Games » Detroit Tigers
Aug29How you score nine runs
Lee Judge
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Good news: the bottom third of the Royals order hit the daylights out of the ball last night (there’s a joke in there somewhere). That’s how you put up big numbers, get production from the bottom of the order. When you get seven hits, four for extra bases, a walk, four runs and six RBIs out of your 7-8-9 hitters, you’re probably going to have a good night.
If the bottom of the order hits, rallies aren’t cut short, runners are on base or in scoring position when your best hitters go to the plate and opposing pitchers do not have easy innings (Tigers starter Max Scherzer was gone after three ).
When Boston was in town we talked about the importance of the last three hitters and how the Royals could not match the Red Sox bottom third. Last night provided some hope that the situation might change and the Royals can do some damage in every offensive inning.
That’s how you score nine runs.
Maybe I’m making too much of it
But in the bottom of the third Luke Hochevar threw a nasty slider to Ramon Santiago. Santiago swung over the top of the pitch, but Salvador Perez did not go into full block mode and the ball went to the backstop. Luke walked Wilson Betemit to lead off the inning and Don Kelly flared in a single, so both advanced on the wild pitch. After that, Luke began to hang sliders and got banged around for three runs in the inning.
I don’t know that the wild pitch had an effect or that Hochevar wasn’t comfortable really snapping a breaking pitch after that, but I do know it works the other way: when pitches get blocked it gives the pitcher the confidence to throw his nastiest stuff.
Game stuff
Nobody mentioned rain, but water appeared to splash up on some of the hits that fell in. Any time you see this, look for the runners to be more aggressive about taking the extra base. Outfielders will be dealing with a wet ball and throws won’t be as strong or accurate.
The first pitch of Johnny Giavotella’s first at-bat provided a great example of the “get me over curve.” Pitchers can throw something less than their best curve if they’re convinced the hitter is not going to swing at an off-speed pitch early in the count. It’s easier to control the so-so curve, but the danger is some hitter will decide to look for it early in the count and tee off.
Couple of base running mistakes: Giavotella came up with a big hit with a two-out, bases-loaded double, but then tried to advance to third on the throw home and was thrown out. It can be a heads-up play if the runner is intentionally drawing the throw to make sure the run scores, but Eric Hosmer looked like he was in easily. Johnny’s attempted advance cost the Royals an at-bat with a runner in scoring position.
Salvador Perez was on second and failed to advance on Alcides Escobar’s groundout to short. The ball was hit slightly to Salvador’s left which meant Jhonny Peralta would be going away from third to field the grounder. Runners on second can’t advance on a ball hit to their right because the shortstop will be headed toward third and have an easy throw to cut down the runner trying to advance.
Miguel Cabrera did a great job of proving that pop-ups are harder than they look. They curve back toward the playing field and it’s sometimes difficult to judge how much movement they’ll have. Like most things concerning defense at first, Eric Hosmer makes them look easy. They’re not.
Miguel also made a mistake on a throw up the baseline. He tried to stay on the bag and let the ball get past and into the stands. First rule of playing first: the ball is more important than the bag.
As I’ve written before, the shutdown inning by a pitcher after his offense gives him some runs is a big deal. His team gave Luke Hochevar a 5-run lead and he walked the first batter he saw, Wilson Betemit. Luke gave up three in the third to put the Tigers right back in the game, but Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar then put on a reverse shutdown inning coming right back to score two with a couple of home runs to lead off the fourth. Nice when the offense can pick up the pitcher and get him back on track.
Aggressive base running
Alex Gordon’s E7 was caused by aggressive base running. OK, more accurately, by the threat of aggressive base-running. Alex was going slightly back and to his left to field a Victor Martinez single. Miguel Cabrera was lumbering around second and headed for third. Alex wanted to reach down, field the ball, plant, spin and throw to third, but in his hurry he never came up with the ball.
This is one of the ways aggressive base-running pays off: people get in a hurry and make mistakes. If you always play it safe and never push the defense, they won’t make mistakes. This is another one of those things that won’t make the box score, but can change a ball game.
And Melky Cabrera deserves some credit for being where he was supposed to be: backing Alex up.
Taking your eye off the ball
Next time there’s a throw home, take your eye off the ball and look for the cutoff man. He’ll be somewhere in the middle of the infield. The outfielder’s job is to make an accurate, low throw home that could be cut if necessary. The cutoff man will listen for the catcher’s call, which will tell him whether to cut the ball off and which base to throw to.
If the throw is allowed to go home, you might see the cutoff man reach up and fake a catch and throw to freeze the trailing runners. If the throw’s too high, no fake is possible, or at least believable, and the runners will advance.
A leftover
On Sunday Joakim Soria came out and tried to hit the outside corner on the first batter he saw, switch-hitter Carlos Santana. Carlos was hitting left-handed and Joakim missed wide outside with two pitches. Brayan Pena then pointed at his own left shoulder. This is the universal sign catchers use to let the pitcher know he’s flying open.
The glove-side shoulder opens too soon, the arm never catches up with the body and the ball goes wide to the throwing side. This is probably not the whole explanation for Jack missing on the outside corner (his most likely pitch to start off an at-bat), but once Brayan pointed it out and Soria made the correction, he went 1-2-3.
The Catcher's Blind Spot
Royals catcher Brayan Pena recently told Lee Judge what he needed to focus on when there was a throw-out situation at the plate. In this video Lee describes what it's like to have the "Catcher's Blind Spot."
Perez
Giavotella
Hochevar
Great game today by the Royals. This is one of those games where I get excited about the future because I know we have legitimate talent that will be here a while, not Jose Guillen or Rick Ankiel...
However, I understand that being agressive on the basepaths puts pressure on the defense, but isn't it just protocol to tag up on 2nd or 3rd when there is a fly ball? Yes, Gordon rushed, but it is just like a wide receiver dropping the ball because they start to run without securing it.
It occurred to me that when stealing/advancing to third on a throw the runner should slide to the homeplate side of the bag. The 3rd baseman is focused on the ball and if you watch they immediately sweep down. The sweeping motion is toward left field so the 3rd baseman's arm momentum is away from the catcher's side of the bag. Assuming the baserunner can avoid the first part of the sweep, he would have a decent window of opportunity to get to the base.
What do you think?
Salvador Perez is slow.... my bet is that he feared he would get thrown out (again) at 3rd if he advanced (like on Escobar's bunt from the other night).
I'm curious who is faster, Giant Perez or Country Breakfast Butler.
Kurt: I agree, what the Royals did in this game shows a glimpse of the future (I hope). These are not rent-a-players, here today, gone tomorrow. This should be the team we'll be watching for a while.
Getting this kind of production from their bottom third is also a big deal. It means that other teams can't count on an easy 1-2-3 inning every time they go through the order.
As for Gordon's error: you're right, it was just like a wide receiver trying to run before he's secured the catch. The rush to get on to the next thing makes those errors happen.
Miguel Cabrera was going first to third on that play and doesn't run very well, so Gordo may have sensed another outfield assist opportunity and got in too big a hurry.
Doug Sisson and I have talked about this a lot: the Royals not only want to run the bases aggressively, they want the 'reputation' of running the bases aggressively.
Doug counts distracted pitchers coming to first, balls thrown away on pickoff attempts (there have been several), more fastballs for the hitters, pitchers in slide steps, middle infielders closer to second and outfielders rushing throws as just some of the unseen benefits that come from running the bases in an aggressive manner.
Normally by now i've tuned out the Royals and turned on the Chiefs. But not this year. We still aren't winning consistently, but you can just see these kids have talent...and they are starting to slowly realize how to use it. This is so much more than "just another August with the Royals 20+ games under .500". I will pay attention to this team the final month of the season, and I would recommend every other fan who's been waiting umpteen years for the Royals to finally do this right, follow suit. I'm very upbeat for the first time in awhile. (As long as no one brings up our young starting pitching...or the lack there of :)
I agree with Kurt. This team is fun to watch and I'm no longer deeply depressed by the Royals. The agony is gone even in losing efforts.
Maybe someday you could have Kevin Seitzer on video explain these new-fangled terms that are applied to hitting these days. Quote from Kevin's comments on Moose: "As a hitter gets loose and stays closed, and stays short and through the ball, then you’ll see leverage. Then you’ll see hand speed. It all comes back.”
I think I understand most of this, but these and other terms used by Kevin (and Frank, too) are pretty specific and I'd love to see the definitions spelled out.
Back in the day, I played high school ball and some college ball, then men's senior ball and I wasn't a bad hitter (these days I can barely make my way to my seat at the ballpark) but nobody ever used those terms back then. The universal antidote to anything from batting slumps to compound fractures was "rub some dirt on it".
Lee, think you might be a little too critical of Gio and Perez in the situations you cite. Perez was in full block mode but when the ball hit, it continued to curve toward the first base side rather than coming back to the center and thus there was no way he could get way out there to keep it from going to the backstop. I also think he knows his speed limitations, and chose the safe route on a ball to his right rather than risking an out at third. Gio was doing what we talk about - being aggresive and the play was reasonably close and worth the risk with three runs in and two outs in the inning.
George: I would think it would depend on where the throw was coming from. If it was from left field the sweep would be on the outfield side of the bag, if the throw was from home, the sweep would be on the infield side, but backhand.
When the third base coach signals slide he also indicates what side of the bag the runner should shoot for and that's based on where the throw is coming from.
And a lot of infield coaches don't like that sweep you're describing. That's created when the fielder reaches out for the ball and has to bring the tag back to the bag.
Coaches teach that the ball is traveling faster than any sweep of the glove and infielders should not reach for the ball, but catch it as close to the bag as possible and then drop straight down to the bag.
Interesting note if you missed it earlier: Mike Moustakas says he drops the tag and brings it right back up when he thinks the runner will be out. He doesn't want the runner to knock it out of his glove.
When Moose thinks the runner will be safe, he applies the tag and keeps it there in hopes that the runner will come off the bag. I asked if he ever 'helped' the runner come off the bag by applying pressure on the tag and he said no.
But he was smiling when he said it.
Michael: I have no scientific proof of who is slower, Perez or Butler, but i can tell you the players think it's Butler.
Too many sausage patties in that Country Breakfast.
Brian and Fred and every other Royals fan: You're right, this September is different and worth watching.
In the past the Royals had other teams' cast-offs and, if they played well, they were headed elsewhere. It always felt like a loose collection of prospects and day-laborers.
This season feels like a team that we should be seeing for several years. That's why I thought keeping Frenchy was a big deal: it signalled commitment to a group of players.
It's hard for a fan to feel loyalty when the players you're supposed to be loyal to keep changing. I don't know what they'll do with Melky, but overall, they seem committed to this group of guys.
So watching them now will pay off in the future. I've told my wife that watching a baseball team is like watching a soap opera: every game is a new episode and you get caught up in the storylines.
What happens next season is more meaningful if you know what happened this season.
And, Fred, good idea about the video, although I've listened to Seitzer extensively on those terms and can't guarantee you'll be any less confused once he explains them.
I'll still ask him to demonstrate on video and, in the meantime, I've been considering posting something to explain those terms and I'll do that soon.
Box score, August 30th, 2012: LF Gordon, 1-3, BB, R, .305 CF Cain, 0-2, BB, SB, SAC, .275 1B Hosmer, 2-4, 2B, 2RBI, .301 3B Moustakas, 1-4, HR(25), 3RBI, .268 DH Butler, 2-3, 2B(2), 2RBI, .312 2B Giovatella, 1-3, BB, 3B, .291 RF Cabrera, 0-3, .270 C Perez, 1-4, .257 SS Escobar, 0-2, BB, SAC, RBI, .255
W: Montgomery (7-7, 3.58)
(I can't help myself.....excited for next year! Also, i know Frenchy's not on there. I'm thinking either he or Cabrera is going to have a "return to form" year next year, and whichever one stumbles will be replaced by Cain.)
Joel: We're going to disagree on this one...or these three. Just like two people seeing a car accident and describing the details differently, we're both describing what we saw. We just didn't see things the same way.
On the pitch to the screen: I thought Perez was still reaching forward for the ball with his mitt and did not get down into a blocking position.
The mitt should be headed backwards to fill the space between the legs, the shoulders should be rounding forward to put the chest protector over the ball so it bounces straight down after the block, and any attempt to glove the ball should be abandoned.
I didn't think I saw any of that, Perez appeared to still be reaching for the ball. It doesn't mean Perez can't block pitches, I've given him plenty of defensive points for doing just that.
It might mean the pitch had a little more movement than he was ready for and he got caught in a bad position, but that's why catchers try to block every pitch with runners on. It's a pain in the neck, but they can't get lazy.
Being big behind the plate is often a good thing, but John Buck was considered too big to be good at blocking pitches and Salvador will have to work at this.
On Perez advancing to third: That's considered a routine base running move and Frank White was critical of Perez for apparently not knowing where the shortstop was positioned before the ball was put in play.
The rule of thumb: if the ball is hit at you or to your left you can advance. That means the shortstop is going away from third to field the ball and, by the time it arrives, the runner will have narrowed the throwing lane to third by his presence (and he can make that lane narrower by heading to the outfield side of the bag), the throw will be a weak one, going back across the body and the right play is to get an out at first.
Ned Yost did not bring Mitch Maier out to run for Sal the other night, saying Perez runs OK. If that's so, and even if it's not, advancing to third on that play shouldn't be too big a problem.
And finally Gio: With two outs the runner is supposed to stay at second if there's any doubt about making third (unless, like I said, he's intentionally drawing the throw away from the play at the plate).
There are lots of ways to score from third without a hit, but most of them rarely happen. The runner on second with two outs is already in scoring position and will score on most base hits (Perez crushed that homer in the next at-bat, leading off the mext inning, but no way to say he would've gotten the same pitch).
Now, having said all that, you could still be right and I could still be wrong (it wouldn't be the first time). But sitting here on my couch, with no opportunity to speak with the players involved, that's the way I saw things.
Brian: They just gave Frenchy $13 million dollars to stay (and he STILL won't lend me any money) so I'm guessing he'll be in that 2012 box score.
A couple of problems with the video you'd likely never see...the catcher would have discarded his mask prior to there being a play at the plate and Lee Judge catching two consecutive throws.
Ben: You have no idea how many takes were required to show me catching two balls in a row.
And, secondly, they now teach catchers to keep their masks on during plays at the the plate. As John Wathan put it, "I can catch 120 pitches with my mask on, but can't handle a throw from the outfield? What were we thinking?"
I'm sure in your day they took their mask off on plays at the plate, but then Edison invented the light bulb and people could see it was a bad idea.
(If you can't tell, Ben and I know each other...unfortunately.)
First, I thought Perez might of gotten crossed up on the wild pitch/passed ball. And Perez should have gone to third...but if you watch the play, the ball hit the lip of the grass and moved toward second base..so it may have been hit initially to his right and that is why he returned to second. A base runner should never make the first or last out at third. But with youth, all of these mistakes and more will happen. But we can live with that because we also see potential and enthusiasm.