FanPost

How Walt Weiss may have cost the Rockies the series


Hello there,

If you're looking for some honest and potentially not-so-nice opinions concerning the Rockies and all involved, then you have come to the right place. Don't get me wrong, I love the Rockies and have since I was a 6 year old kid growing up in Sofia, Bulgaria, following the games on Gameday at 2 a.m., due to the 9 hour time difference from Sofia to Denver. But enough about me, let's dive into the topic of the day: Walt Weiss.

After watching every single Rockies game this season as likely have you if you're diehard enough to be reading fan posts from a newbie like myself, I have not been pleased with some of Walt's game managing, and I genuinely believe it has cost us a good shot at some games. The latest case in point is the Toronto series, in which we had a legitimate shot to win all three games. In the 14-9 loss, I believe he left both Butler and Flande in too long, but hard to blame him as we don't exactly have a plethora of skilled long relievers, and basically anyone he brought into the game was giving up runs. But for the rubber match on Wednesday, there are two main decisions he made that I argue cost us the game and therefore the series.

Number one: bringing in Jordan Lyles to pitch the seventh inning in a still-competitive game. What is he thinking here? I get that the bullpen is somewhat taxed, but Lyles is a struggling starter-turned reliever, who has not even pitched well in long relief. But his role is to eat up innings if the starter exits early, not pitch a 7th inning where the Rockies are down just 3-1, which is absolutely nothing in Coors Field and especially with the Rox consistently making late-inning comebacks of late. Lyles comes in, gives up 3 hits and a run, and all of a sudden our deficit has grown from 3-1 to 4-1. Still manageable, but now slightly more difficult to come back from.

Weiss pitches Germen (who should have thrown the 7th in my opinion) and Logan in the 8th, and Estevez in the 9th, who gives up a run to make it 5-1. Can't blame Weiss for that, I like the use of the closer there, trying to keep it a three run game, he was just unusually wild.

This leads me to wrong decision number two, and this is more of a game long thing that was really exposed in the final at-bat of the game: putting Adames in the two spot in the lineup. Some people may balk at this, but hear me out. Data metrics show that in order for a lineup to be most effective, the best overall hitter should be in the two-hole, as they get more RBI opportunities than even the 3-spot in the lineup. I get what Weiss is probably thinking: DJ is great in the two-hole, good for hit and runs, bunts well, doesn't strikeout as a lot; now that DJ is hurt, he just subs in Adames, who is fast and a switch-hitter, plus it keeps everyone else in their same spots, etc. However, if Cargo, who is our best overall hitter when looking at average AND power, is in the two spot, then it is he who comes up with the game on the line, and we have a lot better chance at winning that game. For all the metrics we use incorporating our shifts and such, adjusting our lineup to maximize its potency is a move Weiss could and should make.

Along those same lines of lineup maximization, data also shows that the leadoff hitter should just be your top OBP guy, regardless of speed, which is Lemahieu: it would be great to see him there, with Blackmon in an RBI spot maybe in the 5-hole. Think about it: Blackmon has 12 home runs, all coming since May 1: and more than half of them have been solo, with many leading off the game. He has a lower OBP than DJ, and too much power to be leading off in my opinion, when he could do more damage further down in the order.

To sum it all up, the Rox have a legitimate shot at contending for a wild-card spot this year, no matter what the naysayers might argue. In order to contend, Weiss needs to make the right moves in-game to give us the best chance of winning. And he failed to do so against Toronto, costing us a shot at a winning homestand and a winning record in June for the first time in years. You can do better Walt, and we need you to.

Eat. Drink. Be Merry. But the above FanPost does not necessarily reflect the attitudes, opinions, or views of Purple Row's staff (unless, of course, it's written by the staff [and even then, it still might not]).