Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
April 09, 2006
Nice Guys Finish Last?

Jim Tracy received good reviews from his new charges early this year. Jim and his coaching staff were approachable. They didn't rant like former manager Lloyd McClendon. The Pirates pitchers liked the atmosphere Tracy created.

In Detroit, Jim Leyland wanted more of a killer instinct from his players. So far, the Tigers take no prisoners mode is working much better than the open and approachable Jim Tracy. The Tigers are undefeated. They've outscored their opponents 39 to 12 in five games. The pitching staff has a 5 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio! On top of that, no unearned runs crossed plate yet.

The Pirates, on the other hand, have an OBA that's equal to their opponents batting average! (.328) Their opponents are getting on base at a .424 clip, so those great preseason camps did nothing to improve the control of their pitchers. They've been outscored, however, by just ten runs, four of them unearned. They're in every game, having lost three times by one run and never by more than three. They need a day when the offense and pitching are good together.

Update: I had forgotten that Lloyd McClendon is now a coach for Jim Leyland. The Tiger broadcast just reminded me.


Posted by David Pinto at 09:09 AM | Management | TrackBack (0)
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