The "Genius"

For all you fans keeping score out there, Cubs’ manager Joe “Genius” Maddon spent all of last year batting his pitchers eighth.  This season, he’s walked Bryce Harper thirteen times in a four-game series, used a five-man infield defense and, this week, spit into the wind, twice.  And he came out of it with a dry face.

In Monday’s game against the Nationals, Maddon twice instructed his pitcher to walk a batter with runners on first and second.  That’s right, the Cubs’ skipper went with a strategy that put a second runner in scoring position.  And he got away with it.  Part of me wishes he hadn’t while a bigger part of me is glad he did.  Here’s why.

As the season starts to have games that count, Mr. Maddon will be tempted to show how smart he is, again and again.  If it works in September, he’ll keep doing it in October.  Everybody plays hunches, I get that, although Maddon will probably say his moves are more stat-driven than not.  I beg to differ.  You never, ever, put two runners in scoring position via the intentional walk unless the other team is batting a corpse, and even then your pitcher could hit him, or it, with a pitch.

Of course, I could be wrong.  There was a time I wished Maddon were on the South Side.  I don’t necessarily want to stick with Robin, but not all geniuses are what they’re cracked up to be.  Right, Joe?