This is obviously a season in which one must get there satisfaction in ways other than accumulation of wins and dreams of contention, still, you can't help but get that oh-so-familiar bitter taste in your mouth when you see a game in which you have so much to chear about for six innings go south at the end.
Still, while the taste is nasty, it's not unfamiliar so like taking medicine, you choke it down and take it in stride. In the mean time, we tip our collective hats to Shaun Marcum, who performed just as I expected (albeit i wasn't calling 6 no-hit innings), Adam Lind who surprised none of us with his 3 for 3 and a homer, and Vernon Wells whom we'd had varying degrees of hope for to be sure, but maybe few were optimistic enough to expect the day he had.
I'll pass along an negative and a positive on Wells that i picked up elsewhere -
The Negative: Wells actually hit very well on the road last year, so take this with a grain of salt;
The Positive: More impressive than Wells' homer was the single that drove in the go ahead run after the Rangers intentionally walked Lind to bring him to the plate. That's the sort of situation that Wells struggled with last year.
Of more concern to me, the rest of the offense was almost totally absent today. While I think Snider will come along fine and Overbay will be Overbay and so forth but . . . there are going to be a lot of days when I rage against our lead-off "hitter."
Oh well - Ill let that go for now in the spirit of opening day. Play ball, y'all.
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4 comments:
Wells. SWOON.
Tons of JoBau hate from your corner, especially in the NatPost bloggers panel. Who would you put in that position? JoBau has put up decent numbers over his career leading off. Nobody else on this team has anywhere close to his experience in the position.
Leading off or playing RF?
I kind of hate Wilner has said this too because I said it first but - in a write-off season, I'd have McCoy leading off. Whether playing SS or LF or wherever he hurts the defense least (someone in camp said McCoy's throws from right were the equal of JB's)
We already know what Bautista CAN'T do - hit RHP. I'd see what McCoy could do, and I'd find a platoon role for JB to play against LHP.
I LIKE JB - when he's used properly. My "hate" isn't for the player but for the screwed up way he's being asked to do what he clearly has never done.
Now, if this was a year in which I was trying to contend - I'd have never made it to march without an actual lead-off hitter on the roster. Johnny Damon for instance.
Excellent use of "the player."
Frason will be fine - tough loss, but he'll be back in full force.
Perhaps what concerns me most is Overbay. He looked AWFUL. Last year he seemed to have solid at bats and then look totally lost for a stretch of games (similar to V.Dub). I know he will play, but why he wasn't pinch hit for, who knows.
Also, JoBau had a good spring (for what it's worth) so I say let him have the leadoff spot for now. If he loses it, make the switch to McCoy.
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