7/6 @ Tampa Bay Rays

[Station 13]

Sale is gonna Sale.

[Station 13]

Benni slid too early.

[d-money]

The fielding has been atrocious this season. Geez

[d-money]

Runs plz!!!! Let's get this going

[Jasonbay44]

Good AB Deven.

[SoxHop]

The Lin - Marrero combo strike again...

[d-money]

It would be nice if Ramirez could get a big hit more often than not. Ughh

[d-money]

56 pitches for sale. Might be looking at 6 innings. Score some runs for the guy.

[S5Dewey]

The guy who caught that HR ball had the ball in one hand and a cowbell in the other. There awutta be a law... :-(

[d-money]

Offense looks comatose

[Jasonbay44]

Well this game is over. Offense is really getting frustrating, they just disappear sometimes for games at a time..

[d-money]

That's game. Been the story of this team all season. Very inconsistent. Should be running away with this division but this lack of inconsistency's keeping these other teams close

[Maxbialystock]

Maybe we can call it the Bill James syndrome, but it's a fact that our hitters just hate to swing at the first pitch and opposing pitchers know it. So they throw a fat pitch first to get that 0-1 count, which means that they only have to get a strike on either of the next two pitches to get the Sox hitter in a real hole, 1-2. Mookie in particular hates to swing at first pitches, so we just saw him K in 3 pitches.

 

That two run dinger by Tampa? It was on a first pitch fast ball right down the middle by Sale. The hitter had 2 dingers all year and is hitting .231, but he sure knew what to do with a first pitch gopher ball.

 

But it's a religion with our guys that they must under all circumstances take as many pitches as possible because pitch count or whatever is just so important.

[Maxbialystock]

Moreland, I should mention, will swing at the first pitch, but normally only if it is in the dirt. Sometimes he hits like a champ, but too often he is clueless on what kind of pitch is coming in and where it is going.

[Station 13]

Hanley is absolutely garbage this year.

[TylerD]

Just got in and turned the game on....... wtf.....

[Jasonbay44]

Maybe we can call it the Bill James syndrome, but it's a fact that our hitters just hate to swing at the first pitch and opposing pitchers know it. So they throw a fat pitch first to get that 0-1 count, which means that they only have to get a strike on either of the next two pitches to get the Sox hitter in a real hole, 1-2. Mookie in particular hates to swing at first pitches, so we just saw him K in 3 pitches.

 

That two run dinger by Tampa? It was on a first pitch fast ball right down the middle by Sale. The hitter had 2 dingers all year and is hitting .231, but he sure knew what to do with a first pitch gopher ball.

 

But it's a religion with our guys that they must under all circumstances take as many pitches as possible because pitch count or whatever is just so important.

 

Ramos also is playing in only his 7th came and was injured all season. Its not like he's a bum. He hit .307 last season with 20+ bombs.

[harmony]

Following his trade last week, Chris Sale made his debut for my fantasy team tonight.

[a700hitter]

Following his trade last week, Chris Sale made his debut for my fantasy team tonight.

If he slumps in the second half, you will be to blame.

[Maxbialystock]

Ramos also is playing in only his 7th came and was injured all season. Its not like he's a bum. He hit .307 last season with 20+ bombs.

 

I'm sure you're right. But that doesn't change the fact that an opposing player did something our players would almost never do--hit a dinger on a first pitch.

[Maxbialystock]

Three games left on a 17 consecutive game streak without a day off and which includes three series and 10 games on the road. Plus short sleep Wednesday night. All of that might explain the weak hitting against a pitcher who has actually been very good--his 6th consecutive quality start--this year and the unnecessary throw by JBJ that led to a 2 base error. Sales handled that one nicely by getting the next two outs without giving up the run.

 

This year Longoria is Tampa's 5th best hitter in terms of OPS and total bases, and that means this team can hit better than most past Tampa teams. And last night they beat our ace, Sale, in part because of the short sleep, but also because our guys have shown repeatedly they can't hit good pitching. Bogaerts was missing, but Marrero actually had one of our five hits plus our only rbi with a nice sac fly.

 

This promises to be a tough series--such that I would be fine with a 2-2 split.