Game Thread (7/24/2022): Rockies (Kuhl) at Brewers (Lauer) - 1:10 PM CDT

[brewers888]

Just now, willie key said:

How crazy is that in which this really hurts the team

He's been a fantastic utility player for this team.

[edfunderburk]

3 minutes ago, brewers888 said:

He's out till at least late August and it could be much longer. 

Why not Turang for defensive versatility?

[Brewcrew82]

2 minutes ago, willie key said:

To me the key in this day and age is hitting the ball.    Making contact.     A soft hit single is better than hard swinging strikeout.     
 

in 2022 I’ve told myself to not complain about infield hits etc because hitting the ball is infinitely better than not hitting ball.   
 

there are just too many swings and misses today plus fundamentals that encourage swings and misses from youth ball up until the major leagues.    I’m at the point when I see a nubber drop in I just say good for him and not curse luck anymore

There's some truth to this, but it also doesn't take into account how much harder it is to make contact in today's game than at any other point in baseball history. Pitchers have so many built-in advantages and are also throwing the ball harder and spinning it faster than they ever have....

[Zad Fnark]

2 hours ago, willie key said:

Is it me or are the reds cubs and pirates playing better ball.  They don’t seem like a soft touch anymore    They’ve improved

 

they will probably gut themselves at the trade deadline though

Cards down 6-3, bottom of 7th.

[willie key]

Just now, Brewcrew82 said:

There's some truth to this, but it also doesn't take into account how much harder it is to make contact in today's game than at any other point in baseball history. Pitchers have so many built-in advantages and are also throwing the ball harder and spinning it faster than they ever have....

That’s why you should be teaching fundamentals that enhance contact.     The harder the ball comes in the harder it leaves the bat too.    You just need to start making more contact and the ball will naturally be harder hit     And the ability to measure spin has changed the game too     Admittedly players are going to swing and miss more     But for godsakes you can try to mitigate this somewhat      Baseball lost its way a little when everyone was told it’s not a big deal to strikeout

 

now in mlb the exaggerated shifts can hurt this but sometimes that’s the batters fault making himself so darn one dimensional as a hitter

 

 

[BruisedCrew]

7 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

True, but it is literally impossible for hitters nowadays to control where they place the ball, given the insane velocity and spin of modern-day pitchers. All they're thinking is apply the barrel to the ball and hit it as hard as they can. Also, over the course of a season, hard hit balls will result in more hits and runs than softer hit balls...Pretty important when the name of the game is to score more runs than the opposition. 

If all hitters are thinking about is applying the barrel to the ball and hitting it as hard as they can, then no wonder there are so many strikeouts and situational hitting is so terrible.

Maybe more hitters should be thinking about putting the bat on the ball at all and hoping for a “weak hit”.

Still waiting for someone who follows this data on a hitter by hitter basis to give me the expected hit percentage on those weak hits. Or tell me where you get them.

 

 

[Brewcrew82]

Just now, BruisedCrew said:

If all hitters are thinking about is applying the barrel to the ball and hitting it as hard as they can, then no wonder there are so many strikeouts and situational hitting is so terrible.

Maybe more hitters should be thinking about putting the bat on the ball at all and hoping for a “weak hit”.

Still waiting for someone who follows this data on a hitter by hitter basis to give me the expected hit percentage on those weak hits. Or tell me where you get them.

 

 

I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but they're pretty clear that harder hit balls will result in more hits and more runs over the course of a season than softer hit ones. That's significant when the goal is to score more runs than the opposition....

[DuWayne Steurer]

Just now, BruisedCrew said:

If all hitters are thinking about is applying the barrel to the ball and hitting it as hard as they can, then no wonder there are so many strikeouts and situational hitting is so terrible.

Maybe more hitters should be thinking about putting the bat on the ball at all and hoping for a “weak hit”.

Still waiting for someone who follows this data on a hitter by hitter basis to give me the expected hit percentage on those weak hits. Or tell me where you get them.

 

 

statcast will give you the data. 

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/statcast_search

I prefer to not follow the data on a batter-by-batter basis.  It doesn't add to the enjoyment of the game for me. I love breaking the data down every now and then, but during the game, this information doesn't really have predictive value. It's just data.  It's just telling us what happened. 

[Brewcrew82]

Man how did that ball get out...

[willie key]

Just now, Brewcrew82 said:

I don't have the exact numbers in front of me, but they're pretty clear that harder hit balls will result in more hits and more runs over the course of a season than softer hit ones. That's significant when the goal is to score more runs than the opposition....

Without data I can tell you balls that are actually hit will result in infinitely more hits and runs than balls that aren’t hit at all

 

[stoutdude04]

5 minutes ago, BruisedCrew said:

If all hitters are thinking about is applying the barrel to the ball and hitting it as hard as they can, then no wonder there are so many strikeouts and situational hitting is so terrible.

Maybe more hitters should be thinking about putting the bat on the ball at all and hoping for a “weak hit”.

Still waiting for someone who follows this data on a hitter by hitter basis to give me the expected hit percentage on those weak hits. Or tell me where you get them.

 

 

350, 510, and 370

3 of the 4 lowest percentages for hits in the game. The other was Urias double in the first at 350 - which was also a weak hit/poor defense.

[BruisedCrew]

The right field porch giveth (Friday) and taketh away (today). 

[yourout]

Lauers WHIP on the 3rd time through the order has to be significantly worse .

[brewers888]

Not looking forward to watch Gustave again.

[willie key]

Ooof.    I guess lauer hasn’t turned a corner yet

[Brewcrew82]

6 minutes ago, willie key said:

Without data I can tell you balls that are actually hit will result in infinitely more hits and runs than balls that aren’t hit at all

 

Yeah, but a hitter that puts the ball in play but doesn't hit it hard at all still gives you nothing. See, Cain, Lorenzo last few years....

[yourout]

33 minutes ago, Brewcrew82 said:

Turang with three walks and a hit today in addition to his home run last night. I'd be all for a call-up for him with Peterson on the IL and Wong looking gimpy. 

Also, Hiura is tearing up AAA as per usual....I'm thinking we'll see him soon, as well. 

AAA Hall of famer.

[BruisedCrew]

1 minute ago, stoutdude04 said:

350, 510, and 370

3 of the 4 lowest percentages for hits in the game. The other was Urias double in the first at 350 - which was also a weak hit/poor defense.

OK. Thank you.

That confirms my impression that just because those balls were not smoked, getting hits on balls hit like that is hardly unusual. 

[Brock Beauchamp]

12 minutes ago, BruisedCrew said:

If all hitters are thinking about is applying the barrel to the ball and hitting it as hard as they can, then no wonder there are so many strikeouts and situational hitting is so terrible.

Maybe more hitters should be thinking about putting the bat on the ball at all and hoping for a “weak hit”.

Still waiting for someone who follows this data on a hitter by hitter basis to give me the expected hit percentage on those weak hits. Or tell me where you get them.

You can find expected average on the Baseball Savant game log pages. 

[willie key]

Just now, Brewcrew82 said:

Yeah, but a hitter that puts the ball in play but doesn't hit it hard at all still gives you nothing. See, Cain, Lorenzo. 

He will give you more than a batter that never hits the ball at all.     To oversimplify it

plus Cain struck out a ton this year.  His strike out rate was a lot higher than normal for him.    He just sucks period

[brewers888]

Solid job Gustave.

[Brewcrew82]

Just now, willie key said:

He will give you more than a batter that never hits the ball at all.     To oversimplify it

plus Cain struck out a ton this year.  His strike out rate was a lot higher than normal for him.    He just sucks period

The last few years he wasn't productive with the bat. Hiura at least hits the ball hard which is he's been productive at the plate this year despite a high# of Ks. 

[willie key]

Good job by gustave

offense doing a heckuva job today and we still have to sweat this out.    Lauer needs to be better

[DuWayne Steurer]

The Kolten Wong 2 home run game, he hit the 2nd home run that day off the facade of the Dew Deck in RF, and the XBA was (per baseball savant) .790 on that ball.  I'm sure there's a reason it wasn't 1.000, but a ball smoked 30 rows out of the park shouldn't have anything less than "automatic hit" attached to it.

[Brewcrew82]

Just now, willie key said:

Good job by gustave

offense doing a heckuva job today and we still have to sweat this out.    Lauer needs to be better

Yeah. Would've liked to see better. But I won't give him too much heat for that Bryant HR. That ball had no business leaving the ballpark. Kept us in the game, at least.