Isn't there supposed to be some kind of advantage for a left-handed pitcher against a left-handed hitter? I'm not a big proponent of this philosophy which is one of the big reasons I wasn't at all impressed with Hendry's off-season. All he did was make the line-up more left-handed, but not necessarily better. That's not what this post is about though...
What is the point of a lefty in the pen if he CANNOT get left-handed hitters out...EVER? San Diego's Adrian Gonzalez had a HUGE series against the Cubs when they were in town a couple weeks ago. He hit 4 HRs and drove in all but 3 of the Padres runs in that series which the Cubs still swept. However, since that series Gonzalez had gone 3-for-25 and was 0-for-3 until coming up in the bottom of the 7th. So Lou brings in the lefty...the only one we have in the pen...Neal Cotts. On a 1-2 pitch, Cotts throws a 92mph 4-seam fastball right down the middle and Gonzalez hit a BOMB to the opposite field. Nobody hits HRs in Petco, but Gonzalez "miraculously" defied the odds as a lefty and hit it 30 ft farther than D-Lee's short-of-the-warning-track fly in the top of the 8th. Lefties are hitting .294 off our lefty with 6 BBs and 2 HRs. The 6 BBs are just an absolute killer although the bombs aren't helpful either. Lefties have a .500 OBA and slugging .467 which is nearly 100 points higher than against righties. Those numbers held true again tonight - 2 lefties, 1-for-2, 1 HR; 2 righties, 0-for-2.
GET COTTS OUT OF HERE - throw the Jeff Fasero tarp over this guy Lou!
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