Yeah, that was an awful spot to bunt. You're saying you don't think the top 3 in the order can get a runner in from 3rd with 0 outs. Wash said after the game it was the perfect time for it. OK.

Oswalt said he couldn't go a 3rd inning. Kinda fucked up.

I wonder if there is a new club douche in town.

I saw Washingtons comments about the failed squeeze play. He basically hung Elvis out to dry. What a bunch of bullshit, fuck him. If he's not going to be a players manager and he's not going to make sound in game moves then he's not worth jackshit.

I read that the probability of scoring that run by swinging away is .853. I know Wash doesn't use probabilities, but that run seemed like a gimme if they played it straight.

I don't know why Wash said that about Elvis. There was no chance he was making contact on that. If you still want to defend your decision, just say the count was set up for something closer to the plate and the pitcher didn't put it there.

If he's going to rip Elvis for anything, it should be running through that stop sign after Young's double. There were no outs there either. Why even have a 3B coach if the runners do what they want anyway.

I don't understand why Kinsler needs a day off (in the midst of his 2nd hottest streak of the season) when he DHed Thursday (?) and Mike Young has played 47 straight games.

And I don't understand why he (and any other manager, to be fair) can't use their closer in a non save situation on the road.

Not to keep rehashing the call but it shows no faith in your 2-5 hitters by doing that and if you have no faith in those guys the why fuck are you batting them 2-5? Ron Washington = Wade Phillips.

While it was a great relay and throw to get him even an average or below average play gets him out. I probably need to see it again but it seems like he was out by 10 feet.

I didn't get a chance to see the game plus I'm me so whatever, but if Wash was going to have someone bunt into a squeeze play I can't think of who better than Elvis.

I've wondered out loud too about why closers aren't normally used in non save situations (i think i got yelled out about it too). Seems like when you have a good team and put a bunch of wins together inevitably you have to run your closer out "just to get in some work" in between save opportunities. I understand you don't want to overwork someone, but it seems like with closers sometimes they try to underwork them. I'm going to go back to not typing now.

It wasn't who was squeeze bunting that we are taking issues with, it was that the situation didn't call for it.

Doesn't Elvis bunt a lot with runners on 2nd (and even 3rd)? If that was the tying or go ahead run on 3rd, why wouldn't you use your best bunter to bring him home? Genuinely curious.

If the squeeze fails the runner on third is out 100% of the time. If you fail at a sac fly or strikeout or whatever, 99% of the time the runner is still at third.

If Elvis was an average to below average hitter at the end of the lineup it might not be the worst call in the world but he's not. He's almost a 300 hitter.

Is there a statistic that shows how well a batter is at the squeeze play? If Elvis is above .300 in that situation does that play into the decision making?

Fruit said it perfectly here. You need 1 run and have 3 chances. Or you can throw it all away based on the probability of 1 pitch. You're talking about Elvis's ability to put down a bunt but the pitch was so low and outside, it was impossible. Elvis was taken out of the play.

Not yet! One more question!

So the squeeze play is only when there is 1 out? Because you can't do it with 2 outs since they could easily throw the batter out at 1st and end the inning, right?

genius!

I'm sure some nerd somewhere is tracking that but I would think the sample size is so small that it's worthless.

I deleted the part this was referring to.

The probability of scoring the run drops significantly with 1 out as opposed to 0 outs. And you're right about 2 outs. I don't like the squeeze at all if you HAVE to score the run. But that also wasn't the only reason they lost.

It's very rare with two outs but I don't think it's unprecedented. The Indian's Jake Taylor squeezed in Willie Mays Hayes with 2 outs against the Yankees to win a one game playoff back in 1989.

Well now I'm genuinely confused. If the odds of scoring go way down from 0 to 1 out, and you don't run it when you have 2 outs, when DO you run the squeeze? Only if your batter isn't hitting well?

Yes, you are confused. The odds drop significantly swinging away from 0 outs to 1 out. I never gave odds for a squeeze bunt (that seems to be the odds that you think I'm talking about). So yes, I would be more apt to use it with 1 out than 0 outs, but I would also be more apt to use it for insurance if I had a lead as opposed to needing that 1 run. I'd rather not give away free outs at all.

Ah yes, I thought you were giving odds on the squeeze. What you said there makes sense. Gracias, Señor Guapo.

I can actually see Wash doing it because he doesn't trust Young on deck. But if that's the case, then don't have him batting 2nd. Wash's obsession with Young turning it around is pathetic. He may get it turned around, but there is nothing to base that on right now. I'm generally a fan of OSB, but the World Series (game 6 especially) killed me last year and this year he is bunting Elvis way too often.

wait until they talk about LOTR vs Star wars

a rundown of all the squeeze plays the rangers have run in the last three years:
http://www.bbtia.com/the-clubhouse/2012 ... 10-12.html

interesting that 4 of them were done with 0 outs.

also as an FYI, here's a chart showing the odds of scoring a run in an inning categorized by outs and baserunner positions:

Pretty good success rate, albeit a tiny sample size. My biggest issue remains - they had to have that run and you're potentially throwing the game away on one pitch.

.853!!! I gotta go with that %. If you want to have Young try it (assuming Elvis can't get Olt in), I'm much more ok with that. Elvis is the best bunter, but he's also been the best hitter of the 3.

And I'm still more upset with Elvis running through the stop sign with 0 outs in the 7th (?) than I am the failed squeeze.

Shit, MY's favorite thing to do now is hit weak grounders to short. That's perfect to get the run in!

That might be my biggest beef with all the bunting of Elvis. I think he has earned the right to swing away with the way he's been hitting.

Another thing I noticed at the time right after that play, the pitcher Holland had just walked Olt so his command was suspect meaning A) why not let Elvis maybe work a walk and B) even in a fastball count you might not get a good pitch to bunt.

For a team that is phenomenal at the big inning their manager sure does his damnedest to prevent them by giving away outs.

I promise I'll stop bitching about this by gametime tonight but right now I just need to vent.

You guys sure hate the Rangers.

No, just knifers.

Elvis sitting, Young at SS.

That's just dumb

kneejerk reaction prediction of the day:
Ron Washington will not be the manager of the Texas Rangers at the start of the 2013 season.

Wash is also starting Soto at DH and benching Olt and Gentry. The dude has to be using coke again. I think he's just trolling Ranger fans now.

If Nap and Soto are playing, Soto should be catching, so Nap can rest his knees. If you want Nap in there to catch Yu, then Soto serves no purpose as a DH. Watch him hit 2 bombs now.

So after the game Washington says that Olt is too young to DH whatever the fuck that means. This after just a few days ago where in a press conference Washington says that Olt will be used primarily as 1B/DH.

I also read where he said he didn't want to sit Young because he is going well (which is fair, he's hitting singles at a higher clip than he has all year), yet Kinsler sits on Sunday, when you're already using Beltre at DH, making the defensive infield much worse already? He is such a walking contradiction.

He's either a moron or just full of shit. He's better off just saying that's the way baseball go in answer to every question.

Looks like the answer is Gentry. Who is sitting against a Lefty again.

God, I wish I understood Wash's obsession with Young. Napoli against a lefty pitcher in Fenway Park - on the bench. Gentry, with a .400 OBP, the same lefty pitcher - on the bench. Mike Young, playing below a replacement level player for the season (that's right) in the lineup for the 49th straight game.

OMG WAHT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT MIKE YOUNBG BATS 320 AGAINST LEFTHANDERDS!!!!11!