A Realistic View at 2018: Part II

[S5Dewey]

Stop Jacko. Just stop. The Sox have one bad game and here you are going on with your nonsense again.

 

You need to focus on how your team is going to win the wildcard game.

 

Yes. Thank you.

[sk7326]

You conveniently omit the fact that our middle pen has been carried by Barnes, Hembree and Velazquez/Workman.Poyener/Brasier.

RP'er innings only

IP/ERA

43/ 2.30 Barnes

41/3.73 Hembree

40/2.45 Velazquez

19/2.89 Workman

14/3.68 Walden

11/1.69 Poyner

7.0/0.00 Brasier

 

Maybe you are underselling this group. Some of these guys have been doing well for 2+ years, but because their not named Betances. Robertson and whatever, I guess they suck.

 

Yes, we expected to get 2 reliable set-up men out of Kelly, Smith & Thornburg, but I'm pretty sure DD is going to plug that hole soon, even though there still is a chance Kelly regains form or Thornburg gets stronger.

 

Also the slide of Moreland is overrated - it was why Boston traded for Pearce. It's both a lefty masher and a solid hedge against Moreland just being Moreland. It's still an effective platoon.

[FredLynn]

Kelly’s fall from reliability, Smith’s stupid injury and Thornburg’s loss of stuff after TOS leaves your bridge depleted. Nobody has needed to care since your rotation has carried you, your closer is infallible and your offense seems to know the magic amount of runs needed to win the game every time. But the cracks are showing in the pen. With the slide of Moreland and the still lack of reliability of your back end of the lineup, the offense has come out of the break sluggish. Couple that with ERod going down and Pomeranz going the way of Justin Masterson, your rotation is looking like the three horseman and a hope for a good offensive output the final two games of every rotation turn. DD must address this. You’ve now had two 15-2 runs this season. The first one was 17-2 and you had a 6.5 game lead in the division, but eventually the Yanks went ahead by 4. Then the Sox got hot again and jumped up 4 games in the L column. With NY bolstering their club and the subsequent weakening of the clubs around them, it will be very important for DD to steel the club not only to win the division but survive the postseason. When the Sox are facing a team like NY or HOU or CLE and the opposing offense grinds the starters out in 5 innings, who’s coming in with the season on the line? If ERod is done with his ankle injury, who’s throwing game 4 of a playoff series?

 

Absolutely Jacko...its time for Sox fans to start wringing our hands and weeping publicly. All we have in the pen are four guys with an ERA of 2.50 or less and others who have lately been pitching well. How will we possibly survive?

 

Oh wait.....we have seven more wins than the Yankees at this point.....never mind.

[FredLynn]

Have you not watched Brian Johnson getting better each outing?

 

As for the playoffs, though we just acquired Eovaldi, it will be interesting to see if one of E-Rod or Wright comes back in time.

 

Johnson, our #5 SP, has a lower ERA than Tanaka, ostensibly the Yankees #3 SP.

Nuff said...almost....your team is going to be without your #1 catcher for a long time, perhaps all season long. Now nuff said.

 

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24191404/yankees-expect-catcher-gary-sanchez-until-late-august-early-september

Edited July 25, 2018 by FredLynn

[jacksonianmarch]

Johnson, our #5 SP, has a lower ERA than Tanaka, ostensibly the Yankees #3 SP.

Nuff said.

 

Because ERA is the best indicator of a pitcher's ability, lol.

[FredLynn]

Because ERA is the best indicator of a pitcher's ability, lol.

 

You're right. Lets use ERA+.

 

Tanaka: 105

Johnson: 116

 

The facts are a bitch, aren't they.

[jacksonianmarch]

Absolutely Jacko...its time for Sox fans to start wringing our hands and weeping publicly. All we have in the pen are four guys with an ERA of 2.50 or less and others who have lately been pitching well. How will we possibly survive?

 

Oh wait.....we have seven more wins than the Yankees at this point.....never mind.

 

Ah yes, the Brasier's and Poyner's of the world are reliable guys in crunch time, right? Don't be a dolt. Barnes has been your best setup guy, yet who here thinks he'll be good in crunch time in the playoffs? Velasquez has been doing it with smoke and mirrors (4.53xFIP). You need a reliable set up man. In the postseason, that is more important than ever. You don't have one

[jacksonianmarch]

You're right. Lets use ERA+.

 

Tanaka: 105

Johnson: 116

 

The facts are a bitch, aren't they.

 

I'm gonna save this quote for the end of the season. I hope you like crow

[jacksonianmarch]

You're right. Lets use ERA+.

 

Tanaka: 105

Johnson: 116

 

The facts are a bitch, aren't they.

 

ERA+ compares your ERA to the league average, of course Johnson's would be better. Lets look at a better stat, like xFIP. Johnson 4.38, Tanaka 3.56. Not even close

[dgalehouse]

ERA+ compares your ERA to the league average, of course Johnson's would be better. Lets look at a better stat, like xFIP. Johnson 4.38, Tanaka 3.56. Not even close

 

Better tune in to YES , Jack. Things are going downhill in a hurry.

[FredLynn]

I'm gonna save this quote for the end of the season. I hope you like crow

 

Are you going to deny that up to this point Johnson, our #5 SP, has been more effective than your #3 SP? No one knows what the final tally will be. I deal in what is real, right now. Understandably since the facts indicate that as of now your #3 SP is worse than our #5 SP, you prefer to deal with what might be the case in the future. As of right now we have seven more wins than the Yankees (who, as you know, are now trailing those pesky Rays 3-1 in the sixth). I would rather be in our position than yours.

As for our pen, its going to be just fine. I expect DD to acquire a good RP. Then we will be set.

[jacksonianmarch]

Are you going to deny that up to this point Johnson, our #5 SP, has been more effective than your #3 SP? No one knows what the final tally will be. I deal in what is real, right now. Understandably since the facts indicate that as of now your #3 SP is worse than our #5 SP, you prefer to deal with what might be the case in the future. As of right now we have seven more wins than the Yankees (who, as you know, are now trailing those pesky Rays 3-1 in the sixth). I would rather be in our position than yours.

As for our pen, its going to be just fine. I expect DD to acquire a good RP. Then we will be set.

 

We will be very tough to beat in the playoffs. I expect to meet up with Boston in the ALDS and we will prevail

[Maxbialystock]

We will be very tough to beat in the playoffs. I expect to meet up with Boston in the ALDS and we will prevail

 

Bold words for a one-eyed fat man. I do think you guys have the better bullpen. But right now your guys are also more likely to have to play the wild card game.

[S5Dewey]

We will be very tough to beat in the playoffs. I expect to meet up with Boston in the ALDS and we will prevail

 

I think that's called "Whistling past the graveyard".

 

When Jax shows up here it means one of two things. Either the something bad is happening to the Sox or Jax is panicking. Which could this be??

[FredLynn]

We will be very tough to beat in the playoffs. I expect to meet up with Boston in the ALDS and we will prevail

 

I can't argue with part of that post....the Yankees will indeed be tough to beat in the playoffs.

I trust you know that the same will be true of the Red Sox.

As for who will prevail, let the best team win.....as long as it isn't the Yankees.

[kenmeister]

I can't argue with part of that post....the Yankees will indeed be tough to beat in the playoffs.

I trust you know that the same will be true of the Red Sox.

As for who will prevail, let the best team win.....as long as it isn't the Yankees.

 

I feel good about the Sox chances IF Sale doesn't have a second half swoon.

[FredLynn]

Yankees lose.

[oldtimer]

Yankees lose.

 

3 to 2 in the 9th, two Yankees on Romo vs Gardner and he strikes out on a pitch off the plate.

[Slasher9]

We will be very tough to beat in the playoffs. I expect to meet up with Boston in the ALDS and we will prevail

You actually have to make the playoffs in order to play in the ALDS?

I see NYY trending towards golf...

[kenmeister]

Yankees lose.

 

Of course, the Yankees may likely lose prior to playing the Red Sox. If the season ended today, the Yankees would have a one game playoff with the Mariners. If they win that, then I *think* the division series would be Sox vs. Guardians and Yankees vs. Astros. The Astros are very tough, so the Yankees really have to run the gauntlet to make the World Series.

[dgalehouse]

Any good team can be tough in a short series. Even more so in a one game play in. That is a fact of baseball life. The Yankees really don't have the fearsome lineup that some think they do. Plenty of power there , but up and down the order , the batting averages are not so impressive. They can be pitched to. I honestly think the Sox will easily win the division. In the playoffs , it is up to a few guys to step up . I certainly like our chances. But any of four teams are capable of winning it.

[Bellhorn04]

Yankees lose.

 

Those words are even sweeter when you hear them this early in the day.

[bkzwhitestrican]

Yankees still win the division by 6 games

[Fan_since_Boggs]

We will be very tough to beat in the playoffs. I expect to meet up with Boston in the ALDS and we will prevail

 

Not with Chris Sale pitching games 1 and 5.

 

Amazing to think that the Red Sox and Yankees haven't met up in the playoffs since 2004. Back then in 2003 and 2004, it felt like they would meet up every year and yet here we are in 2018 and it hasn't happened in almost 15 years. . . .

[mvp 78]

Yankees still win the division by 6 games

 

What year will that be? 2021 after the dreaded jacko cliff?

[kenmeister]

Not with Chris Sale pitching games 1 and 5.

 

Amazing to think that the Red Sox and Yankees haven't met up in the playoffs since 2004. Back then in 2003 and 2004, it felt like they would meet up every year and yet here we are in 2018 and it hasn't happened in almost 15 years. . . .

 

1999, 2003, and 2004 yeah and nothing since then. We had tense series in 2007, 2008, and 2013 with the Guardians, Rays, and Tigers respectively, but haven't been back since ourselves.

[Kimmi]

ERA+ compares your ERA to the league average, of course Johnson's would be better. Lets look at a better stat, like xFIP. Johnson 4.38, Tanaka 3.56. Not even close

 

And then there's CC's xFIP, which is 4.52.

[Kimmi]

Those words are even sweeter when you hear them this early in the day.

 

It's always nice going into a night game knowing that the Yankees have already lost.

[Kimmi]

What year will that be? 2021 after the dreaded jacko cliff?

 

Back to back to back.

[Nick]

I think I read somewhere Yankees are 11-11 vs Rays and Orioles, Sox maybe something like 17-6?

 

Point being it is simply too difficult to project out how we'll do simply looking at the schedule.

 

I always think we're much better than A's and the Twins but my gut say we've struggled against those two teams. I think Twins handle Sale better than anyone else.

 

Just going off my fading memory. Rays play Yankees tough.

 

By the way, nice pick up by Red Sox today. That ought to make Yankee fans pucker.

Edited July 25, 2018 by Nick