Brad Miller is awesome. There are players who you root for because -- while their talent level is low -- they have high character and are fun. Miller has both features, making him especially easy to root for. Yeah, regression this and small sample that. Who cares? It's been awesome to watch and provides some really nice hope for the future, which is all we really can hope for right now, right?
Southpaw Felix Doubront has a triple slash against of .251/.335/.393 versus opposite handed batters this season. Meanwhile, lefties have hit .298/.352/.417 off of him. While the delta in those splits were marginal, they were massive in 2011, which was spent mostly at Triple-A. In 2012, also primarily in Pawtucket, he ran almost identical splits. My point: there's no evidence that Doubront is a tough lefty that you should platoon against.
Brad Miller is leading off, Raul Ibanez is batting third and Kyle Seager will hit fifth. Huzzah!
Meanwhile, Dustin Ackley is getting yet another night off so Jason Bay can go do Jason Bay things. Hey, maybe Ackley's thumb still hurts, but he he did start five of six games recently before this recent stretch of alternating off-on-off days. So the lefty on the hill seems like a pretty reasonable reason for his benching.
My gripe is that things have been pretty exciting the last few games for the Mariners. Using this opportunity to get Ackley right would likely send us all into a state of euphoric shock. Miller, Ibanez and Seager have earned the right not to be platooned. Jason Bay, however, offers no present or future value to this club. Ackley may never revert to his 2011 man-crush-inducing excitement levels. But sitting for games like this surely won't help, either.
So, a question to you all: Am I delusional? Should I give up hope? Or, would you have started Dustin Ackley tonight, too?
Lineups
2. Shane Victorino (S) RF
3. Dustin Pedroia (R) 2B
4. David Ortiz (L) DH
5. Mike Napoli (R) 1B
6. Daniel Nava (S) LF
7. Jarrod Saltalamacchia (S) C
8. Jose Iglesias (R) SS
9. Brock Holt (L) 3B
LHP Felix Doubront
Seattle Mariners
1. Brad Miller (L) SS
1. Brad Miller (L) SS
2. Nick Franklin (S) 2B
3. Raul Ibanez (L) LF
4. Kendrys Morales (S) DH
5. Kyle Seager (L) 3B
6. Jason Bay (R) RF
7. Justin Smoak (S) 1B
8. Michael Saunders (L) CF
9. Henry Blanco (R) C
RHP Aaron Harang