Article: Series Preview: Twins @ Red Sox, 5/6 - 6:10pm

[TheLeviathan]

Would Willingham have caught that?

 

I don't think the "most LFs" that stringer mentioned would include him. But most every other one would. Watching Doumit in the OF is beyond painful.

[Ultima Ratio]

That ball was catchable. Poop.

[Gibby]

Would Willingham have caught that?

 

I think I would have caught that and I have a knee replacement.

[Physics Guy]

I don't think the "most LFs" that stringer mentioned would include him. But most every other one would. Watching Doumit in the OF is beyond painful.

 

Which is why Ramirez should have gone in for Doumitt and not for Hicks.

[Joe A. Preusser]

Bummer. Tough loss to swallow. Fun time posting, though. Good night all.

[Physics Guy]

Hicks maybe would have even caught that.

[nicksaviking]

I'm just going to assume Doumit had it in his mind that he couldn't get hurt running into the fence becuase after extra innings game, he's surely catching tomorrow. I'd prefer not to think he held up for personal reasons.

[Whammy]

Agreed, he has been more than adequate.

Parm's adequateness in LF has almost made me forget how completely inadequate he has been at the plate.

[Reginald Maudling's Shin]

I don't think the "most LFs" that stringer mentioned would include him. But most every other one would. Watching Doumit in the OF is beyond painful.

Kind of funny how Bremer knew Doumit had no shot even though it landed at his feet. It was probably too far for Hicks to get it too but Gardy's managin' left that question unanswered.

[howeda7]

Brutal loss. Have to win games like this in Fenway. Now a sweep feels likely.

[howeda7]

Kind of funny how Bremer knew Doumit had no shot even though it landed at his feet. It was probably too far for Hicks to get it too but Gardy's managin' left that question unanswered.

 

I don't question the pinch-hitting, but couldn't they have put Caroll in and shifted Escobar to CF and Ramirez to left? Doumit in the OF should be the last resort.

[notoriousgod71]

I think Victorino just grabbed Marney's ass.

[Reginald Maudling's Shin]

Which is why Ramirez should have gone in for Doumitt and not for Hicks.

An overlooked decision was batting Wilkin Ramirez for Hicks. I was sure Ramirez was going to hit into a DP. Instead he looked at two hanging curveballs for called strikes and hit that weak liner to Pedroia that almost was a DP. In that case if you let Hicks bat it's not likely with his speed he'll get doubled up. Plus obviously you have a crap outfield.

[Reginald Maudling's Shin]

I don't question the pinch-hitting, but couldn't they have put Caroll in and shifted Escobar to CF and Ramirez to left? Doumit in the OF should be the last resort.

I'm sure the reasoning for that is you took out the backup catcher. But I agree Doumit should throw his glove away. It sucks to have one dimensional players on the roster.

[howeda7]

I'm sure the reasoning for that is you took out the backup catcher. But I agree Doumit should throw his glove away. It sucks to have one dimensional players on the roster.

 

Escobar's still in the game. If god forbid, something happens to Mauer (or anyone else for that matter) you're stuck putting a pitcher in the OF either way.

[TheLeviathan]

I'm sure the reasoning for that is you took out the backup catcher. But I agree Doumit should throw his glove away. It sucks to have one dimensional players on the roster.

 

What dimension would that be exactly?

[Reginald Maudling's Shin]

What dimension would that be exactly?

Not Drew Butera, I guess.

[TheLeviathan]

Not Drew Butera' date=' I guess.[/quote']

 

Touche.

[ashbury]

It keeps disappearing then coming back.

 

Tell Brock that when you post a comment, you need to F5 refresh to see the Like button on any other comments that arrived in the meantime. Or at least that's what happens to me in Firefox.

[nicksaviking]

An overlooked decision was batting Wilkin Ramirez for Hicks. I was sure Ramirez was going to hit into a DP. Instead he looked at two hanging curveballs for called strikes and hit that weak liner to Pedroia that almost was a DP. In that case if you let Hicks bat it's not likely with his speed he'll get doubled up. Plus obviously you have a crap outfield.

 

At the time I disaggreed with pinch hitting for Hicks because Mortenson had just walked the previous two batters and if there's one thing Hicks has been good at thus far, it's taking a walk.

[Reginald Maudling's Shin]

At the time I disaggreed with pinch hitting for Hicks because Mortenson had just walked the previous two batters and if there's one thing Hicks has been good at thus far, it's taking a walk.

Absolutely.

[ashbury]

At the time I disaggreed with pinch hitting for Hicks because Mortenson had just walked the previous two batters and if there's one thing Hicks has been good at thus far, it's taking a walk.

 

Hicks established a willingness to take a walk in the minors. Still, I'm leery of getting too excited about it in his short time in the majors, largely because there was a period of about a week that stands out from the rest:

 

Apr 1-13: .047/.109/.047 (46 PA)

Apr 15-23: .167/.476/.167 (21 PA)

Apr 25-now: .206/.250/.412 (36 PA)

 

Phase 1, the first two weeks, pitchers went by the book for any rookie and tried to see if he would chase and get himself out. He did. He sure looks like he made an adjustment the next week, and the result from not swinging at crazy pitches was to walk at an extraordinary rate. Word got around after that, and he started seeing more pitches to hit; his results on the third line are below par but kind of in line with the learning curve we were told to expect, and in particular the power is starting to arrive while the walks have diminished greatly.

 

This is somewhat cherry picking the stats. But I did this same thing before, during that second line of results, and guessed that he'd stop walking so much and would start to do something with the ball when in the strike zone. So I don't think it's really second-guessing and the suppositions behind the breakout seem plausible to me.

 

So I wouldn't mark him as a super choice when "a walk's as good as a hit". He's getting there, that's all for now.