For teams whose playoff futures are very much in doubt, like the Phillies, Rays, and Angels, every game from here on out is essentially a must-win. One game in the standings can mean the difference between a deep playoff run and a general manager losing his job. That means managers need to pull out all the stops to win at all costs, whether that means an aggressive hook for an underachieving starter, using a closer for a five-out save, or emptying the bench to gain a platoon advantage.
Unfortunately, in recent days, all of the above teams may have thrown away a win (or two) due to poor decision-making, primarily by managers.
1. Tampa Bay Rays and Joe Maddon: Last Wednesday, the Rays were playing the second game of their series with the Orioles, having already lost the first game. The score was tied at two with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and the Rays had the bases loaded. Unfortunately, their hitter in the situation was Jose Molina, who has very likely been one of the ten worst hitters in baseball this season. With the Rays struggling to score runs, and with a lights-out bullpen, one run in the sixth could have won the game. Letting Molina hit there would've been unconscionable, especially with September callups offering a multitude of potential pinch-hitters as well as two catchers to replace Molina. But Joe Maddon let Molina hit. He grounded out, shockingly. In the very next inning, Maddon had a chance to redeem himself. With a runner on second with two outs, righty Ben Francisco was up to face side-armer Darren O'Day, who murders right-handed hitters. Maddon should've pinch-hit. Instead, Francisco struck out. And right after that, Maddon replaced Francisco defensively. If you were going to take him out of the game anyway, why not do it against O'Day? The Rays lost on a walk-off in the ninth inning, 3-2, and were swept. Even winning just this one game in the series could have made a huge difference in the standings.
2. Los Angeles Angels and Mike Scioscia: Scioscia is one of the worst tactical managers in baseball, and the Angels' crushing defeat on Saturday was another example of why that is. Zack Greinke was pitching a shutout into the bottom of the ninth inning against the Royals in Kansas City. With his team up 2-0, Greinke got the first out, and then surrendered a single, bringing Billy Butler to the plate as the tying run. Scioscia pulled his starter for closer Ernesto Frieri, who had thrown 30 laborious pitches the night before. Frieri gave up two home runs in a span of four pitches, and the Angels lost. Scioscia had two viable options: he could have either left Greinke in (he was at 109 pitches and hadn't given up an extra-base hit all night), or taken him out for a right-handed reliever not named Frieri. Because Scioscia's closer, after being worked hard the night before, was very obviously the third-best option after a dominant Greinke and a fresh reliever. Scioscia chose his third-best option. The Angels lost. There's a correlation there.
3. Philadelphia Phillies and Charlie Manuel: The Phillies are miraculously back in the playoff race despite trading away some key pieces at the July 31 deadline. Last week, a seven game winning streak pulled the team back over .500 and within 3 games of the second wild card entering a series with the lowly Astros, essentially a Triple-A team.
Having not followed the series closely enough, I can't point to a single moment where manager Charlie Manuel made a tactical error. However, in the midst of an unlikely September comeback, Manuel's team somehow found a way to lose three out of four games to the Houston Astros. In the eyes of the baseball gods, that is a sin that the Phillies may not--and perhaps should not--bounce back from.
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