Game Thread: Twins @ Orioles - 4/7, 12:35pm

[Guest USAFChief]

How are you going to call an error on a fly ball that never hits a glove?

[Mr. Brooks]

I don't remember how it was scored, but the Jose Conseco homer off his head was not an error then?

 

How about a third baseman bare-handing ball that he shouldn't. Never touches the glove, so no error?

 

Wow, you take things EXTREMELY literally.

When you said "glove", you LITERALLY meant glove huh?

LOL.

[LaBombo]

Um, Hicks slipped in the OF. That's not a demotable offense.

 

Only saw it once, but it looked to me like he misjudged the ball and slipped while trying to recover. Whatever. I've seen enough for now.

[ashbury]

//not sure if serious...//

 

Quite the joker, aren't you.

[Alex]

How are you going to call an error on a fly ball that never hits a glove?

 

Because there's no reason those balls shouldn't have been caught.

 

On another note, boy, am I glad we traded JJ Hardy. I heard that we got some great baseballs for him.

[Guest USAFChief]

 

Actually... That's a pretty old school baseball instruction... Protect the plate with two strikes. If its close get a bat on it.

"Swing at anything" has always been pretty BAD old school baseball instruction, and still is. In any case, the reason he didn't swing at those curveballs was either because he didn't recognize them as curveballs, or did but didn't think they'd make the strike zone. Neither of those problems will be fixed by ORDERING him to swing at anything when he has two strikes on him. One of the byproducts of good plate discipline is occasionally you will take a called third strike. Relax, people. Hicks may or may not need some more minor league time, but telling him to swing regardless of the pitch isn't going to help him in Minnesota, Rochester, or little league.

[Ultima Ratio]

How are you going to call an error on a fly ball that never hits a glove?

If Mauer is under that pop up, has his glove up, plenty of time before it comes down, and the ball just nicks the edge of the mit and hits him in the face it's an error, but if the glove is moved 1mm forward and the ball comes down on his face without touching the glove, it's not? Just seems pretty, pretty, pretty...... odd to me.

[Mr. Brooks]

Hicks doesnt need to be demoted, yet.

What he needs is a day off. He is pressing big time, and it's borderline cruel and unusual punishment to keep penciling him in every day like this.

I'm not saying bench him, I'm saying give him a day off, let him watch a game from the bench, and see if it helps him settle down.

[LaBombo]

I'd sort of forgotten JJ's "wheels."

 

Yeah, he's no Nishi on the basepaths...

[Shane Wahl]

USA: yes I am half-serious. QUOTE] So you want someone to tell him "any time you have two strikes, swing at anything, whether you think it's a strike or not, whether you recognize the pitch or not, just never, ever, take a called third strike." Yeah, that's a good idea.

 

You realize that I am referring to border line strikes every single time, right?

[Shane Wahl]

By the way, it is much better to listen to Orioles announcers. Palmer is good.

[Ultima Ratio]

Wow, you take things EXTREMELY literally.

When you said "glove", you LITERALLY meant glove huh?

LOL.

 

I thought it was clear when I said I was looking for an official scoring rule explanation that I'm asking out of ignorance for a definition or is it totally subjective or what?

[Riverbrian]

"Swing at anything" has always been pretty BAD old school baseball instruction, and still is. In any case, the reason he didn't swing at those curveballs was either because he didn't recognize them as curveballs, or did but didn't think they'd make the strike zone. Neither of those problems will be fixed by ORDERING him to swing at anything when he has two strikes on him. One of the byproducts of good plate discipline is occasionally you will take a called third strike. Relax, people. Hicks may or may not need some more minor league time, but telling him to swing regardless of the pitch isn't going to help him in Minnesota, Rochester, or little league.

 

I'm not saying I agree. Just saying its a long time baseball philosophy.

 

What do I really think... It's hard to do in the majors...Most pitchers are pretty good at putting baseballs just off the plate at this level... It would kill patience because no one would want to get in a two strike count. The pitchers will carve you up.

 

High School and below... I absolutely agree with it. Be patient and don't swing at crap early in the at bat. Protect the plate with two strikes... Don't walk back to the dug out without taking a hack.

[Guest USAFChief]

I thought it was clear when I said I was looking for an official scoring rule explanation that I'm asking out of ignorance for a definition or is it totally subjective or what?

Official scorers have operated under the same set of "unwritten rules" for more than a century. No official scorer would have scored either of those as errors in 1913, nor would they score them as such today. A ball lost in the roof, or in the sun, that falls untouched isn't an error. It's not hard to understand.

[ashbury]

Two walks from the Florimonster. We have an OBP machine setting things up for the top of the order.

[Riverbrian]

If Mauer is under that pop up, has his glove up, plenty of time before it comes down, and the ball just nicks the edge of the mit and hits him in the face it's an error, but if the glove is moved 1mm forward and the ball comes down on his face without touching the glove, it's not? Just seems pretty, pretty, pretty...... odd to me.

 

If the Ball hits Mauer in the face... It's an error... If Mauer decides to let the ball drop... It's not.

[Ultima Ratio]

It's not hard to understand.

 

For you maybe, but I see errors turned into hits and hits turned into errors all the time -- by officials.

[Guest USAFChief]

If the Ball hits Mauer in the face... It's an error... If Mauer decides to let the ball drop... It's not.

There's also a difference in being camped under a popup and not making the catch, and in never getting into position to catch the ball.

[ashbury]

For you maybe, but I see errors turned into hits and hits turned into errors all the time -- by officials.

 

There is variation of course, but there appears to be a form of "internal hazing" of new scorers that quickly puts them in line with prior art, or they are squeezed out.

[Shane Wahl]

USA, are you even watching the games? The issue is that Hicks has struck out several times this year on the exact same pitch. The curve outside. What's wrong with telling him to swing at a curve with two strikes when it is obviously going to be a close pitch. It looks like he doesn't understand how a damn curve moves.

[Riverbrian]

There's also a difference in being camped under a popup and not making the catch, and in never getting into position to catch the ball.

 

Yes

[Guest USAFChief]

For you maybe, but I see errors turned into hits and hits turned into errors all the time -- by officials.

Because they're judgement calls. The official scorer uses his best judgement, and in today's world with HD replays from multiple angles, sometimes their judgement changes given multiple looks. Generally, those changes are going to be close calls, on balls in the infield. If an OFer never gets into position to catch a ball, it's never going to be an error.

[Guest USAFChief]

USA, are you even watching the games? The issue is that Hicks has struck out several times this year on the exact same pitch. The curve outside. What's wrong with telling him to swing at a curve with two strikes when it is obviously going to be a close pitch. It looks like he doesn't understand how a damn curve moves.

I think you answered your own question. And yes, I've watched all the Twins games so far. Thanks for asking.

[Riverbrian]

Around the league report:

 

Jose Fernandez appears to be the real deal. 5IP 3H 1BB 1ER 8K

 

Will Middlebrooks 3 home runs today... He is on my fantasy baseball bench as I start Plouffe at 3B.

[LaBombo]

Will Middlebrooks 3 home runs today... He is on my fantasy baseball bench as I start Plouffe at 3B.

 

Homer.

[Shane Wahl]

I think you answered your own question. And yes, I've watched all the Twins games so far. Thanks for asking.

 

Uhh, ok man.

[Guest USAFChief]

Uhh, ok man.

You said you want him to swing at any curveball with two strikes, but then said he can't recognize a curve ball. Seems to me that might be tough to do..."swing at the pitch you don't recognize."

[snepp]

Two walks from the Florimonster. We have an OBP machine setting things up for the top of the order.

 

From proven run producer to table setter in the matter of a few game. Does his versatility know no bounds?

[Guest USAFChief]

Around the league report:

 

Jose Fernandez appears to be the real deal. 5IP 3H 1BB 1ER 8K

 

Will Middlebrooks 3 home runs today... He is on my fantasy baseball bench as I start Plouffe at 3B.

Ouch.

[Riverbrian]

I think I can condense the discussion.

 

Hicks ain't looking good on the 2 strike spinners.

 

That sums it up right?