2011-03-31 Brewers (Gallardo) at Reds (Volquez) [Brewers lose walkoff, 7-6]

[MNBrew]

On Fox Sports Radio or something or other tonight (KFAN, Mpls/St. Paul, AM-1130) at around 10:45, Rob Dibble was talking about this game & pointed out a noteworthy flaw in Axford's approach (if indeed he's correct): His point was that any decent Latino player can hammer a fastball. The way he brought it up made me a bit uncomfortable at first, but he could be right, and if he is, then the problem was that Axford pitched right into one of Hernandez's strengths.

 

He went on to say how he pitched in the Dominican for 3 winters and everyone down there can clobber the fastball regardless of the age of the player or the oomph on the fastball, so his context made more sense and it didn't sound so much like a purely race-based statement -- probably not much different than saying that Canadians or Swedes or Finns know how to play good hockey from the moment they're born -- a little hyperbolic either way, obviously not universally true, but still a significant enough trend to likely have a decent factual basis.

[derflotr]

I think most MLB hitters can handle any fastball when they know it's coming.

[Schlitz001]

McGehee has got to get an out on that groundball.

Sad part is, he did. He completely and totally did. It was a horrible call by the Ump calling him safe.

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCI/is_5_65/ai_n26892723/

 

7.08 (a) (1). It reads, "Any runner is out when he runs more than three

feet away from a direct line between bases to avoid being tagged unless

his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted

ball"

Phillips was 5 feet from the infield grass when McGehee went to tag him, he then ran on the infield grass to avoid the tag. He should've been out.

Anyone else see Jim McKean's explanation on Baseball Tonight? He basically said the Brewers had no argument. He said "well he has no base line believe it or not...there is no base line...you can run wherever you want as long as there's not being a play made on you."

I just saw McKean on SportCenter this morning. It was just an abbreviated clip of what he said on BBTN and I don't fully understand his defense of the call or maybe he wasn't defending the call? If a play is not being made on the runner, then the runner can run wherever he wants. This point I understood, but there was a play being made on the Reds runner (Phillips, I think), so doesn't that mean that there is a baseline and if so does the rule above apply?

[TooLiveBrew]

How about the quote McGehee gave after the game about the play?

"In hindsight, I wish I'd just made a throw to first and not even worried about him," McGehee said.

Huh? You wouldn't have rather, you know, stepped on the freaking third base bag to get the lead out?!

 

http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/118919449.html

[bjkrautk]

How about the quote McGehee gave after the game about the play?

"In hindsight, I wish I'd just made a throw to first and not even worried about him," McGehee said.

Huh? You wouldn't have rather, you know, stepped on the freaking third base bag to get the lead out?!

 

http://www.620wtmj.com/news/local/118919449.html

Couldn't bring myself to watch the replay, so someone else will have to fill me in on the details. If CM was far enough away from the bag when he fielded the ball, with the runner going past him, he may have felt that he couldn't get to the bag in time to make the out. If it happened right at the bag -- then I don't know why he didn't step on it and make the quick throw. (Which happens to have been the thought going through my head as the play happened.)

 

 

[TooLiveBrew]

He wasn't close enough to the bag to step & throw to first, but he had plenty of time to beat Phillips to the bag.

[GormanHarvey]

He wasn't close enough to the bag to step & throw to first, but he had plenty of time to beat Phillips to the bag.

I've watched the play probably 20 times on my dvr and I don't see how there is any way Casey could've beat Phillips to the bag. McGehee was playing deep and had to wait back after a big bounce and when he gloved the ball Phillips was only a step to his left with a full head of steam and Casey was at a stand still after fielding the chopper. No, his only plays were to commit to trying to tag out the runner or just taking the out at first. Had he decided to charge the ball harder, Phillips could've ran safely right behind him.

[TooLiveBrew]

Really? I will admit my memory of the play could easily be at fault. I just remembered wondering during the play why Casey didn't just take the out right at 3B. I'm going to watch the play again, I think it's still on the DVR.

 

 

EDIT: You're right. I think he could've tagged him, though, if he hadn't tried to pair it with a throw to first to try to get Rolen.

 

I apologize Casey! My memory failed me... perhaps out of frustration?

[GormanHarvey]

I just don't think it was physically possible. Especially McGehee vs Phillips

[young guns]

Did we ever get an explanation why there was no double switch when morgan came in?

[lcbj68c]

It's on McGehee's shoulders unfortunately. Baseball 101 there is to not let the tying run come to the plate. Take what is given to you. The runners on 1st and 2nd meant nothing. Yeah, it's nice to get the lead out and keep the force alive for the next play, but you have to take what was given to you and get the out. I don't think the non-call was that egregious. However, the Kotsay non-catch was huge. It advanced everybody in the lineup one more position. I mean, how do you emphatically say that you seen a ball hit the ground when it never happened? I can see it the other way....where you call a catch when you never see it hit the ground yet, it somehow did...but how do you lie the other way around?

[TooLiveBrew]

Did we ever get an explanation why there was no double switch when morgan came in?

Roenicke'd?