A Realistic View at 2021: Part II

[mvp 78]

@SoxNotes

The Red Sox lead the majors with a 2.38 ERA in June.

 

Sox relievers have a 1.59 June ERA. In their 3 games at NYY, they allowed 1 ER and held the Yankees to a .114 AVG (4-for-35).

 

2021 Reliever ERAs:

Whitlock – 1.63

Ottavino – 2.66

Barnes – 2.73

Sawamura – 2.78

Hernandez – 3.00

 

Nice that Ottavino is coming around a bit.

[Bellhorn04]

@SoxNotes

The Red Sox lead the majors with a 2.38 ERA in June.

 

Sox relievers have a 1.59 June ERA. In their 3 games at NYY, they allowed 1 ER and held the Yankees to a .114 AVG (4-for-35).

 

2021 Reliever ERAs:

Whitlock – 1.63

Ottavino – 2.66

Barnes – 2.73

Sawamura – 2.78

Hernandez – 3.00

 

Nice that Ottavino is coming around a bit.

 

Bigly. Seems like our coaching of pitchers is pretty good right now.

[iortiz]

Bigly. Seems like our coaching of pitchers is pretty good right now.

 

The Captain is another key asset in that coaching staff. Cora is a great asset as well.

 

As I said several weeks ago, this team will surprise a lot of people. There's still a long run but Bloom is showing what he is capable of.

[Bellhorn04]

The Captain is another key asset in that coaching staff. Cora is a great asset as well.

 

As I said several weeks ago, this team will surprise a lot of people. There's still a long run but Bloom is showing what he is capable of.

 

Yeah, it sure is nice having Bloom, Cora, Venable and Varitek.

[moonslav59]

@SoxNotes

The Red Sox lead the majors with a 2.38 ERA in June.

 

Sox relievers have a 1.59 June ERA. In their 3 games at NYY, they allowed 1 ER and held the Yankees to a .114 AVG (4-for-35).

 

2021 Reliever ERAs:

Whitlock – 1.63

Ottavino – 2.66

Barnes – 2.73

Sawamura – 2.78

Hernandez – 3.00

 

Nice that Ottavino is coming around a bit.

 

ERA for RP'ers are skewed by coming into games with 1 or 2 outs and not needing to get 3 outs before their own runner scores.

 

OPS against shows Ottavino is doing better than fine despite the high walk totals.

 

.427 Barnes

.513 Ottavino

.571 Valdez

.635 DHern

.651 Whitlock

 

.771 Taylor

.775 Sawamura

 

.912 Andriese

[Nick]

It was an accident, but no one could fix the date. On the game thread of win #1, several people told me to stay with the date, so I did.

 

Gotta love these last 4 games however. Big wins against good teams in their ballparks. And who knew the Sox had not swept the Yankees in Yankee Stadium in 10 freaking years? Who knew the 2d win would be thanks to the bottom of the Sox order with their four 8th inning rbi's? Or that Taylor would get that much needed gift K to end the 8th last night?

 

That, ladies and gents, is mojo.

 

And to have a Rule5 guy from Yankees play a role in a win....sweet.

[moonslav59]

Interesting to see Yoan Moncada, fueled by a nice defensive WAR is tied for 3rd in fWAR at 2.8. (Yes, you read that right- DEFENSE!)

 

Here are the leaders in OPS:

 

1.098 Guerrero

1.077 Winker

1.042 Castellanos

.984 Acuna

.976 Bryant

.958 JD

.950 Muncy

.941 Olsen

.938 Judge

.925 Yuli Gurriel

.924 Walsh

.923Mullins

.920 Ohtani

.917 Devers

.912 Bogey

.903 A Riley

(Only 16 players are over .900. We have 3!)

 

47. Verdugo at .811

49. Moncada at .810

 

[Nick]

@SoxNotes

The Red Sox lead the majors with a 2.38 ERA in June.

 

Sox relievers have a 1.59 June ERA. In their 3 games at NYY, they allowed 1 ER and held the Yankees to a .114 AVG (4-for-35).

 

2021 Reliever ERAs:

Whitlock – 1.63

Ottavino – 2.66

Barnes – 2.73

Sawamura – 2.78

Hernandez – 3.00

 

Nice that Ottavino is coming around a bit.

 

Little bit surprised that Sawamura didn't get the call in the 10th.

[Nick]

Unless Sale comes back as his old self, I sure don't want to play in a one game winner take it all scenario.

 

I just don't think single game defines the best team.

[moonslav59]

Unless Sale comes back as his old self, I sure don't want to play in a one game winner take it all scenario.

 

I just don't think single game defines the best team.

 

No, but getting more teams into the playoffs and in the WC hunt longer is good for baseball.

 

BTW, this year, the 4 wild card teams play a best of 5 series, according to this article:

 

https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/2021-mlb-playoff-format-how-the-baseball-postseason-will-be-played-20210331-0008.html.

[Bellhorn04]

Unless Sale comes back as his old self, I sure don't want to play in a one game winner take it all scenario.

 

I just don't think single game defines the best team.

 

No kidding. It's basically a punishment for not winning the division.

[Nick]

No, but getting more teams into the playoffs and in the WC hunt longer is good for baseball.

 

BTW, this year, the 4 wild card teams play a best of 5 series, according to this article:

 

https://bolavip.com/en/mlb/2021-mlb-playoff-format-how-the-baseball-postseason-will-be-played-20210331-0008.html.

 

That would be great......if you get beat three times, you don't deserve to advance.

[mvp 78]

@jcmccaffrey

Colten Brewer cleared waivers and has been outrighted to Worcester

[dgalehouse]

Yeah, it sure is nice having Bloom, Cora, Venable and Varitek.

 

And a tip of the cap to Dave Bush. A number of pitchers are performing better than expected. Bush probably has a hand in that.

[mvp 78]

@MLBNetwork

 

"He's, right now, the best defensive right fielder in the big leagues."

 

@ac13alex on @hunter_renfroe

 

Uh, he's good, but best? In the division I'd probably take Margot.

[mvp 78]

That would be great......if you get beat three times, you don't deserve to advance.

 

A lot of people weren't believers in this pitching staff at the start of the year. I thought their bullpen could be pretty good (i.e. top 10). I thought the starters would end up average at best.

[Bellhorn04]

And a tip of the cap to Dave Bush. A number of pitchers are performing better than expected. Bush probably has a hand in that.

 

Correct. Shouldn't have left him out.

[moonslav59]

That would be great......if you get beat three times, you don't deserve to advance.

 

But the other teams sit and twiddle their thumbs while waiting for the 5 game series to end.

[Hugh2]

Sometimes sitting makes you a little rusty. I can see a team coming off a five-game series getting into a bullpen game one and doing some damage against some rust.

[Hugh2]

I can live with a guy or two like that in my lineup if the defense is good and the rest of the lineup is good. Problem is, the Sox have 3 #9 hitters right now. The first 1/2 of the lineup is as good as anything else out there though.

[moonslav59]

I can live with a guy or two like that in my lineup if the defense is good and the rest of the lineup is good. Problem is, the Sox have 3 #9 hitters right now. The first 1/2 of the lineup is as good as anything else out there though.

 

Most teams have 3-5 #9 hitters, so us having just 3 is actually an advantage.

[moonslav59]

Black Hole Frequency and MLB, Today:

 

Team OPS by slot:

 

9 Slot (includes all games at NL team parks with pitchers batting 9th.):

.544 MLB Avg OPS (.605 AL only)

.544/.527 2 Median teams

.576 BOS (ranked 12th)

 

8 Slot

.622 MLB (.633 AL only)

.618/.601

.719 BOS (ranked 3rd)

 

7 Slot

.675 MLB (.681 AL only)

.679/.679

.519 BOS (ranked 29th)

 

6 Slot

.707 MLB (.694 AL only)

.705/.688

.676 BOS (ranked 19th)

 

Only the 7th Slot looks to be hurting the Sox significantly.

 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Re. this year's playoffs, the most current thing I could on find on mlb.com is from a month ago:

 

"The league and the players' union did not reach a new agreement regarding expanded playoffs for this year. In the absence of such a pact, the playoffs will once again feature five-team fields in both the AL and NL and begin with win-or-go-home Wild Card Games in both leagues."

 

What you need to know about MLB in 2021

WWW.MLB.COM

---

The 2020 Major League Baseball season, upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, was delayed by nearly four months. The typical 162-game scheduled ultimately was shortened to 60 games, and teams played in empty ballparks due to health and safety protocols. So as Opening Day 2021 approached, fans had many questions, such

[moonslav59]

Sox OPS from 2020 to 2021 (120+ PAs)

 

.890 Bogey

.852 Devers

.828 Verdugo

.818 JD

.783 Plawecki

.776 Renfroe

.749 Arroyo

.741 Dalbec

.724 Vaz

.658 Chavis

.654 Kike

.607 Marwin

 

ERA- (20+ IP)

38 Whitlock

45 Houck

62 Ottavino & DHern

64 Sawamura

77 Barnes

79 Valdez

80 Pivetta

85 Eovaldi & Perez

86 Brasier

90 Richards

95 Weber

118 Andriese

129 ERod

132 Taylor

148 Brewer

 

Only players still in the Sox system are listed.

 

 

[Nick]

I can live with a guy or two like that in my lineup if the defense is good and the rest of the lineup is good. Problem is, the Sox have 3 #9 hitters right now. The first 1/2 of the lineup is as good as anything else out there though.

 

One of three leads off....

[Nick]

Re. this year's playoffs, the most current thing I could on find on mlb.com is from a month ago:

 

"The league and the players' union did not reach a new agreement regarding expanded playoffs for this year. In the absence of such a pact, the playoffs will once again feature five-team fields in both the AL and NL and begin with win-or-go-home Wild Card Games in both leagues."

 

What you need to know about MLB in 2021

WWW.MLB.COM

---

The 2020 Major League Baseball season, upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, was delayed by nearly four months. The typical 162-game scheduled ultimately was shortened to 60 games, and teams played in empty ballparks due to health and safety protocols. So as Opening Day 2021 approached, fans had many questions, such

 

That's what I'm afraid of.....

[moonslav59]

That's what I'm afraid of.....

 

All the more reason to catch the Rays and win the damn division!

[moonslav59]

Looks like we found our lead off hitter.

 

I wish I had thought of using Arroyo in that slot!

[a700hitter]

Looks like we found our lead off hitter.

 

I wish I had thought of using Arroyo in that slot!

You know your stuff. No one disputes that, and you are always right, ... except when you disagree with me.

[moonslav59]

I'm not complaining, ut what ever happened to the stretch out Whitlock plan?

 

Tonight, he faced one batter in the 5th inning- a perfect long inning situation.

 

Has anyone said they changed their minds?

 

I'm not bitching- just wondering.