6/27 @ Yankees

[St. Louis Carter]

The rivalry sucks because we sucked last yr and you guys suck this yr. The rivalry is only good when both teams are good

Or suck.

[BigPapi]

Or suck.

 

Yup like us and the rays this year.

[Station 13]

Start deconstructing this team.

[seabeachfred]

Based on what the Yankee announcers said about Drew and Bogaerts last inning, it sounded like they had been reading Fred's posts.

 

You know Ted, I really believe that people here thought I wanted to be proven right on Stephen Drew. Wrong!!!!! I was hoping I would as wrong as I could be because, one, it would help the Bosox and, two, I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong. I think even my most severest critic would at least give me that. When you have had a seven month layoff trying to hit ML pitching is almost an impossible task. It isn't easy with a full ST. Just look at our hitters this year. Now my focus is no longer on Drew; it is on Bogaerts and while many thing it is about adjusting to the pitching and vise versa, I'm convinced there is a big mental element in play here. We both know baseball is very much a mental game and it is hard to play well under favorable circumstances. When your confidence evaporates it becomes a chore. I not saying this is what happened to Xander; I'M SAYING THIS IS I THINK HAS HAPPENED TO XANDER. My fear is that this could carry over and if that happens we could have the makings of a top prospect hitting the skids and that would be tragic. Again I hope I am totally wrong on this.

Edited June 28, 2014 by seabeachfred

[seabeachfred]

We are no sleeping bear. More like a dead dog.

 

You know Ted the guy I really feel for tonight is our pal Palodios. There have been a lot of us pummeling the Red Sox this season and I might be among the guiltiest but Pal has been a model of decorum and optimism every step of the way. I really admire the guy about as much as I do you. I just have to wonder if his confidence was shaken tonight because if anything could shake one's confidence in the Red Sox tonight was it.

 

You know there are other teams that have hitters at then near bottom of the lineup not hitting worth a damn but they get covered by the hitters who are supposed to produce. We're not getting that from ours. When Pedroia, Napoli and Ortiz hit they usually don't do in sync and what's tragic is that Holt in the leadoff spot has been hitting and getting on base regularly only to left standing there like a statue. Those three have got to start hitting; a lot of this angst centers around their ineffectiveness.

[jacksonianmarch]

Or suck.

 

Well, the funny thing is, we kinda suck this yr too. If it wasn't for two pitchers, Tanaka and Betances, we'd be dead

[Spudboy]

You know Ted the guy I really feel for tonight is our pal Palodios. There have been a lot of us pummeling the Red Sox this season and I might be among the guiltiest but Pal has been a model of decorum and optimism every step of the way. I really admire the guy about as much as I do you. I just have to wonder if his confidence was shaken tonight because if anything could shake one's confidence in the Red Sox tonight was it.

 

You know there are other teams that have hitters at then near bottom of the lineup not hitting worth a damn but they get covered by the hitters who are supposed to produce. We're not getting that from ours. When Pedroia, Napoli and Ortiz hit they usually don't do in sync and what's tragic is that Holt in the leadoff spot has been hitting and getting on base regularly only to left standing there like a statue. Those three have got to start hitting; a lot of this angst centers around their ineffectiveness.

 

Fred to be fair Napoli was doing pretty well when he hurt his finger sliding into second base. That was ugly. The finger was displaced about 90 degrees.

 

When he made his recent return from rehab he was hitting very well and with power. The last few games, not so much. I don't know what his problem is now. Maybe the finger? Maybe the toe that he fouled a pitch off recently?

 

In any case, he's been okay most of the season when he's been healthy from what I have seen. The unproductive culprits are Pedroia and Poopie. Both are 30-50 points down in BA from their career averages and OBP, OPS are down too. Poopie is still hitting opportunistic bombs to drive in runs but his hitting is way off.

 

Boston fans don't like to hear their heroes criticized but much of the blame is on those two guys.

 

Oh, Poopie was sliding before Napoli went on the DL so I don't think that is a valid explanation for his poor performance.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Spudboy

[Bellhorn04]

The sox are currently on pace for only 609 runs. Can you remember the last time a sox offense has been that s*****? I mean since the turn of the century you can usually pencil them in each year for 800 or more runs and no less than 750.

 

The only Red Sox offence in the last 70 years that's worse than the 2014 team was the 1992 team. And the gap is getting very narrow. The 2014 team is averaging 3.76 runs. The 1992 team averaged 3.70 runs.

[Bellhorn04]

Fred to be fair Napoli was doing pretty well when he hurt his finger sliding into second base. That was ugly. The finger was displaces about 90 degrees.

 

When he made his recent return from rehab he was hitting very well and with power. The last few games, not so much. I don't know what his problem is now. Maybe the finger? Maybe the toe that he fouled a pitch off recently?

 

In any case, he's been okay most of the season when he's been healthy from what I have seen. The unproductive culprits are Pedroia and Poopie. Both are 30-50 points down in BA from their career averages and OBP, OPS are down too. Poopie is still hitting opportunistic bombs to drive in runs but his hitting is way off.

 

Boston fans don't like to hear their heroes criticized but much of the blame is on those two guys.

 

Oh, Poopie was sliding before Napoli went on the DL so I don't think that is a valid explanation for his poor performance.

 

Still, at age 38 Ortiz's numbers are quite respectable - .834 OPS, 18 HR 49 RBI. Regression is normal for someone his age.

 

We have a team OPS of .686. Horrific.

[Spudboy]

The only Red Sox offence in the last 70 years that's worse than the 2014 team was the 1992 team. And the gap is getting very narrow. The 2014 team is averaging 3.76 runs. The 1992 team averaged 3.70 runs.

 

This team is in a terrible offensive funk.

 

Some of the results can be attributed to how the team was comprised ( relying on two "rookies" in the lineup - Middlebrooks while not a rookie remains unproven and Bradley ), injuries, and unexplained low output from established players like Nava, Pedroia, and Ortiz.

 

I have confidence that Nava will be fairly productive but I worry that both Pedroia and Ortiz are way off their games.

 

I have zero confidence that Victorino will return this season and add much.

 

And so Fred will not get too excited by my post, the addition of a non-hitting Drew has been a drain too. In a perfect world, Drew would have remained in Pawtucket untill he got his batting in order. Sort of a late spring training. I'm not sure if the Bargaining Agreement allows that or if Drew / Boras would not go along with it. In any case, Drew sucks at the plate and that is not acceptable on this team.

 

I have mentioned "a losing culture" before. I fear that the Sox now have a losing culture. I hope that I am wrong and that the Sox flip a switch and start winning.

 

Until they start scoring over 5 runs each game the wins will be few and far between.

Edited June 28, 2014 by Spudboy

[Spudboy]

Still, at age 38 Ortiz's numbers are quite respectable - .834 OPS, 18 HR 49 RBI. Regression is normal for someone his age.

 

We have a team OPS of .686. Horrific.

 

Is it regression or just one of his prolonged slumps? His BA and OBP are way down and he is not getting as many extra base hits. We have seen him slump before.

 

Either way, he is under performing. 18 /49 is nice and is consistent with his usual 30 /100 season. But there can be no sugar coating the fact that he is not producing as much.

 

The same can be said for Pedroia. And with Pedroia one can make a strong case for regression over the past 3 seasons ( mostly attributable to injuries, I think ).

[a700hitter]

Is it regression or just one of his prolonged slumps? His BA and OBP are way down and he is not getting as many extra base hits. We have seen him slump before.

 

Either way, he is under performing. 18 /49 is nice and is consistent with his usual 30 /100 season. But there can be no sugar coating the fact that he is not producing as much.

 

The same can be said for Pedroia. And with Pedroia one can make a strong case for regression over the past 3 seasons ( mostly attributable to injuries, I think ).

Ortiz is not seeing as many pitches to hit. The league has finally realized that he needs to be pitched around. Pedroia is the one that is killing the lineup. If Pedey was hitting Ortiz sees more pitches. Losing Ellsbury hurt both Pedroia and Ortiz. Ells OBP was pretty good and his base stealing ability resulted in Pedroia seeing fastball after fastball, and Pedey is a dead red hitter. I haven't researched it, but I think he is seeing less fastballs this season.

 

Edit: I am not worried that Pedey's body is breaking down. He is still a great hitter, but this year he has to make a big adjustment this season to the way he is getting pitched. I think he will figure it out. Hopefully, that will happen before it is too late.

Edited June 28, 2014 by a700hitter

[VA Sox Fan]

Ortiz is not seeing as many pitches to hit. The league has finally realized that he needs to be pitched around. Pedroia is the one that is killing the lineup. If Pedey was hitting Ortiz sees more pitches. Losing Ellsbury hurt both Pedroia and Ortiz. Ells OBP was pretty good and his base stealing ability resulted in Pedroia seeing fastball after fastball, and Pedey is a dead red hitter. I haven't researched it, but I think he is seeing less fastballs this season.

 

Edit: I am not worried that Pedey's body is breaking down. He is still a great hitter, but this year he has to make a big adjustment this season to the way he is getting pitched. I think he will figure it out. Hopefully, that will happen before it is too late.

 

Pedey's struggles are very concerning. I hope were all wrong about him breaking down or being injured but nothing else seems to makes sense. If it happens to be a "slump" it sure is a miserable and long one.

[a700hitter]

Pedey's struggles are very concerning. I hope were all wrong about him breaking down or being injured but nothing else seems to makes sense. If it happens to be a "slump" it sure is a miserable and long one.

I don't think he is breaking down. This is a prolonged slump. He needs to adjust to being pitched differently now that Ellsbury is gone. Even if he is seeing the same mix of pitches, the pattern of pitches may not be as predictable. He will figure it out. Hopefully, that will be soon.

[Station 13]

Pedroia is actually getting challenged a lot in the zone, he simply not doing much with it. Remember it took him like 2 week before he drew his first walk to start the season.

 

Here's a good read on it

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/92332/pedroias-power-outage-continues-in-2014

Edited June 28, 2014 by Station 13

[a700hitter]

Pedroia is actually getting challenged a lot in the zone, he simply not doing much with it. Remember it took him like 2 week before he drew his first walk to start the season.

 

Here's a good read on it

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/92332/pedroias-power-outage-continues-in-2014

Interesting read. Hand injuries can sap a hitters power permanently. Hopefully, that is not the case with Pedroia.

[Station 13]

it's early to give up on him, after all he hit .300 last year with an injured finger. He is actually hitting more lined drives now than ever in his career, maybe it's a new approach to not pull the ball for HR over spraying line drives around.