‘E-4′ Conrad could live in infamy in Atlanta

Added on Oct 10, 2010 by Ted Sillanpaa in

MLB

San Francisco Giants radio broadcaster Duane Kuiper, who played second base in a long big league career with the Indians and Giants, said he didn’t blame Atlanta Braves second baseman Brooks Conrad for his epic defensive meltdown on Sunday.

“It’s not the kid’s fault,” Kuiper said on the Giants KNBR radio broadcast. “He’s playing out of position. He doesn’t belong out there.

Conrad made three errors in Game 3, including one that enabled the Giants to take the lead with two in the ninth inning of their eventual 3-2 win.

Kuiper, as it turns out, wasn’t right about Conrad. He might be out of the position anywhere on the field, but if he’s out there — he is a second baseman.

The 30-year-old has been primarily a second baseman since he started his professional career in 2001. He has played 4,509 of his 4,990 innings at second base. In 45 big league games, including the NLDS, he has played 158 2/3 innings at second base and 262 innings at third base.

It’s hard to imagine that Conrad can remain in the lineup defensively for Game 4, but the Braves have no good alternative. Diory Hernandez is on the roster, but he hit .138 in just 53 games.

Manager Bobby Cox could shore up a defensive liability that accounted for the bulk of the Giants’ offense on Sunday. And, he sounds like he understands that.

“We had this one won,” Cox said. “We can win games and we can compete against anybody. But we can’t afford to make mistakes.”

** Conrad really needs his teammates to pick him up.
He really, really needs the rest of the Braves to get things going, win two straight from the Giants and advance to National League Championship Series. The guy has eight errors in his last seven games and, in Game 3, helped the Giants score two of their three runs with miscues.
The Giants lead the series 2-1 entering today’s Game 4. Derek Lowe will pitch on three days rest for Atlanta. San Francisco will counter with 21-year-old left-hander Madison Bumgarner, a first-round selection in the amateur draft just two years ago.

“I wish I could just dig a hole,” Conrad said after Sunday’s game, “and sleep in it.”

The utilityman thrust into an everyday job when injuries hit the Braves bobbled a grounder in the first inning when the Giants loaded the bases, but couldn’t score.

After right fielder Jason Heyward was shaken up running into the wall, Conrad ranged far into right in the second inning — and dropped a pop up that accounted for an unearned run.
TBS analyst Bob Brenly, a former big league catcher and manager, said, “That was Heyward’s ball. He must not feel right yet. No way a second baseman should have to go that far to catch a pop fly.”

Conrad could find no solace later.

“It was completely embarrassing,” Conrad said. “Once again, I feel like I let everyone down.”

The Braves took a 2-1 lead on Eric Hinske’s two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth. San Francisco rallied to tie 2-2. Then, with two outs in the ninth, Buster Posey hit a ground ball that slid under Conrad’s glove to score Freddy Sanchez with the eventual game-winner.

“I thought he would make the play,” Posey said. “I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

** The Phillies join the Yankees in their respective championship series, quickly dispatching the Reds in three in the NLDS.

The Phils got the superior pitching most expected, but they took advantage of a Reds’ pitching staff not nearly built for a short playoff series — losing 2-0 in Game 3 on Sunday.

If the Giants hold on and advance to the NLCS, they will bring pitching to match Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. The Giants would also bring a superior bullpen as, for that matter, would the Braves.

** Don’t assume that the Giants’ starting pitching will take a significant drop off today when Bumgarner starts.

Tim Lincecum struck out 14 in a complete-game shutout in the opener against Atlanta. Matt Cain pitched shutout baseball into the seventh in Game 2. Jonathan Sanchez was magnificent in Game 3, striking out 14 and giving up just two hits in 7 1/3 innings.

Bumgarner is the Giants top pitching prospect and one of the tops in the game. It just turns out that the Giants have three pitchers in their mid-20s ahead of Bumgarner in the rotation to steal the spotlight from the big southpaw.

Bumgarner throws strikes, using a fastball in the low 90s and a curveball he’ll throw in any situation. He mixes in a change-up effectively, opting to pound the strike zone rather than nibble and issue bases on balls.

Bumgarner had a 3.00 ERA and a 7-6 record — with six of his seven wins coming on the road.

Bumgarner will be working on eight days rest, but if he can’t get the job done today, the Giants still have Lincecum ready for Game 5 on full rest.

“He’s got great poise out there and good stuff,” Bochy said of Bumganrer. “The kid has no fear. He is a young kid that has a great way about how he handles things.”

** The Rays are alive after being pronounced dead here and most everywhere else when the Rangers won twice in Tampa Bay to open their ALDS.

Tampa Bay burst back to life, and to tie the series with two wins in Texas, when slugger Evan Longoria finally started to produce. Injuries seemed to have stopped the Rays star before he homered and hit two doubles in Game 3 in a 5-2 victory. Carlos Pena, who missed Game 2 with an injury, came back in Game 4 with two extra-base hits.

The Rays are aware that playing in the tomb-like dome at Tropicana Field isn’t necessarily the overwhelming home-field edge a team wants in Game 5. Rays’ players have criticized their fans for not properly supporting the AL East champions.

“I still want to believe there is a home-field advantage and hopefully that’s going to show up,” manager Joe Maddon said. “The extra game at home, I have been talking about it all along.”

**Texas sends Cliff Lee, who hasn’t lost in six postseason starts, to the hill against 19-game winner David Price in a rematch from Game 1. If the Rays win they will join the 2001 Yankees as the only teams to lose the first two games at home and still win a five-game series.

** The Texas-Tampa Bay winner opens the AL Championship Series Friday against the Yankees.
After dispatching the Twins once again, New York will have C.C. Sabathia, Andy Pettite and Phil Hughes lined up to start in the ALCS. Obviously, their opponent would only be able to counter with their ace (Lee or Price) in Game 1 if Maddon or Rangers’ manager Ron Washington opted to use today’s pitcher on three days rest.

** The lefty Lee’s start means the Rays lose some punch. Lefty-swinging catcher John Jaso won’t start or hit lead-off. Right-hand hitter Kelly Shoppach started behind the plate against Lee in the opener.

Jaso hit .268 with a .750 OPS during the regular season. Shoppach hit .196 with a .650 OPS. Jaso leaves a hole at the top of the order, but Shoppach has the edge on the 27-year-old defensively.

** The man who created sabermetric study of baseball performance insists that Lincecum turned in more dominating division series pitching performances than did Halladay in no-hitting the Reds.

Bill James wrote Friday that Lincecum’s 14-strikeout, two-hit complete game was a more dominant performance, based on sabermetric analysis, than Halladay’s no-hitter.

James gives great worth to Lincecum’s 14 K’s. He called baseball a “game of individual matchups in the guise of a team game.” So, a pitcher who can record 14 of 27 outs without involving a defender other than the catcher is supremely dominant.