but I'm going to use some anyway.
I can not figure what Cito was doing today at all. That was....at best stupid. A major league manager can not to that, when his team has lost 8 in a row.
To go over it.....in case anyone reading this is not depressed enough:
In the 8th, up by 5, Doc looked tired in the 7th. Cito brings in Carlson. Carlson pitched 1.2 perfect yesterday, but that includes warming up twice. So you had to figure he would be on a short leash. O's had a lefty, a righty and 2 more lefties due up so figured Carlson is there to pitch to those 4 at the very very most.
So Huff, infield single. Ok. Righty Mora singles to left, less ok but is life. Lefty Scott walks. Carlson clearly has nothing. Cito sits. Right-handed pinch hitter comes in. Cito sits (does he even notice a right handed pinch hitter is in?). Carlson strikes him out. Good, good. Righty Chad Moeller bats, Cito sits. Carlson hits Moellar. There is no way on earth Carlson should still be out there. No way. There is no excuse. He just brought in a run with a hit batter. He's got nothing. Cito sits. Robert Andino (righty) singles. Another run in. Bases loaded. Cito finally moves.
There is no excuse.
Downs comes in (yeah he could have saved things by being, you know, decent), and 2 hits later we are very lucky a relay from Rios to Hill to Barajas cuts down the go ahead run at the plate,
So scoreless 9th and 10th go by. Good pitching by Frasor and one aboslutely amazing catch by Bautista and we get to the 11th. Scoot singles, Hill homers. One would think that was a good thing. But one would be wrong. Frasor is done. Cito brings in BJ friggin Ryan.
But the O's have two lefties due up to lead off the inning and Ryan gets one. Righty Mora is up and Cito has League and Wolfe in the pen. Now League has been plenty wild at times this year, but he is a good reliever. Wolfe is ok I guess on occasion. Cito brings in Wolfe. How he decides Wolfe is a better choice than League I have no clue. Tying run at the plate. If League is wild we are 5 walks from a loss. Wolfe gives up a single and another single.Tying run at third. League gets strikeouts and ground outs. And stands in the pen. Wolfe on the other hand gives up a grand slam. Game over.
Earlier today I wrote, I thought, even handed stuff about Cito. And I was surprised that some took it as if I thought Cito shouldn't be manager. I didn't mean that at all.
Now. That was, that was the worst job of managing since Grady Little didn't take the ball from Pedro Martinez. That was a manager with no clue how to manage the game.
Anyway....Jays of Day.....Aaron Hill hitting our first home run in living memory (.394 WPA), Jason Frasor (.286) and Marco Scutaro (.108). Honorable mention to Doc who should have had his 9th win. Suckage Jays Brian Wolfe (-.889, I don't think I've ever seen that high a negative WPA number before), Scott Downs (-.253), Jesse Carlson (-.224). Barajas had a -.100 but made a truly super tag in the 8th to, at that point keep the game tied so can't give him a suckage award.
Biggest Suckage Jay Cito Gaston.