Since they lost last night, I need to tell you what I REALLY feel about the 2021 Sox!

[mvp 78]

Me, too.

 

I do think NYY will pass OAK, and we'll play them in the play-in game.

 

The A's have solid pitching. I don't think we can catch them if we don't really turn things around quick. It's going to be a three way race between the Jays/Yanks/Sox for that final play in game spot.

[moonslav59]

The A's have solid pitching. I don't think we can catch them if we don't really turn things around quick. It's going to be a three way race between the Jays/Yanks/Sox for that final play in game spot.

 

The A's have a very tough schedule remaining.

 

7 CWS

3 SFG

6 HOU

4 NYY

3 TOR

7 SEA

3 @ LAA

 

33 out of 47 remaining games (70%!!!), including ending with 13 vs HOU & SEA.

 

We end with 9 of our last 14 vs BAL & WSH.

 

Our tough games remaining:

4 TBR

3 @CWS

6NYY

3 @SEA

2 NYM

 

That's 18 out of our remaining 45 games (40%)

[mvp 78]

Oakland rotation has thrown the most innings in the league, 4th best in FIP and fWAR. They are solid. I don't see them falling back.

 

Caveat: I don't like their bullpen.

[moonslav59]

Oakland rotation has thrown the most innings in the league, 4th best in FIP and fWAR. They are solid. I don't see them falling back.

 

Caveat: I don't like their bullpen.

 

They have not faced the CWS or HOU all year and have 70% of their remaining games against contenders. The Sox have 40%.

[mvp 78]

They have not faced the CWS or HOU all year and have 70% of their remaining games against contenders. The Sox have 40%.

 

Uh, I think you misread their schedule. Not only have they already played 4 series, their opening day game this year was vs Houston.

[dgalehouse]

They have not faced the CWS or HOU all year and have 70% of their remaining games against contenders. The Sox have 40%.

 

They are in the same division as the Astros. How could they not have faced them?

[notin]

They are in the same division as the Astros. How could they not have faced them?

 

They have. They’re 4-9 vs Houston this season…

[moonslav59]

Uh, I think you misread their schedule. Not only have they already played 4 series, their opening day game this year was vs Houston.

 

OK, my eyes are bad, but I think I got the 70% part right.

[Kimmi]

The A's have a very tough schedule remaining.

 

7 CWS

3 SFG

6 HOU

4 NYY

3 TOR

7 SEA

3 @ LAA

 

33 out of 47 remaining games (70%!!!), including ending with 13 vs HOU & SEA.

 

We end with 9 of our last 14 vs BAL & WSH.

 

Our tough games remaining:

4 TBR

3 @CWS

6NYY

3 @SEA

2 NYM

 

That's 18 out of our remaining 45 games (40%)

 

The Sox have the 3rd easiest remaining schedule behind the Phillies and the Reds. So there's that.

[moonslav59]

The Sox have the 3rd easiest remaining schedule behind the Phillies and the Reds. So there's that.

 

Yes, and my bet is the A's have one of the very hardest.

 

That also implies, the A's have had an easier schedule, to date, than we have, so them "looking so good" has to be taken in context.

 

That's not to say the A's suck. They don't!

 

We are better.

 

(The A's do not have Sale, Schwarber, Arroyo and others joining their team, either.)

[TylerD]

This sounds like an all too familiar 1978.... Setting up a one game wild card against the Yankees.......

 

IF and I mean IF that happens, who pitches for us? Nate, Sale? E Rod?

 

LMAO See what I did there.... I said E Rod hahahahahhaha.

[moonslav59]

This sounds like an all too familiar 1978.... Setting up a one game wild card against the Yankees.......

 

IF and I mean IF that happens, who pitches for us? Nate, Sale? E Rod?

 

LMAO See what I did there.... I said E Rod hahahahahhaha.

 

Depends who pitched the few days before the play-in to the play-in.

 

What about a 3-way tie?

[Bellhorn04]

This sounds like an all too familiar 1978.... Setting up a one game wild card against the Yankees.......

 

IF and I mean IF that happens, who pitches for us? Nate, Sale? E Rod?

 

LMAO See what I did there.... I said E Rod hahahahahhaha.

 

As a man who lived through 1978 (barely) I can honestly say that this is nothing like 1978. This is disappointing. 1978 was devastating.

[TylerD]

As a man who lived through 1978 (barely) I can honestly say that this is nothing like 1978. This is disappointing. 1978 was devastating.

 

Well in fairness to me I said this is familiar, I didn't say this is a replica of the 1978 season. Obviously they are much different, and this doesn't sting near as bad with winning 4 worlds series in the last 17 years.... But starting the first half red hot, and Yankees 10 games behind only to pass us and possibly set up a one game spot between us and the Yankees is very similar to 1978 regardless of the severity of that season.

[TylerD]

Depends who pitched the few days before the play-in to the play-in.

 

What about a 3-way tie?

 

In all seriousness I am fine with any of the three going. E Rod lately has looked very sharp.

6 innings with just 1 run

5.1 with 2 runs

5 with no runs.

 

His last three starts have been very good actually.

[moonslav59]

As a man who lived through 1978 (barely) I can honestly say that this is nothing like 1978. This is disappointing. 1978 was devastating.

 

Plus it wasn’t that much after that tough game 7 loss on ‘75.

[Bellhorn04]

Plus it wasn’t that much after that tough game 7 loss on ‘75.

 

The 1975-1978 seasons were like an epic tragedy. 1977 was also tough. We had a 5 game lead over the Yankees in June, and won 97 games.

[moonslav59]

The 1975-1978 seasons were like an epic tragedy. 1977 was also tough. We had a 5 game lead over the Yankees in June, and won 97 games.

 

Although the 1972 team was not really linked too much to 1975-1978 teams, missing the playoffs by a half game was a real ball-buster and I believe an only one time event in the history of MLB.

[Bellhorn04]

Although the 1972 team was not really linked too much to 1975-1978 teams, missing the playoffs by a half game was a real ball-buster and I believe an only one time event in the history of MLB.

 

1972 was my first heartbreak season with the Sox. I was listening on the radio when Luis Aparicio fell rounding third in Detroit.

 

There were a few connections between that team and the late Seventies teams.

 

Also, in 1974 the Red Sox had a nice lead at one time and collapsed late. That was the first year I went to Fenway.

[moonslav59]

1972 was my first heartbreak season with the Sox. I was listening on the radio when Luis Aparicio fell rounding third in Detroit.

 

There were a few connections between that team and the late Seventies teams.

 

Also, in 1974 the Red Sox had a nice lead at one time and collapsed late. That was the first year I went to Fenway.

 

1972 was my first year as a Sox fan and what a doozie!

 

My family had moved to Portland from Milwaukee shortly before the Tommy Harper trade that brought my favourite Sox player to the Sox. As a teenager I suffered through all that heartache, but I think it gives us perspective.

[TylerD]

1972 was my first year as a Sox fan and what a doozie!

 

My family had moved to Portland from Milwaukee shortly before the Tommy Harper trade that brought my favourite Sox player to the Sox. As a teenager I suffered through all that heartache, but I think it gives us perspective.

 

2004 was mine. I was 17. Got into baseball late in my life. I just wasn’t a huge baseball fan (granted wasn’t a huge sports fan period) in elementary school and high school. Then something changed and I loved all sports. I was the good luck charm the Sox needed. I darted cheering for them and they won a World Series hahahah. Have been cheering for them and watching them ever since. Glad I didn’t have to put up with the hard times like you and so many others had to.

[moonslav59]

2004 was mine. I was 17. Got into baseball late in my life. I just wasn’t a huge baseball fan (granted wasn’t a huge sports fan period) in elementary school and high school. Then something changed and I loved all sports. I was the good luck charm the Sox needed. I darted cheering for them and they won a World Series hahahah. Have been cheering for them and watching them ever since. Glad I didn’t have to put up with the hard times like you and so many others had to.

Much was frustrating and unenjoyable, but I wouldn’t trade any of it. By and large, the Sox have been fun to watch and root for.

 

I suffered decades of much worse being a Bucks and Packers fan, but winning it all is something all my teams have done, so I shouldn’t complain, too much. My university won the national championship in my freshman year, so life has been good.

[TylerD]

Much was frustrating and unenjoyable, but I wouldn’t trade any of it. By and large, the Sox have been fun to watch and root for.

 

I suffered decades of much worse being a Bucks and Packers fan, but winning it all is something all my teams have done, so I shouldn’t complain, too much. My university won the national championship in my freshman year, so life has been good.

 

That’s awesome and yea I totally know what you mean. I’m an Edmonton Oilers fan hahaha. Of course they were good in the 80s and early 90s but since then they have managed to make playoffs only 4 times in the last 17 years lol. One of those was a cup run but in the end they lost in game 7. They won a cup in 1990 but I was 3 so I didn’t see it obviously. It’s been pain for those years

 

Indy hasn’t been much better. Glad I saw them win a SB in 06. Outside of that, pretty much a lot of one and done years outside of 09 and 2014.

[Larry Cook]

We started this year with 1.) a shallow and shaky starting rotation. 2.) a good number of unknowns in the bullpen and 3.) offensively some premium bats (devers, bogey and Martinez); some dependable bats (verdugo, Vazquez and Hernandez) and unknowns at most all the other positions. 4.) Underlying all of this was a total lack of depth.

 

For the first 4 months the starting pitching did fairly well but did not eat innings. The bullpen far exceeded any and all expectations, but got over used. The premium bats were tremendous, the dependable bats were awesome and the unknowns were substandard.

 

When the injuries hit the bullpen and the premium bats, our lack of depth was exposed and the front office chose to not overpay for reinforcements.

 

We are going to fight for the next six weeks and might be able to get a wild card. But in a lot of ways, we are the 2011 version of the Sox and with a decent offseason, we should expect to be monsters of the American League next season.

[moonslav59]

We started this year with 1.) a shallow and shaky starting rotation. 2.) a good number of unknowns in the bullpen and 3.) offensively some premium bats (devers, bogey and Martinez); some dependable bats (verdugo, Vazquez and Hernandez) and unknowns at most all the other positions. 4.) Underlying all of this was a total lack of depth.

 

For the first 4 months the starting pitching did fairly well but did not eat innings. The bullpen far exceeded any and all expectations, but got over used. The premium bats were tremendous, the dependable bats were awesome and the unknowns were substandard.

 

When the injuries hit the bullpen and the premium bats, our lack of depth was exposed and the front office chose to not overpay for reinforcements.

 

We are going to fight for the next six weeks and might be able to get a wild card. But in a lot of ways, we are the 2011 version of the Sox and with a decent offseason, we should expect to be monsters of the American League next season.

 

Although our starters did not rack up a bunch of innings, they still went deeper than most teams. Plus, we had an 8 or 9 man pen almost the whole season.

 

We are still 12th in starter IP.

[Larry Cook]

Although our starters did not rack up a bunch of innings, they still went deeper than most teams. Plus, we had an 8 or 9 man pen almost the whole season.

 

We are still 12th in starter IP.

 

And how many of those bullpen guys were legit? Andriese, Valdez, Robles, Davis and Rios for example.

 

Our lack of depth did us in this year, but with another good offseason, we should be gold for 2022.

[Kimmi]

This team is pathetic.

 

That is all.

[moonslav59]

And how many of those bullpen guys were legit? Andriese, Valdez, Robles, Davis and Rios for example.

 

Our lack of depth did us in this year, but with another good offseason, we should be gold for 2022.

 

I don’t disagree, but most teams do not have better names on their staff lower depth charts.

 

Richards and Perez really hurt us over the last 2 months. Had they just been decent our staff would have had decent depth with the real weakness being the lack of top quality pitchers.

 

Sale

Eovaldi

ERod

Pivetta

Richards

Perez

Whitlock

Houck

 

Barnes

Ottavino

DHern

Taylor

Sawamura

Brasier

Valdez

Seabold

 

We needed a second ace and a real closer.

 

That would also have improved an already decent staff depth by attrition. Barnes becomes the 2, Ottavino the 3, etc... with another ace, Houck helps the pen.

 

 

 

[jad]

Plus it wasn’t that much after that tough game 7 loss on ‘75.

 

Or game 7 or 1967; or 7 in '86 ... And all I know of the earlier decades is another game 7 where "Pesky holds the ball!"

[Bellhorn04]

Or game 7 or 1967; or 7 in '86 ... And all I know of the earlier decades is another game 7 where "Pesky holds the ball!"

 

The 1946-1949 Red Sox were eerily similar to the 1975-1978 Red Sox.

 

1946-lost WS in 7

1947-won 83 games, finished 3rd

1948-lost one game playoff to Cleveland

1949-lost last 2 games to Yankees to finish 1 game behind them

 

1975-lost WS in 7

1976-won 83 games, finished 3rd

1977-finished T2nd, 2.5 games behind Yankees

1978-lost one game playoff to Yankees