prone 4 hitter. If you do, you then better be ready to PH Arcia for Park. Top the whole idea off with this thought. You are playing for one run, in the sixth inning against a team that is hammering your pitching staff. The absolutely stupid baseball being played here is getting ridiculous. I have seen Legion coaches ridiculed in the stand for such idiocricy. I really do not want to hear any BS stories tomorrow about Nunez bunting on his own, if he doesn't have the brains to not bunt, give him the "don't bunt" sign. By now if this team doesnt have one, they need one!

[Seth Stohs]

Molitor said that Nunez bunted on his own there. 

 

Can't blame the manager for that one.

[Platoon]

Molitor said that Nunez bunted on his own there. 

 

Can't blame the manager for that one.

We don't have any better communication than post game comments? This isn't the first time this type of thing has happened.

[Platoon]

Hoskin wrote a fairly thorough article on what affect the Plouffe and Rosario steals did to the chance of scoring. I wonder what the bunt did? And do those computations take into account who you are bunting to!

[curt1965]

Pretty obvious he was bunting for a hit. I understand why you questioned this, but this team has had their collective heads up their collective butts all year. They have way bigger problems than knowing when not to bunt!!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

You can blame Molitor for setting the expectation. How often are the wrong players bunting in the wrong situations on this team? Too often. 

 

Also, it's definitely on Molitor for not flashing Glynn the steal/take sign, or the PLEASE DO NOT BUNT sign. If they don't have one of those, they should.

 

[USAFChief]

I can live with a bunt for a hit attempt, AFTER Buxton has stolen second base. Don't like it, can live with it.

 

As it happened...don't like. And both player and manager should be enough on the same page it doesn't happen.

[John Bonnes]

I'm not letting Molitor off the hook on this one, but I don't think any team in the majors has a "don't bunt" sign, or at least I've never heard of one.

 

This play made me fly into a rage. I was watching on TV and a little surprised I didn't hear them question it (although Bremer's voice sounded surprised, as if he couldn't quite believe it. It was gratifying to walk into the kitchen, where the game was on the radio, and hear Gladden blasting it. Bu

 

But if I was going to assign blame, it would be Nunez at 50%, Buxton at 40% and Molitor at 10%.

 

 

 

 

[John Bonnes]

Oh, and I don't think there is any indication that he was trying to bunt for a hit, other than the play was so stupid, it's tempting to give him the benefit of the doubt. But that sure looked like a straight sac bunt.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

The play log at Fangraphs is up. With runner on first and no outs, tie game, bottom 6th, the Twins went from 62.5% win expectancy before the bunt, to a 60.5% win expectancy after the sacrifice bunt was successful. 

 

In terms of run expectancy, the Twins went from a run expectancy of .831 runs before the bunt, to a run expectancy of .644 runs after the bunt. More info on that here. 

 

There is a time and a place for them. But usually, even when sacrifice bunts do what they are supposed to do, they are still not worth doing.

[jorgenswest]

Molitor could also have had the players back. He doesn't need to be fully honest with us or the press. Why not just take the responsibility?

[USAFChief]

I'm not letting Molitor off the hook on this one, but I don't think any team in the majors has a "don't bunt" sign, or at least I've never heard of one.

 

This play made me fly into a rage. I was watching on TV and a little surprised I didn't hear them question it (although Bremer's voice sounded surprised, as if he couldn't quite believe it. It was gratifying to walk into the kitchen, where the game was on the radio, and hear Gladden blasting it. Bu

 

But if I was going to assign blame, it would be Nunez at 50%, Buxton at 40% and Molitor at 10%.

I would guess every team in the majors has a standing "I'm the manager, I'll call the sac bunts" policy in place.

 

Or should.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Molitor said that Nunez bunted on his own there.

 

Can't blame the manager for that one.

does the manager not lead the coaching staff?

[Richie the Rally Goat]

You can blame Molitor for setting the expectation. How often are the wrong players bunting in the wrong situations on this team? Too often.

 

Also, it's definitely on Molitor for not flashing Glynn the steal/take sign, or the PLEASE DO NOT BUNT sign. If they don't have one of those, they should.

or heck, just yell across the diamond... " if you bunt I'm benching you for the rest of your career here". I mean, wasn't he sitting on the bench just a few minutes before the debacle? Could Bruno not have sat down next to Nunez and asked "what's the plan of attack? If you bunt without the call, your toast"

[jimmer]

 

We don't have any better communication than post game comments? This isn't the first time this type of thing has happened.

At some point Molitor has to tell the whole team that he is the only one who calls for a bunt.  Period.  If he hadn't done that well before this game, that's on him.  If he doesn't do that now, it's also on him.  It doesn't surprise me one bit that he didn't defend his player though.

[David HK]

 

You can blame Molitor for setting the expectation. How often are the wrong players bunting in the wrong situations on this team? Too often. 

 

Also, it's definitely on Molitor for not flashing Glynn the steal/take sign, or the PLEASE DO NOT BUNT sign. If they don't have one of those, they should.

So, he "bunted on his own," did he?  Gee, good idea, Molly-  hang your one and only guy who's been hitting this year out to dry. I am in complete agreement with many of the comments like this one.  You're the manager.  You've got to control those situations.  You've got to communicate to that player, (again, your ONLY guy who's hit the whole year), what you want done or NOT DONE.

 

I was not on the Molly bandwagon when he got hired, but more than willing to give him all support once it happened.  Since last year, though, it's been at least one mind-numbing decision each and every game, (often way more than just one), and a constant string of lineups that look like they've been pulled out of a hat that says "10/6" on the side of it.   Add to that the ridiculous way he's handled nearly every prospect that's been called up, and It seems readily evident he's not the guy to hone this club for the future, nor give the team a chance to compete in the present.  

 

Not only do we have a whole dugout full of guys who are not meeting their own or the team's expectations, we keep on shooting ourselves in the foot with these stupid decisions every damn day. Now, I ask you, who's responsible for that?   And who's responsible if, like Nunez "bunting on his own,"  you've got 25 guys in that rowboat all pulling in their own individual directions?  

 

Molly needs to go.  Now.

[David HK]

 

At some point Molitor has to tell the whole team that he is the only one who calls for a bunt.  Period.  If he hadn't done that well before this game, that's on him.  If he doesn't do that now, it's also on him.  It doesn't surprise me one bit that he didn't defend his player though.

I concur.  But shouldn't that point be some time around the Ides of March?

[jimmer]

 

I concur.  But shouldn't that point be some time around the Ides of March?

If you mean March of 2015, then yes.

[Platoon]

The play log at Fangraphs is up. With runner on first and no outs, tie game, bottom 6th, the Twins went from 62.5% win expectancy before the bunt, to a 60.5% win expectancy after the sacrifice bunt was successful. 

 

In terms of run expectancy, the Twins went from a run expectancy of .831 runs before the bunt, to a run expectancy of .644 runs after the bunt. More info on that here. 

 

There is a time and a place for them. But usually, even when sacrifice bunts do what they are supposed to do, they are still not worth doing.

These stats still do not take into consideration who is next in the lineup. Two big hitters you can't work around, or one you can. A bunt to third with a fly ball prone hitter next, vs a ground ball prone hitter, or a low contact one? That is where the manager comes in, and the stats separate, IMHO. But this is also the same bunch that plays the infield up early in a game, real early. Besides the individual players and decisions involved. What really irked me was the inning, the score, and the way TB was taking BP against us. One run was not gonna do it.

[Linus]

I love this. It was a complete bone head play by Nunez and somehow this is Mollies fault. Sometimes players screw up and it is completely their fault.

[Platoon]

I love this. It was a complete bone head play by Nunez and somehow this is Mollies fault. Sometimes players screw up and it is completely their fault.

Well then let's approach it that way. How many games does Nunez sit? How and where do you put an end to one "bone head play" after the other. How do you show that bone head plays have consequences, or in this teams case, it depends on your status. This is not the first time I have heard, "he bunted on his own". If your players don't know when to bunt, do the math for them. You better, it's your job on the line.

[ashbury]

I love this. It was a complete bone head play by Nunez and somehow this is Mollies fault. Sometimes players screw up and it is completely their fault.

The batter calling the sac bunt? Did he first flash the sign to the runner on first base?

[Seth Stohs]

 

We don't have any better communication than post game comments? This isn't the first time this type of thing has happened.

 

I'm not sure what more we would have... 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I'm not letting Molitor off the hook on this one, but I don't think any team in the majors has a "don't bunt" sign, or at least I've never heard of one.

 

This play made me fly into a rage. I was watching on TV and a little surprised I didn't hear them question it (although Bremer's voice sounded surprised, as if he couldn't quite believe it. It was gratifying to walk into the kitchen, where the game was on the radio, and hear Gladden blasting it. Bu

 

But if I was going to assign blame, it would be Nunez at 50%, Buxton at 40% and Molitor at 10%.

 

I was listening on the radio at work... 

 

My blame assignment would be 100% Nunez. And if he was bunting for a hit, I still give him 100% but it doesn't bother me... 

[Kwak]

A run&hit call seems like a good call in that situation--and it has the bonus of preventing a bunt!

[Linus]

The batter calling the sac bunt? Did he first flash the sign to the runner on first base?

He did it on his own. The manager didn't call for it.

[Seth Stohs]

 

does the manager not lead the coaching staff?

 

 

Sure... not sure what this has to do with anything though... 

[Seth Stohs]

 

I love this. It was a complete bone head play by Nunez and somehow this is Mollies fault. Sometimes players screw up and it is completely their fault.

 

Yeah, that's really a strange thing to me. I get there is a certain segment that wants Molitor gone... and there are plenty of other reasons for that... but this is definitely NOT one of those situations.

[TheLeviathan]

I don't think you can blame Molitor for this necessarily.  I would hope that professional baseball players can be allowed to choose when to try and bunt for a hit.

 

What I would put on Molitor is his response to this.  If Nunez and others can't figure out when and how to bunt, then take the option completely away from them.

[ashbury]

He did it on his own. The manager didn't call for it.

None of the runner's business, then?