There is one person and one person only responsible for last night's loss

[DrungoHazewood]

Kim should have hit for Trumbo. Contact hitter is what you need there. Trumbo has szero, as in not one, sac fly all year! You can't hit him for Davis, for chemistry reasons. You just can't take out a 26mm a year guy in that situation. That sort of stuff from a leader causes chemistry issues. Life just does not work that way.

How many times in MLB history do you think a team in a pennant race pinch hit for the MLB home run leader in September with the tying run at third for any reason besides injury? If I had to guess I'd say the answer is less than five since the end of the deadball era, and zero wouldn't surprise me.

[DrungoHazewood]

He should have pinch hit Kim for Trumbo (zero sac flies this season, terrible batting average in second half), as Kim is far more likely to have a smart AB and get at least a sac fly. There was no good reason to bat Trumbo, who had already failed in one sac fly situation earlier.

As for sac fly situations in general, has Coolbaugh watched the hitters this season? The proper way to approach those ABs is to look for a pitch to drive in the air, yet O's hitters consistently swing down at pitches, which won't result in a fly ball, or expand the strike zone and get themselves in a hole. That hasn't improved as the season has gone on.

They have a similar problem on 2-0 and 3-1 pitches, when they should be shrinking the strike zone to the part in which they hit best, but instead swing at pitches outside of that area.

With a runner on 3rd and less than two outs the O's have gotten a sac fly in 12.3% of their PAs.

MLB average is a sac fly in 12.5% of PAs with a runner on third and less than two outs.

I'm not sure I'd be rending so many garments or gnashing so many teeth over 0.2% of abject failure.

[tntoriole]

Hill signed for 6M to pitch in OAK. He would have cost more to pitch in BAL. Would you really have paid 7-8M based on 4 good starts at the end of last season?

If my choice was between him and Gallardo? In a minute and twice on Sunday.

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[Can_of_corn]

If my choice was between him and Gallardo? In a minute and twice on Sunday.

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The thing with Hill is, he wanted a one year make good contract.

Why would any pitcher pick OPACY in that instance?

Hmm I can pitch in Oakland or Baltimore?

Not a tough call.

[DrungoHazewood]

The thing with Hill is, he wanted a one year make good contract.

Why would any pitcher pick OPACY in that instance?

Hmm I can pitch in Oakland or Baltimore?

Not a tough call.

If I recall correctly my choice was C) Wright/Wilson/et al. Because Gallardo had a multi-year record of K rate decline and (eventually) health issues, while Hill was unlikely to have the bailing wire holding his shoulder together last a full year. I don't see how the Orioles were ever a reasonable risk/reward matchup for Hill. As you said, he would have wanted a bonus for OPACY's HR rate.

[Ori-Al]

With a runner on 3rd and less than two outs the O's have gotten a sac fly in 12.3% of their PAs.

MLB average is a sac fly in 12.5% of PAs with a runner on third and less than two outs.

I'm not sure I'd be rending so many garments or gnashing so many teeth over 0.2% of abject failure.

The failures have cost us several games already. Today, Manny fail again in a sac fly situation, missing two hittable fastballs before eventually whiffing on a pitch way out of the zone low and in. Davis naturally follows by whiffing on a ball in the dirt, like he ended last game.

Kim in the sac fly situation hit a deep fly ball that Kiermeier saved from being a grand slam. Better AB than Manny or Davis, or Trumbo in the ninth last night.