Part 2 - the season is hanging by a thread, thread

SteadyFreddy · Post by **SteadyFreddy** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 2:42 am

Hurdle goes and puts Locke in to try and keep it a 2 run game and boom it's 7-4 just like that. I can make a strong case for Hurdle to lose his job this season with as many boneheaded moves as he has made this season. Plus, this team also failing miserably to win so many games they should have won. It's really been a piss poor managing job by both Hurdle and thus entire coaching staff this season. They have done a horrible job I feel.

SteadyFreddy · Post by **SteadyFreddy** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 2:56 am

I don't know what needs to happen next season for this team to get better but something better change or I will start calling for coaches heads here soon and yes Hurdle included. Losing both of these games these last two games is just flat out putrid. The Pirates have single handily pissed away a wildcard spot so many times this season with just piss poor play in games they should be winning.

LumberCo · Post by **LumberCo** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 3:47 am

disinterest, there all dogging it, heartless play IMO

dogknot17@yahoo.co · Post by **dogknot17@yahoo.co** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 4:31 am

And only the Mets gained a game. Crazy. Maybe the Mets now want the second wild card spot?

I'm still predicting the Cardinals hosting the Pirates. Still in this.

SammyKhalifa · Post by **SammyKhalifa** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 6:01 am

it's like nobody wants to be in the WC game

SteadyFreddy · Post by **SteadyFreddy** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 11:20 am

Is anybody else frustrated with Hurdle and this coaching staff as well?? I mean whatever message they are sending after winning 4 or 5 in a row it isn't working this season. Ultimately the players are responsible and a lot of them have underachieved but Clint Hurdle isn't blameless for this teams lack of focus and preparation night in and night out. He has done a piss poor managing job this season from top to bottom along with this coaching staff as well. Get rid of Soefield too next season. The guy is a moron and can't coach 3rd base to save his life.

Quail · Post by **Quail** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 11:24 am

While this team is getting the best starting pitching it's had all year the offense, and bullpen are tanking. At the beginning of the season we had one of the best offenses in baseball and our starting pitching sucked. From that point forward it seems our offense has gotten progressively worse while our starting pitching has gotten progressively better. Rotten timing.

I'm getting the uncomfortable feeling that the epitaph on this season has already been written: NOY (Not Our Year)

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 11:53 am

11362723263B04302726263B420 wrote: Cervelli has to get that out at home too. You aren't doing anything else Mr Ladies man start earning your 13 million a season.
He's getting 3.5 million this year. His extension never gives him 13 million a year.

Bobster21 · Post by **Bobster21** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 12:48 pm

Per the Trib, Polanco had this to say about lobbing the ball into 2B so the batter took 3B:

Polanco admitted Perez tricked him into the weak toss by slowing down briefly as he rounded second base.

“He got me right there,” Polanco said. “He's very smart. Good for him. You just have to move on.”

But Polanco wasn't tricked. Perez was coasting into 2B with an obvious double when he saw Polanco lob in a lazy toss and alertly went to 3B. He didn't trick Polanco. He didn't know Polanco would lob the ball if he slowed down. He merely did what an alert runner should do when the fielder makes a mistake. I hope Polanco learns from this. Nobody tricked him. He just did a dumb thing and Perez took advantage of it.

thessy · Post by **thessy** » Sun Sep 04, 2016 2:24 pm

496E7F7B7E635C687F7E7E631A0 wrote: Is anybody else frustrated with Hurdle and this coaching staff as well?? I mean whatever message they are sending after winning 4 or 5 in a row it isn't working this season. Ultimately the players are responsible and a lot of them have underachieved but Clint Hurdle isn't blameless for this teams lack of focus and preparation night in and night out. He has done a piss poor managing job this season from top to bottom along with this coaching staff as well. Get rid of Soefield too next season. The guy is a moron and can't coach 3rd base to save his life.

In sports as a whole it seems like the coach/manager is too often used as a scapegoat for a stumbling team, but I really don't think Hurdle is a good fit for this current roster and something has to change - be it the addition of a better 'game manager' to work alongside Hurdle, a roster shakeup, or a new manager altogether, I don't know what would be best. Hurdle too often seems to view his players based on the peak of their potential abilities rather than their actual everyday talent level and that leads to a bit too much coaching with his heart (or "gut" as he calls it) and not enough with his head.

He seems to have a great relationship with his players and seems to be a very positive guy, but I don't think this team is smart (or talented - though perhaps poor discipline is inhibiting some natural talent) enough to get over the hump with the 'just let them play' approach he often takes. Last I checked the team was bottom 5 in baseball in HR and Slugging Percentage, and one spot away from being bottom third in runs scored. Their team BABIP (.309) on the season is #6 in all of baseball, so you could even argue that they've been lucky to be as offensively productive as they have. This is a team that needs to generate offense through fundamentals, creativity/small ball, and occasionally risk-taking and these are achieved through better coaching and game management. They just aren't talented enough to go out and overpower other teams on a regular basis by just letting the players play.