After missing half of the first game of today in the Wild Card series because of the work (EW), I went home and I came across something with which I come up over: a confusing decision of the programming of Alex Cora.
I pulled a tweet on this subject, and the general public seemed to agree with me.
The fact that Jarren Duran, who, if you remember, was at some point this season for his abyssal who struck the left, was in a programmed on the peloton against the left -hander Max Fried while Masataka Yoshida, Boston’s hottest striker, was sitting on the bench, was simply a move of Diqume.
Duran not only fought against left -handers this year, but is also 0 for 6 against Fried (with all the bats in 2025) with three stick withdrawals. Not exactly the guy with the fact that I would go in what is an essentially essential game on the road.
We have debated a little in the OTM Slack on the reason why Cora decided to go with the ultra platoon range against Fried when he has no drastic divisions. I can certainly understand the consideration of Cora of the divisions of his own players as the opposing launcher, but at the same time, the platoons, the divisions and others are supposed to give the strikers the greatest possible advantage, and I do not think that the range of tonight did it.
Lead Rob Ref is something that I will always support, and Romy Gonzalez strikes cleaning against a left -hander is something that I can certainly tolerate. Even Speedy Nate Eaton has a general meaning with its ability to cause a certain chaos, but not necessarily with its bat. But sticking Duran in this programming does not make me meaning.
Not only did it prevent Yoshida from hitting (which is my main scruples with the decision, I suppose). He also pushed Wilyer Abreu out of the range. Wilyer Abreu also has better statistics against left -handers than Duran and generally projects better against them!
Although I am off topic of my main point, I cannot really understand why Alex Cora continues to force Duran in a place of range (or simply a programming in general) which does not make sense. It is not as if it was paid $ 200 million and having it on the bench would be considered a monumental monetary base. It is not as if it were your best option as a striker, or even as a Voltiger. However, we continue to see the things leaning around him for any reason, despite all situational or general struggles.
But, this programming factor did not end up being immensely bad for me personally, even if it did for Duran, because it went 0 for 3 with a withdrawal, because I finally obtained a soft suction. As if the universe could hear me complain or think – or perhaps read some of my tweets – Duran / Masa’s debate would become a more debate with the single of Rbi Hit Rbi in Yoshida in the seventh.
Did things finally worked for Cora and the Red Sox due to management of the situation later (with which Cora was formidable with regard to the pinch strikers, BTW.)? Yes. But as brilliant as in the stick in Yoshida, I would have preferred to see him for three additional bars after a month of catalyst for what resulted in the Red Sox above the bump in the playoffs.
So, while programming of the peloton initially looked like something you would see in a spring training match later, I am not extremely opposed to this even if the offensive did not give much of this evening. I totally agree to run something like that tonight, but Yoshida must be there in one way or another. Play it on the outside field. Play Rob Refsnyder on the outside field. Never mind. Just put it in there and stop trying to force Jarren Duran to be “a guy” for this team in situations where he has no previous record.
