Last night, when Pierzynski ran into an out, there was speculation that the batter missed a hit and run sign. It turns out it was A.J. who misread the sign:
The seventh inning was another wasted opportunity. Aaron Rowand was hit by Byrd on the first pitch of the inning, convincing Angels manager Mike Scioscia to make a pitching change. After Scot Shields got Pierzynski to hit into a force out, Crede took a pitch and Pierzynski easily was caught stealing.
”I saw hit and run so I took off,” Pierzynski said. ”Did I miss a sign? I guess I did, I don’t know. I asked [first-base coach Tim Raines] and he wasn’t sure, either.”
Some media advice for A.J. Don’t blame someone else for your mistake.
Paul Konerko didn’t have a problem with Dye’s bunt attempt.
Dye’s next act was quite more egregious. With the Sox already trailing by the eventual final score, he led off the sixth by trying to bunt his way on. Not exactly standard from a No. 3 hitter with 31 homers.
Worse, Dye’s little popup back to the mound came on Paul Byrd’s first pitch of the inning, setting up a five-pitch inning for the veteran right-hander at a time he may have been prone to being waited out into the end of his rope.
“That’s the way we play. We’re aggressive,” said Konerko, figuring the attempt had Guillen’s seal of approval. “Ozzie doesn’t fault that. It’s an aggressive mistake, which you can make when you play the game to win.
“You have to try to take it to them. No one had a problem with that. Against those guys, you’ve got to make things happen.”
Jermaine did not sacrifice this season. I’m curious to know if he bunted for a hit during the season (feel free to leave the info in the comments). I doubt he’s a good bunter, since he’s not called on to bunt very often. I don’t think it’s that bad a play leading off an inning. The White Sox needed a base runner, and if you can lay one down the third base line, it will keep the defense guessing in the future. But it does take a little bit of practice, and I don’t know if Dye had that.
Yes, you can look back at all the White Sox mistakes, but make no doubt about – as I said yesterday, the Angels find a way to win. Good teams take advantage of mistakes, as the Angels did. The pitch out to get Posednik was key also. Scioscia had some input from an advance scout and nailed the runner for the 2nd time this postseason. Bengie Molina said “That’s just not something Scioscia does tonite, or does this year. That’s something he’s done around here for six years.”
Face it: Scioscia managed a better game than Guillen. He has the experience that Guillen doesn’t. “The Old Catcher Calls another good game” as Plaschke of the LA Times calls it. The tired Angels had enough left in reserve to beat the rested White Sox. To quote Plaschke:
“The White Sox were the team with the hot hitters, yet they tried foolish bunts and silly steal attempts and played as erratic as the sunflower-seed-tossing Guillen.”
Scioscia creates a culture on the Angels that allows the team to survive games like this. He prepares them ahead of time – has done it for six years – and you never hear anyone in the clubhouse complain about it.
The White Sox don’t “just find ways to win”. Usually they just win. They’re near the bottom in comeback victories, yet finished with 99.
Besides the White Sox uncharacteristically bad defense last night, Guillen performed awful tactically. Saying Soscia is a better manager than Guillen is like saying Soscia is a better manager than my schnauzer. No, strike that, my schauzer would have taken the bunt off in the 9th when the infielders were all playing on the grass.
OK, so the White Sox just win. What about the 3 games the Angels swept in early September? They didn’t just win that weekend. I think the Angels have more playoff experience and that showed last nite, along with Scioscia outmanaging Guillen. Obviously you think Guillen managed worse than a dog, but don’t take anything away from Scioscia. He is tactfully one of the best in the majors. And he has played small ball better than any. I think the Angels, despite being dog-tired, had the momentum last nite, their pitching came through when it counted, and they hit Contreras just enough to win it.
Soscia is the best manager in the game. Ozzie’s weakness is his tactics, not exactly a good match for a guy who likes to play small smart ball. Sox wouldn’t have 80 wins if they hadn’t hit 200 home runs this season. If Soscia was the Sox manager, they’d have won another dozen games this season.
I just meant saying Soscia managed a better game than Ozzie isn’t saying much. It’s not even an accomplishment. Soscia could be napping back in Anaheim and still outmanage Guillen in a game at Comiskey.
As for last night, it was a case of the Sox losing more than the Angels winning. I see the Sox winning tonight, Angels the next two, Sox the two after… I’ve no idea who wins game 7, a lot depends on the starters, but I’d have to give the edge to the Angels as the Contreras and Buehrle will be used up at that point.
Oh, and the Angels weren’t tired. They said so themselves.
I don’t suggest bunting with a #3 hitter, but the Angels have had trouble throwing out guys who bunt for a hit towards 3rd.
You’d never know from the failed sacrifice where Figgins made the play at 2nd, but his (and Quinlan’s) inexperience at the position shows when other teams surprise them with bunt hits.