'Ian Kinsler finished 1-for-3 with a double, two walks and an RBI in Monday's loss in Seattle.
Kinsler's modest seven-game hitting streak was snapped on Sunday against the Rays, but he didn't waste any time getting back on track. The most promising stat of the night was his two walks, as he entered the game with just three free passes over his past 23 outings.'
A rant is coming. You were forewarned.
Who gives a rat's ass that Kinsler walked twice?
Who friggin cares?
Kinsler did not score after either of those base on balls!
Did he help his team?
Did he help his fantasy owners?
Did he help himself?
HELL NO!
It did help the pitcher.
And in some weird way, it helped this writer who seems to think along with the old sabr mentality that a walk, any walk, is a good thing!
What a load of crap!
The Tigers lineup is not hitting very well.
VMart wasn't hitting before and certainly isn't hitting now on the dl.
Miggy has become a shell of himself.
And JD Martinez and Justin Upton are hitting too far down the lineup to make a Kinsler walk, a run.
A walk for Kinsler is a waste.
He has to generate his own offense, much as he has done his career.
Kinsler has walked over 65 times just once in his career.
He has scored over 100 runs six times.
Who needs a walk?
He has over 70 rbi in eight of his last nine years.
Ian Kinsler is a hitter!
They put him at the leadoff spot to generate runs. NOT by walking, but by hitting.
He hasn't stolen 20 bases in five years.
A walk is not a good thing for Kinsler, you stupid writer!
It's simply a pitcher being wild and Kinsler not seeing a likeable pitch.
Put some damned thought into your blurb!
Instead, you just fall on the old sabr sword that a walk, any walk, is a good thing.
BAH!
EDIT- And when will these writers all quit classifying strike outs as a horrible thing?
The harder players swing the bat, the more chance of missing the baseball.
If Giancarlo Stanton strikes out three times and hits a three run homer, I'm good with that
Sometimes, the bad outcome, once, twice, or even thrice, is outweighed by the good consequnce in the other at bat.
Ten players have hit seven home runs in June.
All of them have struck out at least 10 times. Three of them, 20 times.
I don't care.
Strike outs are an alarming statistic for somebody who is not 'getting it'.'
Byron Buxton for example.
These fellas want to group a Byron Buxton type with a Chris Davis.
Stupidity.
Strike out 200 times, Chris Davis!
Fantasy owners are willing to pay five strike outs for every homer.
We know that cost going in.
If Davis goes three games without striking out, THAT may concern us more than if he had struck out fifve times during the same period.
Strikeouts are rising. There are more and more hitters going for long balls.
The strike out is collateral damage.
Contact rates are being replaced by MPH off the bat.
These hitters know where the bread is buttered.
Merely putting a bat on the ball is mundane.
Making that ball go over 100 MPH?
Gold.
And if strikeouts are the result?
There is always another at bat.