Play Bogaerts at 3rd

[ClayBuchholzEsElFuturo]

Not like Middlebrook's is a borderline GG. Bogaerts has a better eye than Will and he might be what this lineup needs, his wrists are fast enough to catch up to the heat Tiger pitchers are throwing. Will feeds on mistakes, these guys are not making too many mistakes.

[sk7326]

I think it is possible - but that position has not been an issue. The offenses have been dominated in this series - and that's ok. Our team can win this way too.

[Palodios]

Drew has a .327 ops in the playoffs. Not obp, ops. He is the guy you bench.

[redsoxrules]

LOL, yeah, bench your best defensive SS. The whole team has been sucking at the plate since game 2 of the Tampa series. Drew is one of the last guy I would bench.

[Thunder]

I don't see a reason to play Bogaerts at all. Whatever the Sox are doing is working, so why change it?

[Bellhorn04]

LOL, yeah, bench your best defensive SS. The whole team has been sucking at the plate since game 2 of the Tampa series. Drew is one of the last guy I would bench.

 

Agreed. Plus Drew could start to hit again. It's been known to happen. A .777 OPS during the season is pretty good for a SS.

 

Remember Mark Bellhorn!

[sk7326]

Honestly - nobody has been hitting this series. I don't see how you single out any player ... FOR EITHER TEAM. Tomorrow, while Fister is also very good, there is a chance that the Red Sox might get a few more quality looks.

[Station 13]

I don't see a reason to play Bogaerts at all. Whatever the Sox are doing is working, so why change it?

 

Umm you watching this series like I did? We need offense.

[jung]

I think WMB has had some of his best AB's in the post season and everybody has been going so badly that it is hard to pick him out and say we should drop him out of the lineup.

 

I wanted Naps out of the lineup for the Sunday game because not only did he look terrible, he looked demoralized. I thought a day would do him some good. But I wanted him right back in today because the Sox really do need him. so whatever it takes to get him going, that is what the Sox need to do.

 

Today was the only day that I thought WMB really struggled. It was to me his worst day at the plate in this series. However I still don't see an opening for XB at this point. I do really hope there are more opportunities to bat XB during this series. This is a really really tight series though. Don't see how we can dislodge Drew from SS and XB would have needed more playing time at 3rd to be in a position to dislodge Will from that position.

[rjortiz]

I don't think Farrell will play the rookie at all this postseason. Maybe against the Dodgers if they meet up in the World Series. Seems like Farrell has a preference for vets.

[sk7326]

More of a preference for the guys who have gotten them there. But they valued Bogaerts ability enough to have him on the 25-man. The reps still are a good thing. While yes, the team could use a jolt - it is 7-6 in runs over 3 games. His struggles are nothing special - this series has been a rock fight. Edited October 16, 2013 by sk7326

[Bellhorn04]

I don't think Farrell will play the rookie at all this postseason. Maybe against the Dodgers if they meet up in the World Series. Seems like Farrell has a preference for vets.

 

Most managers prefer vets this time of year. Ask Iggy.

[SoxFanForsyth]

LOL, yeah, bench your best defensive SS. The whole team has been sucking at the plate since game 2 of the Tampa series. Drew is one of the last guy I would bench.

 

Peavy is a fly ball pitcher, Drew is 1-9 against Fister lifetime and is hitting .111 in the ALCS.

 

You play Bogaerts today because of those three reasons.

 

Losing the defense at SS isn't a huge deal with Peavy being a fly ball pitcher.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I don't see a reason to play Bogaerts at all. Whatever the Sox are doing is working, so why change it?

 

The Sox are winning because of pitching, not hitting.

 

They need to shake up the offense a little bit. They're averaging 2.67 runs per game.

[sk7326]

Most managers prefer vets this time of year. Ask Iggy.

 

I think with Cabrera hurt and the Sox dealing ... Leyland doesn't want to give up a bat unless he absolutely has to.

[SoxFanForsyth]

I think with Cabrera hurt and the Sox dealing ... Leyland doesn't want to give up a bat unless he absolutely has to.

 

Iggy is playing today, which surprised me, given the offense ineptitude this series.

[Palodios]

Iggy is playing today, which surprised me, given the offense ineptitude this series.

 

Leyland probably figured that Fister is a big ground ball pitcher and could use the infield defense.

[Station 13]

Play the f***ing #1 baseball prospect the rest of the way.

[Dojji]

Yes let's overreact to an awful game. That's how championships happen.

[sk7326]

Yes let's overreact to an awful game. That's how championships happen.

 

Agreed - although Bogaerts in over Drew or Middlebrooks is not really an overreaction ... it is fair to throw something at the wall with the season increasingly in trouble. I wouldn't call it a panic move to make a substitution at 2 of the team's flimsier offensive positions.

[Orange Juiced]

Yes let's overreact to an awful game. That's how championships happen.

 

Replacing an ice-cold Middlebrooks with a player who has performed well in the playoffs so far and who is probably a significantly better all-around player even at this moment is hardly an overreaction.

[Palodios]

Yes let's overreact to an awful game. That's how championships happen.

 

Are you still hurt over when Ellsbury took over in center for your boy Coco Crisp and dominated the World Series?

[User Name]

Dojji, please stop.

[Station 13]

"Including the postseason, Middlebrooks is 12-for-81 (.148) since Sept. 10"

 

Boston Herald

[sk7326]

Say hello, arbitrary endpoints ... bottom line, Middlebrooks was struggling and Bogaerts was an option and the team was not hitting period. It was not an overreaction to give him a start - and he definitely gave them a spark.

[mvp 78]

Every endpoint is arbitrary, especially when you don't like the conclusion.

[sk7326]

Every endpoint is arbitrary, especially when you don't like the conclusion.

 

Can always find a time horizon when someone is good, or someone is bad. It's why terms like "clutch" or "down the stretch" or "hot streak" are all really useless terms.

[Dojji]

Agreed - although Bogaerts in over Drew or Middlebrooks is not really an overreaction ... it is fair to throw something at the wall with the season increasingly in trouble. I wouldn't call it a panic move to make a substitution at 2 of the team's flimsier offensive positions.

 

Sure, but let's not call it a slam dunk either. They made the call and it worked out, that's pretty much the end of it, but if they put Middlebrooks back in for the next game I'm not going to worry too much about it either. What I don't like though is the clamor to make a change just for the sake of change.

[jung]

I have to say that WMB has had better AB's post season that I expected from him. Granted they have been bad enough for Farrell to finally decide that he had to remove either Drew or WMB and I guess based on Drew's defense combined with being a LH bat, he tapped WMB on the shoulder and had him grab some pine.

 

Honestly as I have said before, I think Drew has turned into one of Farrell's binkies. That said, Drew makes most of the plays at SS that you expect a SS to make. However he does not make all of them. He made the play on the horrid Lester throw. However I think XB makes that play. That was an athletic play. Can't convince me that Drew is more athletic than XB. If I had to value Drew's defense vs XB's defense I don't think there is really much there to talk about. I would go with the LH bat except that Drew has been a LH bat against RH pitchers in this series and has not even been close to doing anything worth talking about. WMB has had marginally better AB's than Drew has had regardless of batting from the right side.

 

For me the scales tip back to Drew sits in game 6 because of Fenway park. In Fenway I would prefer WMB at third and batting and XB at SS and batting. Takes another LH bat out of the lineup but Drew has not been close....not close.

 

Neither move would be an overreaction of any sort.

[dupree]

I like the plan of having WMB at 3rd and Xander at SS for Game 6. That way we can see what the 2014 infield will look like.