5/16 A's at Fenway

[SoxHop]

Benni coming to life with the bat. Devers will at some point also.

 

Hang in with the starting pitching till a few of them get into a groove.

 

Hope it all gels for a while.

[Sox75]

Any chance we package Swi, with anybody & take a run at Machado?

 

I know it sounds far fetched, but Baltimore is out of it. Swi could help in RF & backup catcher? Package him with something & go for it.

 

Machado is gone next year, but if they dump him now, ticket sales s*** the bed. I get that. But perhaps we package & make an early run?

 

I know it's a long shot, but I just don't think Devers can handle 3rd all season??? He needs time to season.

 

2% chance?

[moonslav59]

I called 98 early on but this is a 92 win team max

 

You keep assuming a team will continue doing as well as the most recent short sample size.

 

Yes, the team is not the 17-2 team, but they are not the team we've seen over the last 2-3 weeks either.

 

You like to focus on just the negative- Vaz, leon & JBJ's defense and a few bad recent pitching performances and assume that's our team for the rest of the season.

 

It's 162 games. We're about a quarter through. Had we started .500 and were in the midst of a 17-2 run now, you'd be singing a different tune right now. Why? Seriously, why?

 

When do teams always congtinue repeating only their last 20-25 game stretch? The fact is they don't, or hardly ever do.

 

This team will get hot again, and will have another bad stretch, and I suspect you'll cry the sky is falling again and again.

 

This team matches up very well with other top teams. JD is for real. betts is over whatever was bugging him last year- same with Bogey. Beni seems to be turning things around. Pedey and Thornburg will be back soon.

 

I still see us winning 97 to 103 wins.

[moonslav59]

Any chance we package Swi, with anybody & take a run at Machado?

 

I know it sounds far fetched, but Baltimore is out of it. Swi could help in RF & backup catcher? Package him with something & go for it.

 

Machado is gone next year, but if they dump him now, ticket sales s*** the bed. I get that. But perhaps we package & make an early run?

 

I know it's a long shot, but I just don't think Devers can handle 3rd all season??? He needs time to season.

 

2% chance?

 

zero chance, unless you package Swi with Devers or Beni plus maybe Beeks and Velazquez.

[Sox75]

zero chance, unless you package Swi with Devers or Beni plus maybe Beeks and Velazquez.

 

Nobody is going to give up that much for a rental on Machado, unless of course they are determined to sign him as a FA.

 

SO what would it take to land Machado by the deadline? Certainly not that much?

[Sox75]

I absolutely know it's a long shot, but I'm curious what it takes at that time?

[Jasonbay44]

Machado is going to cost a hell of a lot more than Swihart, he has no trade value right now, plus why would Baltimore deal him not only in division, but in division for nothing?

[Larry Cook]

The bottom third of our roster is really not producing much.

[mvp 78]

I absolutely know it's a long shot, but I'm curious what it takes at that time?

 

Beni or Devers. Sox don’t have the prospects to get Machado. O’s will hold out for a better deal.

[Maxbialystock]

No way, no how can getting Machado this year ever be a good deal.

[jung]

They have to pick JBJ back up again and get him hitting good enough to be out there in CF. Our defense is basically on fumes and just waiting for the next batted baseball to prove itself insufficient.

 

As for the Kelly/Kimbrel combination being the best 8th and 9th combo in baseball, you could put a monkey ahead of Kimbrel and make that claim. Kelly still has that flat as a pancake FB that just does not do anything at 100 mph. He has struggled to find a role that suits him for how long now? He is in the 8th by default at this point because we have nobody else that can even begin to go there.

 

Strength of this team is still its rotation. It was built that way. For those that are amused at our lack of pitching development as an organization, it has always been that way here. In Boston we develop hitters and BUY pitchers. So it has been and so it shall be.

[kenmeister]

Beni or Devers. Sox don’t have the prospects to get Machado. O’s will hold out for a better deal.

 

But oh the daydream! Machado at 3B, Pedroia back and healthy at 2B, Thornburg back and healthy as the 8th inning guy. I just need Velazquez to move into the rotation and bump any of Price, Pomeranz, E-Rod and the dream will be complete

[Bellhorn04]

As for the Kelly/Kimbrel combination being the best 8th and 9th combo in baseball, you could put a monkey ahead of Kimbrel and make that claim. Kelly still has that flat as a pancake FB that just does not do anything at 100 mph. He has struggled to find a role that suits him for how long now? He is in the 8th by default at this point because we have nobody else that can even begin to go there.

 

Kelly has a 2.21 ERA and a .93 WHIP. Is there something you don't like about his numbers or are you just going on style points?

[Slasher9]

1 of them gave up a bomb last night. the other did not. im not calling either a "monkey" but it seems a weird day to call out Kelly

[Bellhorn04]

1 of them gave up a bomb last night. the other did not. im not calling either a "monkey" but it seems a weird day to call out Kelly

 

In fact Kelly hasn't given up any home runs at all yet. Kimbrel has given up 4.

[Maxbialystock]

They have to pick JBJ back up again and get him hitting good enough to be out there in CF. Our defense is basically on fumes and just waiting for the next batted baseball to prove itself insufficient.

 

As for the Kelly/Kimbrel combination being the best 8th and 9th combo in baseball, you could put a monkey ahead of Kimbrel and make that claim. Kelly still has that flat as a pancake FB that just does not do anything at 100 mph. He has struggled to find a role that suits him for how long now? He is in the 8th by default at this point because we have nobody else that can even begin to go there.

 

Strength of this team is still its rotation. It was built that way. For those that are amused at our lack of pitching development as an organization, it has always been that way here. In Boston we develop hitters and BUY pitchers. So it has been and so it shall be.

 

Meh. I'm fine with Moreland in the lineup and JBJ not. Our defense is not on fumes, and no centerfielder in the history of MLB can make the difference you and others claim JBJ makes with his defense. I think Betts is as good in RF as JBJ is in CF, but we value Betts most for his great offense which is as it should be. JBJ deserves his -.4 WAR. But don't get me wrong: if Cora decides to play him, I'm fine with that too.

 

The rotation looks great on paper, especially with Price healthy and Porcello having such a good start. But lately not so great. Earlier in the year we were getting quality starts regularly. Now, not so much, mostly because the starters aren't going 6 or more innings. When they go just 5, the bullpen has to do 4, and the bullpen is struggling. Team ERA was 2d best in MLB a month ago. Now it's 9th best.

 

I agree with bellhorn on Kelly and you should too. Kimbrel's WAR is 1.0, and Kelly's is 0.9. Kelly has also pitched more innings than Kimbrel and has a lower ERA. True, Kelly has walked 8 guys vs. Kimbrel's 4, but Kimbrel has given up 4 dingers and Kelly none.

[TylerD]

Meh. I'm fine with Moreland in the lineup and JBJ not. Our defense is not on fumes, and no centerfielder in the history of MLB can make the difference you and others claim JBJ makes with his defense. I think Betts is as good in RF as JBJ is in CF, but we value Betts most for his great offense which is as it should be. JBJ deserves his -.4 WAR. But don't get me wrong: if Cora decides to play him, I'm fine with that too.

 

The rotation looks great on paper, especially with Price healthy and Porcello having such a good start. But lately not so great. Earlier in the year we were getting quality starts regularly. Now, not so much, mostly because the starters aren't going 6 or more innings. When they go just 5, the bullpen has to do 4, and the bullpen is struggling. Team ERA was 2d best in MLB a month ago. Now it's 9th best.

 

I agree with bellhorn on Kelly and you should too. Kimbrel's WAR is 1.0, and Kelly's is 0.9. Kelly has also pitched more innings than Kimbrel and has a lower ERA. True, Kelly has walked 8 guys vs. Kimbrel's 4, but Kimbrel has given up 4 dingers and Kelly none.

 

Still a tad early to tell how Porcello will do unfortunately. He started the season fantastic and looked like the Porcello of 2016 but his last 2 starts have been less than good. Sale is still having himself a year as he is 3rd overall in strikeouts. Price is up in the air but looked good his last start if he can stay healthy. I still think we have one of the most solid rotations in the entire league. But unfortunately it has been inconsistent and it seems when our pitching fails us everything fails. We are a do or die team with our pitching. Same can be said with most teams I guess, but a lot of teams offensively will pick up the slack. If we get behind early and our starter gets pulled in the 3rd or 4th inning it seems almost impossible for this team to win.

[mvp 78]

They have to pick JBJ back up again and get him hitting good enough to be out there in CF. Our defense is basically on fumes and just waiting for the next batted baseball to prove itself insufficient.

 

As for the Kelly/Kimbrel combination being the best 8th and 9th combo in baseball, you could put a monkey ahead of Kimbrel and make that claim. Kelly still has that flat as a pancake FB that just does not do anything at 100 mph. He has struggled to find a role that suits him for how long now? He is in the 8th by default at this point because we have nobody else that can even begin to go there.

 

Strength of this team is still its rotation. It was built that way. For those that are amused at our lack of pitching development as an organization, it has always been that way here. In Boston we develop hitters and BUY pitchers. So it has been and so it shall be.

 

Bad take. Kelly has been really great this year.

[mvp 78]

But oh the daydream! Machado at 3B, Pedroia back and healthy at 2B, Thornburg back and healthy as the 8th inning guy. I just need Velazquez to move into the rotation and bump any of Price, Pomeranz, E-Rod and the dream will be complete

 

I wouldn't trade Devers for Machado. I like Machado, but that's a big hit to the budget if you sign him for 8 years. Would rather keep Xander/Betts.

[Maxbialystock]

I wouldn't trade Devers for Machado. I like Machado, but that's a big hit to the budget if you sign him for 8 years. Would rather keep Xander/Betts.

 

Me too.