A tale of two at bats

[Frobby]

Last night’s game really came down to two at bats, IMO.   In the second inning, we had Steven Matz on the ropes.   The bases were loaded and he’d already walked in two runs.    Austin Hays came up, got down in the count 1-2, and rolled over on a pitch several inches outside and grounded out to SS to end the threat.

In the bottom of the fourth, it was Matt Harvey’s turn to struggle.   He’d already allowed a run, and with runners on 1st and 3rd and Lourdes Gurriel up, he didn’t pay attention to the runner on 1st, who stole second without a throw to get into scoring position.   Harvey got ahead in the count 1-2, then threw a nasty breaking pitch that started over the plate but dove low and away Gurriel got just a small piece of it and kept his at bat alive, then worked the count to 3-2 and singled on a fastball that got too much of the plate, to score two runs and put the Jays ahead 4-2.

For me, those two at bats were the story of the game.   Both guys were down 1-2 in the count, both got a pitch off the plate they couidn’t lay off, but one rolled over and hit a grounder in play while the other was able to spoil the pitch with a foul ball.   And that’s the thin margin many games rest on.   

[Pickles]

I didn't tune in until later, but I saw two egregious calls which basically shortchanged the O's ability to score in the 9th.

The first was the first pitch to Stewart. 5 inches outside.  Called strike one.  Then he swings through the 2nd pitch, likewise 5 inches outside, because he figures it's a called strike.  He managed to work back to a full count, but he probably should have been on base.

And then the very next batter is Mullins, and he gets rung up on a 3-2 pitch that's four inches inside.  He was livid and I don't blame him.

So instead of walking the first two batters of the ninth, the Jays closer has two outs and nobody on.  Made life a lot easier for him.

[Mooreisbetter27]

55 minutes ago, Pickles said:

I didn't tune in until later, but I saw two egregious calls which basically shortchanged the O's ability to score in the 9th.

The first was the first pitch to Stewart. 5 inches outside.  Called strike one.  Then he swings through the 2nd pitch, likewise 5 inches outside, because he figures it's a called strike.  He managed to work back to a full count, but he probably should have been on base.

And then the very next batter is Mullins, and he gets rung up on a 3-2 pitch that's four inches inside.  He was livid and I don't blame him.

So instead of walking the first two batters of the ninth, the Jays closer has two outs and nobody on.  Made life a lot easier for him.

I saw the 9th and agree.  Those pitches were not strikes.  

I don't know if I  have ever seen Mullins that angry either.  I don't blame him either.  

[Aristotelian]

Hays also looked completely lost in the 7th when he came up following Mountcastle's walk and struck out on four pitches. Fortunately Mancini picked him up with the double to drive in the tying run. Seems like Hays is quickly playing himself into the wrong side of a platoon role. 

[Pickles]

39 minutes ago, Mooreisbetter27 said:

I saw the 9th and agree.  Those pitches were not strikes.  

I don't know if I  have ever seen Mullins that angry either.  I don't blame him either.  

It didn't take a lip-reader to see that he was very unhappy.

[Yardball85]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

I didn't tune in until later, but I saw two egregious calls which basically shortchanged the O's ability to score in the 9th.

The first was the first pitch to Stewart. 5 inches outside.  Called strike one.  Then he swings through the 2nd pitch, likewise 5 inches outside, because he figures it's a called strike.  He managed to work back to a full count, but he probably should have been on base.

And then the very next batter is Mullins, and he gets rung up on a 3-2 pitch that's four inches inside.  He was livid and I don't blame him.

So instead of walking the first two batters of the ninth, the Jays closer has two outs and nobody on.  Made life a lot easier for him.

The home plate umpire was just awful.  Pathetic.  They need to start holding umpires accountable.  There were bad calls all night (and pitches from Orioles that should have been called strikes that weren't), but the Mullins one took the cake.  I was surprised/disappointed Hyde didn't go out and get tossed.

[Yardball85]

58 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Hays also looked completely lost in the 7th when he came up following Mountcastle's walk and struck out on four pitches. Fortunately Mancini picked him up with the double to drive in the tying run. Seems like Hays is quickly playing himself into the wrong side of a platoon role. 

He's been hitting really well lately actually... he is what he is.  Mashes lefties, in his best season he ight give you an OPS approaching .800. 

[Pickles]

2 minutes ago, Yardball85 said:

The home plate umpire was just awful.  Pathetic.  They need to start holding umpires accountable.  There were bad calls all night (and pitches from Orioles that should have been called strikes that weren't), but the Mullins one took the cake.  I was surprised/disappointed Hyde didn't go out and get tossed.

I was kinda hoping Mullins would.  He looked about ready.  Hell, there's 2 outs in the ninth.

Of course, he's better for not doing it.  Cause Mountcastle hits a hr and we're tied up and now we have no CFer.

[Yardball85]

Just now, Pickles said:

I was kinda hoping Mullins would.  He looked about ready.  Hell, there's 2 outs in the ninth.

Of course, he's better for not doing it.  Cause Mountcastle hits a hr and we're tied up and now we have no CFer.

Yup, agreed.  But I was just so frustrated... and it had been a terrible zone all night really. 

[Yossarian]

1 hour ago, Yardball85 said:

He's been hitting really well lately actually... he is what he is.  Mashes lefties, in his best season he ight give you an OPS approaching .800. 

He still really struggles with breaking balls.  I don't know why anyone would throw him a fastball in the zone.  Throw him fastballs up (out of the zone) and everything else should be breaking balls and off-speed stuff.  He flails at that stuff.

[OsFanSinceThe80s]

2 hours ago, Mooreisbetter27 said:

I saw the 9th and agree.  Those pitches were not strikes.  

I don't know if I  have ever seen Mullins that angry either.  I don't blame him either.  

Not a perfect comparison, but it reminded me of the strike zone Eric Gregg was calling against the Braves hitters in game 5 of the 1997 NLCS.

 

[now]

48 minutes ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Not a perfect comparison, but it reminded me of the strike zone Eric Gregg was calling against the Braves hitters in game 5 of the 1997 NLCS.

 

Just wow. Exhibit A for robo-umps. Good catch!

[LA2]

6 hours ago, OsFanSinceThe80s said:

Not a perfect comparison, but it reminded me of the strike zone Eric Gregg was calling against the Braves hitters in game 5 of the 1997 NLCS.

 

The Baseball Gods saw all the calls that Maddux, Smoltz, and Glavine had gotten over the years and pulled some devious strings.

[LA2]

6 hours ago, Frobby said:

Last night’s game really came down to two at bats, IMO.   In the second inning, we had Steven Matz on the ropes.   The bases were loaded and he’d already walked in two runs.    Austin Hays came up, got down in the count 1-2, and rolled over on a pitch several inches outside and grounded out to SS to end the threat.

In the bottom of the fourth, it was Matt Harvey’s turn to struggle.   He’d already allowed a run, and with runners on 1st and 3rd and Lourdes Gurriel up, he didn’t pay attention to the runner on 1st, who stole second without a throw to get into scoring position.   Harvey got ahead in the count 1-2, then threw a nasty breaking pitch that started over the plate but dove low and away Gurriel got just a small piece of it and kept his at bat alive, then worked the count to 3-2 and singled on a fastball that got too much of the plate, to score two runs and put the Jays ahead 4-2.

For me, those two at bats were the story of the game.   Both guys were down 1-2 in the count, both got a pitch off the plate they couidn’t lay off, but one rolled over and hit a grounder in play while the other was able to spoil the pitch with a foul ball.   And that’s the thin margin many games rest on.   

Good details. From another perspective, that the O's are losing more games that hinge on a few crucial turning points is an improvement over most of August, when we were just getting blown out, inept in too many ways to enumerate usefully.

[Frobby]

8 hours ago, Aristotelian said:

Hays also looked completely lost in the 7th when he came up following Mountcastle's walk and struck out on four pitches. Fortunately Mancini picked him up with the double to drive in the tying run. Seems like Hays is quickly playing himself into the wrong side of a platoon role. 

He has a 9 game hitting streak going, so maybe not.