DJ Spinoza
Registered User
- Aug 7, 2003
- 25,923
- 4,494
I'm not really into zealously defending Shelton after a day like today, but I guess my take boils down to thinking that the manager really isn't that impactful outside of stuff like clubhouse culture and things that are harder to know for sure about. I see the complaints but even stuff like blaming him when professionals can't execute routine plays or something kinda feels like missing the point.
I think they are all largely the same, especially now where most decisions are coming via committee / specialists / analytics driven.
He lost this one though. I think on the season, he deserves credit for keeping the group from sliding too much, which would be the thin margin that couldn't be overcome. On a game by game basis, there are thin margins like today where the game is just gonna slip away if things go awry. And though I won't blame Skenes fully, his command vacated him which led to the first paper cuts at a bad time.
To me, it's clear that they play hard for him and don't quit, so we seem to be at a turning point with how sharp his comments were after the game. It's pretty much do or die, though. We need 6-3 to stay within striking distance of the race.
It feels borderline insane to cap this off by talking about the division, but basically everyone is so so, 4-6 or 6-4 in their last ten -- fittingly, we're 5-5. Cardinals get Mets, Rays, Royals, Reds, Dodgers, Brewers and Brewers get Braves, Reds, Dodgers, Guardians, Royals, Cardinals.
Our schedule of Padres, Dodgers, Padres, Mariners, Rangers, Reds is as hard or harder, but this basically is the season. A series win would have been a nice cushion, but this gauntlet for everybody could put the division in play for anybody, even the Reds and Cubs IMO. If we can come through that and close the gap in the division somehow, then we'll have a real opportunity with a 10 game stretch vs the Nats, Marlins, and Royals (good team but their offense is as bad as ours, and if we can get the right pitching matchups, should have the advantage) in early September.
I think they are all largely the same, especially now where most decisions are coming via committee / specialists / analytics driven.
He lost this one though. I think on the season, he deserves credit for keeping the group from sliding too much, which would be the thin margin that couldn't be overcome. On a game by game basis, there are thin margins like today where the game is just gonna slip away if things go awry. And though I won't blame Skenes fully, his command vacated him which led to the first paper cuts at a bad time.
To me, it's clear that they play hard for him and don't quit, so we seem to be at a turning point with how sharp his comments were after the game. It's pretty much do or die, though. We need 6-3 to stay within striking distance of the race.
It feels borderline insane to cap this off by talking about the division, but basically everyone is so so, 4-6 or 6-4 in their last ten -- fittingly, we're 5-5. Cardinals get Mets, Rays, Royals, Reds, Dodgers, Brewers and Brewers get Braves, Reds, Dodgers, Guardians, Royals, Cardinals.
Our schedule of Padres, Dodgers, Padres, Mariners, Rangers, Reds is as hard or harder, but this basically is the season. A series win would have been a nice cushion, but this gauntlet for everybody could put the division in play for anybody, even the Reds and Cubs IMO. If we can come through that and close the gap in the division somehow, then we'll have a real opportunity with a 10 game stretch vs the Nats, Marlins, and Royals (good team but their offense is as bad as ours, and if we can get the right pitching matchups, should have the advantage) in early September.