2011-05-27 Giants (Lincecum) at Brewers (Marcum) - [Brewers fall, 5-4]

[TGJforPrez]

Even if he made it safely it was incredibly stupid. There is almost next to nothing to gain by being on 3rd instead of 2nd. dumb

Like scoring on an infield dribbler?

Well actually Hart would have been on 2nd so a single now gets in two runs instead of one.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Even if both runners had advanced, wouldn't that have put the intentional walk of Fielder into play? Really not much to gain by the attempt.

[jason21nl]

because Prince hits so many infield dribblers.

 

People can try to defend that but there is absolutely no defense for trying to get to 3rd

[logan82]

Wow. I won't argue the Brewers are a great defensive team, because they aren't. And you can argue about range and the like all you want. But when you go from 23 errors to 9 over the same span of games from one season to the next it's pretty hard to say they aren't *playing* much better defensively, even if they aren't "better" on paper, or from some theoretical standpoint. Will it continue? Who knows. But there has to be some correlation between the decrease in errors and the +10 win differential.

You can't make errors on balls you can't get to. The problem with all of our fielders except Weeks and Gomez/Morgan is range.

[endaround]

It wasn't a perfect throw. It was an on target throw and it beat Weeks by 6 feet.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't care what anyone tries to say about range, the defense is better. Yes the range is bad, and no the defense isn't great. But the disparity is much too large for it to be a case of "not making errors on balls you can't get to."

 

Also, who was the last pitcher to win a Cy Young that threw as slow or slower than Marcum?

[TGJforPrez]

I don't care what anyone tries to say about range, the defense is better. Yes the range is bad, and no the defense isn't great. But the disparity is much too large for it to be a case of "not making errors on balls you can't get to."

 

Also, who was the last pitcher to win a Cy Young that threw as slow or slower than Marcum?

Have to be Maddux correct?

[endaround]

He was out. Not sure how you miss that.

[WisconsinSportsRule]

Yeah, I thought he was clearly out at 2nd too.

 

Lucroy struggling here.

[jason21nl]

Pretty rough inning for Lucroy

[danzig6767]

He was out. Not sure how you miss that.

No kidding, wasn't even that close

[logan82]

Heard somebody say "get out of the front row."

 

You don't go for the baseball unless the other team is on the field.

[Schlitz001]

Rough inning for Lucroy. Not on the same page as Marcum with signs, not getting the call on the SB, failling to block the ball in the dirt and then the fan stealing his foul ball out.

 

I still think blocking balls is Lucroy's biggest defensive issue.

[ReverendBrewmeister]

Who designed the hat the foul-ball fan was wearing? Maybe a matter of taste, but ugh.

[jason21nl]

Heard somebody say "get out of the front row."

 

You don't go for the baseball unless the other team is on the field.

I think just about everyone on this site would have gone for that ball. You're not thinking when its coming down to get out of the way because your catcher might be there to catch it.

[endaround]

With a normal Fielder shift that's a hit.

[OldSchoolSnapper]

I don't care what anyone tries to say about range, the defense is better. Yes the range is bad, and no the defense isn't great. But the disparity is much too large for it to be a case of "not making errors on balls you can't get to."

 

Also, who was the last pitcher to win a Cy Young that threw as slow or slower than Marcum?

Have to be Maddux correct?

I don't know the answer, I was just asking around. I thought of Maddux, but he won those Cy Youngs earlier in his career and he used to hit 93-94 with his fastball. You've reminded me of Glavine though, who did win one and I don't think he ever hit 90 routinely.

[logan82]

Heard somebody say "get out of the front row."

 

You don't go for the baseball unless the other team is on the field.

I think just about everyone on this site would have gone for that ball. You're not thinking when its coming down to get out of the way because your catcher might be there to catch it.

I wouldn't.

[pebadger]

Wow. I won't argue the Brewers are a great defensive team, because they aren't. And you can argue about range and the like all you want. But when you go from 23 errors to 9 over the same span of games from one season to the next it's pretty hard to say they aren't *playing* much better defensively, even if they aren't "better" on paper, or from some theoretical standpoint. Will it continue? Who knows. But there has to be some correlation between the decrease in errors and the +10 win differential.

You can't make errors on balls you can't get to. The problem with all of our fielders except Weeks and Gomez/Morgan is range.

Fully understood. But I still contend the Brewers are playing better defense so far this year than they did last year when they were simply awful. There wasn't a whole heck of a lot of range in the infield last season, either. From a mental-state point of view, I think there is also something to be said for just making the plays you can make. On most balls that make it through the infield there is no point in wondering whether another step of range may have led to an out; you simply don't know. When you kick a routine play, it stares you in the face for the rest of that half-inning. Guys can live with hits the other team gets if they're anywhere close to legitimate hits; you accept your limitations and move on. It's harder to ignore the vast majority of errors which are just simply fundamental breakdowns. The systemic Brewer defensive deficiencies will likely manifest themselves over the course of the season: but on a day-to-day basis they're doing well with what they have. It beats the hell out of not being good in the big picture and compounding that with not maximizing what you do have on a game-to-game basis.

[ilovebeer]

Marcum is at 87 pitches, I would guess one more inning.

[dlk9s]

Just setting up the force at home. No problem.

[jason21nl]

Really not sure why Marcum was left in

[ilovebeer]

Time to get Shaun out of there.

[pebadger]

That was Greinke-like in its unexpected suddeness.

[jjgott]

Of course his first HR would come there. Ugh, let's get back in this one Crew!