Cards@Pirates 4/1 Home Opener Game Thread...

CarolinaBucco · Post by **CarolinaBucco** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:06 pm

This game is exactly why I predicted a long year, a bad year, a 66-96 kind of year.

Our ownership/management had a plenty of chances to MAKE THIS TEAM BETTER.

THEY CHOSE NOT TO DO SO.

As a result, this is a bad team. That was their choice.

* They CHOSE not to sign a real MLB SS.

* They CHOSE to get rid of one of our 5 starters.

* They CHOSE not to replace him.

* They CHOSE not to sign a PROVEN MLB CALIBER starting outfielder.

When you combine bad defense and bad hitting with a pitching staff that is somewhat overrated and has a lot of weak links it equals something like 66-96.

Our defense today was ATROCIOUS. Completely embarrassing.

dmetz · Post by **dmetz** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:16 pm

What a defensive disaster.

Gonzalez has to be a plus defender. scouts were pounding the table for this guy! Or were they accountants? I cannot remember, someone was pounding the table, that's all I know!

Pedro Moran is unplayable at 3b. 1bman or bust.

Bell is unplayable at 1b

Frazier is clumsy and bad at 2b.

Our pitchers field like $hit too

Ecbucs · Post by **Ecbucs** » Mon Apr 01, 2019 11:34 pm

3C353D2C22580 wrote: What a defensive disaster.

Gonzalez has to be a plus defender. scouts were pounding the table for this guy! Or were they accountants? I cannot remember, someone was pounding the table, that's all I know!

Pedro Moran is unplayable at 3b. 1bman or bust.

Bell is unplayable at 1b

Frazier is clumsy and bad at 2b.

Our pitchers field like $hit too

I'm not a horseracing fan but is this the opposite of a trifecta or perfecta on defense?

When I was first becoming a baseball fan as in the 1960's I used to think that players that couldn't hit must be great fielders. Figured out before I graduated from high school that it wasn't necessarily the case.

skinnyhorse · Post by **skinnyhorse** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 12:55 am

I realize it's early but the defense was little league at best. Gonzales was suppose to be a good defender, did they not scout this guy at all or did they just take someones word for it. I honestly don't think they have anyone who can evaluate talent. There was lots of bad defense today but Gonzales was the most glaring in a critical position. I was hoping that he was what we had been told, a slick fielding SS. There were some hints that he was having some issues during ST but it looks like we have been duped again. I just can't believe how bad he looked, messed up again and again. This team will be a disaster if we don't have a real SS and it certainly starting to look like we've started the season with a very large hole in the heart of our defense.

fjk090852-7 · Post by **fjk090852-7** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:40 am

I am beginning to hold my breath whenever the ball is hit in the infield. We can’t continue to give our opponents additional outs because it lengthens the inning for our pitchers, and it just seems that when a player gets on base due to an error he comes around to score.

Ecbucs · Post by **Ecbucs** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:47 am

757978232A232B26213E24130 wrote: I am beginning to hold my breath whenever the ball is hit in the infield. We can’t continue to give our opponents additional outs because it lengthens the inning for our pitchers, and it just seems that when a player gets on base due to an error he comes around to score.

it is a sign of poor planning. The team isn't full of strike out pitchers so good defense is important. The Bucs may have a team of below average fielders in the infield and as a group below average hitters too.

Got to hope they improve and improve quickly. I want to be able to be optimistic at least through April.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 1:50 am

Very poorly played game. Plenty of blame to go around but I think Hurdle deserves his share for his rigid, formula managing. With Archer out after 5, they had to cover 4 innings with the BP. There's no rule that says it has to be 4 pitchers pitching 1 inning each. But that's Hurdle's way. Crick had an easy 6th, throwing only 12 pitches. No reason not to let him start the 7th except that Hurdle likes relievers to go only 1 inning unless they've been designated the long reliever. So they still needed at least 3 more pitchers for innings 7, 8, 9. So it's Rodriguez' turn to pitch in the 7th. Things fall apart badly, which requires Liriano to enter and he walks his only batter. Then Kela has to bail him out instead of pitching the 8th. So Burdi has to pitch the 8th but runs into trouble so Vazquez has to bail him out. But Vazquez threw 25 pitches the day before when he wasn't needed in a 5-0 win. So in extra innings, all that's left are Brault, who still can't throw strikes, and Kingham. We'll never know what Crick would have done in the 7th but he deserved the chance, which would have left Kela and Vazquez to finish out the 8th and 9th. Instead, it became a disaster involving every pitcher in the pen. All because following a formula takes priority. We know this team won't hit or field. So they better pitch. And Hurdle needs to be less rigid in his managing and use some common sense.

As for Gonzalez, Hurdle said at the end of ST that Gonzalez had been erratic in the field but they were hoping he'd settle down after being named then starter. But he didn't even handle routine plays today. And he can't hit anyway. Bell drops a pop foul because he doesn't close his glove. Moran misplays 2 routine grounders. Cervelli misses a pitch to allow the winning run to score. I guess this isn't going to be the year Hurdle's team finally masters the fundamentals.

CarolinaBucco · Post by **CarolinaBucco** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:00 am

Oh by the way Nova was superb today in his debut for the White Sox but fortunately we don't need him since we are loaded and deep with starting pitching.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:04 am

2 errors (Gonzalez and Moran) and 3 more misplays (Bell drops foul pop, Moran lets ball go under his glove for a "hit" and Gonzalez makes bad throw to 2B to prevent Frazier from pivoting for a sure DP), a PB, 2 WPs, 3 HBPs, 8 walks. Embarrassing.

PMike · Post by **PMike** » Tue Apr 02, 2019 2:16 am

486568797E6F78383B0A0 wrote: 2 errors (Gonzalez and Moran) and 3 more misplays (Bell drops foul pop, Moran lets ball go under his glove for a "hit" and Gonzalez makes bad throw to 2B to prevent Frazier from pivoting for a sure DP), a PB, 2 WPs, 3 HBPs, 8 walks. Embarrassing.

Don't forget about Gonzalez base running gaffe when he got caught in no man's land between 2nd and 3rd.

The good news is, they can't be this bad all year. Right?