9/4 Red Sox @ Oakland

[Maxbialystock]

Warmed up Ziegler and Ross. Kimbrel comes in on a tied game on the road. That's not what he does best. Very odd. This loss is on the O. I wish I could make sense of it , but I can't.

 

This loss is on Kimbrel, pure and simple. He doesn't do anything best anymore. He has control issues at the worst times with and without a lead.

 

And let's not forget that lineup had 9 innings and failed to get even a double, let alone a run scored. And you want to blame this on the manager?

[Wade Boggs]

It's a tie game in the 9th and Kimbrel is the best in the bullpen right now. That he gave up a walk and a dinger is simple confirmation that the bullpen stinks.

 

Then why was Ziegler and Ross warming up in the 8 th. One batter away from coming in. The bottom line Kimbrel doesn't for whatever reason pitch good in tie games.

[Maxbialystock]

Then why was Ziegler and Ross warming up in the 8 th. One batter away from coming in. The bottom line Kimbrel doesn't for whatever reason pitch good in tie games.

 

No. The bottom line is that everyone in the bullpen is a gamble and in this particular game the lineup stank to high heaven. It is a safe bet they were never going to score a run if the game when 20 innings.

[Maxbialystock]

Then why was Ziegler and Ross warming up in the 8 th. One batter away from coming in. The bottom line Kimbrel doesn't for whatever reason pitch good in tie games.

 

Ziegler and Ross were warming up in case ERod had a problem in the 8th, pure and simple.

[Wade Boggs]

i understand. I get the drill. Trust me. But the stats say Kimbrel coming in on tie games say something different. That is not the reason they lost. I agree with you there.

[Wade Boggs]

My last question of the night. If ERod's has his no no going into the 9 th. Who comes out, Erod or Kimbrel.

[moonslav59]

I'm taking away the positives:

 

ERod is back! We need him with Wright in question.

 

I'm not worried about the offense at all.

[a700hitter]

16 runs yesterday. None today. Oh well.

[Spudboy]

I'll break from what everyone else thinks and say that Kimbrel is not as good as his stats would indicate. One of the best for 3-4 years but he is mostly a gamble with Boston. He throw way too many pitches and creates his own problems.

[Thunder]

I'll break from what everyone else thinks and say that Kimbrel is not as good as his stats would indicate. One of the best for 3-4 years but he is mostly a gamble with Boston. He throw way too many pitches and creates his own problems.

 

Yeah I lost faith in him a while ago.

[bowman]

This game is on the offense, plain and simple. People can question the move to bring in Kimbrel all they want but the offense didn't get it done.

 

Totally agree. It's great to score over 20 runs in 2 games, but not sweeping this team because the bats went dry. This team really pisses me off.

[bosoxmal]

My last question of the night. If ERod's has his no no going into the 9 th. Who comes out, Erod or Kimbrel.

 

Mo way in hell a pitcher throwing a no-no gets lifted. Never happens! Never will happen, unless he breaks a leg on the way to the dugout.

[bosoxmal]

I'm taking away the positives:

 

ERod is back! We need him with Wright in question.

 

I'm not worried about the offense at all.

 

Well said. The A's pitcher was gutsy as well as good.

[Thunder]

Well said. The A's pitcher was gutsy as well as good.

 

He was strangely confident too. If I recall correctly, he was one of the guys that we beat up at Fenway in that onslaught of a series at Fenway in May.

[Kimmi]

My last question of the night. If ERod's has his no no going into the 9 th. Who comes out, Erod or Kimbrel.

 

Not that I'm glad that ERod lost his no-no bid, but I am glad that Farrell did not have to make that decision. ERod should not have been brought back out for the 9th, but my guess is that he would have been if he still had the no-no going.

[Kimmi]

I'm taking away the positives:

 

ERod is back! We need him with Wright in question.

 

I'm not worried about the offense at all.

 

That's the spirit Moon!

[Kimmi]

I'll break from what everyone else thinks and say that Kimbrel is not as good as his stats would indicate. One of the best for 3-4 years but he is mostly a gamble with Boston. He throw way too many pitches and creates his own problems.

 

He is not pitching as well as he has in the past. There are so many "bad" stats that I've read about him where he's done something 4-5 times already with Boston that he's only done once or twice previously throughout the rest of his career.

[moonslav59]

He is not pitching as well as he has in the past. There are so many "bad" stats that I've read about him where he's done something 4-5 times already with Boston that he's only done once or twice previously throughout the rest of his career.

 

Nothing against Kimbrel, but you just don't give up 4 prospects (2-3 very promising) for a RP'er- period. Then, when you add to that the fact that he's getting paid near FA money, I never understood why so many fans loved the trade.

 

I'm not gloating, because I did not expect Kimbrel to decline. I was against the trade, even if he had a career norm year. We could have just signed Miller, kept the prospects for a later trade (for a better SP'er) and gotten Kenley Jansen or maybe Chapman this winter.

 

[a700hitter]

Nothing against Kimbrel, but you just don't give up 4 prospects (2-3 very promising) for a RP'er- period. Then, when you add to that the fact that he's getting paid near FA money, I never understood why so many fans loved the trade.

 

I'm not gloating, because I did not expect Kimbrel to decline. I was against the trade, even if he had a career norm year. We could have just signed Miller, kept the prospects for a later trade (for a better SP'er) and gotten Kenley Jansen or maybe Chapman this winter.

 

Without him, we would be behind the Rays.

[bosoxmal]

They have to relegate Kimbrel to mop-up duty until he finds some sort of rhythm. Right now he's a mess. I don't see this team missing the playoffs. That's when it really becomes, "Spahn, Sain and pray for rain." Two of the present starters will be bullpen bound. Right now I would trust Buchholz more than I would Kimbrel.

[Spudboy]

They have to relegate Kimbrel to mop-up duty until he finds some sort of rhythm. Right now he's a mess. I don't see this team missing the playoffs. That's when it really becomes, "Spahn, Sain and pray for rain." Two of the present starters will be bullpen bound. Right now I would trust Buchholz more than I would Kimbrel.

 

Interesting points. But who closes while Kimbrel is doing mop-up?

[Maxbialystock]

Kimmi makes some very good points about Kimbrel's downturn this year, but he is still the best closer when he has his best stuff, which basically means command of two pitches, the fast ball and the knuckle curve. Together they can obliterate the best hitters, but he needs to command both. When he loses control of the knuckle curve, hitters can and will sit on his fast ball and hit it hard. When he loses both, he walks guys, sometimes lots of them.

 

I also like moonslav's point about ERod, that just maybe he has come into his own and might even be better than last year.

 

This game underscored what can kill the Sox. Even after swamping the A's in the first two games, they couldn't score a run yesterday and had to depend on a bullpen which has proven time and again to be undependable.

[Hugh2]

Without him, we would be behind the Rays.

 

I think that's an exaggeration. I highly doubt we lose 18+ games because we dont' have Kimbrel on this team.

[Hugh2]

It is worrisome that Kimbrel has these sub-optimal outings, but for what it's worth when he's in a save situation he's much much more reliable.

[a700hitter]

I think that's an exaggeration. I highly doubt we lose 18+ games because we dont' have Kimbrel on this team.

Have you been watching our bullpen. It is doable.

[Hugh2]

Have you been watching our bullpen. It is doable.

 

I highly doubt in the history of baseball one relief pitcher has ever been the difference between a last place team that's competing and even been in 1st place for much of the year. I don't think this team would be where it is without him......but Kimbrel isn't a guy making an 18 win difference.

[a700hitter]

I highly doubt in the history of baseball one relief pitcher has ever been the difference between a last place team that's competing and even been in 1st place for much of the year. I don't think this team would be where it is without him......but Kimbrel isn't a guy making an 18 win difference.

It will not be 18 games at the end of the season. Tampa is kicking ass on the ALE right now. We will have to see what the gap is on October 2nd. Plus, this isn't a precise science. Suffice it to say that without Kimbrel, I don't think we would be in the position that we are in now.

[Hugh2]

It will not be 18 games at the end of the season. Tampa is kicking ass on the ALE right now. We will have to see what the gap is on October 2nd. Plus, this isn't a precise science. Suffice it to say that without Kimbrel, I don't think we would be in the position that we are in now.

 

Agree 100%

[Kimmi]

Nothing against Kimbrel, but you just don't give up 4 prospects (2-3 very promising) for a RP'er- period. Then, when you add to that the fact that he's getting paid near FA money, I never understood why so many fans loved the trade.

 

I'm not gloating, because I did not expect Kimbrel to decline. I was against the trade, even if he had a career norm year. We could have just signed Miller, kept the prospects for a later trade (for a better SP'er) and gotten Kenley Jansen or maybe Chapman this winter.

 

 

I am very happy to have Kimbrel on our team, but I agree completely that Dombrowski overpaid for him, by a good bit. That said, he was one of the top closers available, so I can't fault Dombrowski for the way that he is performing, which really isn't that bad, but he's not as lights out as we were hoping.

[Youk Of The Nation]

Bump