Games: Arizona Diamondbacks, May 18: Judging the Royals with Lee Judge

Games » Arizona Diamondbacks

May18

What went wrong

Luis Mendoza gave up one hit through five innings. Unfortunately, Luis walked a guy in front of that one hit and that walk scored.

In the sixth inning, Luis began to elevate pitches (which often happens when a pitcher gets gassed) and in the space of four pitches gave up three hits. When a pitcher loses it that fast after pitching well, it’s sometimes hard to get a reliever up and ready as fast as you’d like.

Pitching coach Dave Eiland visited the mound — which slowed things down — but before the inning was over, the Diamondbacks tied the score 4-4.

Reliever Kelvin Herrera had a good inning in the seventh, came out for the eighth, gave up a hit off the end of the bat and another on a bat he shattered. The Diamondbacks had two on, and Ned Yost brought in Tim Collins to face left-handed hitter, Miguel Montero. Collins missed with two curves, had to throw a fastball to get a strike, threw another, missed his spot and Montero doubled. The Diamondbacks were up 6-4 and that’s the way the score stayed.

After the game, Ned Yost didn’t make any excuses, saying the Royals have to pitch better and hit better. Good teams cover for each other: when the pitching scuffles the offense covers it. That didn’t happen Friday night.

Impatience

Should Eric Hosmer be sent to the minor leagues? Before you answer that question, think back — there were people saying that Mike Moustakas should be sent back to the minors last season. Mike is hitting .293, has five home runs, is playing great defense and looks like a candidate for the All-Star game.

Think a little further back and there were people saying Ned Yost should be pinch-hitting for Alcides Escobar. What’s Esky doing these days? He’s hitting .300 and playing great defense.

I asked Ned Yost if Hosmer fit in the same category: a young player you stick with because you know how good the payoff can be. Ned said absolutely and suggested I add J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder to the list. Yost got criticized for sticking with them when they were struggling. In each case, Ned thought they needed to play in order to develop.

Few players arrive in the big leagues and never hit a rough patch. Giving up on a young, talented player because you don’t have the patience to let him adjust to the level of play required is self-destructive.

In Ned Yost’s opinion, patience is not only a virtue, it’s a necessity.

The stolen base

There’s a good chance Jeff Francoeur will not steal 22 bases in 2012. As we’ve been talking about since spring training, pitchers across the league have dropped their delivery time to home plate. Guys who were 1.5 to home plate (a time you can steal on) are down to 1.3 (a time few guys can steal on). That’s part of what happened early in the season: pitchers adjusted to the base runners and some of the Royals base runners didn’t adjust back. Doug Sisson told me the true base stealers will still get their bags, but the other guys will be putting up single digits.

That means the Royals will continue to look for ways to advance 90 feet: balls in the dirt, going first to third, second to home. (We did a couple more videos with Doug on leads at second and third, which we’ll post soon. Don’t miss them, they’re informative.)

What day is it?

Ballplayers often ask that question. The 162-game grind becomes a blur and they lose track of time. One thing they do know: if it’s a day game it’s Sunday — maybe.

Thursday was school day at the K and the Royals had a rare mid-week 1:10 start. Which bring us to Humberto Quintero. In Thursday’s game Humberto was on first base, the hitter lined out and the infielder that caught the ball tried to double off the Royals catcher. Humberto was going back into the bag and the throw hit him in the head, specifically, the left ear.

Quintero still had enough of his wits about him to run to second base, but immediately doubled over in pain. A Royals trainer and Ned Yost came out to check on him and the trainer asked Humberto what day it was. He immediately answered, “Thursday.”

Luckily, the trainer didn’t ask Ned, because the Royals manager realized he didn’t know what day it was.

Can the trainer take a manager out of the game?

Comments

Larry Tindle
1 year ago

Anyone who has worked 10 to 14 days in a row know just how easy it is to not know what day it is.

If you get a chance can you ask Jason Kendall how his and Willie Bloomqusts bobsled team is working out. Having Willie back in town reminded me of that plan.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago

“Should Eric Hosmer be sent to the minor leagues?”

I’m a bit ambivalent on this and understand last year’s experience with Moose and Esky, but would note that neither had a Clint Robinson pushing for a shot at the majors. A better analogy might be Kila, who wasn’t producing, so Hosmer was brought up.

In general, I think it is important for an organization to reward hard work and performance when possible. Eric Hosmer has created an opportunity for Clint Robinson to draw a major league paycheck for a month or two and showcase his abilities for a future trade. I expect Hosmer to come around but Billy and Alex made the trip to Omaha and I’m starting to think it might do Hoz some good at this point and I doubt Clint Robinson can hit any worse. On a team scoring three or four runs a night, a new bat can’t hurt. Keep Billy at 1st and platoon C Rob with Gio at DH until Hosmer forces his way back up.
Donald Wilson
1 year ago

I guess I’m wondering what has happened to Holland and why haven’t we seen him in there? I expected to see him come out and pitch the 8th inning. I don’t think he has even been up in the bullpin warming up - or am I wrong?
Lee Judge
1 year ago

Larry: I’ve got one of the bobsled team caps. It says “818” (a combination of their uniform numbers) and underneath it has the slogan “Think we won’t?”

It’s a long season and I think Jason and Willie enjoyed pulling everyone’s leg.

Although, I did offer to do the art for their imaginary Olympic bobsled.
Lee Judge
1 year ago

Jim: There’s a good article by Bob Dutton on Hosmer and the Royals in the paper and on the kansascity.com web site this morning.

I don’t know if it’s his decision to make, but Ned Yost was pretty adamant about sticking with Hosmer.
Lee Judge
1 year ago

Donald: I don’t think you’re wrong. In the press box they announce the name of whatever pitcher is warming up and I don’t remember hearing Holland’s name.

I don’t have my scorebook here, so I couldn’t tell you when he pitched last—this stuff becomes a blur for the writers,too.

If he’s thrown two days in a row, he’ll usually take the next one off. And they might be treating him with extra caution since he had to take time off with a “rib stress reaction.”

(I think I’ve had the same problem after a trip to Gates BBQ.)
Lee Judge
1 year ago

BTW: After the game, Ned Yost said Luis Mendoza got in trouble when he began to get his pitches elevated. Luis Mendoza claimed those pitches were down.

It’s not the first time I’ve experieneced getting two different answers to the same question.

Whereve they were, Diamondback hitters seemed to like them.
Jim Eicher
1 year ago

It looks to me like Billy’s defense has improved, so maybe we could send Hoss down for a time and not be too hurt by it in that respect. It’s painful to see a favorite sent, but it does have a history of working (thinking of Gordon) and it makes the “triumphant return” that much sweeter. With luck, he’ll snap out of it tonight and make the whole thing moot. That COULD happen.
Jay Hall
1 year ago

Mendoza seems to be solid his first two times through the lineup. In his third time through, though, guys seem to have a much better read on him, which also seems to be about the time he starts to tire, creating a bad combo for the Royals. I wonder if this is actually true, or if I am just making this up as an explanation.
Joel Kallem
1 year ago

I think you are right on Jay. It might make him better suited to long relief and have one of the long relievers take a crack at starting.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago

Jay, it looks that way to me, also. Don’t know if it’s fatigue or familiarity, but I was thinking last night that I would bring someone else in for the 6th, maybe Teaford. Luis Mendoza finished with 89 pitches. On the other hand, the Royals’ bullpen has been off their game the last few games, so Ned Yost may have been hoping to squeeze another inning or two out of Luis and I can see that.
Kurt Vancil
1 year ago

I think there are many fans who would love it if the trainer could take Yost out of the game.

As far as Hosmer goes I agree with Yost here. I think the eye ball test and stats can agree here as well. Hosmer does not look bad at the plate (most the time) and his BABIP is .165 - which means he has had some bad luck (and the shift seems to be working against him). I’m hopeful he can figure it out and get on a hot streak soon (especially since I named my fantasy team “United States of Hosmerica).

I think Yost has a knack for dealing with prospects and it worked with Esky and Moose. I think Hos is too skilled to stay in this rut, just hoping it doesn’t take to much of an emotional/mental toll on him.

Also - with our starting pitching I think in order to win we need to score 5 runs on most nights. Our offense is good enough to be able to achieve that and our bullpen is usually able to sustain a lead.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago

Kurt, lately our starters have been fine while the offense is stuck in a three or four runs per game rut with Humberto Quinteros and Alcides Escobar the two big sticks. Hosmer, Gordon, and Frenchy are the big problems for the team at the moment, I think. If two of them can heat up we should be fine, in spite of the injuries.

“his BABIP is .165”

His LD% is 16 and GB% up to 52.8% from last year’s 49.7%. GBs are more susceptible to a shift than liners.
Jared Dull
1 year ago

I think Mouse looked more lost last year than Hoz looks now. Hoz seems more impatient than lost. I expect him to get it goin real soon!… I know this sounds weird, but I almost want to see him strike out looking than get a soft out hitting a pitch on the outside corner, which is where he’s constantly being pitched. I know he’s been workn on goin the other way, but it’s still him hitting the pitcher’s pitch. He needs to get them to come to him and the only way that happens is if he refuses to swing at it.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago

Good points, Jared.
Jared Dull
1 year ago

And about Mendoza’s pitches in the 6th, I think they were down if I remember correctly. Those down and in pitches had been good pitches for him up to that point, but they started sitting on them. I really thought Mendoza looked fantastic for the most part. Almost everything was down with good movement. He just needed to do a better job of mixing it up when it got to the 3rd time through the order.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago

Jared, do you think that maybe comes from the catcher or even the bench coach? Mendoza is fairly inexperienced at this level with his new style and is probably just throwing what Quinteros is asking for. Let’s make that a question:

Lee, can you ask Mr. Kendall about how a catcher should approach pitch selection the third time through the lineup, whether he should try to change patterns or rather try to stay with what is working so far?

Checked brooksbaseball.net and notice two things: of 89 pitches only four were above the zone and Luis’ velocity started dropping after about the 56th pitch.

http://www.brooksbaseball.net/pfxVB/pfx.php?month=05&day=18&year=2012&game=gid20120518arimlbkcamlb1/&prevGame=gid20120518arimlbkcamlb1/&prevDate=0518&pitchSel=434669.xml

That suggests a fatigue factor.
Lee Judge
1 year ago

Jim: Funny you should ask that because Jason and I talked about pitch selection just this afternoon.

The answer is, as always: it depends.

What does your pitcher have and what can he do? How does that change as the game goes along? Is the hitter weak inside? Can you pound him there for a while or will he make an adjustment? How quick will the adjustment be, next pitch or next at-bat?

Has the hitter moved his feet? Where’s the defense set up and can you get the hitter to put the ball in play toward that defense?

Has your pitcher shown everything in the first AB or two or is there a pitch they haven’t seen yet?

As you can see, there’s no set answer to any of this. The more experience a catcher has, the more likely he is to guess right.

Quintero is still learning the league and that includes his own pitchers.
Lee Judge
1 year ago

Another point worth making: Ned Yost has had to get into the bullpen early an awful lot this season. He’s said the pace is too fast, they’re going to burn some relievers out.

So Mendoza has given up one hit through five innings, no reason to have anyone up—especially if you’re trying to avoid it. Mendoza goes out for the 6th and four pitches later, you’re in trouble.

Hard to react quickly enough in that situation.
Jim Fetterolf
1 year ago

Understand on the bullpen and I got the feeling that Ned Yost had his fingers crossed hoping for seven innings out of Luis Mendoza. Now we find out Everet Teaford pulled an ab, so maybe the manager knew that. At the time I thought Teaford was the guy to have ready, fresh and able to eat some innings. Managing people is much harder than managing pixels.
Lee Judge
1 year ago

Jim: You got it. That’s often underappreciated by fans: these guys aren’t a collection of numbers you can manage like a Strat-O-Matic game.

These are people who bring something different to the dance every night. Context is everything.

I hadn’t heard about Teaford. I wonder if he did it hitting. I’ll ask around.

Judging the Royals