Not a Good Night For Management
August 19, 2010 at 11:52 am | Posted in A.J. Ellis, Brad Ausmus, Joe Torre, Larry Bowa, Octavio Dotel, Ryan Theriot | 33 Comments
Geez, where to start? For all the blame we’ve heaped on guys like Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, Manny Ramirez, and Jonathan Broxton – much of it deserved, some of it less so - last night was the culimination of about twenty different poor management decisions.
Perhaps we’ll go with the obvious, and that’s that the Octavio Dotel deal looks more horrific with every terrible Dotel appearance and every quality James McDonald start for the Pirates. I hated this deal from the moment it was made, but that was because I thought the pricetag was far too high. I’ll admit that I thought that Dotel would be a decent addition to the pen, yet he’s been horrendous; last night’s meltdown was painful to watch, made bearable only by the knowledge that the playoff hunt is over and one more brutal loss doesn’t make much of a difference at this point.
FanGraphs sums up my frustrations:
Ned Coletti and Joe Torre are living in a world where James McDonald (20 K, 4 BB, 0 HR in 17.2 IP with Pittsburgh) and Andrew Lambo are an acceptable price to add a middling reliever to a team six games out of the playoffs and then turn him into the relief ace over two superior pitchers. The Dodgers are now 12 games out of the NL West lead and 8 games out of the Wild Card. I don’t know what the Dodgers’ endgame was with Octavio Dotel, but there’s no doubt that Coletti and the Los Angeles front office missed big on this one.
Basically, yes. I still can’t believe there were people who liked that deal at the time. In fact, let’s take a quick comparison at the performance of the veterans the Dodgers acquired at the deadline as compared to those who were shipped out. Yes, I know that three weeks is hardly a fair sample size, but this will be a useful comparison tool when I repeat this exercise in the months and years to come.
Coming to LA:
Scott Podsednik – .724 OPS, and surprisingly lousy defense.
Ryan Theriot – .663 OPS, which doesn’t make up for surprisingly good D.
Octavio Dotel – 1.765 WHIP, 7 BB in 5 IP, 2 blown games.
Ted Lilly – 4 ER in 19 IP. No argument that he’s been excellent, but it hasn’t mattered.
Leaving LA:
Blake DeWitt – .783 OPS, 120 points higher than Theriot, and who could have predicted that?
James McDonald – 20/4 K/BB in three Pirate starts.
Andrew Lambo – .904 OPS in 61 PA for AA Altoona.
Brett Wallach – 13/9 K/BB in 3 games for A Peoria.
Kyle Smit – 9/3 K/BB in 8.1 IP for AA Tennessee.
Lucas May – .848 OPS and 4 HR in 62 PA for AAA Omaha.
Elisaul Pimentel – 2.053 WHIP in 4 games for A Burlington.
So the only Dodger who’s really done well is Lilly, but he was added to the part of the team that needed a boost less than anywhere else, and the only prospects who haven’t gotten off to a good start are the two still in Low-A ball. That’s without even considering the implications in salary (Theriot, for example, costs far more than DeWitt) or team control (about 40 years out the window).
This team would have been so much better off making zero of those three trades that it’s scary.
******
Front office issue #2: not having a backup catcher should Martin get hurt, which he did. A.J. Ellis had another oh-fer last night (including looking horrible on a suicide squeeze, and more on that in a second). Ellis is down to a .440 OPS on the season, which is laughable only in that it’s somehow better than Ausmus’ .433. To put that in perspective, Garret Anderson was at least at .475. Chad at MOKM did a good job recently of pointing out just how good these two are making Martin look, but I don’t consider this a new issue.
Really, how was going into the season with a guy we all knew couldn’t hit (Ellis) and a guy we knew couldn’t hit and was over 40 (Ausmus) a smart idea? Back on March 7, when Martin was injured in camp and Ellis looked like he’d be the Opening Day catcher, I looked at Ellis and said that his total lack of offense meant I had no hopes for him as a major leaguer. In December, I said the idea of getting into a bidding war over Ausmus was ludicrous.
In fact, this goes all the way back to last October, and my 2010 plan, where I was resigned to the fact that you had to stick with Martin (look for a repeat of that in the 2011 plan), but that you had to sign a better backup. I suggested Ramon Hernandez. All he ended up doing this year is hit .303/.367/.437/.804 for the Reds.
This shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone, and now the team is paying for it.
******
Speaking of the Ellis bunt, I never thought he’d figure out a way to look worse at the plate than he usually does, but he sure did it. I actually didn’t hate the idea of bunting in that situation, because Ellis isn’t any better of a hitter than your average pitcher; but why did Torre need to wait until there were two strikes to make the call?
******
I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it: there is no rational reason that Ryan Theriot should be hitting higher in the lineup than Jamey Carroll. Carroll gets on base more often, and even hits for a bit more power. I said it before last night’s game, and look what happened: Carroll got on twice, Theriot just once. There’s no question that this offense needs a shake-up; isn’t this an easy and obvious way to do it?
******
Finally, we have the game-ending play where Reed Johnson tried to score from first on a bloop single. Yes, read that again, because it actually happened. What in the world Larry Bowa was thinking was beyond me, but for someone who’s not shy about talking about Kemp in the paper, we need to realize that he played a pretty large role in this loss as well. I can’t even accurately express to you in words how much Johnson was out by, so I’ll let Chad from MOKM‘s animated .gif do it for me:
I mean, that’s not even close to being close. I realize with a punchless offense you try to take chances where you can, but good lord, give the runner a chance there, Larry.
The worst part? Torre was completely on board:
Torre, on Bowa sending Reed Johnson: “That’s certainly what I would have done”
Of course it is. I have a lot of respect for the years Torre, Bowa, & Bob Schaefer have spent in the game, but I hardly think I’m alone when I say I can’t wait for a new regime. And I’m not…
ESPN’s Rob Neyer:
Maybe the solution here is to keep Kemp and find a new coaching staff. Because the old staff doesn’t seem to have accomplished much this summer.
LA Times’ Bill Shaikin:
But, by keeping Kemp out of the lineup until he begged forgiveness, the old-school manager and his old-school coaching staff played by old-school rules that no longer fly. If Kemp had sinned for the Angels, Mike Scioscia would have summoned him to the office, immediately after the game or before the next one, read him the riot act and moved on.
Scioscia also checks in with his players during batting practice. On the day Kemp snapped, Torre never set foot on the field during batting practice. He held court with the media, then visited with some Hollywood friends.
Torre says he won’t make his decision on 2011 until the team is eliminated from playoff contention. That ought to be any day now; I know which choice I’m hoping for.
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Comment by TROBOB— August 19, 2010 #
Yes, I just drank a Starbucks Vente Latte between the time Olivo caught the throw from Tulowitzki and Johnson getting to the plate. I think Bowa thought he had Ben Johnson on the basepaths, not Reed Johnson.
Comment by Luke— August 19, 2010 #
It was Ben Johnson the actor. Now…that man could ride a horse.
Comment by TROBOB— August 19, 2010 #
As easy as an out as it was I think it was BenDover on the base paths.
Comment by Adonis— August 20, 2010 #
I just do not understand how Torre ever won a championship? I can only assume that if it is possible to regress as a player, than it must be possible to regress as a manager too.
Comment by Chester— August 19, 2010 #
Uh, I can think of $200 million reasons Torre won a championship. He was a crappy manager before the Yankees, “somehow” manage to win with a $200 million payroll, and now sucks again.
Comment by Chris— August 19, 2010 #
I hate to make it so simplistic, but it’s hard to argue with Chris. He was terrible with the Mets, the Braves, and the Cardinals. He won with the Yankees’ giant payroll, and with the pretty good payrolls of the first two years in LA. Now this year they look terrible. Hard to argue that pattern.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 19, 2010 #
really anyone could have managed those teams to championships with the yankees teams of those years, they only had the best teams in baseball over those years, and one of the years won 114 games.
Comment by format— August 19, 2010 #
The main asset that Torre had as a manager in New York was his ability to deal with Steinbrener, and the media and shield his players from these distractions. In fairness in his first two years in LA, when there seemed to be clubhouse issues he handled those well.
However, this year when we did need more out of a manager and someone like Kemp needed help, Torre has been out of his element. Someone like Scioscia would have handled this year far better.
Comment by louis rasky— August 19, 2010 #
This is a good comment, and when Torre does eventually leave I’ll be sure to note the positives. Half the reason he was brought in was to quell the old guy/young kid split that was festering under Little, and he did that well. (Though I can’t help but add, the fact that guys like Kent and Gonzalez moved on helped, too.)
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 19, 2010 #
Thank god I live on the West Coast. I would hate to go to sleep after watching Reed Johnson slide into home like a sissy.
I’m in agreement with you, MSTI. Torre has got to go. Thanks for the NLDS wins, but he has lost this team and in an ironic way he lost the clubhouse the same way Griddle did 3 years ago. Benching Matt Kemp once is understandable, but to platoon him with JAY Gibbons at this point is obviously counter productive and may I say vindictive.
Two things for next year: We need a clubhouse leader that isn’t afraid to get into faces. Of all the things that this club lacked, they don’t have a respected leader and it shows. I hoped one of the kids would step up, but for whatever reason it hasn’t happened. Orlando Hudson and Juan Pierre are missed apparently.
Also: a new manager that will be here for the next decade. I would like to see a manager installed that can grow with guys like Kemp and Kershaw. Would Hatcher or Butcher from the Angels be acceptable.
Comment by Juan Pierre— August 19, 2010 #
Please! Not Mickey Hatcher
Comment by TROBOB— August 19, 2010 #
Hudson is missed, a guy who ended up in Torre’s “doghouse”……….but not Pierre
Comment by DodgersKings323— August 20, 2010 #
Yeah, I don’t have much against Mattingly but if he stays, it would probably mean that Bowa, Schaefer, etc. would stay so I would have to look elsewhere. I don’t know much about Tim Wallach but he is going about being a MLB manager the right way.
Kemp sitting the bench for a 34 year old (Pods) and a 33 year old (Gibbons), Theriot batting second and not playing short and giving away catching depth in a trade is just infuriating. A month ago, our team was LITERALLY much better than this team. I have never seen a team look like such garbage so quickly. OK, maybe when Gruds and Karros were traded but still.
Ned should take a long walk off a short pier for what he has done to this team. As a buyer, he made this team worse, philosophically (more grindy now=more outs, less runs) and talent-wise. This organization needs an enema.
Comment by Oral Kershyster— August 19, 2010 #
I never thought Torre was good for anything but selling tickets. Wallach seems like the obvious choice because he’s worked with a lot of the farm kids…wait Ned sold them off for veteran presence. What a maroon! Big mess to clean up, and management needs to be where it starts. Frank is going to make that decision? I need a drink. :-(
Comment by Wes Parker— August 19, 2010 #
Kemp looked pretty bad last night too and Casey Blake looked AWFUL! The only saving grace in the Reed Johnson play was that animated gif! How the heck do u do that??? Hahahahha
Comment by Jeff— August 19, 2010 #
That was all Chad’s. he’s the ace at it.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 19, 2010 #
I cant even begin to explain how big of a tootblan that was to end the game last night. I mean I know bowa sent him but still I dont care because there was two outs and that was the LAST OUT OF THE GAME IN THE TENTH INNING. my god what the hell is bowa smoking?
it seems to me that Torre and the dodgers are getting desperate and trying alot of stupid risky baserunning exploits to try and score more runs.
biggest tootblan of the year!
Comment by format— August 19, 2010 #
I wonder if this is Torre and Ned’s way of giving the idiotic owner a middle finger on the way out the door? Maybe they are saying….. “Just promote Wallach and White/Ng to our positions as they do it better.”
They really need a guy like Dre to step up and choose to lead the team my voice and example…..
Comment by morgan— August 19, 2010 #
Can we expect a statement in the FLAT from Kemp trash-talking Bowa and his inability to do his job? I mean, the guy has the tools to know when to send and not send a runner, right?
Guess that’s why we don’t see third base coaches in the HoF.
Comment by Bill Grabarkewitz— August 19, 2010 #
My brother said that he was watching Bowa and that Bowa DID NOT send Reed. That Reed slowed down when he saw the stop sign but kept on going. Unfortunately I was not watching Bowa.
Comment by Emma— August 19, 2010 #
Hmm… in Tony Jackson’s game report, he said that Bowa was enthusiasticly waving Johnson around.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 19, 2010 #
biggest TOOTBLAN of the year!!!!!
Comment by format— August 19, 2010 #
Tell your brother he needs glasses.
Comment by DodgersKings323— August 20, 2010 #
Wish I had my camera zoomed into Bowa at that time. Victor has preety good eyes, he said he saw Reed hesitate.
Comment by Emma— August 19, 2010 #
In that animated .gif, those 3 or 4 fans in the front row basically sum up how I feel about this season.
Comment by ThtsaPaddlin— August 19, 2010 #
The big shit-eating grin on Huston Street’s face, after Olivo catches the ball and starts strolling toward third base to find Johnson, says it all: how much fun it is to whip these sorry-ass Dodgers.
Comment by Walter Alston— August 19, 2010 #
I am convinced Bowa made the split-second decision that Tulo’s chance of throwing the ball away was greater than Theriot’s of getting a hit. Both probabilities, of course, were infinitesimal.
Comment by WBB— August 19, 2010 #
Padilla to the DL with a bulging disc in his neck. Monasterios takes his rotation spot, Schlichting his roster spot. This keeps getting better.
Comment by Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— August 19, 2010 #
What’s the magic number to be eliminated? Surprise surprise RJ plays over Ethier vs. a lefty and he hits a HR……..
Comment by DodgersKings323— August 20, 2010 #
Magic number to be eliminated from the division is 30. For the Wild Card, it’s 35.
Comment by Bill Grabarkewitz— August 20, 2010 #
[...] more a concern about management than it is about Carroll himself, and in fact by August I was wondering why Carroll wasn’t hitting higher in the lineup to take advantage of his high OBP: I’ve said [...]
Pingback by MSTI’s 2010 in Review: Shortstop « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— October 25, 2010 #
[...] more the fault of Larry Bowa than it was of Johnson, but I absolutely have to start with this, from mid-August: Finally, we have the game-ending play where Reed Johnson tried to score from first on a bloop [...]
Pingback by MSTI’s 2010 in Review: Right Field « Mike Scioscia's tragic illness— November 1, 2010 #