6/2 @ Houston

[jung]

What the f*** was Tucker doing looking out to RF as he cruised into 2nd base. One of these nights he is going to miss the base entirely running to it.

[Maxbialystock]

Leadoff double is big trouble. Now you see why Dalbec has the worst WAR on the team by a big margin. No hit, no field.

[Maxbialystock]

Great knucklecurve for the K!

[Maxbialystock]

Check swing drives home the go ahead run.

[jung]

Check swing drives home the go ahead run.

 

And Tucker picks now to look like he can actually put one foot out in front of the other.

[TylerD]

Just got home. What did I miss?

 

Not much I see lol

[Maxbialystock]

Pivetta is so much better than ERod for one simple reason. He has a breaking ball, a knucklecurve, that actually has some break in it.

[jung]

What is it with Pavetta. Vaz is the Catcher and it is a battery. But Vaz is leading of the inning Nick.

 

IMO the Sox have some real cracked dome pitchers this year. ERod looks normal and even tempered in this crowd.

[jung]

Pivetta is so much better than ERod for one simple reason. He has a breaking ball, a knucklecurve, that actually has some break in it.

 

 

I would reserve judgement on Erod until he is actually at least looking like Erod again. He is not there yet this year.

[Maxbialystock]

Two straight fat pitches, barely fouled off by Verdugo.

[Maxbialystock]

I would reserve judgement on Erod until he is actually at least looking like Erod again. He is not there yet this year.

 

Then why in the wide, wide world of sports has he been touted as the ace and is still a very definite part of the rotation?

[Maxbialystock]

Three fat pitches to Verdugo, all swung on and missed.

[d-money]

Really embarrassing series by this team. Just dreadful.

[Maxbialystock]

I would reserve judgement on Erod until he is actually at least looking like Erod again. He is not there yet this year.

 

He had one good year year, not a great year, and in all the other years as a starter he's been deemed as "promising." Beyond question his one "strength" as a pitcher is the run support he has gotten.

[d-money]

They can’t do nothing right.

[jung]

Then why in the wide, wide world of sports has he been touted as the ace and is still a very definite part of the rotation?

 

Do any of our other starters look like aces to you? Plus whenever you use the word "touted" you are talking about the Sox PR machine. Andrew Benintendi was "touted" as I recall.

 

What they have really been pushing is the return of Sale. I don't blame them. But it does sound kind of desperate.

[Maxbialystock]

I would reserve judgement on Erod until he is actually at least looking like Erod again. He is not there yet this year.

 

Come to think of it, could you please tell me what real Erod looks like?

 

I ask because no less than the NY Yankees thought the real Ellsbury was the guy they saw in 2011 when he had much more than a career year, what with the 32 dingers, 105 rbi's 39 SB's, and the .928 OPS. He was never close to those numbers before or after.

 

In 2019 ERod started 34 games and pitched 203 innings with an ERA of 3.81 and WAR of 6.1. His 2d most IP were 137 in 2017 and 3d most were 129 in 2018. But the bigger problem is that he doesn't have good breaking stuff and has to rely way too much on his fastball, which ain't that great. Plus there have games and occasions when ERod couldn't be bothered to cover 1b on a grounder to the right.

Edited June 3, 2021 by Maxbialystock

[iortiz]

Yesterday our starting pitching kept us in the game. Tonight Pivetta has been solid as well.

 

This offense needs to start hitting soon.

[TylerD]

Please change this lineup. It is not working.

[jung]

Come to think of it, could you please tell me what real Erod looks like?

 

Great change, ability to spot a rising four seem FB, good Cutter and an iffy Slider Inability to throw the Cutter and the Slider well in the same outing. Occasionally will toss the Curve when his Slider is total crap and his Cutter is not working the way he likes it. That is ERod IMO.

 

His four seam rising FB just has no movement so far this year. He is truly vulnerable without being able to spot that rising FB. Even at 93-94 mph as long as it does in fact rise it makes the rest of his pitches so much better. IMO we won't see anything like the real Erod until he can throw the rising FB again with some movement. Its flat as a pancake right now. Any decent hitter past high school can hit a 93-94 flat FB.

 

Also while we are seeing wicked breaking stuff from pitchers this year, ERod's seem much like they were with the 2018-2020 ML baseball. He is just not right yet IMO.

Edited June 3, 2021 by jung

[iortiz]

Come to think of it, could you please tell me what real Erod looks like?

 

He had pretty solid years in 2019 and 2018. I guess jung expects something like that.

 

I think missing 2020 is taxing him. Hopefully he bounces back soon.

[iortiz]

Please change this lineup. It is not working.

 

Starting with the lesdoff. Put Arroyo or Verdugo there.

[d-money]

Dead wood.

[Maxbialystock]

I would reserve judgement on Erod until he is actually at least looking like Erod again. He is not there yet this year.

 

You think I didn't watch ERod in 2019? I'm telling you Pivetta is better this year than ERod was in 2019. So is the guy pitching for the Astros.

[moonslav59]

It felt nice scoring early and actually having a lead, then poof, right back to slumpsville, USA.

[Maxbialystock]

Great change, ability to spot a rising four seem FB, good Cutter and an iffy Slider Inability to throw the Cutter and the Slider well in the same outing. Occasionally will toss the Curve when his Slider is total crap and his Cutter is not working the way he likes it. That is ERod IMO.

 

His four seam rising FB just has no movement so far this year. He is truly vulnerable without being able to spot that rising FB. Even at 93-94 mph as long as it does in fact rise it makes the rest of his pitches so much better. IMO we won't see anything like the real Erod until he can throw the rising FB again with some movement. Its flat as a pancake right now. Any decent hitter past high school can hit a 93-94 flat FB.

 

Also while we are seeing wicked breaking stuff from pitchers this year, ERod's seem much like they were with the 2018-2020 ML baseball. He is just not right yet IMO.

 

I do remember a changeup that looked pretty decent. But guess what? This is THE YEAR for pitchers to throw good breaking stuff, whether it be a slider, cut fast ball, or "rising" fast ball. If ERod can't throw a ball with spin on it this year, it's likely he won't bring back 2019.

[jung]

He had pretty solid years in 2019 and 2018. I guess jung expects something like that.

 

I think missing 2020 is taxing him. Hopefully he bounces back soon.

 

Seems to me that every team in baseball attempts this "pitch the guy back to health" thing now. If he can limp or hobble out to the mound and his arm is not falling completely off, he pitches.

 

So it is not unusual to me to see a guy like ERod not really ready but pitching anyway. Everybody throwing heat as hard as they are throwing it and everybody throwing wicked breaking stuff has sort of forced this "all pitchers on deck all the time" thing. Seems like we can't have enough pitchers and I think that is the norm now.

 

I actually don't know how this generation of Managers does it. It just looks like they are rolling bones and trying to determine their pitching moves based on how the bones land. Most teams don't have enough pitching to do any better than that it seems. The big decision of the night for most Managers seems to be "can I get 5 innings out of the starter and I am living right at 6". Everything else flows from that.

Edited June 3, 2021 by jung

[Swiharts Ghost]

It felt nice scoring early and actually having a lead, then poof, right back to slumpsville, USA.

 

I’m hereto break the spell .Peasants like you need the Ghost so here I am .I bless the board with A Boo and a reverse Lock that vaz sucks and Bobby sucks ....a smattering of JDM sucks for good measure .Your very welcome .

[moonslav59]

I do remember a changeup that looked pretty decent. But guess what? This is THE YEAR for pitchers to throw good breaking stuff, whether it be a slider, cut fast ball, or "rising" fast ball. If ERod can't throw a ball with spin on it this year, it's likely he won't bring back 2019.

 

The had serious affects from COVID- something nobody really knows about.

 

He may never come close to 2018 or even 2019. He could end up in a hospital at any moment. He may start feeling great and regain form.

 

None of us know.

 

I’m hoping for the best, and it’s not impossible the best might occur.

[Nick]

Cora looks silly clinging on to his belief that Kike, having never lead off, is the leadoff guy for Sox.

 

Has anyone asked Kike how he likes it?

 

I know several of you always talk about feeling comfortable in batting order is the most important thing.

 

Maybe a journalist should ask Kike.