The first thing I did after writing my last post was to check the results from the minors today. Before telling you what I found, let me share with you what I'm wearing today: a t-shirt with the phrase, "To Save Time, Let's Just Assume I Know Everything."
What am I right about this time? The effect of leaving runners on base. Conventional wisdom: "WE MUST HIT WITH RUNNERS ON, EVEN IF THAT'S THE ONLY TIME WE HIT." Jeff: "[Y]ou know what, that's a dumb stat."
Nashville won tonight, 10-8, over the Oklahoma Redhawks:
Orie extended his season-opening hitting streak to a current team-best eight games with his 2-for-4, three-run effort. Durrington followed suit, running his hit streak to seven games with a 2-for-2 night that also included a pair of walks and two stolen bases.
Pat Borders (2-for-4) and Ryan Knox (2-for-3) also added multiple-hit efforts for the victorious Sounds, who stranded a season-high 12 men on base including leaving the bases loaded twice.
[emphasis mine]
And there it is...stranding twelve. Imagine how painful it must have been to watch the inning die with the bases jammed--twice! In a close game! This is surely the kind of play that demoralizes, crushes, dooms a team to a loss!
Except when it doesn't.
To be fair, the Sounds's batting average with RISP probably wasn't sub-.200, as the Crew's has been lately. But it can't be too hot if they left 12 guys on base.