- Walking hitters is bad. Walking the leadoff hitter after your team gives you a three-run lead is horrible.
- Drew Smyly was terrible in his season debut, giving up seven runs, six earned, in 4.2 innings. He allowed nine base hits and walked two batters. Not only did Smyly surrender a 3-0 first-inning lead, giving up three runs of his own in the first, the lefty served up the go-ahead three-run home run in the fifth that beat the Cubs 7-6.
- There is no question about it, Smyly wasn’t good, but David Ross was also responsible for how things ended for Smyly Monday night.
- After getting back the lead at 6-4, Smyly allowed a leadoff single in the fifth, got a fly out to right and then hit a batter. At that point, Smyly probably should have been out of the game, but right-handed reliever Keegan Thompson was barely getting warmed up in the bullpen. Smyly did get a pop up for the second out, but it was clear he wasn’t sharp on Monday night and the leash should have been short. Instead, Ross kept Smyly in and he got crushed.
- Keegan Thompson came after and ended the inning with a fly out. Thompson pitched 3.1 scoreless innings as he only gave up one hit and struck out three. Would have been nice if he was in the game one hitter sooner.
- But the questionable moves from Ross didn’t stop on the pitching side because for some reason he had Patrick Wisdom bunt with runners at first and second and nobody out in the seventh inning.
- In his previous at-bat, Wisdom was drilled on the wrist in the fifth inning, but he ended up playing the entire game. He is getting x-rays, so damage to his hand isn’t out of the question. And I know players will for the most part always want to stay in, but that’s why there is a manager in the dugout to make decisions.
- If Wisdom, at the time of his seventh inning at-bat, couldn’t grip his bat to hit, then pinch-hit for him. If he was good, which by the way Wisdom singled sharply in the ninth inning, calling a bunt was dumb. All it would have done was create a lefty-lefty matchup for Eric Hosmer and if he couldn’t come through, which he didn’t striking out, then the next batters to follow were pinch hitters Luis Torrens and Yan Gomes.
- So, would you rather have Patrick Wisdom to come through or Luis Torrens/Yan Gomes? In a one-run game, where the other team has already scored seven runs and you’re choosing to give away an out to a pitcher that is struggling? That’s the other part that truly baffles me. Wisdom got ahead in the count 3-0 before taking a strike and then popping up his bunt attempt. If the wrist was so bad then, might as well let the pressure get to the pitcher and maybe you draw a walk instead of giving away an out.
- You’re also asking a hitter who only has a few sac bunts in his career to bunt. And maybe this was on Wisdom, then he’s dumb for the decision. But again it goes back to the manager for not making a move if you see a guy can’t grip a bat and is doing something that is hurting your odds of scoring multiple runs when you are already trailing in the game.
- I’ve been completely fine with David Ross as the Cubs manager, mostly because he came into a tough spot in 2020 and then the talent on the team was traded away in 2021. Not a lot of Cubs baseball has mattered in the past two seasons, but they’re trying to win this year and so far his managing has left much to be desired.
At least Wisdom’s x-rays came back negative.
