A Realistic View at 2016

[illinoisredsox]

Several batters looked "lost" last night. They were flailing at balls way out of the K zone. I never seen so many check swings in all my life!

 

Let's hope we get our timing back today.

 

I'm predicting a 9-3 win with about 14 hits.

 

Bogie has looked lost for about 2+ months. He is doing a marvelous impersonation of 1st half 2014 Bogaerts without a clue how to lay off a down and away breaking pitch. to borrow from A League of Their Own, can't hit 'em, can't lay off em.

[Spudboy]

That's stupid.

 

Maybe so but his approach in the box seems to have changed. He has been swinging wildly at many pitches outside the zone ( many down and out ). I don't know what to think of it.

 

What do you see as his problem at the plate for the past 3 months or so?

[Spudboy]

Bogie has looked lost for about 2+ months. He is doing a marvelous impersonation of 1st half 2014 Bogaerts without a clue how to lay off a down and away breaking pitch. to borrow from A League of Their Own, can't hit 'em, can't lay off em.

 

I'm glad that I have not imagined this.

 

Still, I wonder why?

[User Name]

Maybe so but his approach in the box seems to have changed. He has been swinging wildly at many pitches outside the zone ( many down and out ). I don't know what to think of it.

 

What do you see as his problem at the plate for the past 3 months or so?

 

I've always maintained he has a high-maintenance swing. But he also seems to be pressing pretty bad.

[sk7326]

Given how high his hands are to begin with it sometimes feels like it takes him a bit to load ... it's nothing that just sticking with it cannot fix some - but obviously time is not on our side here.

[a700hitter]

I've always maintained he has a high-maintenance swing. But he also seems to be pressing pretty bad.

He had given up the hitch and was devastatingly good in the first half. Now, it looks like he is going back to the hitch swing approach but he is caught in between the two approaches. He is all out of sync right now.

[oldtimer]

After the game this afternoon, even the most optimistic Red Sox fans have to be discouraged. Down 2 in a 5 game series is a huge hole. Signs of the Red Sox weakness showed up with the performances of Kimbrel and Price late in the season. When Porcello had a clunker, the complexion of our playoff picture turned grey. Our hitting also turned sour and for stat guys you need to look over a short period to get a true picture of what is going on as Shaw, Bogaerts,JBJ and Leon have all been underperforming. Knowing we were going up against playoff caliber pitching meant our other players would struggle to carry the team. Only if our pitching was stellar would be have a good chance.

 

Well, today we seemed to be snakebittern. We ran into good pitching and struggled with it. While Price seemed to have good stuff, a couple of unlucky break hits got him into trouble and then he had a mistake or two and he had to be removed from the game. By then we were in a big hole and never could have gotten out of it. Interestingly, Kimbrel got used for one batter and struck him out although he looked wild to me. Also, we had mishandled balls by Pedey and Holt while every bounce seemed to go Clevelands way.

 

Our only hitters that seemed to hit the ball well, by that I mean didn't strike out a lot and put the ball in play with decently hit balls were Holt and Beni. Bogaerts and Betts each got a hit but didn't look good at the plate. Pedey also looked bad. JBJ is not even making contact now and perhaps we should get Young into the game for the series in Boston by moving JBJ out and moving Beni into center. Leon isn't doing much either and it doesn't seem to matter which pitchers are in the game against us, we just aren't hitting well. You have to ask why we are in such a malaise but I have no answer. We may have to rethink the roster for next year in view of the performance of the team in the playoffs.

 

I guess we have to hope Buchholz can win the next one and take it a game at a time.

[moonslav59]

One game at a time.

[illinoisredsox]

1999 ALDS Tribe with HFA:

 

Cleveland 3, Sox 2

Cleveland 11, Sox 1

 

Sox looked putrid at the plate; sound familiar?

 

Sox 9, Cleveland 3

Sox 23, Cleveland 7

Sox 12, Cleveland 8 (Pedro with 6 innings of no-hit relief)

[a700hitter]

1999 ALDS Tribe with HFA:

 

Cleveland 3, Sox 2

Cleveland 11, Sox 1

 

Sox looked putrid at the plate; sound familiar?

 

Sox 9, Cleveland 3

Sox 23, Cleveland 7

Sox 12, Cleveland 8 (Pedro with 6 innings of no-hit relief)

Show me Pedro. Where is Pedro? I don't see Pedro.

[S5Dewey]

One game at a time.

 

"Don't let us win this game..."

[illinoisredsox]

Show me Pedro. Where is Pedro? I don't see Pedro.

 

LOL

 

More directed at the doom and gloom crowd pointing out that series started out very similar to this one.

Pedro hurt himself in game 1 as well; they had no idea what they would get out there f him when he came into Game 5.

[User Name]

I bet Buchholz comes out Sunday and dominates, just to spite everyone, and just because he can.

[moonslav59]

I bet Buchholz comes out Sunday and dominates, just to spite everyone, and just because he can.

 

He can, and he will!

[Spudboy]

I bet Buchholz comes out Sunday and dominates, just to spite everyone, and just because he can.

 

Oddly I have almost complete confidence in him.

[Emp9]

One game at a time.

 

That's exactly right. That's all they need to focus on. It's actually a good test for our young players, win or lose. One game at a time.

[oldtimer]

That's exactly right. That's all they need to focus on. It's actually a good test for our young players, win or lose. One game at a time.

 

Just a reality check. Didn't we just lose 7 of the last 8 games? Hardly a competitive team at this point. Instead of doom and gloom, I see it as a reality, as it is in the books. The Pollyanna types can say their piece and be hopeful, as is their right, but the facts point in the other direction.

[Bellhorn04]

Just a reality check. Didn't we just lose 7 of the last 8 games? Hardly a competitive team at this point. Instead of doom and gloom, I see it as a reality, as it is in the books. The Pollyanna types can say their piece and be hopeful, as is their right, but the facts point in the other direction.

 

The fact that they lost 5 of their last 6 regular season games doesn't mean much, when you consider that those games came after an 11 game winning streak that secured the division for them.

 

They're in a lousy position right now, that's for sure. But if, and it's a big if, they can win Game 3, everything will be possible again.

[Emp9]

Just a reality check. Didn't we just lose 7 of the last 8 games? Hardly a competitive team at this point. Instead of doom and gloom, I see it as a reality, as it is in the books. The Pollyanna types can say their piece and be hopeful, as is their right, but the facts point in the other direction.

 

You think they just should forfeit Sunday's game then? That would make it easier for you wouldn't it. I don't think I am being a Pollyanna here. It's not over yet, that's why they play. This ain't my first rodeo bro. Been a fan of baseball & the Red Sox for a long time and I've suffered through worse scenarios than this one. Stop being a bitch. Lol

[Maxbialystock]

Just a reality check. Didn't we just lose 7 of the last 8 games? Hardly a competitive team at this point. Instead of doom and gloom, I see it as a reality, as it is in the books. The Pollyanna types can say their piece and be hopeful, as is their right, but the facts point in the other direction.

 

I have two quarrels with your position. The first is that, especially in the playoffs, it all boils down to pitching. You pitch well, you win. You don't, you go home. The exception to that is when you pitch well but still lose because they other guy pitched better. An alternative version of that is momentum is all about your next starting pitcher.

 

The second is that you conveniently have drawn a line and excluded that 11 game winning streak in September as though it never happened. Yesterday, I agree, nothing went right for the Sox. But Thursday they scored 4 runs, and the bullpen was terrific, which was exactly how they won those 11 games in a row. But guess what? Porcello, our presumptive Cy Young nominee, stank it up with 3 dingers and 5 runs in just 4.1 innings. That's right, one guy, the starting pitcher, lost a game that should have been won.

 

So that's why it's not being a pollyanna to think the Sox can win the next game. Win that one and the next one becomes a possibility. Just that simple. This does not mean the odds aren't against the Sox, only that it's a little early to declare this season dead.

[S5Dewey]

I'll say again what Kevin Millar said in '04, "Don't let us win this game...".

 

'If we win this game we've got a guy who may win the CY award pitching at home and then we've got our ace, and after that... anything can happen. Don't let us win this game.'

 

This ain't over.

[Bellhorn04]

It ain't over, but it's absolutely imperative that we score some runs early in Game 3.

[oldtimer]

You think they just should forfeit Sunday's game then? That would make it easier for you wouldn't it. I don't think I am being a Pollyanna here. It's not over yet, that's why they play. This ain't my first rodeo bro. Been a fan of baseball & the Red Sox for a long time and I've suffered through worse scenarios than this one. Stop being a bitch. Lol

 

I have been a fan since the 1940's and have also seen a lot. It isn't being bitchy to point out the reality we find ourselves in.

[oldtimer]

I have two quarrels with your position. The first is that, especially in the playoffs, it all boils down to pitching. You pitch well, you win. You don't, you go home. The exception to that is when you pitch well but still lose because they other guy pitched better. An alternative version of that is momentum is all about your next starting pitcher.

 

The second is that you conveniently have drawn a line and excluded that 11 game winning streak in September as though it never happened. Yesterday, I agree, nothing went right for the Sox. But Thursday they scored 4 runs, and the bullpen was terrific, which was exactly how they won those 11 games in a row. But guess what? Porcello, our presumptive Cy Young nominee, stank it up with 3 dingers and 5 runs in just 4.1 innings. That's right, one guy, the starting pitcher, lost a game that should have been won.

 

So that's why it's not being a pollyanna to think the Sox can win the next game. Win that one and the next one becomes a possibility. Just that simple. This does not mean the odds aren't against the Sox, only that it's a little early to declare this season dead.

 

It reasonable to say we can win one game on Sunday. The problem is we need to win 3 games and at least one of those against Kluber, who dominated us yesterday. I hope we can but who is going to energize our slumping hitters?

[Bellhorn04]

It reasonable to say we can win one game on Sunday. The problem is we need to win 3 games and at least one of those against Kluber, who dominated us yesterday. I hope we can but who is going to energize our slumping hitters?

 

A 3 run jack by Papi in the 1st inning on Sunday might be just the ticket.

[S5Dewey]

A 3 run jack by Papi in the 1st inning on Sunday might be just the ticket.

 

Very few things are as contagious as hitting and this team has shown the ability to string a lot of hits together over several days. That three run jack - by anyone - could be just what the Dr. ordered.

 

We can be as critical of Price as we want over what happened on Friday but he's not the only culprit. For whatever reason, the Sox didn't score and one of the great truths in baseball or just about any sport is that if you don't score you won't win. Period. End of story.

[User Name]

Isn't this team captained by the guy who helped come back from an 0-2 ALDS 2003, from 0-3 in the 2004 ALCS (only time it has been done) and from a hole against the Tigers in 2013? I'd wait until the fat lady sings to make any sort of judgement.

[User Name]

Don't forget the 1-3 ALCS against this very Guardians team.

[moonslav59]

Just a reality check. Didn't we just lose 7 of the last 8 games? Hardly a competitive team at this point. Instead of doom and gloom, I see it as a reality, as it is in the books. The Pollyanna types can say their piece and be hopeful, as is their right, but the facts point in the other direction.

 

Teams are up and down all the time, oldtimer. You know that better than any of us young sprouts.

 

Shortly before going 1-8, we were 11-0.

 

Surely, recent past records are not very good predictors of near future events.

[Nick]

Most of experts here claim there's no home field advantage. Thus every game is 50/50 proposition. (Vegas bookies may disagree, but they are not handicapping based on who is better, but what they perceived as how the bets will be laid). Cleveland winning the first two games had 25% chance but they did just that.

 

Now we have to win 3 straight. Not impossible but odds are 12.5%.