5/3 at Texas

[SoxFanForsyth]

Doubront vs Holland

 

Doubie needs to find the zone early and pitch with better efficiency. The Sox are down a man in the pen, so getting 7 innings in the opener would be big.

 

Sox are dogs, +121.

 

Win.

[rjortiz]

Haha, love the addition of the gambling lines.

 

We've hit lefty starters at an .818 OPS clip so far. Might be worth a play.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

This game worries me. For one, it's Texas. They have been killing us the last few years. Doubront can't afford to walk batters on this team, and he has a bad history with them. Holland has had success with us in the past. What gives me hope is Napoli and Hamilton are no longer on the team, so hopefully a different result. It'd be so nice if we can just stick it to these choking punks. I'm already 0-2 today. The Sox losing would make it 0-3, so they need to win so I can feel better lol.

[User Name]

5-3 Red Sox. Texas' BP isn't that good this year aside from early season numbers

[jung]

Should be a really fun weekend though. The games will be tough....all of them. This year's Sox team certainly seems better suited to close. low scoring games than many Sox teams have been. It has never been a strong suit for the Sox. We might learn a good deal about this team this weekend. What better time to run into Texas than being in 1st and ridding high. Gotta' play em' sooner or later....just as soon now.

[SoxFanForsyth]

This feels as close to a playoff series as you can have on May 3rd. Feels like the two best teams in the AL going head to head.

 

Heading to St Lucia for a post-busy season vaca. Don't worry, I'll have Internet to start the GT's and my buddy's mlb tv for the games

[jung]

Playoffs!!!! ...Playoffs?????

 

Well I don't know about playoffs but it does feel like the first really big series of the season. None of the others to date have felt like big series...maybe the first Rays series and the O;s but that has been about it till now and those just seemed like the first series with teams we will likely be tangling with all season.

 

This feels more like, I want these three games.....BAD! Regardless of the fact that the Texans are not in our division I really want to see us do well here.

 

Kill the Texas Rangers!

[iortiz]

Finally we'll see what this team is really made of.

 

Win!

[Behindenemylines]

Big test this weekend for the Sox. If they have some success on the road against the Rangers this weekend a lot of those known believers may start believing.

[jung]

Ells suffering from Middlebrooksatosis that AB.

 

s***...must be catching

[Jasonbay44]

WTF was Andrus doing? Good s*** Ciriaco

[Jasonbay44]

Yeah Papi!! Showing off that speed!

[SoxFanForsyth]

Doubront averaged 93 mph last year on his FB. Now he's sitting 88-89.

 

He's not a good pitcher without 3-5 MPH of his velocity.

[italstallianion]

And he's not a good enough pitcher to get away with the drop in velocity imo. Heck I thought he was just "decent" when he had the extra zip.

[a700hitter]

Doubront averaged 93 mph last year on his FB. Now he's sitting 88-89.

 

He's not a good pitcher without 3-5 MPH of his velocity.

Is this from a lack of conditioning, wear and tear, or an injury?

[Jasonbay44]

I hate watching Doubront pitch. He reminds me of Dice-K

[Station 13]

Is this from a lack of conditioning, wear and tear, or an injury?

 

it is likely all the above. He was sporting a big gut early this spring.

[Station 13]

Holland isn't that good, but always shut the Sox down. The guy fold like cheap tents against the MFY, just like Joe Nathan.

[Station 13]

Salty is such a butcher at framing, costing Doubront 10 pitches or so already.

[italstallianion]

Holland isn't that good, but always shut the Sox down. The guy fold like cheap tents against the MFY, just like Joe Nathan.

 

He is 4-1 with an ERA of 3.00 in 33 innings against Boston.

 

What's funny is that current Sox players have a higher OPS vs. Holland than current Yankees players.

 

Current Sox players are .276/.373/.517/.890 vs. Holland

Current Yankees players are .294/.363/.503/.866 vs. Holland

[SoxSport]

Salty is such a butcher at framing, costing Doubront 10 pitches or so already.

 

Salty is clearly not very good behind the plate--it makes you wonder why they are keeping him. He'll be gone option time next year.

[Station 13]

8 hits for the Rangers, 1 run through 3. Don't you just love baseball? Can't predict it.

[italstallianion]

Looks like it's going to be a bullpen kind of game for us. I hope we at least win 1 game just because 1-2 is much better than 0-3.

[Station 13]

Looks like it's going to be a bullpen kind of game for us. I hope we at least win 1 game just because 1-2 is much better than 0-3.

 

I'd settled for 1 win in Texas. Place been a nightmare to this club since 2009.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Doubront will be on a DL stint before the month is over and I wouldn't be surprised if he loses his job altogether to Webster who will replace him.

[a700hitter]

Doubront will be on a DL stint before the month is over and I wouldn't be surprised if he loses his job altogether to Webster who will replace him.

Is it the drop in his velocity that is making you think he will be heading to the DL? Sometimes pitchers continue to build arm strength and velocity during the early part of the season.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Is it the drop in his velocity that is making you think he will be heading to the DL? Sometimes pitchers continue to build arm strength and velocity during the early part of the season.

 

He was averaging 93.5 on his first May start last year. He topped out at 96. This is entering Buehrle territory. He's sitting 86-88, touching 90.

 

This is unacceptable. It's almost as if he didn't work out at all last offseason. Come in way out of shape and now were seeing 86-88 in May? No thanks.

 

Get him on the DL, remind him he's not bigger than the game, and make sure he's got his arm strength before he's back.

[jung]

I really felt that Felix had hit his high water mark already. When you are scratching around at the bottom of the rotation and can't really make any more progress, you are either headed for the bullpen or headed out of town. We know Felix can't pitch in relief. So I think it will be outta' town at some point. Sealed his own fate showing up out of shape this year.

[Station 13]

Doubront is absolutely terrible. He's lucky only 2 have scored.

[a700hitter]

He is a battler. He bends but rarely breaks.