The Chicago White Sox had been trying to get out of a tough seventh inning Friday in opposition to the Cleveland Guardians.
The Guardians had scored 4 runs to take the lead and had been trying so as to add on with runners on first and second with two outs.
Jake Diekman bought Oscar Gonzalez to swing and miss on a 1-1 rely. The runners took off on the pitch, and Josh Naylor efficiently stole third whereas Andrés Giménez reached second safely.
On a 1-2 rely, the Sox elected to have the left-handed Diekman deliberately stroll the right-handed Gonzalez.
If that state of affairs sounds acquainted for the Sox, it’s as a result of the Sox referred to as for an intentional stroll on a 1-2 rely earlier this season in opposition to the Los Angeles Dodgers, organising a lefty-lefty matchup.
In that scenario, Max Muncy adopted with a three-run homer in opposition to Bennett Sousa.
On Friday, the Guardians had the right-handed-hitting Owen Miller hit for the lefty Nolan Jones. The Sox countered, changing Diekman with right-hander Jimmy Lambert.
Miller lined out to proper to finish the inning. But the dialogue on-line in regards to the determination was simply beginning and continued properly after the series-opening 5-2 loss.
“Diekman had already been out there for a while,” La Russa mentioned when requested in regards to the stroll after the sport. “If (the Guardians) left the hitter in, he would have confronted him. We’re nonetheless within the recreation, it’s solely three runs. When they pinch hit, you then’ve bought Lambert.
“We’ve been through this before. The most ridiculous thing in this season has been the (conversation about the) 1-2 (intentional) walk. I mean that’s the most ridiculous. … If he leaves the left-hander in, not going to face Gonzalez. He’s hitting .300.”
Gonzalez entered Friday with a .306 common in 47 video games. He went 0-for-3 with the stroll Friday.
La Russa mentioned these situations come right down to “the best matchup.”
“You try to figure out, OK, if we have to get this out, what is the best matchup for us?” La Russa mentioned earlier than Saturday’s recreation in opposition to the Guardians. “To me, it’s getting that one man, and if he pinch hits for the opposite man, we’ve the right-hander prepared.
“That’s why, I bring it up over and over again, between now and however long, talk to 100 baseball guys, (the Trea) Turner (at-bat), that’s not even close.”
In the June 9 recreation in opposition to the Dodgers, the Sox trailed by two with two outs within the sixth when Sousa threw a wild pitch, permitting Freddie Freeman to take second base.
The ball made the rely 1-2 as Sousa confronted the right-handed-hitting Turner. The Sox deliberately walked him, and Muncy hit a three-run homer to left.
After the 11-9 loss, La Russa mentioned: “Turner with a strike left against a left-hander is something you avoid if you can, and we had an open base and Muncy being the guy behind him, and that’s a better matchup. If somebody disagrees, that’s the beauty of this game. Welcomed to it. But that wasn’t a tough call.”
The transfer grew to become a subject of nationwide dialogue.
The subsequent day, La Russa mentioned: “I just chalk that one up to, that’s taking the outcome too far. Because the reasoning was, there’s no way. I didn’t even hesitate. Saw the ball was going back (to Sousa after the wild pitch), ‘Hey, four (calling for the intentional walk).’ And if I’m wrong, I’m wrong. I don’t think so on that one.”
He added Saturday: “Part of it’s the truth that he’s bought a greater likelihood to make a pitch and get Muncy out and Turner is what Turner is.
“You look at who’s the guy in the lineup, is there a chance to avoid. In that instance, when the guy gets to second base, it’s Turner against left-handed pitcher, it might even be a right-handed pitcher.”
La Russa took an analogous route Friday.
“When they stole the base, there’s an open base,” La Russa mentioned Friday. “So it’s put him on. So it worked, right? Did we get the guy out? Yeah, so it worked.”
Left fielder Eloy Jiménez exited within the eighth inning Friday after twisting his proper knee on a swinging strike. He was cleared to play Saturday.
“I tried to over swing on that one,” Jiménez mentioned Saturday. “(Saturday) morning when I woke up, I felt a little bit sore, but when I came here and did treatment, it was good.”
Center fielder Luis Robert additionally acquired the OK to return to motion after lacking seven video games with a sprained left wrist suffered whereas sliding into second base on a stolen-base try Aug. 12 in opposition to the Detroit Tigers.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com