Now Batting for the Reds, Left Fielder… Darnell McDonald? Again?

According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Darnell McDonald will start in left field again tonight. 

I just wonder why we, as Reds fans, are continually surprised when Dusty does things like this. Marty Brennaman would no doubt call this “unmitigated lunacy.”

Who is pulling the levers here anyway?

You might remember when Dusty Baker got upset when he was questioned about his continuing to start Chris Dickerson. It seemed as though Dusty played him to spite the opinions of the fans and media. Dusty’s reasoning was that moving people around doesn’t display confidence in anyone. 

So I guess starting Darnell McDonald over Laynce Nix, or even Chris Dickerson, simply because he bats from the right side of the plate doesn’t show a lack of confidence in the other two guys. Right.

A few days later, Dusty was whistling a different tune. He said that he sat down with Dickerson and told him Laynce Nix would be taking the majority of the time in left field. 

My question is, was this a Dusty move, or did that light bulb go off after a meeting with Walt Jocketty? Who knows.

If Big Walt was the one who persuaded Dusty to usher Dickerson to his seat on the bench, when will he do the same concerning Darnell McDonald? How many times will McDonald be allowed to embarrass himself, the club, and the entire fanbase?

Perhaps Walt needs to shorthand Dusty of poor quality players so he will be forced not to use them on a nightly basis.

How sad is that? Every manager and general manager cliche you’ve ever heard has something to do with trying to put the best possible team on the field every single day. Any lineup composed of Darnell McDonald and Alex Gonzalez is quite a departure from that.

To revisit my point about Dusty Baker managing his team; it seems as though Dusty is saying that Laynce Nix cannot and will not hit left handed pitching, even if that pitcher is Jamie Moyer. Nix will never improve against lefty’s as long as he’s not allowed to hit against them, and so far, that’s exactly what is happening. 

I’m no big fan of Chris Dickerson, but his stats against left handed pitching are better than that of Laynce Nix. So why doesn’t Dusty take advantage of this golden opportunities to start one of his golden boys?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Darnell McDonald is one of his golden boys too. My bad.

This argument would be settled if there were a viable option from the right side of the box to hit for Nix, but there isn’t. At least not in Cincinnati.

The best way to deal with Darnell, from the perspective in my cushy position as arm-chair GM, would be to designate him for assignment and call up Johnny Gomes as soon as humanly possible. 

I’ve written this before and I’ll continue to do so until McDonald is gone.

But for the time being, do whatever is necessary to keep your better players on the field.

Whether that’s starting Rosales in left and Hairston at third base or visa-versa, or if it’s seeing how Laynce can perform against lefties, or even if it’s playing Chris Dickerson against the left handers, it doesn’t matter. All we ask is for the Reds to put the best possible team on the field and when Darnell McDonald is out there, that isn’t possible.