The Towering Inferno of Fail which is Jason Kendall's playcalling abilities
by BHWick on Jul 26, 2010 10:26 PM EDT
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PrintSome people have an unusual way of celebrating. Jason Kendall unintentionally celebrated his 2000th game at catcher (and 1965th start, don't listen to Ryan, IT'S NOT HIS 2000TH START) by calling a complete disaster of a game for Zack Greinke. The final line for Greinke: 8 hits allowed, 8 runs allowed, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts. So how could something so awful happen with a catcher who is supposedly a good game caller and one of the best pitchers in baseball?
Let's go to Gameday
1st inning
v. Jason Repko: Fastball (92mph, called strike), Fastball (93mph, in play, double)
v. Alexi Casilla: Fastball (93mph, ball), Fastball (94mph, in play, triple)
Already, we see a troubling trend, the master gamecallers idea of handling the Twins is "We got them once, throw it again!"
v. Joe Mauer: Fastball (95mph, ball), Curveball (79mph, ball), Fastball (96mph, in play)
This time, we see that Greinke is able to throw breaking pitches, but throwing an inside fastball to Joe Mauer does not work out for some reason.
v. Delmon Young: Fastball (95mph, ball), Fastball (95mph, inside, double)
v. Jim Thome: Fastball (95mph, Ball), Fastball (95mph, foul), Changeup (86mph, swinging strike), Slider (88mph, Swinging strike)
It only takes 5 batters for Jason Kendall to remember that Zack Greinke throws a changeup and a slider. Maybe he needs more adderall.
v. Michael Cuddyer: Fastball (95mph, foul), Fastball (97mph, Ball), Fastball (97mph, Foul), Slider (88mph, foul), Fastball (97mph, Swinging strike)
v. Jason Kubel: Fastball (96mph, ball), Fastball (96mph, ball), Changeup (87mph, Ball), Fastball (95mph, Called Strike), Fastball (91mph, Ball Four)
v. Danny Valencia: Slider (84mph, ball), Fastball (97mph, ball), Fastball (97mph, ball), Fastball (97mph, Called Strike), Fastball (96mph, Grand Slam)
Weird how throwing a hitter the same fastball two times in a row backfires like that, eh Jason?
v. JJ Hardy: Fastball (96mph, Ball), Curveball (74mph, Called Strike), Fastball (96mph, groundout)
How did that go?
24 fastballs, 7 breaking pitches. Weird how a good hitting team creams you when you throw 24 fastballs in 31 pitches. More on this later. It is beyond stupid.
Let's go to the 2nd inning
v. Repko: Curve (75mph, ball), Changeup (84mph, Called Strike), Curve (69mph, Swinging Strike), Slider (86mph, Foul), Slider (87mph, Swinging Strike).
Greinke threw 7 breaking pitches in the 1st inning and 5 breaking pitches in his first 5 pitches in the 2nd inning. It's garbage time, ladies and gents.
v. Casilla: Curve (73mph, ball), Changeup (81mph, ball), Changeup (86mph, groundout)
8 in a row!
v. Mauer: Fastball (98mph, called strike), Fastball (98mph, ball), Curve (72mph, ball), Fastball (94mph, Single)
v. Young: Changeup (85mph, ball), Slider (88mph, groundout)
11 breaking pitches, 3 fastballs.
3rd inning
v. Thome: Fastball (89mph, ball), Changeup (79mph, Ball), Fastball (93mph, Called Strike), Fastball (94mph, Called Strike), Slider (87mph, Ball), Slider (88mph, Swinging Strike)
v. Cuddyer: Changeup (86mph, called strike), Fastball (94mph, foul), Fastball (93mph, Ball), Curveball (70mph, Ball), Fastball (97mph, ball), Fastball (95mph, swinging strike)
v. Kubel: Curve (67mph, called strike), Changeup (87mph, flyout)
7 fastballs. 7 curveballs. Simple enough.
4th inning
v. Valencia: Slider (85mph, called strike), Curve (71mph, Foul), Fastball (96mph, ball), Fastball (96mph, Foul), Slider (88mph, Ball), Slider (86mph, double)
v. Hardy: Fastball (94mph, swinging strike), Fastball (95mph, ball), Fastball (95mph, ball), Changeup (83mph, ball), Changeup (84mph, ball four)
"Changeup didn't work? DO IT AGAIN"
v. Repko: Changeup (80mph, called strike), Changeup (88mph, called strike), Slider (86mph, swinging strike)
v. Casilla: Curveball (74mph, called strike), Changeup (77mph, groundout)
v. Mauer: Curveball (75mph, ball), Fastball (93mph, ball), Fastball (95mph, called strike), Fastball (96mph, called strike), Fastball (96mph, single)
Weird how throwing all fastballs to Joe Mauer could backfire?
v. Young: Slider (88mph, foul), Curve (73mph, ball), Slider (88mph, Ball), Slider (88mph, Ball), Curve (70mph, Swinging Strike)
17 breaking pitches. 9 fastballs.
So... to summarize the game: 43 fastballs. 42 Breaking pitches.
After the first inning: 19 fastballs, 35 breaking pitches.
I find it completely freaking amazing that Zack Greinke, a pitcher who could throw 7 different pitches (fast fastball, slow fastball, changeup, power changeup, curve, slow curve, slider) could throw the same pitch 24 times in 31 pitches in an inning. How the hell can you be such a lazy worthless playcaller that 3 of 4 pitches that you call from Greinke are fastballs? TO THE FREAKING MINNESOTA TWINS, A TEAM THAT GOT THIS FAR BECAUSE THEY CAN HIT FASTBALLS. For the love of God, Jesus, and Tony Pena Jr
It flat out an indictment of Jason Kendall that this game happened. The duty to call the game is on his shoulders, and he blew his 2000th game (giving up 14 runs total tonight). The guy we got is presiding over the regression of our pitchers, while the two catchers we dumped are proving themselves on other teams, and the young catcher we kept on the roster last year to save him from waivers is kept in mothballs.
Say "He should shake Jason Kendall off" and forget what happens when Jason Kendall doesn't get his way. Jason Kendall is the personification of someone compensating for his weaknesses. The pitchers in this organization have already been told to not shake off Kendall, and if you're Greinke, someone who gets along to go along, you're not shaking off the scary old man who is running your career into the ground.
This team is not insane because of Jason Kendall and his idiotic gamecalling. This insanity comes from the top down. From a GM who values players whose skills have nothing to do with winning baseball games, whose rules for the minor leagues also have nothing to do with winning games or developing players, whose free agent signings have been disasters and his trades have been mistakes.
Jason Kendall is not the problem, he is the result of the problem. The problem is that the braintrust of this organization was idiotic enough to get addicted to Kendallthetimine, and they're stuck scrubbing the toilet every 4 hours, scared of the idea of another catcher handling games.
A lot of the baseball hype that is unleashed is complete nonsense, and that applies to Jason Kendall in several fields.
Greg Maddox had caddies in Atlanta. What's wrong with Zack Greinke having one and getting separated from Jason Kendall and his unfocused incoherent pitch calling schemes.
For fucks sake. This is an embarrassment.
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Nice!
Sad…..but nice…..an indictment
by Nighthawk at the Diner on Jul 26, 2010 10:28 PM EDT reply actions
How many angry threads can one game generate in a night
Especially for a team 11.5 games back
We need more.
Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.
well you already provided one (not as angry)
Im waiting for Glassuxx’s nonsensical post anytime now
by Boots 58 on Jul 26, 2010 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Moore is Less
He has already made enough mistakes to merit dismissal. The Callaspo trade was a yawner and based on one game not good. Why is Soria still here? Trade him so he can at least get within sniffing distance of the Playoffs before he grows old. Trade Guillen….he is too good for this team. This is not going to change unless someone in KC forms an ownership group and buys team from Glassux. Please someone come forward!!!!!!
Towering
Grienke had one last year, Miguel Olivo….now he has a washed up has been because Moore did not offer extra year. Thanks Dayton, what miracle have you got planned next?
I would love to see the percentage of fastballs thrown in the first inning by Greinke, game by game
there is establishing the fastball, and overexposing it
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bhindepmo (follow me, because reloading my twitter page 40 times a day is kind of creepy)
not to disagree about Kendall's gamecalling skills overall
because no pitching staff he’s ever called games for has been especially good as a staff (and he tends to be kind of a fascist when it comes to his innings caught compared to his backups…), but one game is one game, and the Twins OWN Zack. Heard during the broadcast he had a 7.20 ERA vs. them BEFORE tonight’s game. Establishing the fastball is fine, but the sequences were not the worst I’ve seen or even thought about. Seems normal. The results were not.
Todd Haley's kids know more swear words than I do.
by kcisbetterthanstlateverything on Jul 27, 2010 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions
the Valencia AB
it is confusing to go slider-fastball-fastball-fastball-fastball… just does not make sense.
Sure, putting 12 balls in play and giving up 7 hits is not normal, but at the same time, not every ball in play is created equal.
7 of the 8 hits were off of fastballs
the Twins are not on top of the AL Central despite an inability to hit fastballs, and Greinke is not a fastball pitcher. He makes his impact with the 3 breaking pitches, and 24 fastballs and 7 breaking pitches is flat out uncreative and stupid gamecalling
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bhindepmo (follow me, because reloading my twitter page 40 times a day is kind of creepy)
Sad to say
Greinke has encountered this successful approach by other teams at other times (swing early in the count at his FB and hope he has command issues), making the too-slow adjustment seen starting in the 2nd inning TOO LATE.
Throwing 24 FBs out of first 31 pitches is not the problem in and of itself – it’s the failure to adjust quickly to Minnesota’s obvious game plan combined with the failure to recognize Greinke’s lack of command with the FB quickly enough.
Zack has even talked about pitching backwards at times this season – you would think that might have popped in somebody’s head to try that once Minny’s approach was clear. (At least, try it before the game is already out of hand). He went to pitching backward in the 2nd inning with excellent results. I was at the game, and those of you watching probably saw what I did in the 4th – Guillen not getting to a flyball directly lead to runs 7 and 8 – so basically Greinke should have had 3 scoreless innings after the adjustment. I swear, I’m 50, and running with my peanut bag strapped around my shoulder, I STILL think I would have more range than Guillen on that play! If they are trying to showcase him, they basically eliminated all NL teams as potential trade partners tonight. Any NL scout seeing that would instantly dismiss him as a PH only in their league.
"We're gonna win with pitching and defense" General Manager Dayton Moore, circa winter 2009
"Where did all these Indians come from?" General George Armstrong Custer, circa summer 1876
Remember that time Greinke was caught by that other catcher dude on the roster?
That was nice.
Kansas City Royals: your 2006 and 2007 NL Central champions!
Pretty sure it was Larue.
Ned likes Kendall in the 2-hole!
by mitchfreakingmaier! on Jul 27, 2010 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Farmer Mitch
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Jul 28, 2010 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions
So are you arguing that a catcher's gamecalling abilities can have a substantial difference in outcomes?
That seemed to be the primary argument against acquiring Kendall.
That said, BHWick, your arguments are certainly valid, IMO. The # of fastballs Greinke tossed in that first inning was a crime. An absolute crime.
Quit throwing fastballs to Joe Mauer!
Needs to be more even. He’s waiting on fastball in every at bat.
"Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic."
meh
I guarantee most of these pitches didn’t go where Grienke wanted them to. Plus it is disingenuous to act like Kendall called the game while Grienke passively accepted whatever pitch was called. He threw the pitch, ultimately he is responsible.
Two things.
1.) WTF has happened to the superwickedawesome slider? Every fucking rain delay has showcased wither the Cliff Lee game or the 15 strikeout game. I can’t get enough of watching 15k Zack throw that slider. Where is it?
2.) Did Glassuxx seriously say: Trade Guillen….he is too good for this team?
WTF!!!!!
Ned likes Kendall in the 2-hole!
by mitchfreakingmaier! on Jul 27, 2010 11:22 AM EDT reply actions
Sorry about the typos...Should have used all caps.
Ned likes Kendall in the 2-hole!
by mitchfreakingmaier! on Jul 27, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
For the love of God, Jesus, and Tony Pena Jr
This needs to be up on the banner for RR. I laughed hard on this one.
You make some good points. Certainly Kendal is calling for the pitches, but I am wondering how many (if any) did Zach call off? Or does he care now?
Just frustrating all around.
Given enough velocity even a pig will fly
by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Jul 27, 2010 12:11 PM EDT reply actions
Totally agree....
I should have typed when we are all ready (Will/Jeff) for a new one this could be a great one.
Given enough velocity even a pig will fly
by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Jul 27, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
while a catcher may have some minor blame for a poor pitching
performance i’d more look to the manager and pitching coach in this regard. E.g. I’d doubt that poor play calling is a problem in Tampa, and never will be due to the thoroughness in scouting and also intelligence of their PC.
I Never Threw
A pitch I didn’t want to throw. I don’t know how it works in the bigs, but all my catchers knew was what I was throwing and where I wanted it to be.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
Greinke and Banny's...
…subpar seasons are directly related to Kendall being behind the plate, methinks. Banny is not a great pitcher, but he’s not a 6-9.00 ERA pitcher.
I hope that GMDM’s mad skillz with pitching would extend to recognizing the importance of at least one position player, catcher. How can Buck and Olivo have been so bad here and be so much better the next season? – TL
"Sir,--It has been wittily remarked that there are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third and most aggravated is statistics." *The National Observer* (June 13, 1891): p. 93-94.
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