By Blaidd Drwg
Joe Maddon did something in a recent Rays-Tigers game that I doubt you will ever see again. Let me set the stage – It is the bottom of the 5th and the score is tied at 1 each. Matt Moore, the Rays uber-prospect pitcher is on the hill and he has been a bit shaky. He gets Gerald Laird to strike out and then Danny Worth to fly out, bringing up leadoff hitter Austin Jackson. Here is what happens next:
Austin Jackson – Strike (swinging), Ball, Ball, Ball, Ball, A Jackson walked
Brennan Boesch – Strike (looking), B Boesch singled to right center, A Jackson to third
Runners on the corner and 2 outs with Miguel Cabrera, arguably the most dangerous hitter in the league, up with Prince Fielder, who is no slouch with the bat, hitting behind him. Moore quickly falls behind 2-0, so what does Maddon do, he orders an intentional walk of course, loading the bases.
I wasn’t watching the game so I don’t know if Maddon saw something in the scouting report that made him think that Fielder is the better matchup (Fielder is a career .217 hitter with bases loaded and 2 outs) or if he just thought that a lefty-lefty matchup was the better choice. Either way, it is not often that you will see a 40 home run hitter intentionally walked to face a different 40 home run hitter.
Either way, it worked. Fielder popped out to end the inning.
FlatbreadGarden 
Maybe he was trying to get into Fielder’s head. The reporters will bring it up again in the playoffs if the two teams play one another.
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