It wasn't all that long ago that Edgar Renteria was considered among the top three or four shortstops in the game ... and if his Opening Day performance forecasts anything (hint: it usually doesn't), it's that Renteria could be headed back to those lofty heights. In the Braves' 10-inning victory today, Renteria hit both the game-tying and the game-winning home runs, essentially giving the Braves the Opening Day win. What's especially funny is that Renteria tried to bunt the first two pitches of his 10th-inning at bat, and after failing twice, swung away, hitting the game-winner.
"I'm a bunting guy," said Renteria, who has 82 career sacrifices. "I'll try and move the guy to second every time. That's my game. Sometimes you hit the ball good and the ball goes out."The basic statistical consensus suggests that it's usually a bad idea to sacrifice bunt, because a single out is usually far more valuable than moving a runner from first to second ... but if ever there was an anecdotal argument against the sacrifice bunt, Renteria's at bat is it.
