What do the Red Sox need to do to make the playoffs?

[User Name]

Although they are 6 games out for the division, there's still plenty of time left for the Red Sox to contend for the crown, and they're right in the thick of the WC race.

 

Pertinent numbers for the Red Sox as a team:

 

Current record: 42-38 (T-3rd AL East)

 

Pythag record: 45-35

 

Runs scored: 407 (2nd in MLB )

 

Runs allowed: 355 (18th in MLB )

 

Run differential: +52

 

All of this has been accomplished while the Sox have enough players on the DL to create a roster that could play .500 ball and win the AL Central.

 

So what should the Red Sox do to compete for the division and make a deep run into the playoffs?

[SemperFi Sox]

1. Stay healthy

2. Starting rotation needs to step up.

[kapsis21]

first of.. basic baseball strategies for crying out loud

 

need to get few more runs across the board, move the runners over when its an extra inning game... BV could have informed Salty to somehow move the runners in that game..

Agon has to step up and get more XBH. he is lathargic when he runs on the bases and he is not even in his 30s.. i am sick of that.

 

and as SemperFi suggested. SP better step up. and it starts with Lester tonight.

[jacksonianmarch]

You have to win series vs the mediocre teams, sweep the bad teams and try to split with the good ones. Runs come and go, but consistent winning puts pressure on the streaking teams to maintain something that isnt maintainable. The sox pitching needs to step up a little, but it seems like it steps up when the offense dies and the pitching drops when the offense hits. They need a month where both are running full steam.

[User Name]

That's the basis of the question. What do the Sox need to do to create a "sustainable" run? Do they need to trade for a starter, bring up someone, get a certain type of bench player? Should they stand pat and run with what they got until the walking wounded come back?

[kapsis21]

i think we need to trade for a decent starting pitcher.. and i bet we are going to loose some decent prospects which i absolutely hate for rentals.

[jacksonianmarch]

I dont think they have much of a choice. You have 7 starters right now, and your top 3 is solid when they are healthy, so it isnt like you are dying in the rotation. Your bullpen has been the balls and playing way above their heads for 2 months now. And you are getting the runner up in the AL MVP voting back as well as a guy who is a perennial All Star sans once bad yr last yr. And your problems, as in the underperformance of key players, are guy who wont be moved (Pedroia) or cannot be moved (AdGon). You kinda have to ride with what you got

[a700hitter]

They can get one of the Wild Card spots to play one and out, but who the hell cares. When the hell is this team going to start winning some divisions titles?

[jung]

Sox need to:

1) get another arm for the rotation

2} get better starting pitching out of the other starting pitchers

3) bring up iggy if he is heathy giving them more bullets for these dog day type games more of which are on the way

4) adjust the lineup to suit the players as they are not the players as they wish them to be...time for wishing is done

5) pray that Ells and CC come back completely ready and not needing yet another two weeks to adjust to ML play. By the time they do get back they just won't have the time.

[FredLynn]

They can get one of the Wild Card spots to play one and out' date=' but who the hell cares. When the hell is this team going to start winning some divisions titles?[/quote']

 

Thats really the essence of it. Its nearly July 4 now and we are seven games behind the Yankees. If we get any further behind I don't think we should harbor any thoughts about catching them; it is likely already too late. If we do not catch the Yankees then this team is not set up properly to play a one game playoff and expect to beat likely either the Angels or the Rangers, both of whom have better teams than us by far. I believe that the right question to ask is not what it will take to make the playoffs but whether it is good strategy to even try to make the playoffs this year as opposed to planning for a real run at a ring next year.

[User Name]

What the hell are you talking about? On a one-game playoff and short playoff series all bets are off. Last year, the Cardinals were arguably the worst team to make the playoffs and they won it all. For the love of God, stop being a broken record with that senseless outlook.

[Bellhorn04]

Thats really the essence of it. Its nearly July 4 now and we are seven games behind the Yankees. If we get any further behind I don't think we should harbor any thoughts about catching them; it is likely already too late. If we do not catch the Yankees then this team is not set up properly to play a one game playoff and expect to beat likely either the Angels or the Rangers' date=' both of whom have better teams than us by far.[/b'] I believe that the right question to ask is not what it will take to make the playoffs but whether it is good strategy to even try to make the playoffs this year as opposed to planning for a real run at a ring next year.

 

Huh? No team is 'set up properly' for a one game playoff. It's a crapshoot extraordinaire, and a really really dumb idea at that. But anybody can win one of those things if they get that far.

[FredLynn]

What the hell are you talking about? On a one-game playoff and short playoff series all bets are off. Last year' date=' the Cardinals were arguably the worst team to make the playoffs and they won it all. For the love of God, stop being a broken record with that senseless outlook.[/quote']

 

Who is our ace?

Nuff said.

[User Name]

Who was the Cardinal's ace last year? How many aces did the Phillies have? Nuff said.

 

Be realistic.

[FredLynn]

Who was the Cardinal's ace last year? How many aces did the Phillies have? Nuff said.

 

Be realistic.

 

Did we have a one game playoff scenario last year? That changes everything. We have no one to match up against the legitimate aces of other teams against whom we are competing. You really think Beckett or Lester has a snowball's chance in hell of beating Weaver or Harrison, Lewis, or Darwish or Verlander, especially in what is more than likely a road game?

You get real.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Did you just really cite Matt Harrison, COLBY LEWIS (?!?!?!?!) and Yu Darvish in the same breath as Verlander and Weaver?!? Pumpsie. Get a grip. If the Sox face one of those 3 in the 1st round, I love my chances.

 

Do you not remember just a month ago when Bard beat Verlander??

 

The Red Sox have always owned the Angels in the PS, and Jered Weaver has a career 4.41 ERA vs BOS.

 

Nothing is a guarantee.

[iortiz]

I predicted that this team will finish in the 3rd place this year and probably could catch the 2nd WC at very best. Well, we are in that spot today.

 

Good news are that the 2nd place will be a dog fight and It's open. Bad news are that TB, TOR and even BAL will fight for that spot too.

 

IMO We can make it with what we have but we need the big guys perform as expected and our rotation stay healthy. Sure, if you bring an ace SP the scenario changes dramatically and this team could be a serious contender, nothing new here, I've been saying this since the offseason. I do not see this happen though.

 

We need Adrian wake up, right away, right off, immediately. Somebody slap him.

We need CC and Ells come back and perform as expected.

Hopefully WM is ok, otherwise that spot will be an issue.

We need our rotation healthy. DFA D-K.

[a700hitter]

Did you just really cite Matt Harrison, COLBY LEWIS (?!?!?!?!) and Yu Darvish in the same breath as Verlander and Weaver?!? Pumpsie. Get a grip. If the Sox face one of those 3 in the 1st round, I love my chances.

 

Do you not remember just a month ago when Bard beat Verlander??

 

The Red Sox have always owned the Angels in the PS, and Jered Weaver has a career 4.41 ERA vs BOS.

 

Nothing is a guarantee.

I am pretty sure that the Angels swept us in 2009.

[Bellhorn04]

Did we have a one game playoff scenario last year? That changes everything. We have no one to match up against the legitimate aces of other teams against whom we are competing. You really think Beckett or Lester has a snowball's chance in hell of beating Weaver or Harrison, Lewis, or Darwish or Verlander, especially in what is more than likely a road game?

You get real.

 

Verlander has an ERA of about 5.5 in the postseason, and we beat him once already this year. There is your crapshoot in a nutshell.

[a700hitter]

Verlander has an ERA of about 5.5 in the postseason' date=' and we beat him once already this year. There is your crapshoot in a nutshell.[/quote']And when is the last time that Lester won a big game in the regular season or post season?

[iortiz]

I am pretty sure that the Angels swept us in 2009.

 

I still remember that series. It was painful to watch.

 

If we do not make the POs this year, this will be the 4th year in a row that we won't win PO game. Unacceptable for a 180 MUSD team..

[FredLynn]

Did you just really cite Matt Harrison, COLBY LEWIS (?!?!?!?!) and Yu Darvish in the same breath as Verlander and Weaver?!? Pumpsie. Get a grip. If the Sox face one of those 3 in the 1st round, I love my chances.

 

Do you not remember just a month ago when Bard beat Verlander??

 

The Red Sox have always owned the Angels in the PS, and Jered Weaver has a career 4.41 ERA vs BOS.

 

Nothing is a guarantee.

 

Matt Harrison ERA: 3.16

Colby Lewis ERA: 3.51

Yu Darvish ERA: 3.59

Jered Weaver ERA: 2.13

Justin Verlander ERA: 2.69

 

Jon Lester ERA: 4.53

Josh Beckett ERA: 4.06

 

No, nothing is a guarantee. But in a one game road playoff game against any of these pitchers and their teams, my money would not be on the Red Sox.

[a700hitter]

I still remember that series. It was painful to watch.

 

If we do not make the POs this year, this will be the 4th year in a row that we won't win PO game. Unacceptable for a 180 MUSD team..

and there will be 360 million excuses. Many people, like yourself, saw the flaws in this team before the season started.

[FredLynn]

Verlander has an ERA of about 5.5 in the postseason' date=' and we beat him once already this year. There is your crapshoot in a nutshell.[/quote']

 

Great. I for one would certainly look forward to seeing Beckett or Lester have to match up against Verlander in a one game playoff. Because immediately after that game I could turn my full attention to football.

[User Name]

and there will be 360 million excuses. Many people' date=' like yourself, saw the flaws in this team before the season started.[/quote']

 

What a load of blabber. Everyone saw flaws with every team, because every team has flaws. Unlike your "predictions" the Sox are right in the thick of it even with a slew of injuries.

[FredLynn]

What a load of blabber. Everyone saw flaws with every team' date=' because every team has flaws. Unlike your "predictions" the Sox are right in the thick of it even with a slew of injuries.[/quote']

 

Yeah. Right back in the thick of it, just seven games in the lost column behind the Yankees.

[iortiz]

and there will be 360 million excuses. Many people' date=' like yourself, saw the flaws in this team before the season started.[/quote']

 

Some will say that we have scored more runs than XYZ.

Some will say that we won more games than XYZ.

Some will say that injuries killed us.

Some will say blah blah blah...

 

in 4 years? really?

 

I do not know you, but it doesn't make me feel better as fan at all and still unacceptable to me.

 

As I said, we have chances to make the POs this year, but we need some things happen and as soon as possible (I already listed)

[User Name]

Yeah. Right back in the thick of it' date=' just seven games in the lost column behind the Yankees.[/quote']

 

So the WC isn't a viable way to make the playoffs and no 7-game division leads held in July have been squandered over the last couple of years.

 

You know what? You're absolutely right. Stick a fork in 'em.

[kapsis21]

Some will say that we have scored more runs than XYZ.

Some will say that we won more games than XYZ.

Some will say that injuries killed us.

Some will say blah blah blah...

 

in 4 years? really?

 

I do not know you, but it doesn't make me feel better as fan at all and still unacceptable to me.

 

As I said, we have chances to make the POs this year, but we need some things happen and as soon as possible (I already listed)

 

i think 2007 spoiled us. we expect to be in the thick of it with injuries which we currently are. and sometimes its not possible. but you bet the players on the field are trying as hard as they can ...

Crawford and Ellsbury get back and we have a better lineup. compared to one with Kalish and Nava esp against RHH pitching.

Bailey can strengthen the bullpen even more.

BV will be facing some tough challenges on who gets DFAd.

 

Punto/DiceK might be the ones. and Kalish is likely headed to AAA.

 

I still Believe they can pull something spectacular. but SP needs to step up. Morales/Cook/Beckett/Buchholz are starting to get that.

Lester needs to be on his game from now on and be lights out for the remainder and we might be in good shape.

we need to win every series from here on. simple. play .667 baseball maybe loose a few here and there. but have to keep winning 4 out of 5 series.

[a700hitter]

What a load of blabber. Everyone saw flaws with every team' date=' because every team has flaws. [b']Unlike your "predictions" [/b]the Sox are right in the thick of it even with a slew of injuries.

Speaking of blabber, what were those predictions of mine? You don't know, do you, because you have always been about taking shots and blabbering.

 

Please don't quote this guy when he has responded to me. Every once in a while I get the urge to respond to is blabber.