June 30th vs. Texas

[schillingouttheks]

show me something Ortiz and Manny

 

Now would be a great time for the power surge to come back.

[ORS]

Timlin pitches and no runs score? We are so winning this game. The Hebrew Hammer gets on, Papi with some magic.

[a700hitter]

show me something Ortiz and Manny

Wow! What have you done for me lately. This is the best hitting tandem we'll ever see in our lifetime on the Red Sox.

[Rdsxmbnt]

Wow! What have you done for me lately. This is the best hitting tandem we'll ever see in our lifetime on the Red Sox.

 

never said they werent but it would be nice to end the HR drought here

[schillingouttheks]

Wow! What have you done for me lately. This is the best hitting tandem we'll ever see in our lifetime on the Red Sox.

 

It is, but they haven't played like it at all. There's been a terrible power outage and I'm praying it gets switched back on.

[CrespoBlows]

Could have had this guy for two more million.

 

PINERO IS DUHREABLE!!!

[riverside sluggers]

Hey Lugo... i bet you cant wait for your next AB at Fenway

[a700hitter]

It is' date=' but they haven't played like it at all. There's been a terrible power outage and I'm praying it gets switched back on.[/quote']The pitchers are not challenging them with the fastball. papi got one over the inside corner that he could only hit foul. Manny got one over the outside edge in the first 3 pitches.

[riverside sluggers]

Lugo will be found at the bottom of Boston Harbor soon enough

[schillingouttheks]

I don't think I've ever been so irritated with this team before. Sure, I've endured heartbreak...but that's expected. Last year there were the injuries. This year they're in first place, sure...but they're so f***ing irritating sometimes. There was no excuse to lose this game.

 

At least Toronto and New York lost. Thank God they both suck, because I can tell you this much...the Sox have their lead because the other teams suck; not because they've been playing well. They better right the ship soon. If they're still playing like this at the end of the year and they somehow manage to make the playoffs, they'll be swept out of the first round.

[a700hitter]

Lugo will be found at the bottom of Boston Harbor soon enough

he should do what the celebrities do when their lives are spiraling out of control and check himself into rehab.

[KeepTheFaith1229]

Clutch Papi! Great job today. Way to keep the pressure on after scoring 4 in the first 2 innings.

[ORS]

Nut punch loss. A handful of s*** hits in a tough inning against our ace and a purely squanderous offensive effort after the 2nd. Lugo has hit bottom as a baseball player.

[a700hitter]

I don't think I've ever been so irritated with this team before. Sure, I've endured heartbreak...but that's expected. Last year there were the injuries. This year they're in first place, sure...but they're so f***ing irritating sometimes. There was no excuse to lose this game.

 

At least Toronto and New York lost. Thank God they both suck, because I can tell you this much...the Sox have their lead because the other teams suck; not because they've been playing well.

No excuse at all.

[Rdsxmbnt]

The pitchers are not challenging them with the fastball. papi got one over the inside corner that he could only hit foul. Manny got one over the outside edge in the first 3 pitches.

 

So what then have they been figured out in this situation or something? Idk, but I can guarentee Papi of 2003-2006 wouldnt have struck out on a half-hearted swing like that and Manny would have at least had a better AB than that. I hate to criticize them since they are amazing players but when they are down like this it hurts the team a lot.

[schillingouttheks]

he should do what the celebrities do when their lives are spiraling out of control and check himself into rehab.

 

He may have to take the A-Rod route and check into a shrink when the Boston fans are done with him.

[a700hitter]

Nut punch loss. A handful of s*** hits in a tough inning against our ace and a purely squanderous offensive effort after the 2nd. Lugo has hit bottom as a baseball player.

He left too many balls in the middle of the plate. It was a 2006 Beckett performance. It was like his start against the Rangers at home last June, but Papi hit the 3 run walk-off jack to win that one.

[schillingouttheks]

On a positive note: the month of June is over. July's a new month...and it's here in an hour and a half.

[riverside sluggers]

Tito said in the press conference that Lugo stealing had taken everyone in the dugout by surprise. I wont be surprised if he doesnt start tomorrow as well. Tina Cervasio is actually going to try and talk with him

 

Next 2 games

Tavarez vs Loe

Gabbard vs Eyre

 

How about some positives. We got to see the debut of Ellsbury, as he displayed his speed to get his 1st major league hit. The bullpen did their job (Lopez, Snyder) tossing 4 scoreless innings while striking out 5

[a700hitter]

show me something Ortiz and Manny

These two guys have .388 and .434 OBP's and they are not performing up to their usual standards. That's how great they are. I can't see criticizing them.

 

Edit: The teams that have more HRs than the Red Sox have a better distribution of power threats in their lineup. Drew has 6. I think 3 or 4 came in a single week. Youk hit one in June. Varitek and even Lowell have not hit a lot of long balls lately. We've got two big bangers in the middle of the lineup and no legit long ball threats anywhere else.

[Rdsxmbnt]

These two guys have .388 and .434 OBP's and they are not performing up to their usual standards. That's how great they are. I can't see criticizing them.

 

Im talking about right now during this series and the road trip specifically. They are great hitters but they are struggling right now, both of them, and they aren't Julio Lugo up there but they have sub .800 OPS over this span and we're losing games. This season more than ever its easy to see how much we rely on them to produce and when they are producing even just average it hurts the team a lot. In past seasons if Youk-Ortiz-Manny were coming up in the 9th down one run there was a very good chance of winning that game no matter who's on the mound, but the Ortiz type moments and Manny moments that have saved us many times in the past are non-existant this season. We need them to produce like superstars all the time, thats asking a ton and normally they are but bottom line when they are struggling so is the team.

[MANNYHOF24]

Is any body eles worried about the declining power of Ortiz and Ramirez. I am.

[riverside sluggers]

Im talking about right now during this series and the road trip specifically. They are great hitters but they are struggling right now' date=' both of them, and they aren't Julio Lugo up there but they have sub .800 OPS over this span and we're losing games. This season more than ever its easy to see how much we rely on them to produce and when they are producing even just average it hurts the team a lot. In past seasons if Youk-Ortiz-Manny were coming up in the 9th down one run there was a very good chance of winning that game no matter who's on the mound, but the Ortiz type moments and Manny moments that have saved us many times in the past are non-existant this season. We need them to produce like superstars all the time, thats asking a ton and normally they are but bottom line when they are struggling so is the team.[/quote']

 

I do see where you are getting at. Good obp's are just pluses for them. We need our 3-4 guys to drive in the runs, not just take walks. Ortiz and Ramirez this June combined for 7 Hrs, 23 RBIs... usually thats what you would get from each of them in a month

[a700hitter]

I do see where you are getting at. Good obp's are just pluses for them. We need our 3-4 guys to drive in the runs' date=' not just take walks. Ortiz and Ramirez this June combined for 7 Hrs, 23 RBIs... usually thats what you would get from each of them in a month[/quote']

Pitchers have realized that it's better to put them on and let the guys after them pop up or worse case scenario get a run scoring single. It beats a 3 run jack.

[MANNYHOF24]

Pitchers have realized that it's better to put them on and let the guys after them pop up or worse case scenario get a run scoring single. It beats a 3 run jack.

 

This is not a fact what so ever, but it seems to me that Ortiz and Manny have gotten much less to hit this season. That may be an excuse but that's just the way I have percieved it. I hope they both it 10 hrs each in July. That would be nice.

[a700hitter]

This is not a fact what so ever' date=' but it seems to me that Ortiz and Manny have gotten much less to hit this season. That may be an excuse but that's just the way I have percieved it. I hope they both it 10 hrs each in July. That would be nice.[/quote']Pitchers are not challenging them as much. The guys around them have to start hurting pitchers with the long ball. Youk is doing great, but when he's batting 5th, I'd rather let him get the single then risk the other two guys hitting bombs. Drew has shown little long ball pop. The only other guy with pop is Lowell. Maybe he should be behind them. He's not the best hitter of the rest, but he'll hit over 20 jacks and he gets a ton of doubles.

[Rdsxmbnt]

I do see where you are getting at. Good obp's are just pluses for them. We need our 3-4 guys to drive in the runs' date=' not just take walks. Ortiz and Ramirez this June combined for 7 Hrs, 23 RBIs... usually thats what you would get from each of them in a month[/quote']

 

exactly, Ortiz and Manny getting on base a ton has worked well up to this point in the season because the guys behind him like Lowell and Tek were racking up the RBIs behind them even when Drew/Youk were struggling in the #5 spot. But when Manny and Ortiz get on base (or dont) and guys behind them like Lowell and Tek cool off your production goes way down. Ortiz is batting .229 and getting on base at a .325 clip during this road trip and including last night and Manny is batting .265 and getting on at a .333 clip. Drew is red-hot but they either arent on base as often or Drew is hitting leadoff and Tek and Lowell are cold right now. Now dont jump on me for "calling out" Manny and Ortiz I'm simply stating, we are playing poor baseball right now and not scoring runs. When Manny and Ortiz aren't producing neither will the offense, this won't hold up for much longer but simply put this is why we are losing games and not scoring runs.

[a700hitter]

exactly' date=' Ortiz and Manny getting on base a ton has worked well up to this point in the season because the guys behind him like Lowell and Tek were racking up the RBIs behind them even when Drew/Youk were struggling in the #5 spot. But when Manny and Ortiz get on base (or dont) and guys behind them like Lowell and Tek cool off your production goes way down. Ortiz is batting .229 and getting on base at a .325 clip during this road trip and including last night and Manny is batting .265 and getting on at a .333 clip. Drew is red-hot but they either arent on base as often or Drew is hitting leadoff and Tek and Lowell are cold right now. Now dont jump on me for "calling out" Manny and Ortiz I'm simply stating, we are playing poor baseball right now and not scoring runs. When Manny and Ortiz aren't producing neither will the offense, this won't hold up for much longer but simply put this is why we are losing games and not scoring runs.[/quote']I'm not going to jump on you for your opinion. I just think that it is Manny and Ortiz that make the other guys around them better hitters, not the other way around. Once the other guys go cold, there is less of a reason to pitch to Manny and Ortiz. When the guys around them are going well, they will get a ton of RBI, but there is still no reason to challenge the big boys over the heart of the plate, because the guys around them will only hurt them with singles. I've been saying it for two years that any pitcher that throws a fastball to Ortiz needs his head examined, and I would kill my pitcher if he threw Manny anyting other than a slider..ever.

[example1]

I don't think I've ever been so irritated with this team before. Sure, I've endured heartbreak...but that's expected. Last year there were the injuries. This year they're in first place, sure...but they're so f***ing irritating sometimes. There was no excuse to lose this game.

 

At least Toronto and New York lost. Thank God they both suck, because I can tell you this much...the Sox have their lead because the other teams suck; not because they've been playing well. They better right the ship soon. If they're still playing like this at the end of the year and they somehow manage to make the playoffs, they'll be swept out of the first round.

 

I guess. I think there are some teams in baseball who do not suck, and none of them have a better record than the Sox. So the Sox may suck, but then so does everyone else.

 

They will be at a completely different place 3 months from now, whether for better or worse.

[schillingouttheks]

I guess. I think there are some teams in baseball who do not suck, and none of them have a better record than the Sox. So the Sox may suck, but then so does everyone else.

 

They will be at a completely different place 3 months from now, whether for better or worse.

 

Well, they did just have a 14-15 record in June, only to somehow manage to maintain a double-digit lead in the East and be tied for the best record in the bigs. I don't know how that happens, but it means that the other teams have been sucking as well. (I know they happen to be the best team in baseball despite this slump, but a lot of what I said was out of pure frustration after losing a game that they were supposed to win.)

 

I know they'll be a different team 3 months from now. Let's hope it's for better. I have to close this thread now, but if you want to respond to this post do it in the most recent gamethread.