Sexton and the strike zone

Just a quick thought on last nights game. Watching Sexton come up in a tie game with the bases loaded in the 9th inning...

Would it have killed him to:
1) Take a pitch
2) Swing at a pitch in the strike zone
3) Not swing at a pitch around his ankles?

Three pitches, three swings, three barely-out-of-the-dirt sliders that weren't even close to strikes. I like Sexton, but that play killed me. I also wasn't a huge fan of Rivera bunting Morse to second, because you knew Ichiro would get walked and you just gave up an out. I also know every manager in baseball makes that move, despite the numbers.

All in all a frustrating game to watch.