Last night, prior to the game, Jarrod Saltalamacchia caught that the lineup card was written out as if a left-handed pitcher was on the mound. That meant Ryan Sweeney and Salty were on the bench.
One problem: the Twins were throwing a right-hander, Liam Hendricks.
For some reason, most of the media is overlooking this. The Boston Globe, in particular, glossed over it and just paid it lip service. I for one, find it disturbing that Valentine could make such a mistake like that. That is child’s play. It’s a mistake that shouldn’t be made. It’s botching a routine grounder. But what really gets me mad is the following, as David Schoenfeld of ESPN.com writes:
Valentine blamed his cell phone.
As Edes wrote, “I looked on this thing,” Valentine said, gesturing to his cellphone, “and there was no history on him. It had his name, and ‘against left-handed hitting.’ My fault. That’s why you make these lineups out early enough.”
WHAT!?
How is this in any way OK? How can a manager, especially in this day and age, pay such lip-service to the opposing pitcher that he uses his cell phone to check who is pitching? And then simply based on handedness, give the assignments out? What about the pitcher’s repertoire, past history and tendencies? Or his own player’s?
Isn’t Valentine supposed to be looking over data far more informative than what handedness the pitcher is throwing with? Isn’t he supposed to be using a computer, an iPad, a binder full of information instead of a cell phone?
This is not good. At all.
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