Sox Pitching Staff Discussion

[moonslav59]

Ok, fess up, where are the guys who wanted Jordan Zimmerman?

 

(I confess I wanted Anibal Sanchez a couple years or so back.)

[oldtimer]

We do pretty well when we face very good pitchers.

 

I think we'll score 5+ tomorrow.

 

Let's hope Buch & Co. can keep them under 5.

 

The meat of our lineup wasn't able to hit today with Bogaerts (now below a 300 BA), Ortiz and Betts all taking the collar. I read also that Moncada made another blunder not running with 2 outs. It sounds like JF has lost trust in him in game situations and that he will stay up but not get used. JF wants him to assimilate what it means to be in a pennant race situation. It's a shame the kid hasn't got his act together as he is known to have a lot of talent. Each kid has to move at their own pace and he doesn't appear ready enough to be inserted at this time. .

[Kimmi]

We do pretty well when we face very good pitchers.

 

I think we'll score 5+ tomorrow.

 

Let's hope Buch & Co. can keep them under 5.

 

Hope so. The division is tight enough as is without allowing all the other teams to gain another game on us.

[Dojji]

Ok, fess up, where are the guys who wanted Jordan Zimmerman?

 

(I confess I wanted Anibal Sanchez a couple years or so back.)

 

This would be a fantastic time to buy low on Zimmermann who has gotten rather unlucky this year. Better him than Buchholz

 

For the record -- I just looked up Pomeranz' numbers. After a clear adjustment period in July, he's really settled down, and his overall numbers since coming to Boston are pretty reasonable. It's beginning to look like we have a fair chance to get our Espinosa's worth out of the guy.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Dojji

[moonslav59]

(2014-2016)

 

Here's how the Sox have done this year against the top 34 SP'ers by WAR (2014-2016) I'm using the larger sample size than just this year, because if we killed a pitcher this year, we might have knocked him out of the top 34- like Greinke):

W-L ERA/WHIP

Kershaw DNP

Kluber 1-1 4.28/1.46

Scherzer DNP

CSale 1-1 1.29/0.71

J Arrieta DNP

Quintana 1-0 4.73/1.35

Lester DNP

Bumgarner 0-0 1.50/0.83

J Cueto DNP

Keuchel 0-1 12.00/2.17

Greinke 0-1 48.60/6.00

deGrom DNP

Strasburg DNP

C Archer 0-4 6.65/1.75

CHamels DNP

Carrasco 0-0 7.20/1.60

G Cole DNP______

 

Vs top 17: 8-3

 

Tanaka 1-0 2.13/0.79

Verlander 2-0 1.50/0.92

Zimmerman DNP

JFernandez DNP

GGonzalez DNP

CMcHugh 0-1 8.10/2.40

J Lackey DNP

Wainwright DNP

Syndergaard DNP

Samardzjia DNP

Pineda 0-2 4.50/1.50

Hendricks DNP

B Colon DNP

T Ross DNP

Richards DNP

Salazar 0-1 8.31/2.54

S Gray 0-1 17.18/2.73

 

Our record

 

vs the best 34: 12-5

 

I doubt any other team has a better W-L record vs these guys this year.

[moonslav59]

This would be a fantastic time to buy low on Zimmermann who has gotten rather unlucky this year. Better him than Buchholz.

 

What, like trade Buch and Devers for Zimm?

[oldtimer]

Would Henry Owens be a better bet than Buchholz the next time around?

[Spudboy]

Would Henry Owens be a better bet than Buchholz the next time around?

 

No. Not based on what both have done this season.

 

Owens just does not have MLB stuff.

 

Buch does have it. He just is crippled by a low IQ.

[moonslav59]

Funny how quickly it goes from "Buch should be our 3rd starter in the playoffs" to "should Owens replace Buch as our 5th starter".

 

This place cracks me up!

[sk7326]

Would Henry Owens be a better bet than Buchholz the next time around?

 

No - but worth giving him some work if possible. He has major league swing and miss stuff - but has no idea where the pitches are going.

[greenwell]

Funny how quickly it goes from "Buch should be our 3rd starter in the playoffs" to "should Owens replace Buch as our 5th starter".

 

This place cracks me up!

 

No kidding. Sanchez didn't have that great a game either, I guess the Blue Jays should try to get Owens too.

[a700hitter]

I am not all that sure about Pom either. After some more thought, here is how I would go into the playoffs.

 

1. Price

2. Porcello

3. Pomeranz/ Buch in a piggyback

4. ERod/Buch in a piggyback

 

If Buch is needed to piggyback Pom, he will obviously not be available to piggyback ERod. If Pom can go deep into the game, Buch can piggyback ERod.

I felt this way before yesterday's game, and this is how I feel after yesterday's game.

[S5Dewey]

No - but worth giving him some work if possible. He has major league swing and miss stuff - but has no idea where the pitches are going.

 

I'm not sure what you mean by giving him some work. I don't want to risk losing any games in which we're leading just so he can get some work, and as good as our offense can be I don't want to be throwing in the towel early in a game just because we're down by 5-6 runs.

 

I agree that he has major league swing and miss stuff, but he also has "major league" miss-the-plate stuff.

[Slasher9]

the team plane would need to crash for Owens to get another start this season.....

[southpaw777]

the team plane would need to crash for Owens to get another start this season.....

 

Id start Johnson before Owens...even if he just returned from his anxiety issues

[a700hitter]

the team plane would need to crash for Owens to get another start this season.....

I agree. We will not see Owens or Johnson as starters this season unless there is a catastrophe in the next week or 10 days.

[sk7326]

I'm not sure what you mean by giving him some work. I don't want to risk losing any games in which we're leading just so he can get some work, and as good as our offense can be I don't want to be throwing in the towel early in a game just because we're down by 5-6 runs.

 

I agree that he has major league swing and miss stuff, but he also has "major league" miss-the-plate stuff.

 

If there is a rout - there might be a time for some mopup - which is fine. And certainly worth seeing if he can offer any value at all. The 9 relievers for postseason are very much up in the air. It is nice to talk in those terms.

[moonslav59]

Id start Johnson before Owens...even if he just returned from his anxiety issues

 

They didn't add Johnson to the ML roster this September, so I doubt he'd get the start over Owens, although, I agree. I like Johnson better right now.

 

They could consider Elias, in a pinch.

[Spudboy]

No. Just no.

[Bellhorn04]

Funny how quickly it goes from "Buch should be our 3rd starter in the playoffs" to "should Owens replace Buch as our 5th starter".

 

This place cracks me up!

 

I'm pretty sure the same person didn't make both of those statements.

[d-money]

Buckwheat pitched like a pussy yesterday. Afraid to throw strikes. It was painful to watch.

[moonslav59]

I'm pretty sure the same person didn't make both of those statements.

 

Yeah, I know. But each side of the spectrum comes to the surface after each good game or bad game.

[Bellhorn04]

Yeah, I know. But each side of the spectrum comes to the surface after each good game or bad game.

 

There aren't many pitchers who can inspire the kind of see-saw reaction that Buch does.

[oldtimer]

There aren't many pitchers who can inspire the kind of see-saw reaction that Buch does.

 

When it gets around to the fifth starter, do we use him again? Who else could start in that position?

[Slasher9]

we 100% keep Clay in the rotation. chalk that game up to it was a hitters day. neither SP lasted very long. let's see how he performs in his next start....

[SoxnCycles]

When it gets around to the fifth starter, do we use him again? Who else could start in that position?

 

If the alternative is Owens, I keep Buchholz in the rotation.

 

It looks like the bullpen is settling down, with Koji healthy and the Sept callups helping out.

The rotation is miles better than it was two months ago, thanks to Price and the aquisition of Pomeranz.

 

The team is finally firing on all cylinders and at the perfect time.

Don't "experiment" with the rotation.

[SoxnCycles]

we 100% keep Clay in the rotation. chalk that game up to it was a hitters day. neither SP lasted very long. let's see how he performs in his next start....

 

Agree.

[Nick]

I wished we hadn't traded away Wade Miley......

[Dojji]

I wished we hadn't traded away Wade Miley......

 

Carson Smith is going to come in handy once we get him back. And Miley's numbers are actually worse than Buchholz' on this year.

[mvp 78]

I'd rather Buchholz than Owens or Johnson. It's not really close. I think Owens doesn't have much value anymore.