Ian Desmond - Repeat Offender

In a post a couple of weeks back, I lamented how Ian Desmond's lack of discipline at the plate is sabotaging his five-tool talent - leaving the former All-Star batting around .240 when he his average could easily 30-40 points higher.

Exhibit A was a first inning strikeout against the Astros with runners in scoring position. In that six-pitch at bat, Desmond swung his at each pitch, even though not one of these pitches was even close to being a strike.

Exhibit B on Monday night was even more frustrating to watch, and ended up being the key at bat in what would eventually would become an 8-2 extra inning loss to the Orioles.

With the winning run on second and one out in the bottom of the ninth, Desmond faced a tough sidearming righthander in Darren O'Day. And again he came to the plate hacking away. The first pitch was a fastball over the plate but shoulder height, well out of the strike zone. But that didn't prevent Desmond from taking a futile but vicious swing.

When Desmond stepped out of the box between pitches, it almost looked like he had a bird on each shoulder whispering in each ear. The bird on his right shoulder was telling him to calm down, wait for his pitch and take the ball up the middle for a game winning single. But the bird on the left shoulder was screaming, "swing hard just in case you hit it."

The second pitch was another fastball, at least as high as the first, but this one was inside as well. With the left shoulder prevailing, Desmond took another big, empty hack. 

If O'Day wasn't already pitching to a scouting report of Desmond's free-swinging ways, he surely recognized by now that if he didn't make a mistake over the plate, that Desmond would get himself out.

The next two pitches were breaking balls well off the outside corner which Desmond was able to foul off - one squibbing awkwardly off the very tip of his bat.

Pitch number five was again outside, but close enough that most batters in protection mode would offer at. Desmond waved again on this fifth consecutive swing on what would have been "ball five" leaving our "Mighty Casey"  heading back to the dugout, mumbling to himself in frustration as the Nats best chance to pull out a victory in this taunt well-played pitchers duel, vanished into the warm night.   

 

A frustrated Desmond heads back to the dugout