So Monday night I actually went to my first ballgame of the year, more by chance than anything else. While many people are focused on the failed Dodgers comeback and the disappointing out Manny Ramirez made to end the game with the bases loaded, there is something else that caught my attention. With two outs, Orlando Hudson on third, and the Dodgers trailing by one, Rafael Furcal decided to drop down a bunt. The only way I would forgive him here is if the squeeze was on, but I never saw Orlando Hudson break for home which makes me think it wasn’t, and that Furcal acted independently (or Hudson missed the sign). Of course you can’t count on anyone in the media to write about the play (much less ask about it) so I can’t be certain.
Regardless, it’s worth noting that with the game on the line and the chance to be a hero, Furcal appeared to want nothing to do with the bat. I’m guessing it’s because he’s hitting .266 with barely any power that he doesn’t have confidence. How else can you explain a guy dropping a bunt down with two outs and the tying run on third? How is that going to help the team score a run? That may be a good strategy if the team needs a run in the 9th and you’re leading off the inning, but not when it needs one driven in. That to me was Furcal’s way of saying he didn’t want any part of the clutch situation and that he’d rather let Andre Ethier handle the pressure. He probably would have been better off swinging away. You telling me that mentality’s going to work in the playoffs?
