The Defense Thread, 2017

[Aristotelian]

 

9 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/blog/bal-orioles-second-baseman-jonathan-schoop-on-his-defense-i-ve-just-got-to-be-better-20170423-story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

 

I saw him working on ground balls during BP in Cincinnati and he bobbled a bunch of easy ones. I wonder if he has a back issue or something keeping him from getting low right now. 

[Frobby]

Game 18, April 24

This game ended on a weird play. With Longoria on first, Davis fielded a ball near the bag and stepped on it, then looked towards 2B where Longoria seemed to have gotten confused and stopped running to the bag.   Davis hesitated, threw to Hardy, who ran Longoria back towards 1B and threw to Brach, who ran him back towards 2B and threw to Schoop, who chased Longoria down heading back towards 1B to end the game.    

Earlier, Davis did a nice job digging a couple of balls out of the dirt.    He also had to jump off the bag and make a quick snap tag on a high throw from Manny.

There was a strange play where, in a critical bases loaded two out situation, Castillo dropped strike three, then scrambled to pick it up and made kind of an awkward throw over the runner's head to 1B.    The throw wasn't necessary, as all Castillo needed to to was step on home plate.   

There was a fly ball to LF that Kim couldn't reach, and then he was slow picking it up and the runner stretched it into a double.    Luckily, the runner was stranded.  

[Frobby]

Game 19, April 25

- Caleb Joseph picked a runner off 2B, with Hardy running him down between 2nd and 3rd.

- Davis made two nice plays, grabbing a ball that had gone over the bag into foul territory and getting the out at 1B, and ranging far into the 1B/2B hole to pick up a chopper and making a quick, accurate throw to 2B for a force out.    

- There was a very weird play where Longoria hit a foul chopper that somehow spun and rolled fair just before reaching 3B.    Manny alertly let the ball roll fair and threw out Longoria, who had stopped running a few steps out of the batters' box assuming the ball would stay foul.    I don't think I've ever seen a ball spin that far back into fair territory.  

[Can_of_corn]

7 hours ago, Frobby said:

Game 19, April 25

- Caleb Joseph picked a runner off 2B, with Hardy running him down between 2nd and 3rd.

- Davis made two nice plays, grabbing a ball that had gone over the bag into foul territory and getting the out at 1B, and ranging far into the 1B/2B hole to pick up a chopper and making a quick, accurate throw to 2B for a force out.    

- There was a very weird play where Longoria hit a foul chopper that somehow spun and rolled fair just before reaching 3B.    Manny alertly let the ball roll fair and threw out Longoria, who had stopped running a few steps out of the batters' box assuming the ball would stay foul.    I don't think I've ever seen a ball spin that far back into fair territory.  

Wasn't there a ball that a less generous official scorer would have dinged Hardy for?

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Wasn't there a ball that a less generous official scorer would have dinged Hardy for?

You are right, I should have mentioned that play, though I think the official scorer's call was correct.    It was a scorching liner that short-hopped Hardy on the backhand side.    I would not have scored it an error, but it is certainly a play that could have been made.

[Frobby]

Just now, dan-O said:

I think the Mancini OF experiment is officially over.

Really? I don't.    We'll be seeing quite a few lefties in the next 10 games or so, and I'll bet we see Mancini play some outfield in those games.

[Frobby]

8 minutes ago, dan-O said:

I think we'll be seeing Trumbo play RF and Macnini DHing, as we've seen in his last few starts.

It's possible.   I guess we'll find out.

[Frobby]

2 minutes ago, dan-O said:

He's started in the OF in 1 of the last 8 games he appeared in.

Not according to BB-ref.   According to them, DH, 1B, LF, LF, PH, DH, DH, DH.

[Frobby]

3 minutes ago, dan-O said:

Which makes sense when you think about it. I mean is he an upgrade over Trumbo in the field? Probably not. So you might as well go with the guy you trust out there. 

I can't tell if he's an upgrade or not, based on the miniscule sample I've seen.    Assuming that Buck decides to put one of them in the outfield, I'm pretty indifferent which one it is.    If he's decided Trumbo's the better defender, fine.    But I'm not sure if he has made that decision yet just because Trumbo has been the choice for the last few days.

[OFFNY]

o

 

(vs. YANKEES, 4/28)

 

Watching the game from the seats, I noticed that Machado made several nifty plays on slow ground balls to nail the Yankee batters by a hair at 1st base ...... great arm, great body control.

Adam Jones made what appeared to be (at the time) a game-saving catch at the centerfield wall in the bottom of the 8th inning.

In the first inning, Adam Jones bobbled a long base hit by a Yankees batter, which may have cost him a chance to throw him out at 2nd base. It did not wind up costing the Orioles in the run department though, as Gausman got out of the inning uncsctahed.

 

o

[Aristotelian]

Jones also made a fantastic play on a ball hit off the wall. Played the bounce perfectly and made a strong throw to the infield. Didn't make a difference in the outcome, but he kept the hitter to a single and kept a run from scoring on the play. Both that play and his catch were enabled by deep positioning.

[Frobby]

Game 23, April 30

- The play of the game was with the bases loaded in the 10th.   Verret induced a slow chopper towards the hole between SS and 3B.    Hardy charged it quickly and made an off-balance throw home, which came to Castillo on a short hop just as the runner was arriving.      Castillo somehow corralled the throw with his foot on the plate for the force out.   Otherwise, it's game over.    

Earlier, Jonathan Schoop charged a chopper near the 2B bag, barehanded it and made a great throw to 1B to beat a runner.   Mancini, playing 1B, had to lay out for the throw Reynolds-style and kept his toe on the bag.

Miley and Schoop turned a nifty 1-4-3 DP.

In the 10th, Romine hit a bloop down the RF line that Mancini tried to flag down but he kept his glove too close to his body and missed the ball by a couple of inches.    Tough times play but you sort of had the feeling that Davis would have made it.    The next play, Verret fielded a bunt but foolishly tried for the lead runner and made an off-line throw that would have had no chance to get the runner even if it had been accurate     

 

 

[25 Nuggets]

Aside from a miscommunication snafu between Hardy & Flaherty, that was a heckuva defensive effort by the team in Fenway game one.

Combined with the four errors by Boston, defense made the difference.

[Palmoripken]

So many nice plays tonight. And to rub salt on the wounds of the RS fans, their defense was as bad as ours was good tonight.

[O's are Legends]

14 minutes ago, 25 Nuggets said:

Aside from a miscommunication snafu between Hardy & Flaherty, that was a heckuva defensive effort by the team in Fenway game one.

Combined with the four errors by Boston, defense made the difference.

One of Manny's best games, Jones had some real nice plays as well.