Baseball Toaster Catfish Stew
Help
STOP CASTING POROSITY! An Oakland Athletics blog.
Frozen Toast
Search
Google Search
Web
Toaster
Catfish Stew
Archives

2009
02  01 

2008
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2007
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2006
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  02  01 

2005
12  11  10  09  08  07 
06  05  04  03  01 

2004
12  09  08  01 

2003
12  11  10  09  08 
Email Us

Ken: catfish AT zombia d.o.t. com
Ryan: rarmbrust AT gmail d.o.t. com
Philip: kingchimp AT alamedanet d.o.t net

Ken's Greatest Hits
28 Aug 2003
12 Jan 2004
31 May 2005
11 May 2005
29 Jun 2005
8 Jun 2005
19 Jul 2005
11 Aug 2005
7 Sep 2005
20 Sep 2005
22 Sep 2005
26 Sep 2005
28 Sep 2005
29 Sep 2005
18 Oct 2005
9 Nov 2005
15 Nov 2005
20 Nov 2005

13 Dec 2005
19 Jan 2006
28 Jan 2006
21 Feb 2006
10 Apr 2006
16 Apr 2006
22 Apr 2006
7 May 2006
25 May 2006
31 May 2006
18 Jun 2006
22 Jun 2006
6 Jul 2006
17 Jul 2006
13 Aug 2006
15 Aug 2006
16 Aug 2006
20 Aug 2006
11 Oct 2006
31 Oct 2006
29 Dec 2006
4 Jan 2006
12 Jan 2006
27 Jan 2007
17 Feb 2007
30 Apr 2007
27 Aug 2007
5 Sep 2007
19 Oct 2007
23 Nov 2007
5 Jan 2008
16 Jan 2008
4 Feb 2008
7 May 2008
20 Jun 2008
4 Feb 2008
Macha Headscratchin': Update
2006-04-20 17:52
by Ken Arneson

I'm not ready to jump on the Fire Macha bandwagon yet, because I think any manager would drive me nuts at times, but I do admit Ken Macha drives me nuts at times. Like in the A's last two losses, where he made the exact same mistake--twice.

In both Sunday's game and Wednesday's game, Macha had the right guy up in the bullpen for a specific situation--and failed to bring the guy into the game. Which is just baffling to me--why get the guy ready for that moment, and then bring him in too late?

On Sunday, Huston Street was having a rough game, having pitched three games in a row. He had already given up the lead. Macha gets Joe Kennedy up in the pen. Hank Blalock comes up, but Kennedy probably isn't ready yet, so he lets Street face Blalock. Ok, fine. But two batters later, Street still isn't out of the inning, Kennedy is still throwing in the pen, and Brad Wilkerson comes up. So Kennedy has been warming up for several batters now, a lefty is up, Street is obviously struggling...and Macha leaves Street in there to face the lefty Wilkerson. Of course Wilkerson doubles, and the Rangers win.

Tuesday, the A's were trailing 4-1, Joe Blanton was struggling, so Macha gets Kirk Saarloos ready. The Tigers have runners on second and third and one out. Macha orders an intentional walk to set up a double play. Saarloos is an extreme ground ball pitcher. What do you need most in this situation? A double play! So does Macha bring in the double-play pitcher he has up and ready for this situation? Of course not. Blanton gives up another hit, and the Tigers break the game open.

I don't get it. In each case, Macha was thinking ahead to get the right guy ready for the situation, actually has him ready--and then doesn't use him. How can you have the foresight to properly prepare for a situation, and then not use that prepared solution? Why get the pitcher ready if you're not going to use him when the situation clearly calls for that pitcher? Baffling.

Update: And again, sorta. Huston Street was unavailable due to a pectoral muscle strain, so Justin Duchscherer was brought on to save the game, and failed miserably. Again there was a situation that called out for a ground ball pitcher, again Saarloos was ready, and again Macha didn't use him.

But that's it's only "sorta" the same thing because, because this time, Saarloos wasn't even really the right guy to have up in that situation. Joe Kennedy was. The only problem was, Kennedy was wasted in the top of the eighth.

Kennedy came in to get Granderson out for one batter, lefty-on-lefty in the top of the eighth. Which was a total waste, particularly considering Street was unavailable, because Barry Zito was still the pitcher of record, and had only thrown 100 pitches. You could throw Zito for one last lefty, not waste Kennedy, and then bring in Calero. Kennedy would then have been available in the ninth for Granderson, who ended up walking against Duchscherer, plating the winning run.

But for all of Macha's mismanagement, I'm not nearly as annoyed at that as I am at Jason Kendall. I'll have more about that in my next post.

Comments
2006-04-20 10:46:56
1.   JMK
Forgive me if this has been asked before, but what does the "Stop Casting Porosity" phrase mean on the top right of your page?
2006-04-20 11:12:29
2.   Bob Timmermann
Now you're going to have to read Ken's long story about a mysterious billboard.
2006-04-20 11:37:58
3.   Ken Arneson
1, answer here: /archives/156477.html
2006-04-20 14:54:34
4.   Philip Michaels
As if to prove your point, Ken, Macha does it again on Thursday, leaving Justin Duchscherer in the game long after it's apparent to everyone in the ballpark that Duke just doesn't haven't going on today.

Well, apparent to almost everyone.

2006-04-20 15:28:11
5.   Vishal
[4] duke probably shouldn't have gone in in the first place. calero only threw NINE pitches, and was doing just fine.

and then, in the bottom of the 9th, when the A's had bases loaded and 1 out and kendall at the plate, he lets kendall swing away on 3-1 and he grounds into a forceout at home. why not a squeeze?? kendall can probably bunt better than he can hit a flyball deep into the outfield. hell, when he swung away it didn't go that much farther than a bunt would've. what a lousy game.

2006-04-20 15:59:34
6.   Ken Arneson
I am temporarily withholding judgment until I find out why Street wasn't in the game.
2006-04-20 16:07:43
7.   Vishal
[6] i think it was a predetermined day off for street.
2006-04-20 16:10:20
8.   Vishal
or it could be a strained pectoral muscle:
http://www.athleticsnation.com/comments/2006/4/20/18395/5680/59#59
2006-04-20 17:06:30
9.   Vishal
yep, that's what it is: http://tinyurl.com/3hs6l

Comment status: comments have been closed. Baseball Toaster is now out of business.