Gary Cohen loses it on air

[Halldan1]

Gary Cohen loses it on air as Diamondbacks manager makes ‘bonehead’ decision of year

Gary Cohen could not believe what unfolded.

nypost.com

By Matt Ehalt

Gary Cohen has seen a lot of bad baseball this year, but nothing as bad as Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo’s ninth-inning decision Monday.

The Diamondbacks led 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Mets had runners on the corners, with speedy pinch runner Tim LoCastro at first base.

While a sound baseball strategy is to not purposefully allow the tying and/or winning run into scoring position, that’s exactly what the Diamondbacks did.

Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker played behind Locastro, allowing him to easily steal second and put two runners in scoring position for Brandon Nimmo.

“They’re going to play behind him. He’s the winning run. What are they doing? What are they doing? They’re playing behind him. They’re giving him the stolen base. That’s the winning run. Are you kidding me?” Cohen said. “What are they thinking? How do you allow the winning run to steal second base? That is as bonehead a managerial decision as I’ve seen all year long. Unreal.”

Gary Cohen had critical remarks about the Diamondbacks’ strategy.
Robert Sabo for NY Post

As this all went on, Keith Hernandez said: “Oh, wow. Oh, my. Oh, my God. Oh, wow.”

Lovullo did not pay for his “bonehead” decision with ex-Mets reliever Paul Sewald retiring Nimmo on a fly ball to center field to secure the 4-3 win.

Perhaps Lovullo thought the pitcher-catcher combination of Sewald and Jose Herrera didn’t stand much of a chance of throwing out the speedy LoCastro, and he prioritized having his defense aligned the way he and his staff preferred with the dangerous Nimmo at the plate.

Still, that’s quite a bold strategy for a team fighting for its postseason life since every loss could be the difference between making or missing the postseason.

The Diamondbacks enter Wednesday’s game at Citi Field – the third in a four-game set – one game ahead of the Reds for the third NL wild-card spot, and 1 ½ games ahead of the Marlins and Giants.

How Arizona fares in the Big Apple could determine whether it makes the playoffs since it returns to New York on Friday, Sept. 22 for a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.

 

[The Crows Nest]

Gary Cohen loses it on air as Diamondbacks manager makes ‘bonehead’ decision of year

Gary Cohen could not believe what unfolded.

nypost.com

By Matt Ehalt

Gary Cohen has seen a lot of bad baseball this year, but nothing as bad as Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo’s ninth-inning decision Monday.

The Diamondbacks led 4-3 with two outs in the ninth inning, but the Mets had runners on the corners, with speedy pinch runner Tim LoCastro at first base.

While a sound baseball strategy is to not purposefully allow the tying and/or winning run into scoring position, that’s exactly what the Diamondbacks did.

Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker played behind Locastro, allowing him to easily steal second and put two runners in scoring position for Brandon Nimmo.

“They’re going to play behind him. He’s the winning run. What are they doing? What are they doing? They’re playing behind him. They’re giving him the stolen base. That’s the winning run. Are you kidding me?” Cohen said. “What are they thinking? How do you allow the winning run to steal second base? That is as bonehead a managerial decision as I’ve seen all year long. Unreal.”

View embedded media

Gary Cohen had critical remarks about the Diamondbacks’ strategy.
Robert Sabo for NY Post

As this all went on, Keith Hernandez said: “Oh, wow. Oh, my. Oh, my God. Oh, wow.”

Lovullo did not pay for his “bonehead” decision with ex-Mets reliever Paul Sewald retiring Nimmo on a fly ball to center field to secure the 4-3 win.

Perhaps Lovullo thought the pitcher-catcher combination of Sewald and Jose Herrera didn’t stand much of a chance of throwing out the speedy LoCastro, and he prioritized having his defense aligned the way he and his staff preferred with the dangerous Nimmo at the plate.

Still, that’s quite a bold strategy for a team fighting for its postseason life since every loss could be the difference between making or missing the postseason.

The Diamondbacks enter Wednesday’s game at Citi Field – the third in a four-game set – one game ahead of the Reds for the third NL wild-card spot, and 1 ½ games ahead of the Marlins and Giants.

How Arizona fares in the Big Apple could determine whether it makes the playoffs since it returns to New York on Friday, Sept. 22 for a three-game set at Yankee Stadium.

From the clip (I didn’t watch any of the game) Gary had a very valid point.

Results should not validate bad decision making.

 

[hbkmyr]

Diamondbacks pitching coach Brent Strom rips Mets broadcasters: ‘They’re idiots’

The Diamondbacks’ coaching staff had a clear message for the Mets broadcasting crew on Wednesday — don’t question us. During Monday’s game between the Mets and Arizona, the Dbacks…

nypost.com

The Diamondbacks’ coaching staff had a clear message for the Mets broadcasting crew on Wednesday — don’t question us.

During Monday’s game between the Mets and Arizona, the Dbacks led 4-3 and let speedy Tim Locastro, who was the potential game-winning run on first base, easily swipe second without even holding him on.

SNY play-by-play man Gary Cohen could not believe what he had seen, calling the move “boneheaded.”

That’s the winning run. Are you kidding me?” Cohen said. “What are they thinking? How do you allow the winning run to steal second base? That is as bonehead a managerial decision as I’ve seen all year long. Unreal.”

Keith Hernandez said: “Oh, wow. Oh, my. Oh, my God. Oh, wow.”

The move didn’t come back to haunt the Diamondbacks, who won the game 4-3.

And speaking to reporters on Wednesday, pitching coach Brent Strom had some words for the Mets’ broadcasting duo.

“I think [manager] Torey [Lovullo] made a very, very good choice of playing behind Locastro, despite what the really smart Cohen and Hernandez group had to say, because I think they’re idiots for what they said,” Strom said, according to The Arizona Republic.

Strom and the Diamondbacks have defended the move to allow Locastro to get second, even if he could’ve scored the winning run from scoring position for two reasons: Locastro is fast and could easily swipe second, and Nimmo has the propensity to hit ground balls to the right side.

If the Dbacks held Locastro on first, the team argued that Nimmo could’ve tied the game with a single through the hole on the right side.

But by playing off the base and not holding a runner on, they took away the hole between first and second.

“What if we’re holding him on and (Nimmo) hits a 22-hopper, a left-handed pull hitter with a right-handed pitcher, if the left-handed hitter hits a 22-hopper into right field?” Strom asked. “Now we have first and third again. It was just worth it to roll the dice with it.”

No such moves came into play Wednesday night as the Mets waltzed to a 7-1 win over Arizona.

 

[Halldan1]

Strongly disagree with the strategy.

Worse case on a single the game is tied. Putting the runner on second meant he scores on any base hit out of the infield. Cohen is right. Although he might have expressed his opinion a little better.

 

[HallLine69]

I am a big fan of Gary Cohen and have been since before he started doing Hall games. But I think he was a bit overheated in his reaction to that play, especially with the term "boneheaded". I also think Brent Strom was out of line calling Gary and Keith Hernandez "idiots".

 

[The SHUttle]

Gary's had higher rate of moments where his commentary has gone a little over the top in the past few years than what I remember before that. Or maybe I am just unconsciously looking for it after even I had to roll my eyes when he called Bartolo Colon's home run in San Diego as "one of the great moments in the history of baseball".

 

[SHUHoopsFan]

Strongly disagree with the strategy.

Worse case on a single the game is tied. Putting the runner on second meant he scores on any base hit out of the infield. Cohen is right. Although he might have expressed his opinion a little better.

I disagree with the strategy as well, but I love actually seeing a manager use his gut. Is that still allowed in baseball? Maybe that's what the Mets and Yankees are missing. I understand Gary criticizing the decision but how anyone can ignore the obvious rarity of a gut decision is more mind blowing to me.