6/26 The Youk-less Red Sox and Japan's National Treasure will Laffey at the Jays

[Youk Of The Nation]

Nicaraguan Nightmare wasn't bad either.

 

I thought Padilla was Venezuelan.

[NativeBostonian]

Rays are down 8-2 now!

[SoxFanForsyth]

The Rays have essentially lost too. Now down 8-2 in the ninth. We will be one behind the Rays and two behind the Orioles and Angels for the WC top spot.

 

Bad news, Rays, O's, and Angels.

 

Pedroia is heating up. Gonzo is finding his stroke (finally). And we're about to make the three biggest moves of the deadline when we get two MVP candidates and an all star closer.

[BornToRun]

10-3 in last 13.

 

27-16 (.628) in last 43 (102 win pace)

 

Beast Mode, perhaps?

[FredLynn]

Bad news, Rays, O's, and Angels.

 

Pedroia is heating up. Gonzo is finding his stroke (finally). And we're about to make the three biggest moves of the deadline when we get two MVP candidates and an all star closer.

 

Its going to come down to Beckett, Lester, and Buchholz. If they pitch well we could make a run at the Yankees. If not, we might compete for the WC.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Beast Mode' date=' perhaps?[/quote']

 

You haven't seen beast mode yet.

 

Wait until the 2nd half of the season.

[jung]

Great win for the Sox...I am a bit surprised by our lack of success against junkballers as well. I think I do understand it because it makes sense based on what I see from the Sox hitters relative to their approach to the plate....just a bit surprised that they don't make the needed adjustments. These are adjustments they should be making in any case.....never mind facing a junkballer.

 

I will be interested to see what happens when this team faces teams similarly talented that play smarter baseball, teams that play tighter baseball. This team plays pretty loosely.

[Brown28]

I love this chat. Pre-Salty homerun every comment is how we're mediocre, pissed off etc. Admittedly I was in there too. Post-Salty homerun and it's beast mode, the division should of put us away etc. Could we live and die with this team any more?

[Bellhorn04]

I thought Padilla was Venezuelan.

 

Baseball-Ref says Chinandega, Nicaragua.

[Bellhorn04]

I love this chat. Pre-Salty homerun every comment is how we're mediocre' date=' pissed off etc. Admittedly I was in there too. Post-Salty homerun and it's beast mode, the division should of put us away etc. Could we live and die with this team any more?[/quote']

 

That's game threads. There are few things funnier than reading through a game thread of a come-from-behind win.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Officially 1 game back on the Rays.

[Emmz]

I've been in supportive mode all year, telling people how it's not over. It's now looking up, AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOT CC OR ELLS BACK. On top of this, WMB is every day now, and Gonzo, once he figures it out, this is not a team to f*** with. Even then, pitching is looking like it's turning around as well. .700 ball for a couple of months sounds good to me.

[ellsburyforMVP]

What are the chance that cc and or ells will play in the Yankee series? I'm going to the Sunday night gm and would love to see a full squad out there

[Emmz]

And if Dice K craps on himself tonight' date=' there will be no more Ted mojo for some time. It is a desperation play.[/quote']

 

I'm all in favor of this new mojo, not only did Dice not s*** his shorts, he gave up just one run in almost 6 innings.

[SoxFanForsyth]

What are the chance that cc and or ells will play in the Yankee series? I'm going to the Sunday night gm and would love to see a full squad out there

 

Cherrington was on with Casey Stern and Jim Bowden today and said that Ellsbury and Crawfod will be back by the ASB.

 

Not sure if that means before or after, but I would assume before.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they are both back by the Yankees series. Gotta think, 8-10 days at 4-5 AB per game would get them there.

[jung]

Some if the discussion seems a little unrealistic because it suggests the team is going to get these guys back and suddenly start to score 10 runs per game and it just is not going to happen.

 

You can only play nine guys at a time and they have scored a fair amount of runs with the nine they toss out there day in and day out.

 

Most significant is the degree that the games hinge more and more on starting pitching as the season grinds on....to the point where even powerhouse offenses simply get controlled by the better pitchers in baseball....you see it time and time again, year in and year out.

 

We have had our SP for the bulk of the season. They have not suffered catastrophic season ending injuries to the mainstays of the rotation. We do know what they have though and like it or not....it just ain't enough.

 

To me I just think we want to ignore it because we just don't want to deal with what we really have for starting pitching relative to the teams that really have starting pitching and additionally have better starting pitching depth.

 

We already know how difficult it is for this team to win close, low scoring games. By August and September you have them in droves. It won't matter that Ells is there and CC is there and on and on...good pitching controls good hitting so much so that the best hitters in baseball end up looking like chumps.

 

I think the reason why you see even the NESN guys talking about playing for the WC is because they are not as willing to ignore the fact that we are in the bottom half of the league for SP. That just does not work. Maybe BC has a card he can play here. If he does not play it, we will be lucky to find our way to that ridiculous 1 game play in. If he does play it, maybe we get a chance to play for the division.

 

Although the reason I don't think even one more good arm gets it done is because I don't think Buch, Lester and Beckett will make it though the whole season without at least one of them suffering a truly season threatening injury....something past a 15 day DL stint.

 

It looks more and more like they will get to the end of June at least still in the hunt. However the more I look at them, the more they play, the more obvious the SP issues become and we have not even gotten the point in the season yet where the dependence on SP becomes painfully obvious to everybody.

[Brown28]

Would anyone else like to see Nava and some other pieces dealt for a quality starter? I like the kid but he aint gonna play when CC is back. Time to sell high.

[a700hitter]

Well I am not going to concede the division.

If we don't acquire a starting pitcher, it will be very difficult to catch the Yankees. Our starting pitching is just not very good. Matsuzaka was a mirage tonight. I am not counting on seeing a lot of that from him.

[a700hitter]

Cherrington was on with Casey Stern and Jim Bowden today and said that Ellsbury and Crawfod will be back by the ASB.

 

Not sure if that means before or after, but I would assume before.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if they are both back by the Yankees series. Gotta think, 8-10 days at 4-5 AB per game would get them there.

You think that they might be back for the Yankee series at Fenway?

[KCBRUIN]

Would anyone else like to see Nava and some other pieces dealt for a quality starter? I like the kid but he aint gonna play when CC is back. Time to sell high.

 

As long as we force them to take Punto I'm in.

[Youk Of The Nation]

I've been in supportive mode all year' date=' telling people how it's not over. It's now looking up, AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN GOT CC OR ELLS BACK. On top of this, WMB is every day now, and Gonzo, once he figures it out, this is not a team to f*** with. Even then, pitching is looking like it's turning around as well. .700 ball for a couple of months sounds good to me.[/quote']

 

In the words of the great Ambassador Spock of Vulcan, "Pessimism is illogical. Perhaps more so than any other time when the future of an endeavor is in the distant future"

 

In other words, it's a long season, injuries made everything look bleak, but it's getting better as some of us knew it would, so those of you who were ready to flip at the beginning of the season shoud put the safety back on your Kurt Cobrainers and relax.

 

It seems like someone has to make this post once a season around the ASB, and this year it was Emmz. The Sox will make the playoffs. If they don't, I promise to promise to buy everyone MLB.tv and then welch on the deal by claiming it was hyperbole, even with my enormous salary from my job as an NBA player.

[SoxFanForsyth]

You think that they might be back for the Yankee series at Fenway?

 

Judging on what Cherrington told Stern and Bowden today, yeah.

 

And by the way - Cherrington also said the Red Sox priority between now and the deadline was another SP.

 

With Garza, Grienke, and Hamels all likely on the market, you gotta think the Red Sox will come down with one of the 3.

[Palodios]

I'm all in favor of this new mojo' date=' not only did Dice not s*** his shorts, he gave up just one run in almost 6 innings.[/quote']

 

The box score doesn't show it, but Dice-k was completely dominant last Thursday. He simply wasn't warmed up yet in the first inning, and after that he racked them up, retiring 14 straight.

 

Tonight, he warmed up early. Maybe that's the solution?

[a700hitter]

The box score doesn't show it, but Dice-k was completely dominant last Thursday. He simply wasn't warmed up yet in the first inning, and after that he racked them up, retiring 14 straight.

 

Tonight, he warmed up early. Maybe that's the solution?

It would be nice if he pitched up to half of the reputation he had when he was signed. He's never come close to expectations and he has done almost nothing for more than 3 years.

[Palodios]

Judging on what Cherrington told Stern and Bowden today, yeah.

 

And by the way - Cherrington also said the Red Sox priority between now and the deadline was another SP.

 

With Garza, Grienke, and Hamels all likely on the market, you gotta think the Red Sox will come down with one of the 3.

 

The question is... would you give up two of the following for one of those arms: Lavarnway, Bogaerts, Bradley, Barnes?

 

My answer would be no.

[Youk Of The Nation]

The question is... would you give up two of the following for one of those arms: Lavarnway, Bogaerts, Bradley, Barnes?

 

My answer would be no.

 

I don't know enough about the farm system to have an opinion on that, but isn't it possible to get one of them without giving up one of those four specific players? Between guys who have been producing surprisingly well, like Nava, and guys like Kalish, plus the dozens of other players in the Minor League system, isn't there any combination the Sox can put together to get a pitcher? Especially if they include cash or eat the rest of someone's contract? I mean, Milwaukee seems like they'd be easy to fleece for Grienke, and as for Garza, well, I'm sure the grounds crew at Wrigley would help the FO pack his bags.

[SoxFanForsyth]

The question is... would you give up two of the following for one of those arms: Lavarnway, Bogaerts, Bradley, Barnes?

 

My answer would be no.

 

I would give up Lavarnway + 1 of the 3 (probably Barnes) for Hamels if we got a negotiating window in the deal.

 

Hamels

Lester

Beckett

Buchholz

Doubront/Morales

 

That would be an unbelievable rotation.

[SoxFanForsyth]

And i would give up a package of Lavarnway + Cecchini for a guy like Grienke

[Bellhorn04]

The box score doesn't show it, but Dice-k was completely dominant last Thursday. He simply wasn't warmed up yet in the first inning, and after that he racked them up, retiring 14 straight.

 

Tonight, he warmed up early. Maybe that's the solution?

 

His peripherals are very encouraging:

 

IP 22

H 19

BB 6

K 20

[Brown28]

I think Hamels is our best shot. We can trade offense to the Phils who need offense and wouldn't be totally adverse to giving Hamels away a little cheaply because they got starting depth.