I don’t care about what the Moneyballers, Baseball Prospectus-ers and other stat heads can prove by crunching the numbers and lining up all the stats in the proper column of an Excel spreadsheet. I like the bunt.
Yes, I understand that bunting actually decreases a team’s chances at scoring a run and that by bunting with intent to move runners into scoring position is never a good idea because it trades 90-feet for the most valuable commodity in the game – outs.
But my reason for liking the bunt is purely selfish. Without it, there was no place for me on the baseball team back in high school. In fact, I remember clearly when I came to terms with the notion that swinging the bat was a bad idea and dropped down a bunt for the sixth plate appearance in a row…
“Why do they keep giving you the bunt signal,” a teammate finally asked.
“No one gave me a bunt signal.”
Clearly no one gave Chase Utley the bunt signal either when facing Barry Zito with two on and no outs of the first inning of yesterday’s loss to the Giants. Thinking that no would expect the club’s No. 3 hitter to drop one down with the starter against the ropes in the early going and slugger Ryan Howard on deck, Utley thought it would be a good idea to sneak one in there.
Needless to say, it didn’t go well. The bunt didn’t go to its intended area, Utley was thrown out – but given a sacrifice – and the Phillies were on their way to stranding 12 runners on base.
“I was trying to make something happen,” Utley said after the game. “You don't know how many times you're going to have an opportunity to score off Zito. It was a curveball that I tried to put in play. Worse-case scenario, you got two guys in scoring position with the middle of your lineup up. We didn't get the job done.”
Had it worked, Utley would have been lauded as a smart player trying to set the table for Ryan Howard, who has been starting to get hot lately. Instead, with first base open, Howard was intentionally walked and the Phillies squandered yet another chance.
So it goes.
***
Speaking of squandering chances, Jon Lieber turned in another poor outing in the 8-1 loss that was detailed deftly by Bob Ford. Lieber, of course, chose not to discuss his outing after the game with the local sporting press, which is all well and good – based on his pitching line (10 hits, 5 runs, 3 walks in just 5 innings), who could blame him. However, even when Lieber pitches well he is terse and petulant with the media following the game.
That’s fine, too, and I’m sure fans don’t care about how athletes treat the press. At the same time, if a writer needs Jon Lieber to say something pithy or insightful in order to write a baseball story, well, they just aren’t that good of a writer.
Nevertheless, if someone wants to talk to me about baseball or running or any other aspect of my job, pack a lunch and call a sitter because we’ll be there all day. Maybe it’s me, but if there I’m supposed to be passionate about my life’s work it would be exciting to talk to folks about it… especially if paid $21 million for three years.
Certainly the situation with Lieber has been a mess all season long, and that’s not all his fault. The Phillies did everything but hire a skywriter to advertise that they wanted to trade Lieber, but then didn’t – or couldn’t. Then they moved him to the bullpen into a role he had never done in his 13 seasons in the Majors. And then, when it was clear that Lieber was ineffective and disinterested in engaging in his new role, they moved him back to the rotation.
In that sense, who could blame him if he doesn’t want to talk to a bunch of pesky writers.
Regardless, if the Phillies were to take Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer out of the rotation, the teams' starting rotation has a 5.50 ERA and has allowed 283 baserunners in 189 2/3 innings this season.
Worse, the remaining bunch is 8-15… Hamels has eight wins all by himself.
What is this? Carlton in ’72?