Not to pile on, but...
Catcher Ramon Hernandez has been a popular, and easily hit, target again this season because of his defensive lapses.
Last night, he chose to flip the ball to reliever Kam Mickolio, who was racing toward the plate on a wild pitch, rather than making a stronger overhand throw, and the tying run scored. There's no way to know whether an out would have been recorded otherwise, but Hernandez certainly didn't improve the odds with a casual flip that's normally reserved for first basemen on plays when the pitcher is covering the bag.
And in the first inning tonight, he received shortstop Juan Castro's relay throw on Alex Rodriguez's double, but failed to block the plate as Johnny Damon slid underneath him with the first run.
Hernandez had his foot on the plate, but actually took a step back after catching the ball. He never got into a crouch, remaining upright before applying a late tag.
Manager Dave Trembley argued the call with umpire Joe West, but replays showed that Damon was safe. It wasn't even that close, which is mindboggling, considering that the ball arrived ahead of Damon.
Hernandez is putting up decent offensive numbers - 14 homers and 56 RBIs aren't an atrocity - but his defense, energy level and handling of pitchers haven't matched the scouting reports that accompanied his arrival in December 2005, when he signed a four-year contract.
He should have prevented that run from scoring. Instead, by refusing to crouch down and brace for contact, he widened the target on his back.
Worst defensive catcher in the league... It would be nice if he could make up for his inability with a little bit of effort or even a sign that he's not a raging wuss...
How much more do we hav to put up with the lack of effort from this joker? Please for the love of god put Quiroz in. He may not be a better hitter but he sure can feild better and he still cares!
Ramon is suffering from a bout of PMS. Pre Matt Syndrome.
Ramone stopped trying last year. I don't know why but he just doesn't have passion for the game anymore. When your intensity for the game is that low, you should just retire.
The unlovely truth may just be that Ramon is protecting Ramon. He's set financially, he's getting older, it could be that simple. But I'll bet guys like Millar and Markakis and others seethe when they see him put himself ahead of the team. Trembley can't take a multi-million dollar catcher out for a .203 hitting backup, no matter what the circumstances.
It certainly is odd that he has gotten so lazy on defense and clearly is still trying offensively. Usually when I player decides to quit on his teammates, all aspects of his game diminish. While his hitting has dramatically decreased since his first season here, his numbers are still better than quite a few catchers in the league. Why Dave "no nonsense" Trembley hasn't chastized his play publicly or by simply benching him is behind my comprehensiion. Seems like a complete contradiction to his philosophy.
Oh well
The only reason I can figure why Ramon stood up is he thought Damon was going to try and run him over and knock the ball loose. If that had been the case, he would have been in position for the collision. However, it was still a bad move to make since after catching the ball if he lunged toward Damon, he could have gotten him whether he slid or not. It's headscratching to say the least.
In any event, it was one of three plays in the first inning that turned a potential 1-0 Oriole lead into a 2-0 Yankee lead, the other two being the bad throw to Guthrie covering 1st and Roberts being doubled off 2nd because he stood and watched instead of going back to the bag. The whole game turned on these three 1st inning miscues.