I think there's something else beyond the injuries, but a person would have to be naive to think this lineup wouldn't be drastically different with even 2 of the RH hitters on that list.
Also, our Bad Manager had Mullins bunt with men on 1st and 2nd and nobody out precisely…two games ago, on Sunday in Detroit.
Fouled off the first two, then flied out rather meekly to center field (advancing the runners anyway on nice tag-ups by Soto and Henderson). But then Santander popped up and Kjerstad hit a weak tapper back to the pitcher, so we went empty. Gave up an out with one of our hottest hitters — just to set up two dudes who couldn’t come through.
I didn’t see Hyde getting too much praise as a Good Manager for doing that on Sunday. If he’d gone right back to the same strategy that failed a couple days ago in the exact same situation, then we’d be telling him “job well done” this time? Only if it worked, I’d wager…
Different era obviously, but Rochester AAA manager Earl Weaver replaced O's skipper Hank Bauer in '68, just a year and a half after Bauer won the World Series.
A good manager would have instructed him to bunt
Well not for nothing, but I would like 100 dollars for every time a Good Manager did not bunt with first and second with nobody out. Now if the SF pitcher was LH, I would be onboard. If they were down by 1, maybe. Why would you not let Mullins hit there?
Putting aside the issue of “not counting” stats that don’t fit the argument, I’m curious who he would have had hit there.
What were the other options?
Eloy Jimenez (1 for his last 23)
Coby Mayo (3 for 37 with 21 Ks as a pro)
Jackson Holliday (0 for last 22 vs LHPs with 12 Ks)
Livan Soto (~.600 career AAA OPS vs LHPs)
Not saying Slater was some slam dunk pick, but I honestly don’t really even understand how folks can criticize Hyde for those types of decisions anymore. Every lever he has available to pull is clearly marked *WRONG* in flashing red lights.
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