Not trade him. Not release him. Just get him out of the CLEANUP SPOT!!! Why do managers insist on putting his putrid .140 avg. fourth in the batting order. He shouldn't even be playing everyday in my opinion, but can't they at least put him in the seventh hole or something? That is like batting your pitcher 4th (even though Matt Morris has a higher avg. right now)
Bases loaded, top of the fifth, 2 outs, Dempster struggling, a single would give the Bucs the lead, and Laroche strikes out. He is now batting a robust .135. Only our beloved Pirates would have a cleanup hitter like that.
Yep, I think twice this series. I saw him strand 5 runners. The Cubs basically pitched around McLouth and Bay and then came right after LaRoche, and why not?
He's really disappointing, I was hoping this could be his year. It still may be, but Russell needs to wake him up. Let's see some old school managing on the kid.
What's bad is that Pinella had a lefty, Marshall, warmed up and ready to go. He didn't even feel it was necessary to use him there.
It's 5-3, down by 2 with the bases loaded. game in the balance, and Pinella sticks with a righty that is losing it. That should tell you all you need to know about lalalalalalalRoche
Hey I am not for a minute a Major League Manager but if I'm putting a line up ou there right now it would look like this> >
1. Mclouth CF
2. Sanchez 3B
3. Doumit C
4. Nady RF
5. Meinkie 1B
6. McCoutchen LF
7. Wlison/Bixler
8 Jason Bowers 2nd
Piching Rotation:
Van Benshoten
Snell
Burnett
Duke
Gorzo
Bull Pen:
Morris
Bayliss
Marte
Capps
and you fill inthe blanks..
This line up ma not hit t aton of extra bases, but as of now they can't run, catch or throw either...Play defense and a put some more speed in the line up...we will had to go back to the days of Lloyd McClendon and play small ball..thats if we can keep the ball in the park..
B-man, good call, you have to keep LaRoche in the lineup or he never gets the ab's he needs to start hitting well, but he should be in the 6th spot when Doumit is playing. The Cubs pitched around Bay everytime he had an RBI chance. The whole point of trading for Adam was to stop that from happening.
Something's gotta give in this offense, with LaRoche at .132, Bautista struggling to find any pop, and an easy out with Bixler, we only have 5 viable hitters in the batting order. We just cannot come close to competing with that kind of swiss cheese lineup.
I don't think we need to pull him from the lineup I just think that we need to move him out of the 4 hole. I think our best lineup with what we have right now is this.....
McLouth
Sanchez
Bay
Doumit
Nady
Laroche
Bautista - hopefully Neil Walker is ready soon......
Bixler/Rivas/Gomez - When Jack comes back, this is where he needs to be.
jdakanwv, I like your lineup and I agree wholeheartedly.
roarlion = I forgot about Pinella's boys warming up in the pen. Good (yet embarrasing) point.
And how about Slaton10 with a shout out for the Uniontown boy. (I am still proud of the fact that I struck Bowers out on 3 consecutive knuckleballs in county league lightyears ago)
Quality at bats from Laroche is all we as fans are demanding. He doesn't have to hit a homerun everytime he's up, just make the pitcher work.
LaRoche is 0-4 tonight. This is absolutely ridiculous. We should move Pearce back to 1B and don't even bother trying to sign LaRoche after this season. Trade him by the deadline and be done.
Well at least tonight they finally put LaRoche in the 6 hole. They didnt score much, but I like the move and I think that until he starts to hit better,. he needs to stay there. And Jason Bay needs to pick it up, this isnt just a LaRoche problem, Bay has started better than he did last year, but its still not where he needs to be. I think instead of trading some of our guys for prospects, we need to trade for some guys who can hit for average and steal some bases so we can score more runs. That man could be McCutcheon. pittsports85, I like the way you got that lineup, Bay doesnt need or isnt hitting well enough where hes at, I like dropping him in the order, like LaRoche and letting Doumit and Nady, who are hitting well, to be driving in McClouth and Sanchez.
I would keep Adam LaRoche in the lineup though, after Jason Bay. he at leasts has the power if he ever wakes up, Doug Mientkiewicz doesnt have much power and id still let Xavier Nady stay at 3rd and leave LaRoche at 1st, his defense has been decent anyways. Just my thought.
jdakanwv, i agree with your lineup. It was proven out on Tuesday night. In the 6th, Sanchez singles, Bay singles, Doumit doubles, Nady singles. Three runs. Next up LaRoche, fly to right, inning over. Had he been in the 4 hole, the rally couldn't have happened. I really like LaRoche, but he is struggling so badly that Russell has to keep him in the 6 spot until he figures things out.
