Tagged: Walk Off
Tulo Shirt Experiment: Day 2
Well HELLO THERE folks.
I had to wash my Tulowitzki shirt last night… I want to get more use out of it this week.
I’m willing to see how long it works even if people start asking questions like:
Has that been washed since tuesday?
Do you only have one shirt?
Aren’t you tired of wearing the same shirt?
Anyway… lets talk about Day 2 of the Tulo Shirt Experiment, which looks like it just got a Day 3.
Rockies: Mr. Clutch in the Clutch
Let me set up the situation of my miniature heart attack for you…
Bases loaded, One out bottom of the ninth.
Carlos Gonzales up to bat.
He’s a solid hitter, all he has to do is hit a sac fly deep, something he can do with his eyes closed generally.
Cordero can’t throw strikes to save his life at the moment… So i’ll take a walk too.
Cordero suddenly learns what a strike zone is and starts throwing to it.
Gonzales goes down.
I start to feel very hopeless, but I watch anyway because theres always a chance.
Heres where hope comes back.
Seth Smith
Currently: .317 average 15 HR
that doesn’t tell the tale. (The .968 OPS helps…)
Current Average at Home: .369
But I’m not done… In the last 28 days, this man’s OPS is 1.364… yeah… think about that for a minute at tell me how often this crazy guy gets on base.
More proof of his amazing clutch skills? He’s the best pinch in baseball..
Average in a pinch: .485
Thats pretty fantastic.
So I did a little research this morning. There is a stat that I have found called Batting Average Late and Close
Heres how “Late and Close” is defined.
Late & Close are PA in the 7th or later with the batting team tied, ahead by one, or the tying run at least on deck.
Seth Smith’s Late and Close BA? .392
Seth Smith’s Late and Close OPS? 1.141
Essentially this means… this guy will get on when you absolutely need him on. He is definitively clutch without an argument.
That is why the Rockies need Seth Smith, and why he is perhaps one of the most exciting players currently.
Anyway… Hammel pitched amazingly but I’m so drained on talking about Smith that I’m not sure I have a ton to say. The bullpen imploded a little but the recovery was made. Matt Daley messed up, Joe Biemel couldn’t throw a strike… Things got a bit tough, but we pulled through.
ON TO THE NEXT GAME!
Boston: Two Game Sweep
Just another great thing about VMart. He IS the hitter we’ve been looking for. These are games we not only SHOULD be winning, but we NEED to be winning. Texas is nipping at our heels and someone needs to kick them in the face.
(Side Note: Paul Byrd only gave up 2 ER, thats more what we expected from him than that amazingly terrible start against Chicago)
Interesting fact:
Boston is averaging seven runs a game at Fenway
That is really helpful considering this homestand. Tomorrow begins the series against the struggling Rays, then against the Angels (who the Red Sox have always been very good against)
The offense has to keep up with us for the remainder of the month if we want to take the Wildcard.
Finally: I know this isn’t too much to ask. We should have a good series against NY towards the end of the month. NOTHING would boost our World Series chances more than that. If we can manage to take them out in this series, a WS spot is not hard to imagine.
Anyway…
THE TULO SHIRT EXPERIMENT CONTINUES. Day 3 lets roll.
Expect something on this after the game tonight.
The roof might be on fire but I have a fire extinguisher,
-Mike
A Tale of Two Leagues 