As much as it sucks being down 2 touchdowns in the second inning, losses like that are almost easier to swallow than what we endured yesterday. I mean, you lose a game 19-6, and there's no doubt that you got beat. You lose a game 5-4 where you had multiple opportunities to tie or win the game and failed to execute, and you're left wondering what might've been. Some more thoughts on yesterday's loss:
1) Erik Bedard fanned a season high 8 in just four innings of work yesterday showing that he's obviously still got it. Bo Porter's still using the kid gloves on him to make sure he's able to make it through the season, which given our current competitive state I'm fine with, so we haven't really seen him get stretched out. But other than the Oakland game in which he couldn't find the plate, he's been really good this year. If he can stay healthy, and build up the arm strength a bit, you have to figure he could at least fetch us SOMEthing at the trade deadline which really has to be the end goal with a veteran guy like him on a team like this.
2) So, per Bo after the game, Marwin's failed bunt attempt with two strikes was something Marwin took upon himself to do, and not a call from the dugout. Now I'm not mad at a young player for pressing to try and make something happen. I am, however, frustrated at our inability to get a bunt down in THREE TRIES. If you're a major league baseball player, there's no excuse for not being able to bunt a ball fair. It's not even like he was trying to bunt for a hit, he was giving himself up to sacrifice. All you do is stand there and bunt the ball. So that was disappointing; even more so when you consider that Marwin's like the only guy we ever have bunt.
3) Chris Carter is in a FUNK. He went from crushing baseballs to the moon to looking the way he did in the Texas series: Just absolutely lost at the plate. I know he has a longer leash than some other hitters in the lineup, but at some point, don't you at least have to drop him down a few spots? It's a bad sign when the bases are loaded in the 9th inning with 1 out, and your "cleanup hitter" steps up to the plate, and your reaction is NOOOOOOOOO! NOT HIM!
4) Fernando Martinez made his 2013 debut yesterday and greeted Ubaldo Jimenez with a 2-run homer in his first at bat. This is EXACTLY what we need out of F-Mart as he tries to prove himself. He's out of options, so if we try and send him down, someone else will likely take a flyer on him, so it's in everyone's best interest that he perform. Hopefully yesterday was just a sign of things to come.
5) Brett Oberholtzer made his Major League debut and surrendered a pair of solo home runs in two innings of work. Obie hadn't exactly been lighting it up in AAA, so all things considered it wasn't a TERRIBLE debut. If he can get some of his command issues worked out, there's a good chance he makes it back to the show at some point. In the meantime, he's headed back to OKC as Jose Cisnero is the next man up through the revolving door of long relievers. And on that note, someone in the starting rotation has to bear down and get us some innings. It's been over a week since someone got through 6.
6) Jose Altuve drew his first intentional walk of the season yesterday. You figure it was going to happen eventually. Why would you pitch to him when no one else in the lineup is hitting? On a semi-related note, this is how I'd like to shake up the batting order:
vs Righties vs Lefties
SS Marwin Gonzalez RF Brandon Barnes
C Jason Castro SS Marwin Gonzalez
2B Jose Altuve 2B Jose Altuve
LF Fernando Martinez LF Chris Carter
1B Carlos Pena CF Justin Maxwell
CF Justin Maxwell DH Carlos Pena
DH Chris Carter 1B Brandon Laird
RF Rick Ankiel C Jason Castro
3B Matt Dominguez 3B Matt Dominguez
Thoughts?
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