10/7 ALDS Game 3 vs Devil Rays

[yankees228]

It's no big deal, I just don't get it. Heck, I'll never understand the whole "f*** you (player on other team)" thing when he gets out in a big spot. We all just watch the games differently, I guess.

 

And trust me, I'm really emotional during big games lol. Just in a different way.

[Thunder]

Okay, when I bash the Rays, they win. No more bashing in this postseason.

 

Peavy needs to shut them down tonight. We don't want to give them any momentum, even though game 5 is at Fenway. We have to end it right here tonight.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Damn. Last night sucked.

 

But, that was the Rays best pitcher, and they had to walk off.

 

Peavy is a much better pitcher than Hellickson, no question.

 

Sox win tonight, 8-3, and the score is closer than the game.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I really, really, really feel like Peavy is going to give us a game like he threw against the Dodgers in August.

 

I'm calling it now. Complete game gem from Peavy.

 

Strike that 8-3 prediction. It's going to be 8-1.

[jung]

What completely floors me about Farrell's comment about the pitch to Longoria is that he claimed to "not even have considered" pitching around Longoria. His exact words were "he never considered walking Longoria" because it would have meant bringing the winning run to the plate.

 

That is another example of my biggest complaint about Farrell and his in-game decision making. He does not make good situational decisions.

 

I don't give a rats ass about some long dead unwritten rule of baseball that says you don't risk bringing the winning run to the plate when it means you do something as stupid as challenging the only hitter in the Rays lineup that could have beat you last night hitting in the only situation where he could have beaten you.

 

We had a 3-0 lead that we had built over several innings against the Rays when Longoria came up with two men on...in position to completely wipe out that effort with one swing of the bat....the only guy in their lineup that really brings that potential to the plate, especially when you consider how easily Buch was dispatching with Myers. While Buch was dispatching with Myers with ease, he was not pitching up to his potential last night and instead was battling the whole way.

 

While an out and out intentional pass to Longoria may not have been called for, Buch had on several occasions last night not been willing to throw strikes to batters far less capable than Longoria choosing instead to try to get them to chase with virtually every pitch. So the most capable hitter they have comes up in the one situation where he can wipe out your entire offensive effort with one swing of the bat and that is the guy you decide to challenge!.....with two outs... a base open and a guy on deck that you had made look like the fresh faced kid he is with every AB. Sorry but that is just plain dumb. At least now I know why nobody came out and talked to Buch about pitching around Longoria.....the Sox brain trust apparently thought it a bad idea and apparently still does not understand how damaging it was to pitch to him. Nobody and I mean nobody in that Rays lineup held in his hands the ability to wipe out a three run lead with one swing of the bat. I don't think there is a single chance in this world that the Rays could have tied and eventually past the Sox if we had gotten past Longoria in that situation. The Rays simply do not have enough offensive firepower to have caught us with a three run lead going into the latter part of the game if you take the bat out of Longoria's hands.

[Jasonbay44]

Tonight is a MUST win IMO, I really don't want to face Price again.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Tonight is a MUST win IMO, I really don't want to face Price again.

 

If there was ever a game I would bet on, it would be this one.

 

Sox are going to win tonight. Count on it.

[marklmw]

I am a bit concerned that Farrell said that he never considered walking Longoria with first base open.

What is this baseballs version of Dumb and Dumber? Then Clay throws the same pitch that he struck Longoria out on his previous AB. How many hits does Myers have so far?

[marklmw]

What completely floors me about Farrell's comment about the pitch to Longoria is that he claimed to "not even have considered" pitching around Longoria. His exact words were "he never considered walking Longoria" because it would have meant bringing the winning run to the plate.

 

That is another example of my biggest complaint about Farrell and his in-game decision making. He does not make good situational decisions.

 

I don't give a rats ass about some long dead unwritten rule of baseball that says you don't risk bringing the winning run to the plate when it means you do something as stupid as challenging the only hitter in the Rays lineup that could have beat you last night hitting in the only situation where he could have beaten you.

 

We had a 3-0 lead that we had built over several innings against the Rays when Longoria came up with two men on...in position to completely wipe out that effort with one swing of the bat....the only guy in their lineup that really brings that potential to the plate, especially when you consider how easily Buch was dispatching with Myers. While Buch was dispatching with Myers with ease, he was not pitching up to his potential last night and instead was battling the whole way.

 

While an out and out intentional pass to Longoria may not have been called for, Buch had on several occasions last night not been willing to throw strikes to batters far less capable than Longoria choosing instead to try to get them to chase with virtually every pitch. So the most capable hitter they have comes up in the one situation where he can wipe out your entire offensive effort with one swing of the bat and that is the guy you decide to challenge!.....with two outs... a base open and a guy on deck that you had made look like the fresh faced kid he is with every AB. Sorry but that is just plain dumb. At least now I know why nobody came out and talked to Buch about pitching around Longoria.....the Sox brain trust apparently thought it a bad idea and apparently still does not understand how damaging it was to pitch to him. Nobody and I mean nobody in that Rays lineup held in his hands the ability to wipe out a three run lead with one swing of the bat. I don't think there is a single chance in this world that the Rays could have tied and eventually past the Sox if we had gotten past Longoria in that situation. The Rays simply do not have enough offensive firepower to have caught us with a three run lead going into the latter part of the game if you take the bat out of Longoria's hands.

 

I could not agree with you more. If it were reversed and Papi was at the plate no way does Madden pitch to him. Farrell was out managed.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I hope Farrell didn't sleep a wink last night.

 

That decision was absolutely outrageous.

 

Buchholz could have run cutters starting on the black or just off it, and cutting off the plate, and 2 seamers starting on the insider corner and bearing down on the hands.

 

No pitch he threw to Longo should have been a strike. None. If he was going to get the bat on the ball, it better be a jam shot or off the end of the bat.

 

It's incomprehensible.

[redsoxrules]

That was a no brainer to walk Longoria, especially with the rookie on deck who hasn't had a hit yet in the series.

[MANNYHOF24]

Last night destroyed my confidence that John Ferrell is a good in game manager. How do you not walk Longo there? It's the 5th inning, even if Myers had hit a grand slam we still had 4 innings to come back. Clay had a much higher chance of getting Myers out versus Longo. It is so baffling. Who cares if you put the tying run on first base in the 5th inning with 2 outs. The chances of that run coming around are very low, especially with a struggling Myers at the plate.

 

I also question taking David Ortiz's bat out of the game in the 8th inning. I don't think stealing against McGee has a high probability of success. He was out, but the sox caught a break. I would have loved to have David Batting in the 9th inning.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Last night destroyed my confidence that John Ferrell is a good in game manager. How do you not walk Longo there? It's the 5th inning, even if Myers had hit a grand slam we still had 4 innings to come back. Clay had a much higher chance of getting Myers out versus Longo. It is so baffling. Who cares if you put the tying run on first base in the 5th inning with 2 outs. The chances of that run coming around are very low, especially with a struggling Myers at the plate.

 

I also question taking David Ortiz's bat out of the game in the 8th inning. I don't think stealing against McGee has a high probability of success. He was out, but the sox caught a break. I would have loved to have David Batting in the 9th inning.

 

I didn't have a huge issue with Ortiz getting PR for there.

 

My problem was that he pinch runs for Ortiz, and when you do that, you commit 100% to winning the game that inning. And then he goes completely soft and lets Drew hit rather than Bogaerts. That was mind boggling.

 

It's like he was in between decisions all night, he'd start to do one thing and then he wouldn't follow through.

 

I can 110% guarantee you something right now. If it was 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs and Ortiz was up, Maddon would have rolled the ball to the plate 4 times.

[marklmw]

I didn't have a huge issue with Ortiz getting PR for there.

 

My problem was that he pinch runs for Ortiz, and when you do that, you commit 100% to winning the game that inning. And then he goes completely soft and lets Drew hit rather than Bogaerts. That was mind boggling.

 

It's like he was in between decisions all night, he'd start to do one thing and then he wouldn't follow through.

 

I can 110% guarantee you something right now. If it was 2nd and 3rd, 2 outs and Ortiz was up, Maddon would have rolled the ball to the plate 4 times.

 

I agree with you about batting Bogaerts. I just hope that Farrell learned a lesson from this failure.

It will really suck if he pitches to Longoria again in this series. I hope that the pitchers have enough common sense not to pitch to Longoria even if Farrell remains in denial.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Who is starting tonight's thread? Not me. I have started 3 threads with Peavy pitching and the Sox are 1-2 in those 3 games.

[sk7326]

I agree with you about batting Bogaerts. I just hope that Farrell learned a lesson from this failure.

It will really suck if he pitches to Longoria again in this series. I hope that the pitchers have enough common sense not to pitch to Longoria even if Farrell remains in denial.

 

This isn't 2004 Barry Bonds here. Buchholz should have made a better pitch. The intentional walk would have been defensible certainly - but this is post hoc thinking. Just like bringing in Uehara into the tie game - sometimes the move doesn't work. Buchholz gets that pitch further in and it's a popup. Just have to dust off and move on. Just need to force Hellickson to come to them - one thing is our guys are definitely locked in approach-wise and have been all series.

[Bellhorn04]

I agree with you about batting Bogaerts. I just hope that Farrell learned a lesson from this failure.

It will really suck if he pitches to Longoria again in this series. I hope that the pitchers have enough common sense not to pitch to Longoria even if Farrell remains in denial.

 

One thing that I haven't heard a lot of people mention is that Farrell decided to pitch to Longoria again in the 7th with a man on. Tazawa induced a popup.

 

Which indicates two things: 1) Farrell has every intention of pitching to him. 2) Decisions like this are judged on results.

[marklmw]

Last night destroyed my confidence that John Ferrell is a good in game manager. How do you not walk Longo there? It's the 5th inning, even if Myers had hit a grand slam we still had 4 innings to come back. Clay had a much higher chance of getting Myers out versus Longo. It is so baffling. Who cares if you put the tying run on first base in the 5th inning with 2 outs. The chances of that run coming around are very low, especially with a struggling Myers at the plate.

 

I also question taking David Ortiz's bat out of the game in the 8th inning. I don't think stealing against McGee has a high probability of success. He was out, but the sox caught a break. I would have loved to have David Batting in the 9th inning.

 

You are spot on!

[a700hitter]

One thing that I haven't heard a lot of people mention is that Farrell decided to pitch to Longoria again in the 7th with a man on. Tazawa induced a popup.

 

Which indicates two things: 1) Farrell has every intention of pitching to him. 2) Decisions like this are judged on results.

I would have walked him after the wild pitch opened up first base. Also, I would be more reluctant to walk a batter with less than 2 outs. In the 5th inning, there were two out when Longo batted.

[SoxSport]

Closers never seem to pitch well in a non-closing situation. Maybe mental.

[Bellhorn04]

Yes, Mr. Day Late and a Dollar Short.

[VA Sox Fan]

Yes, Mr. Day Late and a Dollar Short.

 

HA HA HA! LMAO bell!

[Thunder]

Where's YOTN?

[a700hitter]

Where's YOTN?

Maybe he is working. Daid he has had to work during some of the games.