Heres my lineup (realistically)

[57stratdawg]

You guys can forget benching Rea for a freshman. So,

1) Armstrong
2) Detz - 3B
3) Pirtle
4) Collins (DH)
5) Rea
6) Bradford
7) Randolph - C
8 ) Heck
9) Henderson

Alternate Bradford/Henderson/Vickerson. Collins DHs, I don't trust him behind the dish consistently. Britton sits.

In the later innings Heck, Henderson, Armstrong are setting the table for the only guys I really trust in RBI situations: Detz and Pirtle.

Rotation:

Woodruff - Fri
Mitchell/Lindgren - Sat
Fits - Sun

if Preston Brown doesn't pitch again this year, we're in trouble, but we've been losing Friday nights all year don't waste Mitchell against the other team's ace. Woodruff has the highest ceiling. If this team is going to do anything he's got to start eating innings. I think the Mitchell/Lindgren beats a lot of SEC teams. Leave them in the must win spots on Saturday.

 

[CadaverDawg]

I could live with that, but would rather see this.....(and I agree, Rea will play)

Vs LHP:

Armstrong LF
Pirtle 2B
Humphreys 3B
Collins C
Heck SS
Rea 1B
Garner DH
Bradford CF
Henderson RF
-Britton as a late game defensive sub

Vs RHP:

Armstrong LF
Detz DH
Pirtle 2B
Collins C
Heck SS
Bradford CF
Rea 1B
Britton 3B
Henderson RF
(Take Rea and Britton's 2 auto outs and put them together so they kill the same inning instead of different ones)

Rotation:

Fri: Lindgren
Sat: Ross
Sun: Fitts & Wholestaff

Ross is our most consistent pitcher, and we can't waste his start on the possibility of getting shutout against an Ace. Let our most talented pitcher, Lindgren, face the aces bc he is capable of beating them, and then allow Bracewell or Woodruff to come in if he or Fitts get in early trouble. If Brown is out for the year, we are going to have to get it done with Lindgren, Mitchell, Fitts, Woodruff, Bracewell, and Holder if it's going to get done.

It is becoming very clear how much we miss Frazier, Renfroe, and Girodo from a player standpoint, and Graveman and Pollorena from a leadership standpoint. Rea, Detz, Pirtle, etc have not taken over the leadership role, and someone will have to if we are going to turn it around.

 

[57stratdawg]

I can't imagine Detz not being in the lineup at this point. We road him out when he was batting .200 for the first month or so of the season.

 

[CadaverDawg]

I can't imagine Detz not being in the lineup at this point. We road him out when he was batting .200 for the first month or so of the season.

I doubt Cohen will bench him, but I'd love it if he would at least rotate him with Garner or Humphreys to avoid the Left on Left matchup and provide us with a good matchup pinch hitter late in games. Detz is struggling....He was lucky that he discovered the hole between 1st and 2nd this weekend, because he is hitting weak grounders every single at bat right now.

It's amazing how much hitting before or after Frazier and Renfroe helped make Detz and Rea better hitters. Or at least I choose to use that excuse because I don't think they are this ******

 

[121Josey]

Nice Attempt with the line up, but...

I really don't like where you've got Rea and Heck. At this point, I really wouldn't worry with playing Randolph to get another bat in the lineup

1) Armstrong
2) Detz - 3B
3) Pirtle
4) Heck
5) Collins (DH)
6) Bradford
7) Rea
8) Randolph - C
9) Henderson

 

[AdamDawgDude]

I'm not sure why Randolph is in the discussion. Collins can handle the catching duties. I'd DH Humphries. He hit the ball hard this weekend and will only get better as he gets more reps.

1. Armstrong (why is this not happening?) (CF)
2. Detz (1B)
3. Pirtle (2B)
4. Collins (C)
5. Rea (DH)
6. Henderson (CF)
7. Humphries (3B)
8. Bradford (RF)
9. Heck (SS)

*there is some flexibility here as you can play Rea at first or Detz at 3B

Rotation -- Lingren on Friday, Mitchell on Saturday, and Fitts on Sunday

 

[randystewart]

The bottom line is we need people in our lineup that have a chance of hitting a double. Armstrong should definitely be leading off but we have to find a way to get Humphreys, Collins, and Garner in the same lineup. The way most of our lineup hits the ball, it takes at least 3 sometimes 4 hits to score a run and it is damn tough to string that many hits together. Plus, we are consistently getting people on base in front of Rea and he is consistently looking like he is blindfolded swinging at a baseball sized pinata. If he is in the lineup at all right now, he needs to be in the 7 or 8 hole.

 

[121Josey]

I agree with you on Collins. I only take him from behind the plate if he needs a rest. But I have a lot of problems with this lineup.

1. Rea - until he figures things out, he doesn't hit higher than 6th (and 6th is generous). As he's a liability at the moment, you definitely don't put him at DH. Taking him off 1st will hurt the defense because he's saved Detz and Heck on numerous occasions because of his length.

2. Heck - the guy is batting lead-off for a reason. You don't drop him from 1st to 9th and rob him of at bats. If Armstrong is going to hit first, you put him behind those guys to give him some RBI opportunities.

3. Humphries - he should be as far down the lineup as possible until he proves otherwise. DH is a revolving door at this point.

 

[NCDawg.sixpack]

The only ones that I would definitely have in the starting lineup at this time are Heck, Pirtle, Armstrong and Henderson.

 

[AdamDawgDude]

You may be right about batting Rea in a different spot, but he's not quite the vacuum at first that many make him out to be. I can still see him floundering around on the ground on that routine ball hit Sunday (?). He's not bad, but Detz does fine over there. Heck is batting like .240. We took a .240 hitter and made him lead off. I'm taking a .240 hitter and moving him to 9th. Make of that what you will. Humphries hits the ball hard. He needs reps. I like his upside and experience this year will be invaluable for him. He's one of the most talented players on the team.

I agree with you on Collins. I only take him from behind the plate if he needs a rest. But I have a lot of problems with this lineup.

1. Rea - until he figures things out, he doesn't hit higher than 6th (and 6th is generous). As he's a liability at the moment, you definitely don't put him at DH. Taking him off 1st will hurt the defense because he's saved Detz and Heck on numerous occasions because of his length.

2. Heck - the guy is batting lead-off for a reason. You don't drop him from 1st to 9th and rob him of at bats. If Armstrong is going to hit first, you put him behind those guys to give him some RBI opportunities.

3. Humphries - he should be as far down the lineup as possible until he proves otherwise. DH is a revolving door at this point.

 

[512taylor]

These are the kinds of informed opinions that I really appreciate.
So much more useful to me than some of the gutter tripe some regular posters stick with.
Thanks!

 

[121Josey]

I didn't realize that Heck was hitting so poorly. Prior to the TSUN series, the last 3 SEC series have been bad for him. I think we'll both agree that the 4 and 5 hitters can't hit .240. Detz is at .220

But don't praise Humphries so quick. He's 1 for his last 11.

Bradford's hitting .284 now and almost at the top of slugging % with .407 - but he doesn't walk.

 

[57stratdawg]

OM ran all over Collins. I don't think he's thrown out an SEC base runner yet. Mix in a couple passed balls and some 'wild pitches' (several he should keep in front of him); that's alot of free bases.

 

[AdamDawgDude]

To some degree. UM is a good running team, maybe the best we'll see this year. He did throw out a runner at third, but Detz dropped the ball. Collins did make some mistakes, but he has a very strong arm and does a good job most of the time. I don't think we have a better defensive catcher. We definitely don't have a better hitting catcher.

OM ran all over Collins. I don't think he's thrown out an SEC base runner yet. Mix in a couple passed balls and some 'wild pitches' (several he should keep in front of him); that's alot of free bases.

 

[AdamDawgDude]

Yeah, I agree. Detz is having good ABs though. He is back to walking and hitting the ball hard.

Humphries has had some bad ABs, but he has also had several very good ones that have still resulted in outs. Sometimes you can hit the ball hard directly at a fielder. I just think that his upside potential is high if he gets more consistent opportunities. After all, he is one of three guys with a homer this year and he only plays once a week.

I didn't realize that Heck was hitting so poorly. Prior to the TSUN series, the last 3 SEC series have been bad for him. I think we'll both agree that the 4 and 5 hitters can't hit .240. Detz is at .220

But don't praise Humphries so quick. He's 1 for his last 11.

Bradford's hitting .284 now and almost at the top of slugging % with .407 - but he doesn't walk.