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Orcin · 12-13-2012, 02:53 PM

July 24, 2007

The outcome of the series with Indianapolis was obviously very disappointing. However, it must be viewed in the proper perspective. The calendar says July, not September, and there’s a lot of baseball left to be played this year. We are only three games out and we lead in the wild card race. I don’t even want to think about the wild card though. Slipping into the playoffs through the back door is not among my goals.

Our offense is just putting a lot of pressure on our pitching right now. The brain trust (and I use the term sarcastically) spent yesterday’s off day reviewing the lineup again. The experimental lineup from last week generated almost four runs per game, so it was an improvement over recent weeks but not good enough. Indianapolis averages nearly five runs per game, and they don’t lead our league. We led the Federal League last year at 5.3 runs per game, and that’s where we should be now. Going from first to last in one season is just not acceptable, and we have to continue looking at all of our options. It is time to revisit the optimized lineup that was successful for us a couple of years ago.

Pierre-Louis See-MOAN is batting .187 with runners in scoring position. His on-base percentage is .314 for the season and .301 in the month of July. He leads the CBA with 36 stolen bases, but we need more people on base ahead of our big hitters. He needs to be moved toward the bottom of the order, and certainly out of the #2 spot. Simon has some power and would be the perfect #6 hitter for the optimized lineup.

Sanchez is the perfect leadoff hitter, so he stays there. Tom John has a .332 on-base percentage for the season, but it is .380 in July and he appears to be swinging the bat well lately. He will hit seventh and Cristo Rodriguez bats eighth.

Chris Brown and Duncan Bland are the best hitters on the team with men in scoring position. In fact, they are probably the best hitters on the team period this year, so they should bat fourth and fifth. Morgan is the obvious candidate for the less-important #3 position. He draws walks and doesn’t clog the bases. The switch-hitter Brown will hit fourth to split the two right-handed batters. That leaves Dominguez for the #2 position. He is ideal for the spot with his combination of power and speed, but we have to hope he picks up his production. He may be the key to our success in the second half.

We will probably give this lineup more than a week to settle in, because there is very little else to be done. We will also be giving the starters a couple of days off this week.

The trade deadline is approaching and I have abandoned the idea of moving George King. I am not getting offers that make it worthwhile, probably because he becomes a free agent after the season. I could sign him to an extension and then trade him, but that just doesn’t seem right to me. I have more respect for my players than that.

12-13-2012, 02:53 PM	#1296
Orcin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 9,850	July 24, 2007 The outcome of the series with Indianapolis was obviously very disappointing. However, it must be viewed in the proper perspective. The calendar says July, not September, and there’s a lot of baseball left to be played this year. We are only three games out and we lead in the wild card race. I don’t even want to think about the wild card though. Slipping into the playoffs through the back door is not among my goals. Our offense is just putting a lot of pressure on our pitching right now. The brain trust (and I use the term sarcastically) spent yesterday’s off day reviewing the lineup again. The experimental lineup from last week generated almost four runs per game, so it was an improvement over recent weeks but not good enough. Indianapolis averages nearly five runs per game, and they don’t lead our league. We led the Federal League last year at 5.3 runs per game, and that’s where we should be now. Going from first to last in one season is just not acceptable, and we have to continue looking at all of our options. It is time to revisit the optimized lineup that was successful for us a couple of years ago. Pierre-Louis See-MOAN is batting .187 with runners in scoring position. His on-base percentage is .314 for the season and .301 in the month of July. He leads the CBA with 36 stolen bases, but we need more people on base ahead of our big hitters. He needs to be moved toward the bottom of the order, and certainly out of the #2 spot. Simon has some power and would be the perfect #6 hitter for the optimized lineup. Sanchez is the perfect leadoff hitter, so he stays there. Tom John has a .332 on-base percentage for the season, but it is .380 in July and he appears to be swinging the bat well lately. He will hit seventh and Cristo Rodriguez bats eighth. Chris Brown and Duncan Bland are the best hitters on the team with men in scoring position. In fact, they are probably the best hitters on the team period this year, so they should bat fourth and fifth. Morgan is the obvious candidate for the less-important #3 position. He draws walks and doesn’t clog the bases. The switch-hitter Brown will hit fourth to split the two right-handed batters. That leaves Dominguez for the #2 position. He is ideal for the spot with his combination of power and speed, but we have to hope he picks up his production. He may be the key to our success in the second half. We will probably give this lineup more than a week to settle in, because there is very little else to be done. We will also be giving the starters a couple of days off this week. The trade deadline is approaching and I have abandoned the idea of moving George King. I am not getting offers that make it worthwhile, probably because he becomes a free agent after the season. I could sign him to an extension and then trade him, but that just doesn’t seem right to me. I have more respect for my players than that.