What did DT do wrong tonight?

[Dadaist]

Incomprehensible

[bluedog]

Yeah cause we wouldn't want Wieters to have a shot at his first home run being a grand slam that brings the O's back to within 1 run on the way to one of the most improbably come backs in team history. No point in even making that a possibility.

[gatoto]

I think he may have lost his mind on the flight to Oakland. Zaun up with bases loaded, with Wieters (and Wiggington) on the bench and he doesn't PH? AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I was screaming at my tv when zaun was sent out there to bat with the bases juiced. What could DT have possibly been thinking??

[Shellax]

Yes, but MW 900 Ft Jesus was nowhere to be found.

[Agent0]

I was surprised that he hit for himself. I guess Wiggy and MW were the options and DT chose to stick with GZ. I wanted to see someone with some HR power up there but maybe something else went into DT's thinking.

[Peace21]

We all knew what would happen with Zaun coming up. Why didn't DT? It makes no sense.

[bluedog]

Could this actually be DT not wanting to tick off the veteran in favor of the kid or just DT having no confidence in Wieters at this point? I think it's both but this is the second time in about a week that DT has done something like this.

It's inexplicable. You have two power hitters on the bench, and you leave a guy hitting .200 with almost no power in the game. The A's pitcher and coaches must have been ecstatic.

[Arthur_Bryant]

Could this actually be DT not wanting to tick off the veteran in favor of the kid or just DT having no confidence in Wieters at this point? I think it's both but this is the second time in about a week that DT has done something like this.

In either case it's not the kind of manager you want for a team like this.

And if he has already lost confidence in Wieters, DT is as bad as the most short-sighted and knee-jerk posters here. (Gawd, what a frightening thought).

[BMann]

I was watching Zaun bat (using the term very loosely), my jaw on the floor, figuring, "well, someone on the O's board will have a perfectly logical explanation for why Wieters isn't batting right now." There must be something obvious that Trembley knows that I don't, and one of the wise folks on OriolesTalk will clue me in. Still waiting... :cussing:

[rooster]

We all knew what would happen with Zaun coming up. Why didn't DT? It makes no sense.

At some point you have to wonder what AM would like to see from the team. Most people on this board will say continued development, a steady hand, a straight shooter young players will trust etc etc. The implication being the record is less important right now and that the big 3 wont be Pulsipher/Izzy/Wilson -- just be cool! But I cant. I have no faith anything will pan out. 12 years is a long time. Too long to not try to win EVERY night (yes, at expense of feelings). Do we really want the Pattons to come up to the same Losing Culture? We are regressing. Pretty soon here we'll be 20 games under 500 that these young bucks are some day expected to fix. Unfair. This team is much better than that. There is no magic. No gutty instinct. (Yes Gordo, that word again.) No idea how to win.

[JimDH]

I was watching Zaun bat (using the term very loosely), my jaw on the floor, figuring, "well, someone on the O's board will have a perfectly logical explanation for why Wieters isn't batting right now." There must be something obvious that Trembley knows that I don't, and one of the wise folks on OriolesTalk will clue me in. Still waiting... :cussing:

If it was 8-4 or 7-4 then maybe. But we needed a baserunner more then a HR.

Could be some other reason. If nothing else comes to mind then just fall back on Trembley being either

a. afraid of Zaun, or

b. stupid.

[El Gordo]

If it was 8-4 or 7-4 then maybe. But we needed a baserunner more then a HR.

Could be some other reason. If nothing else comes to mind then just fall back on Trembley being either

a. afraid of Zaun, or

b. stupid.

I really don't think DT is afraid of Zaun and he is certainly not as stupid as some armchair managers I could mention, if I wanted a vacation. But I can't understand why he didn't PH Wieters. Maybe he didn't want to put Wieters in that kind of a leverage situation, this soon. He knows more about where the kid's head is at, at this point, than we do. Just conjecture, but that's all I could come up with. Of course it's the one question that should be asked at his presser, and it's the one you can count on not being asked.

[Arthur_Bryant]

I can't understand why he didn't PH Wieters. Maybe he didn't want to put Wieters in that kind of a leverage situation, this soon. He knows more about where the kid's head is at, at this point, than we do. Just conjecture, but that's all I could come up with. Of course it's the one question that should be asked at his presser, and it's the one you can count on not being asked.

This is the only halfway reasonable explanation, but it also strikes me as counterproductive. If Wieters is down on himself or lacking confidence (which I doubt) this just sends a message that he isn't ready to play in the big leagues, because Wieters must know, like everybody else, that he is otherwise the logical choice to hit in that spot.

"Man, I must really suck, if he doesn't want me hitting there."

Yes, DT knows more than we do about the kid's head, which is easy because we know next to nothing. But that doesn't mean he knows enough to play these kinds of head games effectively.

It's just a lousy decision by any measure.

[RShack]

I'm guessing he wanted a guy to get on base rather than just one very long-odds shot at a dinger that wouldn't even tie the game.

Getting on base has not been Matt's strong suit so far. Zaun's OBP is 100 points higher: .300 vs .200, and with 2 outs, it's been .350.

So, if you wanna keep the inning going, do you want the odds being 1 in 3, or 1 in 5?

Plus, Matt hasn't exactly been a dinger machine yet. Not sure this was a situation where you bet on potential.

I don't pretend to know what DT was thinking, but that's the only thing that comes to mind...

[El Gordo]

This is the only halfway reasonable explanation, but it also strikes me as counterproductive. If Wieters is down on himself or lacking confidence (which I doubt) this just sends a message that he isn't ready to play in the big leagues, because Wieters must know, like everybody else, that he is otherwise the logical choice to hit in that spot.

"Man, I must really suck, if he doesn't want me hitting there."

Yes, DT knows more than we do about the kid's head, which is easy because we know next to nothing. But that doesn't mean he knows enough to play these kinds of head games effectively.

It's just a lousy decision by any measure.

A lot of people here seem to think that a catchers main job, besides throwing out runners trying to steal, is to hit. Most ML managers don't see it that way. I would think not stressing his hitting right now, is important because the responsibility of catching in the ML must be foremost in his mind. Once again I wouldn't presume to know what is gong on with Wieters or what DT knows or does not know in this situation.