09/2008 Designated Yost Thread (Merged: Yost late in games; FOX article; New Yost thread)

[jake53098]

Okay I hate to start a new thread but this needed one. These last couple of nights, does he really know how to use his 40-man roster at all or not?

 

For tonights game. You have a right handed Brad Lidge up in the 9th and you are schedule to have an 0-4 Cameron hit, a 1-3 Hall hit, and a 0-3 Kendall hit. Okay so wouldn't you think that you would see 3 straight pinch hitters? Cameron is in a rut, Hall can't hit righties and Kendall is 0-3. He pinch hit for Hall which was good. But wouldn't you think you would see oh I don't know, something like Counsell for Cameron, if he gets on use Nelson for Hall if not use Durham, and then come back with Durham/Nelson for Kendall. Why is Kendall so un-pinch-hittable? He better get tomorrow off because he needs it badly(14 straight starts), Rivera has caught Parra all through the minors so let him get a start and maybe he'll spark something.

 

As for Tuesday nights game, its the same thing with Cameron and Hall... They were up in the bottom of the 8th with Hart on second and Cameron was 0-3 at that point and he strikes out looking. Why not pinch hit there? And then Hall is up next is 0-2 and you let him hit against another right handed pitcher. Why? Oh he has somewhat good numbers against him but again has looked terrible at the plate so far. Then the 0-4 Cameron is up in the 10th with runners on first/second 2 outs and you don't pinch hit again. Oh yeah and not to mention Jason 0-3 Kendall batted in the bottom of the 11th against right hander Cordero.

 

Why has his righty/lefty matchups went out the damn door once Branyan went down? Why has he become more loyal to Cameron/Hall/Kendall late in games when they have struggled at the plate?? I just don't understand these spots for people to pinch hit yet he doesn't.

 

You have a 40-man roster so please use it sometime soon here. And oh yeah maybe play some small ball when your team is slumping. MAKE THEM MAKE THE PLAY and see what happens.

I would love to see Ned Yost go off in his post-game interview tonight. Just call this team out, don't keep saying blah blah we're in a funk blah blah we're a close nit group, we'll get through this together blah blah. Maybe just starting cussing a lot and try to make some sense, idk do something. Or maybe tomorrow if a call doesn't go our way, have it pre-planned to go out there and kick some dirt, spit on the plate, throw a rawsin bag bomb at home plate or do something to get ejected and show this team you have some desire. Idk just do something for once instead of standing at the end of the dugout, chewing on seeds and occasionally yelling some swear words at the ump and shaking your head.

 

Btw, I'm not putting this whole thing on Yost because he's not the one out there swinging and missing, he's not the one pulling every stinkin pitch possible, he's not the one booting ground balls, he's not the one putting fastballs on tees for the hittters, the players got to step up too. It just seems Yost doesn't put his players in the best position to succeed at all lately.

[BrewCrewForever]

I think Ned is afraid to hurt veteran players feelings by pinch hitting for them late in games. But at this point in the season, peoples feelings should be the last thing on his mind.

[Postseason2006]

Ned doesn't care about winning if it means hurting the vets feelings. See playing Kevin Mench down the stretch two years ago along with playing Wes Helms when he was here. Also, who can forget letting Mench hit against Dempster last year?

[jake53098]

if Yost calls himself such a splits guy take this one.

 

Brad Lidge

vs Left ab-123 h-32 rbi-14 avg- .276 oba- .345

vs Right ab-101 h-12 rbi- 2 avg- .119 oba- 231

 

wouldn't you want 3 straight left handed batters in the 9th if you could against him??

[Postseason2006]

Ned may be a stats guy, but I have never seen a guy that refuses to go with stats instead of veterans in those situations. It's those decisions alone that call for a firing regardless of how the Brewers do.

[RU Rah Rah]

I groaned when I saw Kendall up there in the last AB, that is for sure.

[RightFieldCoder]

Why is everyone so mean? There is plenty of time left in the season and it's too early to worry about scoreboard watching or winning games. We need Cam and Kendall to feel good about themselves in October.

 

There's no need to worry about getting to October in the first place.

 

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

[Baldkin]

I don't know why you think the fact that a guy is 0-whatever or 1-whatever that game has any bearing on his next AB.

 

Cameron should always hit, he's the 3rd best hitter on the team right now. He did PH for Hall, and should've for Kendall.

[Invader3K]

I groaned when I saw Kendall up there in the last AB, that is for sure.

Me too. What harm would it have possibly done putting anyone else in there with two outs? He has Salome and Rivera for a reason.

[Diskono]

I don't think you can look at a player's performance in the game so far to determine how well he'll do in the next AB. Different pitchers, different situations, and of course, as small of a sample as you could possibly get. I don't have a problem with Cameron hitting in that situation (as he's been good at hitting all year), but there's no reason not to pinch hit for Hall and Kendall (who have been somewhere between bad and average all year).

 

Maybe Ned forgot what inning it was, or saw Lidge and was on the phone trying to pull of a last-second trade for 3 Albert Pujolen.

[jeffy]

I disagree with oh yeah maybe play some small ball when your team is slumping. MAKE THEM MAKE THE PLAY and see what happens.

 

This thinking leads to things like the double play featuring Cameron striking out and Hart tagged out attempting to steal 3rd, ending the inning.

[joepepsi]

I think this is Ned's greatest failing. he goes with a set lineup and won't change it.

[brewmann04]

That Ned to a fault his inability to make changes hopefully the new manager will be more flexible

[Postseason2006]

I groaned when I saw Kendall up there in the last AB, that is for sure.

Me too. What harm would it have possibly done putting anyone else in there with two outs? He has Salome and Rivera for a reason.

And Rottino...but who's counting. I find it embarassing that Kendall is the Brewers season leader in games caught as catcher over Porter and Simmons. Leave it to Ned.

 

In the last two weeks, the Brewers, I mean Ned, has left Kendall in to hit late in games with these guys on the bench. After last night, Ben Sheets now had more at bats this season than the backup catcher who has one of the highest BA and OBP on the team. Frustrating.

[RU Rah Rah]

I am trying hard not to imagine what it might be like watching him manage in the playoffs. (I mean, I want to imagine the playoffs, but I don't want to think about those games depending on Ned's acumen as a manager.)

[Thurston Fluff]

There was a study done and posted here that showed Ned won more close games late than almost every manager in the game. Anyone else remember it or know where it is now? Somehow that never seems to be enough.

 

Somewhere along the line we should expect the players to actually do something offensively through the first seven innings. Then Ned's choice of which ice cold hitter should hit in the last AB wouldn't matter. The problem isn't Ned. It's players who we should be able to count on have failed miserably throughout the game for a while now. I'm way less concerned about Ned's choice for the last batter in the game than I am with how poorly Braun, Prince and Hart have been throughout the game for an extended period of time now.

Maybe Ned could do better I don't know if any manager could win much in the situation Ned finds himself. If he goes with the numbers and it fails some say he is to rigid. If he doesn't and loses he goes by his gut too much. Since the odds of winning is so low in those situations he's going to be an idiot most of the time. The only way to prevent it is to have players play better earlier and give the team more than a 25% chance to win. If the team goes to it's last AB it will lose 75% of the time no matter what button is pushed or who is managing.

[sausage racer]

I think this is Ned's greatest failing. he goes with a set lineup and won't change it.

I'm starting to think he filled out the lineup cards back in July already when he was writing out the rotation for the rest of the year and being all giddy.

[jeffy]

Somewhere along the line we should expect the players to actually do something offensively through the first seven innings.

 

Yep. If my math is correct the team scored 656 runs in the first 136 games (4.8 runs per game) and they have scored 31 runs in 11 games (2.8 runs per game) in Sept. I don't think Ned Yost can do anything to create 2 runs per game.

[Thurston Fluff]

I've read many times now that Ned is to rigid with his lineup. Maybe that is true but when he tried to do different things with it his players came to him and complained. Braun and prince wanted to change their places in the order even though the rationale for hitting Braun after Fielder was sound. Ned did what his players asked. Hart doesn't really want to lead off so Weeks does. Though Hart said he will. I think it had more to do with needing Hart in the middle of the order so maybe not the best example. Hardy doesn't like hitting in front of the pitcher so Ned scraps the idea. I think the reason Ned does it, and he has stated it many times, is that he doesn't want to disrupt the entire lineup to replace one guy. Given the seemingly fragile nature of the players when he doesn't put them in the spot they are comfortable with I tend to think maybe there is some merit to his line of thinking with this particular group. The he's too rigid criticism is less because of his lack of flexibility and more the lack of the players flexibility form all the evidence I see. If it sounds like I'm being hard on the players I am. They are the ones I expected more out of at this point.

[logan82]

I would like to see him move Cameron up to 5th. Lineup doesn't really matter over the course of an entire season. I have no problem with Ned moving the 5th-8th guys around based on the hot hand.

[brewmann04]

What ticks me off is that Ned even when the team is not hitting he refuses to bunt to help move guys over.

[brewmann04]

http://msn.foxsports.com/...-if-Brewers-miss-playoffs

[SeriesFinale]

Interesting that they pick up on his demeanor. He's gotta be one of the more "flappable" managers I know of, constantly pacing, shaking his head in disbelief, openly fretting, etc.

 

I'm only half-joking when I say all that coffee can't be helping.

[RU Rah Rah]

The fact that Ken Rosenthal suggests that Ned is on the hot seat makes me think he'll definitely be back next year, no matter what.

[jeffy]

Yost appears tense to rival scouts and executives who have seen the Brewers play recently. So does his team, an offensive powerhouse that is averaging only 2.8 runs per game in September.

"There's a sense of panic, anxiety," one scout said. "The team picks up on it. He's a Nervous Nellie Nedly. A manager is supposed to calm you down, not rile you up."


A little different take from the organization's claims that he keeps team on an even keel.