June 18: BOS (Pivetta) @ HOU (TBD)

[moonslav59]

Big road series for the Sox.

 

Can we keep the bats going?

 

Will the extra day or rest help our pitchers? (We also have another off day after this 3 game series and before going to Tampa, next week.)

 

Nick Pivetta (RHP) needs to turn things around.

6-2, 4.28 ERA, 80 SO

After a fast start, Pivetta has struggled of late, posting a 6.08 ERA in his last five starts. This will be his first career start against the Royals. Pivetta is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA on the road this season.

 

Go Sox!

 

Keep the mojo risin'!

[moonslav59]

Our starters are struggling, but one reason the KC SP'er for tomorrow's game is named TBD is this...

 

Possible starters the Sox will face and the team's recent numbers in their starts:

 

IP H ER BB

 

J Kower

8.0 14 11 6

8.0 9 8 5

 

K Bubic

8.0 9 6 4

8.0 9 8 3

9.0 10 4 3

 

B Keller

9.0 12 9 1

8.0 9 6 5

9.0 11 5 3

 

The Royals leaders in OPS in order of most PAs, this season:

.715 Merrifield

.767 Carlos Santana

.853 S Perez

.625 Soler

.769 Beni (on 10 day IL, so we will not see him)

.629 M Taylor

,563 Dozier

.638 N Lopez

.671 Alberto

.592 Gutierez

(Nobody else has more than 57 PAs)

 

ERA leaders listed in order of most IP, this season

4.63 Minor

4.76 Singer (we will not face him)

6.14 Keller

4.01 Bubic

1.94 Duffy (on 10 day IL)

5.19 J Junis

1.85 S Barlow

1.99 J Brentz

3.99 E Santana

3.38 Staumont

4.32 G Holland

2.19 K Zimmer

8.35 Wade Davis

6.35 T Zuber

6.00 C Hernandez

(No other pitchers with more than 11 IP)

[moonslav59]

Yanks now down 4-3 in 5th.

 

HOU over CWS 7-0 in 6th.

[moonslav59]

Yanks back up 5-4.

[moonslav59]

SEA just tied the Rays in the bottom of the 9th.

 

Man on 2nd and 3rd, one out.

[moonslav59]

Kyle Seager singles in winning run.

 

Rays lose 3rd straight.

[moonslav59]

Updated AL Standings

 

43-26 CWS

43-27 OAK

43-27 TBR

42-27 BOS (1/2 behind TBR and 1 GB best AL record)

40-28 HOU

 

38-28 CLE

36-32 NYY

 

(SEA, LAA & TOR all 1 game under .500)

 

Friday's games:

A's (Kapreielian)@ NYY (Taillon)

Rays (Wacha) @ SEA (Kikuchi)

CWS (Rodon) @ HOU (Garcia)

[Thunder]

This iteration of "Houston" might be the worst one yet. I'm thinking sweep, with 2 out of 3 a required minimum

[moonslav59]

This iteration of "Houston" might be the worst one yet. I'm thinking sweep, with 2 out of 3 a required minimum

 

It’s not easy winning in KC, but I agree.

[Thunder]

It’s not easy winning in KC, but I agree.

 

Easier to win in KC playing when you're playing baseball than it is when you're playing football

[TylerD]

Should be a tough series, but a fun one. I will be going back and forth from the Golden Knights/Canadiens game to this. Friday night!!

[Maxbialystock]

moonslav to the rescue once again. That the current win streak is so improbable makes it all that much sweeter.

 

Royals have a nice ball park. I used to catch 2-3 games a year when I lived about 45 minutes away in Kansas. But it could also get really hot in the summer, and today's high is supposed to be 99 degrees.

 

Love all the stats being cited. I think MLB is having a mini-sea-change with the 10 day suspension caper. Beyond question it has affected the Sox pitching and very likely helped the Sox hitting.

[Maxbialystock]

This iteration of "Houston" might be the worst one yet. I'm thinking sweep, with 2 out of 3 a required minimum

 

I think moonslav was one of the characters in Tom Wolfe's book about Ken Kesey and knows no boundaries in his quests for Sox wins.

[moonslav59]

I think moonslav was one of the characters in Tom Wolfe's book about Ken Kesey and knows no boundaries in his quests for Sox wins.

 

I'm not really a superstitious person, but if I changed the mojo, and we lost, I'd have never heard the last of it.

[mvp 78]

I'm not really a superstitious person, but if I changed the mojo, and we lost, I'd have never heard the last of it.

 

[TylerD]

Pivetta was awesome three starts ago against a red hot Astros team going 6 innings and giving up just 2 earned runs.... He however was not very effective against the Marlins (not even making it 5 and giving up a couple runs) and sucked badly against the Jays.... Lets hope he can turn this around! For a while, it was looking like he was our best pitcher when he had that hot stretch of 5 games where I don't think he gave up anything more than 2 runs a game. I like Pivetta, lets hope he rebounds tonight.

[moonslav59]

Pivetta was awesome three starts ago against a red hot Astros team going 6 innings and giving up just 2 earned runs.... He however was not very effective against the Marlins (not even making it 5 and giving up a couple runs) and sucked badly against the Jays.... Lets hope he can turn this around! For a while, it was looking like he was our best pitcher when he had that hot stretch of 5 games where I don't think he gave up anything more than 2 runs a game. I like Pivetta, lets hope he rebounds tonight.

 

We need some rebounds from 4 of our starters. Starting tonight would be great.

[Thunder]

Wondering if I should bench Pivetta in fantasy against a700...

[Maxbialystock]

Why is everyone assuming--incorrectly, in my view--that the threat of a 10 game suspension (for applying foreign substances to the baseball before pitching it) is having no effect on our pitchers?

 

Or, for that matter on our hitters.

[a700hitter]

Why is everyone assuming--incorrectly, in my view--that the threat of a 10 game suspension (for applying foreign substances to the baseball before pitching it) is having no effect on our pitchers?

 

Or, for that matter on our hitters.

It is a suspicion not an assumption, and maybe your assumption is incorrect. I read somewhere that the spin rate for the Red Sox staff increased this season more than most other teams. I wonder what those spin rates are now after the announcement of the crackdown.

[TylerD]

We need some rebounds from 4 of our starters. Starting tonight would be great.

 

Definitely, though it's looking like a lost cause for E-Rod..... However I am hopeful Pivetta will have a nice game.

[TylerD]

Wondering if I should bench Pivetta in fantasy against a700...

 

I wouldn't.... Royals are in a slump and Pivetta is due for a very nice game.... I just have that feeling he will go 7 tonight with 2 or less runs.

 

If I am wrong, I apologize in advance lol.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Concerning the Rays; will they go against their nature and try and make a deal for Scherzer? They do have the prospects to make that happen.

[Thunder]

I wouldn't.... Royals are in a slump and Pivetta is due for a very nice game.... I just have that feeling he will go 7 tonight with 2 or less runs.

 

If I am wrong, I apologize in advance lol.

 

True. Any offense with Andrew Benintendi in it is a mediocre offense

[Bellhorn04]

Why is everyone assuming--incorrectly, in my view--that the threat of a 10 game suspension (for applying foreign substances to the baseball before pitching it) is having no effect on our pitchers?

 

Or, for that matter on our hitters.

 

I think the general assumption is that it's having a big effect all over baseball. Run-scoring has suddenly gone up sharply.

[Bellhorn04]

True. Any offense with Andrew Benintendi in it is a mediocre offense

 

You mean like the 2018 Red Sox?

 

Why are you going after Beni? He's better than some of our hitters.

[dgalehouse]

The Royals were pretending to actually be a good team for a while there. But that is over now. They are not a good team at all. This should be relatively easy.

[moonslav59]

You mean like the 2018 Red Sox?

 

Why are you going after Beni? He's better than some of our hitters.

 

Maybe he meant, if Beni is your second best hitter, you can't be all that good.

[Thunder]

You mean like the 2018 Red Sox?

 

Why are you going after Beni? He's better than some of our hitters.

 

100% sarcasm.

 

Beni was my favorite player when he was here, even when he wasn't hitting

[d-money]

Big series before heading to tampa.