Reynolds

[CA-ORIOLE]

Did anyone have a problem with the slider that was a strike earlier in the count or the sliders that were strikes ealier. Strop has a very good slider. Talk about the ultimate second guess. I guess Wieters should never call for anything but Strop's fastball. I wasn't sure, at the time, if it was a changeup or slider. If it had been the changeup (not even sure if Strop has one) I could understand the problem. Nothing wrong with calling a slider there. It's the execution of the pitch.

I didn't like the call. A slider generally isn't a good pitch againt a LHB and Ibanez's bat speed looked overmatched against Strop's FB.

[CA-ORIOLE]

Reynolds had a 750ish OPS 2 years ago. Its possible for us to see him have a down offensive year...you would have to be pretty foolish to think otherwise.

But freaking out about it after 5 games is really awful.

I have no issues with Reynolds offensive production I'm just worried about the steady diet of breaking balls and the stike zone may affect him more than a normal year .................a down offensive year would be catastrophic considering what is going on with his defense. Last year was catastrophic with good offensive production.

[Lucky Jim]

And you've never seen a hitter late on one fastball and adjust and catch up to the next one. Never happens, right?

Even the Yankee announcers acknowledged it wasn't the right pitch in that situation. I agree w/ them.

[Sports Guy]

And you've never seen a hitter late on one fastball and adjust and catch up to the next one. Never happens, right?

Sure it does...Don't see that it would be happening in that case and if it did, so be it.

If Rivera blows the game last night and the Orioles win, despite doing nothing against Wade, would you second guess Girardi for bringing in Rivera?

The percentage play isn't always going to work out but it doesn't mean you don't do it every time.

[J.D.]

Reynolds is a notoriously slow starter anyhow. The only month over the last 3 years in which his OPS is lower than April is September. He starts slowly and finishes slowly. So yes, I think yelling about his hitting 5-games into the season is over-reacting just a tad.

I wouldn't mind DHing him and putting Betemit at third, but I'm honestly not sure what that would do to Reynolds' WAR, and I'm not sure what Betemit could really offer at third as an improvement. 2 errors in 5 games isn't a good stretch defensively by any stretch of the imagination, but I also have generally felt like he's been reading the ball off of the bat better this year. I'm willing to give him more time there.

[Lucky Jim]

The only argument that it was worse because you know the outcome. If Wieters had called a fastball, you don't know that Ibanez doesn't get a hit. If Nick had set up properly, you don't know he would have thrown him out.

And while I see that argument, the bottom line is they each made a decision and the decision was wrong...In the case of Reynolds, he decided to play the short hop and he actually made an error. The other 2 didn't make a physical error but they did make a mental one and it likely cost them. If Nick makes the same throw but just has a little bit more behind it, Cano is out and Reynolds doesn't get a chance to make that error.

Palmer mentioned how Cano deeked Nick...Nick should know better in that situation to not be in a more ready position to make that throw.

I'm not convinced by this attempt to establish some equivalence. I'm just not. I agree that blame should be spread around, but an essentially routine ground-ball that's botched w/ 2 outs and the prevention of multiple runs contingent on the out is not the same as bad pitch calling/sequencing (which can generate a multitude of outcomes, positive and negative) and not setting up for the throw (which may have been a long-shot at an out, anyway).

They're all mistakes, but that doesn't make them all equal. That said, I don't think the fact that Reynolds made an error merits the overreaction it's gotten. We're a 75 win team - we're better off with a consistent/positive Reynolds than we are with either his replacement or a crappy one. We won't know what we have for a little while, and it makes no sense to clamor for alternatives when it's not like we're trying to preserve a play off run.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I'm not convinced by this attempt to establish some equivalence. I'm just not. I agree that blame should be spread around, but an essentially routine ground-ball that's botched w/ 2 outs and the prevention of multiple runs contingent on the out is not the same as bad pitch calling/sequencing (which can generate a multitude of outcomes, positive and negative) and not setting up for the throw (which may have been a long-shot at an out, anyway).

They're all mistakes, but that doesn't make them all equal. That said, I don't think the fact that Reynolds made an error merits the overreaction it's gotten. We're a 75 win team - we're better off with a consistent/positive Reynolds than we are with either his replacement or a crappy one. We won't know what we have for a little while, and it makes no sense to clamor for alternatives when it's not like we're trying to preserve a play off run.

Is Consistent/Positive Reynolds the twin of Complacent Reynolds?

[CA-ORIOLE]

A slider down and in or even under the hands is a good pitch to a lefthanded batter, IMO. So you don't think a RHP should throw a slider for a strike to a LH hitter? Then I guess it's only fastball for Strop against LH hitters? I would have thrown fastball but if you think that's the pitch, that's exactly what Wieters was thinking. Ibanez will try to speed his bat up to catch up to the fastball and be fooled by the slider. Sometimes you guess wrong. Sometimes the hitter guesses right. Sometimes the pitche is excecuted well and it doesn't matter if the hitter guesses right.

I like a slider down and in on a RHB a lot more than a LHB. LHB tend to be good low ball hitters and you want the slider down. In this case the ball really wasn't low or in and I get that he probably missed his spot. Maybe it was meant to be a backdoor slider, I'd have to go and see where Wieters was set up. That doesn't mean I would never throw one and I don't have the book on Ibanez, but in this case it wasn't a good choice imo against Ibanez who clearly looked overmatched against Strops FB. I'd have made him show he could catch up on the FB and gone with a changeup if it was really needed.

[Lucky Jim]

Is Consistent/Positive Reynolds the twin of Complacent Reynolds?

[brianod]

I'm not giving up on Reynolds, just saying it doesn't look good. All his value comes from his offense and I'm not a big believer at this point. Those using saber metric stats as proof of his offensive value are taking an approach that is too simplistic. A 3 run home run when up 8-0 against a scrub pitcher is not of equal value to a 3 run home run at another time. I'm not sold that he can hit good pitching in the clutch. I'm willing to be patient and give him a chance to prove me wrong. I'm rooting for him

[TakebackOPACY]

Here's a thought that worries me (but we won't be able to quantify):

Reynolds' confidence on defense is running extremely low. You can see the wheels working everytime he's involved in a bad play or questionable play. I could see his defensive woes possibly getting worse (or staying this bad for a bigger sample size than 5 games).

[Lucky Jim]

Here's a thought that worries me (but we won't be able to quantify):

Reynolds' confidence on defense is running extremely low. You can see the wheels working everytime he's involved in a bad play or questionable play. I could see his defensive woes possibly getting worse (or staying this bad for a bigger sample size than 5 games).

I agree. I'd DH him for a day or two, or something to just break up the psychological cycle.

[Uli2001]

Signing in. I just wanted to say that Reynolds at 3B by himself increases the staff ERA by at least half a run. How long will management put up with him at 3B? This is a losing proposition. He is NOT going to get any better.

What happened to Chen last night was just a shame. The late inning lack of offense was par for the course in the last 15 years, but the real story was how well Chen pitched in his debut and how badly the defense supported him in that inning (and Andino let one through as well).

[russ snyder]

Here's a thought that worries me (but we won't be able to quantify):

Reynolds' confidence on defense is running extremely low. You can see the wheels working everytime he's involved in a bad play or questionable play. I could see his defensive woes possibly getting worse (or staying this bad for a bigger sample size than 5 games).

Yep. I alluded to his defensive issues as a fielder's slump on one of the other Reynolds threads. His confidence is definitely on the wane right now. He's pressing like a hitter who's mired in a 1 for 14 slump. I'm hoping last night was his 0 for 4 with a popup and three strikeouts. He really needs to have a couple of clean games over there.

[Bazooka Jones]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-reynolds-has-to-improve-defensively-to-stay-at-third-and-win-over-fans-20120410,0,7243551.story