ALDS rehash and ALCS assessment

[moonslav59]

Dam Betts swinging at the first dam pitch with the bases loaded. He’s been awesome but dam Verlander just walked 3 in a row.

 

Hard to fault Betts, since often the best pitch to hit is the first one, but yes, Verlander looked like he was losing control.

[Hitch]

Well this is an absolute shambles of a performance in every possible way.

 

9 walks and 3 hit batters.

 

Poor defence at the wrong time.

 

Not using Kimbrel in the 9th to give us a shot at the win.

 

Non existent offence.

 

Umpires have been dreadful.

 

Just wonderfully s*** all over.

 

Price needs to show us something tomorrow.

[Jason33]

Ya 7-2 wasn’t what I was expecting at all. This is the worst game we’ve played in all facades of the game. Plus we have Price going tomorrow so not looking to good. I’ll keep my comments to a minimum, because we got smacked by the Yanks and came back and took both in NY. Tonight just doesn’t leave a good feeling in your stomach that’s for sure.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Bad game for Cora, especially the decision to start E.Nunez at 3b.

 

Cora is really sticking his neck out for David Price in game two, let's see how that works out for him.

 

The biggest issue: Chris Sale was not Chris Sale. Totally devastating. It looks like he really does have an arm/shoulder issue. The Red Sox should forget all about a long term contract for Sale at this juncture. It is hard to see the Red Sox winning a championship this year without a dominant Sale.

Edited October 14, 2018 by Fan_since_Boggs

[Bellhorn04]

Bad game for Cora, especially the decision to start E.Nunez at 3b.

 

Eh, based on results that is. Nunez had an awful game but he's been our best defensive third baseman this year, I believe. He was being lauded for his play that ended the ALCS.

 

Devers is no lock to be error-free...

[oldtimer]

Disappointing first game

 

What with Sale starting for us against Verlander, I expected a tough game but hoped the outcome would be better than it turned out, for a lot of reasons. First and foremost was our pitching.

 

Pitching:

 

On a cool and pressure packed evening, Sale lost something in his pitching mechanics and had a devil of a time finding it. He could have gotten better defensive support to prevent his wildness from giving the Astros the early lead, but it wasn't to be. The damage was done and Sales pitch count blew up so he couldn't make it past the 4th inning and that will probably prove to be more damaging to the club than the two runs he gave up. i guess Cora wanted to save him for a potential start in game 4 or maybe just game 5 if it goes that far, especially with Price today.

 

We used all our bridge relievers and used them hard, because no one seemed able to throw strikes and get ahead of the batter. Nine walks and three hit batsmen says it all. Kelly, Barnes, Brasier all used hard and only Kelly gave up a run, so the game continued to be within reach.

 

Workman came in and was also not able to hit his spots. The Astros made him pay and perhaps now we know he can only be used in blowout games where we are already far behind. Bad performance by him. I suppose he was put in rather than Kimbrel because we might have tied the game and needed Kimbrel to close, not a totally wrong decision as some would have.

 

Defense:

 

Nunez has just recently made a very good play at third to help close out the Yankees. nunez can be good and when one considers the alternative it was reasonable to have him in. Nunez is irratic though and did not come up with one ball that would have changed the outcome of the game and outright booted another which cost us another run. What to do? Third base is a weak spot for us.

 

Hitting:

 

We got only 3 hits all night. Betts may have looked best but even he only got one hit. eni looked helpless out there and was called out on one ball off thew plate, but never made solid contact except maybe for a high fly ball to left in the first. He got to get back into the game. Very little from anyone. The Astros pitching is good, so we need to do better to win.

 

It's like the Sox were in lala land to start the series. Got to get it together or face the trip to Houston, down two. We can do it with a good pitching performance, strong defense and a little timely hitting. Will we is to be determined.

[notin]

Hard to fault Betts, since often the best pitch to hit is the first one.

 

Pure Baseball Myth.

 

The only reason people say this is the first pitch is the only pitch you are guaranteed to get...

[notin]

Ya 7-2 wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

 

BTW, are people still enamored with Brandon Workman's postseason performance from 5 years ago?

[cp176]

Pure Baseball Myth.

 

The only reason people say this is the first pitch is the only pitch you are guaranteed to get...

 

Do you think that it is purely a baseball myth notin? I have always kind of believed I guess that many ml pitchers really wanted to throw a strike to most hitters with their first pitch.

3 hits and any kind of a dose of Workman I doubt cuts it though.

[Bellhorn04]

Pure Baseball Myth.

 

The only reason people say this is the first pitch is the only pitch you are guaranteed to get...

 

Probably so. But in this case it was indeed a fastball down the middle. Mookie swinging at it was the classic 'aggressive approach' that was supposedly part of our offensive upturn this year.

 

Does that make any sense or is it full of crap? LOL

[jung]

Probably so. But in this case it was indeed a fastball down the middle. Mookie swinging at it was the classic 'aggressive approach' that was supposedly part of our offensive upturn this year.

 

Does that make any sense or is it full of crap? LOL

 

If its right down the middle then hit the damn ball in the air and get a run home at least. He failed ...the end...bad AB. Either take it and continue to push Verlander off the edge since he could not find the plate or hit it well enough to do something. There is no talking our way out of how bad an AB that was at that point in the game, particularly from the guy we depend on to get this team going.

[d-money]

This team still has the bubbly from the skankees series. Season likely on the line tonight and cora’s pitching price.

[fxkatt]

Last night's game was very strange. Here you have perhaps the the biggest offensives in baseball producing only 4 hits (all singles) between them going into the 9th inning against ostensibly weak pitching (esp on the Boston side).. the Sox through walks,hit by pitches, and errors gave free passes to 14 players. And yet a 3-2 game entering the 9th.

 

To me the only Cora error was to put Workman in in the 9th. This had to be shut down inning for us to have a chance--it was a playing the infield in type situation. You gotta go, yes at the risk of more walks, with your closer Craig Kimbrel. And if you don't do it immediately, you do it down 4-2. Most likely Kimbrel would have walked two, struck out two, and on average no runs allowed. We go to the bottom of the 9th trailing 3-2 with a decent chance against Osuma. And on the plus side at least Kimbrel would have gotten work... now, we don't know what he'll be like tonight given too much rest for him. (maybe he did get work--I turned the game off at 7-2)

[Station 13]

Not using Kimbrel in the 9th within a 1 run in the playoff is MALPRACTICE. Cora though was ejected so I wouldn't know if he would send some personnel to give his coach the memo. The playoff are built with travel off days, you need to use Kimbrel in that game. Workman is just a BP pitcher who has nothing. Koji would laugh his ass off at the 90 fastball Workman was throwing.

 

I wonder if our 3B has given the opponents about 50+ extra free outs over the course of the season. Nunez sure handed them the 3 runs last night. Cora was talking about Nunez over Devers for his D in the last series. What a let down.

 

Benni and JDM power outage from September on is mystifying. We need to even up the series tonight as we head into Houston, it got a short porch to RF. Maybe both will show up.

[fxkatt]

In the modern era of baseball, tossed managers manage by text messages, so Workman was Cora's "malpractice."

 

I think last night would have been a great win chance for us because Houston didn't seem to be playing their best ball at all. Or, maybe it's more honest to say neither team seemed all that set on winning this game. It's one of those ugly games which we were unable to capitalize on.

 

Yeah, the Betts and JDM power outage is unfortunate. But maybe they will end up being our aces.

Edited October 14, 2018 by fxkatt

[BillyWilliams]

In the modern era of baseball, tossed managers manage by text messages, so Workman was Cora's "malpractice."

 

I think last night would have been a great win chance for us because Houston didn't seem to be playing their best ball at all. Or, maybe it's more honest to say neither team seemed all that set on winning this game. It's one of those ugly games which we were unable to capitalize on.

 

Yeah, the Betts and JDM power outage is unfortunate. But maybe they will end up being our aces.

 

From what I have read electronic devices are banned from the dugout except for ipads that are pre loaded and not connected to the internet. How would they then "manage by texting"?

[BillyWilliams]

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/24976214/your-sunday-alcs-guide-boston-red-sox-even-series

[notin]

Do you think that it is purely a baseball myth notin? I have always kind of believed I guess that many ml pitchers really wanted to throw a strike to most hitters with their first pitch.

3 hits and any kind of a dose of Workman I doubt cuts it though.

 

Sure many pitchers want to throw a strike on the first pitch. In fact, safe bet they all do. But that doesn’t mean they are going to succeed and it doesn’t mean they are never going to throw a better pitch for the rest of the at-bat.

 

The “first pitch is the best pitch” is a very common myth told by Little League coaches to their players so they don’t all go up looking for walks, taking every pitch, and making a 6 inning little league game last for 5 hours.

 

In the majors, sometimes the best pitch is the first pitch, but quite often it isn’t. It all depends on the pitch call, the pitcher, and the hitter. I mean, there was a point when no one was throwing first pitch strikes to Mike Greenwell, since everyone knew he’d chase anything....

[Bellhorn04]

Sure many pitchers want to throw a strike on the first pitch. In fact, safe bet they all do. But that doesn’t mean they are going to succeed and it doesn’t mean they are never going to throw a better pitch for the rest of the at-bat.

 

The “first pitch is the best pitch” is a very common myth told by Little League coaches to their players so they don’t all go up looking for walks, taking every pitch, and making a 6 inning little league game last for 5 hours.

 

In the majors, sometimes the best pitch is the first pitch, but quite often it isn’t. It all depends on the pitch call, the pitcher, and the hitter. I mean, there was a point when no one was throwing first pitch strikes to Mike Greenwell, since everyone knew he’d chase anything....

 

I think there was some data last year that the Red Sox were taking a very high number of first-pitch strikes, which was attributed to the team's 'passive' approach.

 

There was also a lot of pre-season chatter about Cora's intentions to implement a more aggressive approach.

 

But a lot of it's the old rock-paper-scissors game, isn't it? What you do depends on what you think your opponent is going to do.

[sk7326]

https://twitter.com/keithlaw/status/1051326344347422721

 

I LOL'd

 

the good news is that dying of preventable diseases will spare them from watching a playoff team walk ten guys and hit three in nine innings

[FredLynn]

I think there was some data last year that the Red Sox were taking a very high number of first-pitch strikes, which was attributed to the team's 'passive' approach.

 

There was also a lot of pre-season chatter about Cora's intentions to implement a more aggressive approach.

 

But a lot of it's the old rock-paper-scissors game, isn't it? What you do depends on what you think your opponent is going to do.

 

Whether or not the first pitch thrown by Verlander was going to be a strike to Betts or not I didn't like him swinging at it. We had him on the hook. He had just walked in a run. A little patience was in order.

[dgalehouse]

A very long and very ugly Game 1. I think the cold weather was a factor. Even Verlander had control issues . Might have been tough to get a good grip on the ball. No problem with Mookie swinging at the first pitch. It didn't work, but it could have. Probably should have gone with Kimbrel in the ninth. Try to keep it a one run game and go after Osuna , who can be shaky. Cora gambled that Workman would do that. Obviously, it didn't work. On to Game 2. Looking for a strong outing from Price.

[Bellhorn04]

Whether or not the first pitch thrown by Verlander was going to be a strike to Betts or not I didn't like him swinging at it. We had him on the hook. He had just walked in a run. A little patience was in order.

 

We would have liked it if Mookie roped one down in the corner of course...

[moonslav59]

Bad game for Cora, especially the decision to start E.Nunez at 3b.

 

Cora is really sticking his neck out for David Price in game two, let's see how that works out for him.

 

The biggest issue: Chris Sale was not Chris Sale. Totally devastating. It looks like he really does have an arm/shoulder issue. The Red Sox should forget all about a long term contract for Sale at this juncture. It is hard to see the Red Sox winning a championship this year without a dominant Sale.

 

 

Nunez is clearly a better defender at 3B than Devers. With all due respect, to blame Cora for Nunez's poor defense is a joke.

 

[moonslav59]

Pure Baseball Myth.

 

The only reason people say this is the first pitch is the only pitch you are guaranteed to get...

 

I disagree. When a player or team is known for taking first pitches, smart teams will throw strikes on the first pitch. I thought the pitch Betts swung at was a good one to swing at.

 

Also, when a pitcher is showing wildness, they will sometimes just try to throw one right down the middle, thinking the batter will take the first pitch.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

Nunez is clearly a better defender at 3B than Devers. With all due respect, to blame Cora for Nunez's poor defense is a joke.

 

 

Nunez isn't a very good defensive player. He is a better defensive player than Devers, but Devers is the superior offensive player.

 

An argument could be made to keep Nunez off the postseason roster altogether. Start Devers at 3b, and use Lin (who replaces Nunez on the roster) as a late inning defensive replacement at 3b. At least Lin can do one thing well--play defense--whereas Nunez doesn't do anything well.

 

I'm OK with Nunez starting at 3b against lefties, it made sense to start him against Sabathia, but I would not start him against right handed pitchers. I suspect Cora will correct his mistake and put Devers in the lineup against Cole on Sunday night.

[a700hitter]

Nunez isn't a very good defensive player. He is a better defensive player than Devers, but Devers is the better offensive player.

 

An argument could be made to keep Nunez off the postseason roster altogether. Start Devers at 3b, and use Lin (who replaces Nunez on the roster) as a late inning defensive replacement at 3b.

 

I'm OK with Nunez starting at 3b against lefties, it made sense to start him against Sabathia, but I would not start him against right handed pitchers. I suspect Cora will correct his mistake and put Devers in the lineup against Cole on Sunday night.

Cora has a soft spot for Nunez.

[moonslav59]

Nunez isn't a very good defensive player. He is a better defensive player than Devers, but Devers is the superior offensive player.

 

An argument could be made to keep Nunez off the postseason roster altogether. Start Devers at 3b, and use Lin (who replaces Nunez on the roster) as a late inning defensive replacement at 3b. At least Lin can do one thing well--play defense--whereas Nunez doesn't do anything well.

 

I'm OK with Nunez starting at 3b against lefties, it made sense to start him against Sabathia, but I would not start him against right handed pitchers. I suspect Cora will correct his mistake and put Devers in the lineup against Cole on Sunday night.

 

I'm not arguing about who is better. I'd have started Devers and held my breathe on every ball hit his way.

 

My point was, you blamed Cora for Nunez making 2 bad plays on defense. Nunez is not very good on defense, but he is way better than Devers on defense.

 

Nothing Cora did in game 1 is worth heavy criticism.

 

If you want to blame someone, blame DD for not giving Cora a 3Bman who can field and hit.

 

(Note: I do not blame DD for going with Devers and having Nunez as a back-up at 2B/3B. Not many teams have a guy like Nunez to fill in. He just had a bad game at the wrong time.

[moonslav59]

Cora has a soft spot for Nunez.

 

...or a bad feeling about Devers.

[Fan_since_Boggs]

There is no reason to play Nunez over Devers against RHP. Devers should have been in the lineup last night because is the better choice against RHP, he has a better bat than Nunez.