Bruce Bochy makes wrong call sending Matt Moore out for no-hitter

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Few managers handle their pitchers and bullpen better than San Francisco’s Bruce Bochy, but the three-time World Series winner made the wrong call on Thursday night.

Bochy allowed pitcher Matt Moore to bat for himself to lead off the top of the 9th inning against the Dodgers despite throwing 119 pitches in the game so that the hurler could attempt to close out a no-hitter.

Moore was spared when Enrique Hernandez lined a ball to left-center that was robbed on a brilliant catch from Denard Span. Howie Kendrick then grounded out for the second out of the inning. That brought up Corey Seager, who battled and then blooped a single to shallow right.

Moore went from 119 pitches to 133 when Seager got the hit. He was lifted for Santiago Casilla, who recorded the final out to end the game and preserve the shutout — a 4-0 victory for the Giants.

Typically I support letting a pitcher go for history, but in this case I was against it. It all has to do with Moore’s pitch count, injury history, and the projected difficulty in closing out the no-hitter.

Moore tore a ligament in his elbow in 2014 and underwent Tommy John surgery. His recovery spilled into 2015, resulting in him making just 12 starts last season. For a guy who’s in his first full season back from Tommy John, throwing 133 pitches — the most of any starter in a game this season — is a risky proposition.

Once you get past 100 or so pitches, the common belief is that each subsequent pitch can result in more significant damage to one’s arm. Pitchers are laboring so much by that point that they are more prone to hurting themselves. Plus, Bochy knew Moore would have to retire Hernandez, Kendrick and Seager — three tough hitters — which would diminish the likelihood of a 1-2-3 inning, all while elevating his pitch count.

You have to wonder why the Giants would treat a pitcher they just traded three players for last month so carelessly. Bochy explained his thinking:

Bochy and Moore met after eighth, Moore said he felt great. Bochy: "It"s hard to deny a veteran when he has a chance to make history."

— Alex Pavlovic (@AlexPavlovic) August 26, 2016

The Giants certainly did not appear to be protecting their asset on Thursday night.

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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Matt Ryan: Julio Jones ‘doing OK’ after ankle injury

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Julio Jones gave his fans a scare when he left Thursday night’s preseason game with an ankle injury.

Jones was termed questionable to return to the Atlanta Falcons’ game against the Miami Dolphins, but he was held out for the rest of the game as a precaution.

@Jefflosh @The_Jerk_Forum Low ankle sprain mechanism for Julio Jones. Stayed on sideline. pic.twitter.com/VDLXN34gV1”

— Andy Montgomery (@golfingmonty) August 26, 2016

It sounds like the injury was not very serious.

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn told NBC that Jones could have returned to the game if it were the regular season. Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan also did not seem worried about his top target.

“I think he’ll be OK,” Ryan said of Jones during an interview with NBC’s Michele Tafoya. “You never like seeing someone go down especially in the preseason, but I think he’s doing OK.”

Jones caught 136 passes for 1,871 yards and eight touchdowns last season and remains one of the most productive receivers in the league. Falcons fans can exhale knowing that Jones should be fine.

Football – Larry Brown Sports
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Ron Fowler rips former players, calls Matt Kemp’s letter ‘bunch of BS’

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Prior to last season, the Padres dramatically re-shaped their roster, making numerous additions in an attempt to challenge for a division title. Two of the more prominent names, James Shields and Matt Kemp, are now gone. On Wednesday, Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler didn’t hold back on expressing his feelings about the former members of the organization.

Shields was traded in early June to the White Sox and Kemp was shipped to the Braves last week after neither lived up to expectations placed on them when they arrived. Part of the problem, atleast according to Fowler, was related to their attitudes.

“We made a conscious decision to ship them out because we want people that are prepared to improve,” Fowler said, via The San Diego Tribune. “If you’re making a lot of money and you think you’re already there, you’re not going to get better.”

After being traded, Kemp wrote a letter published on The Players’ Tribune where he talked about the reputation he gained for being selfish and lazy. While Kemp feels much of it was not warranted and declared those days in the rear view mirror, Fowler went as far as to call the outfielder’s words “a bunch of BS.”

“You saw Kemp’s letter. Talk about a bunch of BS,” Fowler said.

After a 16-4 loss to the Mariners earlier this season, Fowler called Shields’ performance an “embarrassment to the team” so we know he’s not shy about expressing his feelings on players. It’s understandable Fowler would be disappointed the team’s moves didn’t produce better results. He wants to see a winner in San Diego as much as the fans do. One thing is for sure, we know what type of player won’t be welcome around Petco Park anytime soon.

H/T The Big Lead

Baseball – Larry Brown Sports
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