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I wasn't on the board last night..and I don't see anything here about the decison to let Franklin pitch to Bonds..when Johnson is afterall a situational lefty in close game situations..

I was wondering the same thing.

very confused about that myself. I wouldn't think twice about but since we are talking about the man obsesed with matchups I am left confused.

Not making excuses for Tony but there are times when you may lose the battle in preparation to win the war. You need to find out what you've got, especially with individuals that are new to the club.

I saw this as an opportunity to test Franklin. And the worse case scenario was a tie game. Unfortunately, he failed. Tony may play it differently next time.

The team needed to win a game..

There's perhaps a time and place to "see what you got" but this wasn't it and I'm pretty sure most of the league (both of them) know about Franklin..

I believe experiementing with a lesser hitter would make more sense..It doesn't prove anything if he gets him out anyway..except that we got away with it this time..whci of course we didn't.

Dwtlr wrote:The team needed to win a game..

There's perhaps a time and place to "see what you got" but this wasn't it and I'm pretty sure most of the league (both of them) know about Franklin..

I believe experiementing with a lesser hitter would make more sense..It doesn't prove anything if he gets him out anyway..except that we got away with it this time..whci of course we didn't.

How do you create a pressure situation without it being a pressure situation? And how do you test Franklin's wares against a great hitter without matching him up against a great hitter?

The up side to Franklin getting Bonds out is, possibly a win, yes. But additionally, could be the type of confidence booster that, coupled with his early success, could pave the way for a very productive year out of him. One that we, in fact, desperately need out of him.

The down side is giving up a homer and subsequently losing a game. And Franklin's confidence may be a little rattled. Hopefully he'll move on.

But I don't think the move, or lack thereof, should necessarily be scrutinized as being vitally important. It's still April. We may need Franklin to get important LHers out in September and October. Or we may need to know that he can't in September or October. Best to find out now rather than later.

One of the main criticisms people make of TLR is that he is overly reliant on matchups out of the bullpen and that it makes the last few innings last forever and is unnecessary and controlling.

Now he doesn't do that and people say he should have gone to the lefty. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

G. Keenan wrote:One of the main criticisms people make of TLR is that he is overly reliant on matchups out of the bullpen and that it makes the last few innings last forever and is unnecessary and controlling.

Now he doesn't do that and people say he should have gone to the lefty. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

You're right.

And of the large variety of people watching/listening to the games, there's always going to be folks that think a different move should have been made. There are any number of options for each of these situations. It's not difficult to argue after the fact, that a different course should have been taken. But it's kind of a waste of time as far as I'm concerned.

I was actually wondering before the fact, but it doesn't really matter. I agree with him on 95% of the things he does.

stretch wrote:I was actually wondering before the fact, but it doesn't really matter. I agree with him on 95% of the things he does.

Sure. I think most of us wonder about moves like these before they happen. Or squeeze situations. Or hit and run, double switches, etc...

I know, at least as far as I'm concerned, that there are numerous times throughout the season when I question a move before the result...and the moves turns out to work in our favor. In fact there are probably more of these situations the work out than the moves that I question that turn out to backfire.

I think the reason I try to stop endlessly worrying about these type of situations is because there is no way of knowing whether the other proposed options would have ended up with a more favorable outcome. In other words, in the above situation, simply assuming that Johnson would have gotten Bonds out is far from certain.