A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[Bellhorn04]

I see there are three teams over .800 and five teams over .725. Is this unusual at the beginning of the season, or do I just not usually pay close attention to other divisions this early in the year?

 

Well, one of the things we heard this offseason was that a lot of the crappy teams weren't interested in getting better, that they would rather tank completely. So we may see some really big spreads in W-L records this year.

[harmony]

I guess Baseball Reference has been slow to update.

The injury-plagued Seattle Mariners are 9-5, a half-game up on the Astros after beating the defending World Series champs on Monday.

[moonslav59]

The injury-plagued Seattle Mariners are 9-5, a half-game up on the Astros after beating the defending World Series champs on Monday.

 

The Stros are in an awful hitting slump.

[Emp9]

The injury-plagued Seattle Mariners are 9-5, a half-game up on the Astros after beating the defending World Series champs on Monday.

 

The top 6 of Mariners’ lineup is pretty sick. A lot of them fell to me this year in fantasy including their closer Diaz.

[harmony]

The Stros are in an awful hitting slump.

The Astros can feast tonight on Seattle left-hander Ariel Miranda.

 

Or not.

 

Miranda, who led the Mariners in starts last season, has been called up to make his first MLB start of the year.

[harmony]

The top 6 of Mariners’ lineup is pretty sick. A lot of them fell to me this year in fantasy including their closer Diaz.

The Seattle lineup should improve with the returns of Mike Zunino and Ben Gamel.

 

The pitching is the big question.

[illinoisredsox]

I see there are three teams over .800 and five teams over .725. Is this unusual at the beginning of the season, or do I just not usually pay close attention to other divisions this early in the year?

 

Well, one of the things we heard this offseason was that a lot of the crappy teams weren't interested in getting better, that they would rather tank completely. So we may see some really big spreads in W-L records this year.

 

I don't think it's that unusual to have 2-3 teams play .800 ball for 10-15 games, nor a couple more to play over .700 for the same span. It's just magnified because it's the start of the season. If this were June or August, it would just be said that x and y are red hot right now.

[kenmeister]

I don't think it's that unusual to have 2-3 teams play .800 ball for 10-15 games, nor a couple more to play over .700 for the same span. It's just magnified because it's the start of the season. If this were June or August, it would just be said that x and y are red hot right now.

 

 

The difference is that the Sox are going to play .800 or better ball the rest of the year and break records, whereas the other teams are just on hot streaks and will cool down noticeably soon

[moonslav59]

The difference is that the Sox are going to play .800 or better ball the rest of the year and break records, whereas the other teams are just on hot streaks and will cool down noticeably soon

 

Truth speaker.

 

[Nick]

Lin getting much needed rest.....Cora is a genius.

[notin]

Lin getting much needed rest.....Cora is a genius.

 

Sometimes it's also not so much about resting one guy as it is keeping another one ready...

[moonslav59]

Sometimes it's also not so much about resting one guy as it is keeping another one ready...

 

Who? Holt?

[moonslav59]

Cora is a genius.

[moonslav59]

Workman finally getting his act together. 2 IP- 5 Ks/ 0 BB/ 0 Hits.

 

Quiroz hit his 4th HR and is currently hitting .400.

[Hitch]

Who? Holt?

 

Seemed to work out just fine. Again.

[Maxbialystock]

Sox at 14-2 still under the radar. Big MLB story today is Ohtani blister.

[Hitch]

I'm going to revise my early prediction to 159-3.

 

There will be one game where something goes wrong.

[Maxbialystock]

Apropos of nothing, it now appears the rotation is set at Sale, Price, Porcello, ERod, and Pomeranz, who makes his first start in game 1 at Oakland on Friday. I believe it is still true that the Sox have the best starting pitching stats inMLB so far this year.

[Bellhorn04]

Workman finally getting his act together. 2 IP- 5 Ks/ 0 BB/ 0 Hits.

 

Quiroz hit his 4th HR and is currently hitting .400.

 

Good stuff.

[mvp 78]

How’s the run differential now?!?

[jacksonianmarch]

The sox big story is that outside of what was known going into the season (Hanley coming off surgery, ERod coming off surgery, and Pedroia coming off surgery), you’ve had a pretty healthy squad. Cora managed to navigate a weak early season schedule while hiding his two replacement starters from good offenses outside of one Johnson vs Orioles start. There was a fortuitous rain out on Monday which allowed you to now run out there your usual starting 5. Having known about the surgeries prior to the offseason, it allowed DD to re-sign Nunez and sign Moreland as depth while the guys got healthy. Hanley didn’t need it. Nunez definitely helped with Pedey sidelined. DD gets an A++ up to now. I said from the beginning that a healthy Price was your wild card. So far, minus a scare vs. NY, he’s been healthy and is 3-1 with 3 dominant performances vs one lost game due to the cold. Porcello has also come out smoking and ERod shook off the rust in his last start. With your pitching rounding into form and getting healthy and your offense turning it on, you might run away and hide with the division by the time we get our s*** together

[mvp 78]

Back to back to back

[S5Dewey]

The sox big story is that outside of what was known going into the season (Hanley coming off surgery, ERod coming off surgery, and Pedroia coming off surgery), you’ve had a pretty healthy squad. Cora managed to navigate a weak early season schedule while hiding his two replacement starters from good offenses outside of one Johnson vs Orioles start. There was a fortuitous rain out on Monday which allowed you to now run out there your usual starting 5. Having known about the surgeries prior to the offseason, it allowed DD to re-sign Nunez and sign Moreland as depth while the guys got healthy. Hanley didn’t need it. Nunez definitely helped with Pedey sidelined. DD gets an A++ up to now. I said from the beginning that a healthy Price was your wild card. So far, minus a scare vs. NY, he’s been healthy and is 3-1 with 3 dominant performances vs one lost game due to the cold. Porcello has also come out smoking and ERod shook off the rust in his last start. With your pitching rounding into form and getting healthy and your offense turning it on, you might run away and hide with the division by the time we get our s*** together

 

There's a saying that you can't win it in April but you sure can lose it and I don't see either of those being appropriate right now. I don't think there's any doubt that the Yankees will play better than they've been playing and the Sox won't continue at an .875 clip. However, starting today the season is 146 games long and the Sox have a 6 game lead over the Yankees. That's significant. Not overwhelming, but significant.

 

And no, I'm not taking the Blow Jays seriously.

[Maxbialystock]

How’s the run differential now?!?

 

Out of sight of course, best in MLB at +51.

[jacksonianmarch]

You don’t win it in April usually, but a team like the 84 Tigers essentially had it won in May. They went 35-5. You don’t face us again til late May and after playing the Angels (who I think end up around the 85-86 win mark) you get the A’s before coming home to the Jays and then get the easy Rays after that. If you guys can split with the Angels going forward, take 2 of 3 from the Jays at home and sweep the A’s and Rays, you’ll have a lead on us up to 8 or 9 games. If your pitching stays healthy, that will be insurmountable as your rotation will keep you from long losing streaks. We get the Jays for 4, the Twins for 4, then go off to the west coast to face the Angels for 3, the Stros for 4 then come home to the Guardians. We are gonna be tested and you guys might have a seriously huge lead by then

[Emp9]

Per ESPN: With three three-homer games in his Red Sox career, Betts has tied Ted Williams for most three-homer games in Red Sox history.

[kenmeister]

Per ESPN: With three three-homer games in his Red Sox career, Betts has tied Ted Williams for most three-homer games in Red Sox history.

 

Wow!

[Slasher9]

You don’t win it in April usually, but a team like the 84 Tigers essentially had it won in May. They went 35-5. You don’t face us again til late May and after playing the Angels (who I think end up around the 85-86 win mark) you get the A’s before coming home to the Jays and then get the easy Rays after that. If you guys can split with the Angels going forward, take 2 of 3 from the Jays at home and sweep the A’s and Rays, you’ll have a lead on us up to 8 or 9 games. If your pitching stays healthy, that will be insurmountable as your rotation will keep you from long losing streaks. We get the Jays for 4, the Twins for 4, then go off to the west coast to face the Angels for 3, the Stros for 4 then come home to the Guardians. We are gonna be tested and you guys might have a seriously huge lead by then

 

yup. its totally unfair that the Red Sox have only played s***** teams so far this season and the Yankees had a super hard schedule. they had to play the Red Sox while we got to feast on weak opponents like the Yankees. guess we will have to wait and see how good we are when we fly out west and face the vaunted Angels and their unbelievable pitching phenom Ohtani. oh wait...nevermind.

troll on....

[Maxbialystock]

The sox big story is that outside of what was known going into the season (Hanley coming off surgery, ERod coming off surgery, and Pedroia coming off surgery), you’ve had a pretty healthy squad. Cora managed to navigate a weak early season schedule while hiding his two replacement starters from good offenses outside of one Johnson vs Orioles start. There was a fortuitous rain out on Monday which allowed you to now run out there your usual starting 5. Having known about the surgeries prior to the offseason, it allowed DD to re-sign Nunez and sign Moreland as depth while the guys got healthy. Hanley didn’t need it. Nunez definitely helped with Pedey sidelined. DD gets an A++ up to now. I said from the beginning that a healthy Price was your wild card. So far, minus a scare vs. NY, he’s been healthy and is 3-1 with 3 dominant performances vs one lost game due to the cold. Porcello has also come out smoking and ERod shook off the rust in his last start. With your pitching rounding into form and getting healthy and your offense turning it on, you might run away and hide with the division by the time we get our s*** together

 

Thanks for the insights. I entirely agree on the weak schedule. Were it not for Price's almost injury, the Yankees would have been swept, and even then Chapman had to save that one (and did) in the 9th. Also agree Pedey and Bogie on the DL are nothing compared to Jacoby Ellsbury being out of action all season long. His absence is really hurting the Yankees lineup.

[S5Dewey]

You don’t win it in April usually, but a team like the 84 Tigers essentially had it won in May. They went 35-5. You don’t face us again til late May and after playing the Angels (who I think end up around the 85-86 win mark) you get the A’s before coming home to the Jays and then get the easy Rays after that. If you guys can split with the Angels going forward, take 2 of 3 from the Jays at home and sweep the A’s and Rays, you’ll have a lead on us up to 8 or 9 games. If your pitching stays healthy, that will be insurmountable as your rotation will keep you from long losing streaks. We get the Jays for 4, the Twins for 4, then go off to the west coast to face the Angels for 3, the Stros for 4 then come home to the Guardians. We are gonna be tested and you guys might have a seriously huge lead by then

Well sure, but that that involves the Sox going 9-2 in the next 11 games and I'll take that over any stretch against any teams.

 

I know you want to poor-mouth your team and complain about the scheduling but at the end of 162 both the Y's and the Sox will have played about the same amount of talent from other teams. When the Y's schedule gets easier the Sox schedule will get tougher and the Y's will start to make up ground.

 

Unless of course the Sox are an .800 ball club in which case it won't matter what the Yankees do.