A Realistic View at 2021: Part III

[moonslav59]

Means pitched last night for the Birds, so we'll miss him in the upcoming series.

 

So, we won’t be means tested.

[sk7326]

I'd say Red Sox fans have a lot more patience with good hitters/bad fielders than with good fielders/bad hitters. Maybe it's the same with all fans.

 

Fans - and orgs to be fair. It's just hard to save enough runs at any position to make up for a .270 OBP or something. But Bradley's production was enough for the other stuff to play.

[sk7326]

Where the defensive non performance has been underlined is if you look at Eovaldi's season - he has really had some Cy Young caliber fundamentals this year.

[moonslav59]

O’s beat the Yanks in 10!

 

See, the loss column leads sometimes can be bad.

[Nick]

O’s beat the Yanks in 10!

 

See, the loss column leads sometimes can be bad.

 

The way they won it makes it up for last night's game.

 

Yanks blew it in bottom of ninth. Ground ball, a wild pitch and then with two outs and two strikes, another wild pitch allowed the runner to score frim third. Orioles tied the game and won in 10th.

[Nick]

Jays host Twins for 3

Yanks host Guardians for 3

Sox host Orioles for 3

 

We could go 2-1 and still lose ground.

[Nick]

We have six vs Orioles, 2 vs Mets, 3 vs Nationals, all sub .500 teams. 3 homes games vs Yankees.

 

We have no one to blame if we miss the playoffs.

[moonslav59]

Jays host Twins for 3

Yanks host Guardians for 3

Sox host Orioles for 3

 

We could go 2-1 and still lose ground.

 

Or, we could gain 1 or 2 on both.

[moonslav59]

We have six vs Orioles, 2 vs Mets, 3 vs Nationals, all sub .500 teams. 3 homes games vs Yankees.

 

We have no one to blame if we miss the playoffs.

 

Exactly.

 

Just take care of our own business.

[Larry Cook]

Exactly.

 

Just take care of our own business.

 

Exactly! Control what you can control.

 

Hope is never a good strategy!

[moonslav59]

One game at a time.

 

Peddle to the metal!

[Bellhorn04]

The way they won it makes it up for last night's game.

 

Yanks blew it in bottom of ninth. Ground ball, a wild pitch and then with two outs and two strikes, another wild pitch allowed the runner to score frim third. Orioles tied the game and won in 10th.

 

A good catcher would have hung onto at least one of those 'wild pitches'.

 

With all our talks of robo umps and how they will reduce the impact of catcher skills, Gary Sanchez is a reminder that sometimes it's pretty important for the catcher to be able to, well, catch the freakin' thing.

[moonslav59]

Today's games:

 

BAL (Akin) @ BOS (Seabold?)

CLE (Plesac) @ NYY (Kluber)

MIN (Pineda) @ TOR (Ryu)

 

Saturday:

 

BAL (Lowther) @ BOS (Pivetta)

CLE (Civale) @ NYY (Gil)

MIN (Ober) @ TOR (Matz)

 

Sunday

 

BAL (Wells) @ BOS (ERod)

CLE (Morgan) @ NYY (Cole)

MIN (???) @ TOR (???)

[moonslav59]

At least MIN has shown it can beat TOR, unlike the yanks.

[oldtimer]

A good catcher would have hung onto at least one of those 'wild pitches'.

 

With all our talks of robo umps and how they will reduce the impact of catcher skills, Gary Sanchez is a reminder that sometimes it's pretty important for the catcher to be able to, well, catch the freakin' thing.

 

When Wendelstedt called the game the other night, the hitters had calls against them way outside the strike zone. While some umpires do a decent job, others like Hunter, screw up too often. I am a proponent of technology assisted ball and strike calls. Fans won't have to know the difference as the umpire can get an immediate indication by a signaling device held in their hand. Hitters will have no beef about the calls.

[Maxbialystock]

We have six vs Orioles, 2 vs Mets, 3 vs Nationals, all sub .500 teams. 3 homes games vs Yankees.

 

We have no one to blame if we miss the playoffs.

 

Yep.

[Maxbialystock]

When Wendelstedt called the game the other night, the hitters had calls against them way outside the strike zone. While some umpires do a decent job, others like Hunter, screw up too often. I am a proponent of technology assisted ball and strike calls. Fans won't have to know the difference as the umpire can get an immediate indication by a signaling device held in their hand. Hitters will have no beef about the calls.

 

I love it when the ump gives some of those outside or inside pitches to the pitchers. Back in the good old days when the best pitchers had great command, they would work those corners to expand the strike zone, which meant that the hitters had to adapt to the strike zone as called. I consider umpires to be a fundamental part of baseball and very much prefer that that their calls, right or wrong, be the final word.

 

I am especially opposed to that rectangle superimposed on our screens which is as arbitrary as whatever strike zone the umpire is using. I have in fact seen rectangles that were incorrect, but with no comment by the people calling the game. That doesn't, however, prevent me from commenting on pitch calls by the umpires. In general, pitchers who show good command during a game are more likely to get close calls that pitchers who are all over the place because of lousy command.

[Maxbialystock]

Where the defensive non performance has been underlined is if you look at Eovaldi's season - he has really had some Cy Young caliber fundamentals this year.

 

When he is on, he can be awfully good now that he's throwing more breaking stuff-especially that improved curve and the splitter--and fewer fastballs. Sale has better command, but Eovaldi has better stuff.

 

That said, to me Chris Sale is the most professional pitcher I can remember pitching for the Sox because his focus is so good and because makes sure he is ready to play defense--the polar opposite of ERod.

[Maxbialystock]

Three days and games with WEEI for me. The cost of my mlb.tv subscription is reasonable even though all games against the Braves, Orioles, and Nationals are blacked out.

 

That said, I became a real Sox fan in the summers of 1953 and 1954 when living in West Springfield, MA and able to get the Sox and Curt Gowdy on radio. By the second summer, I was also into baseball cards (none of which I kept).

[Bellhorn04]

I am especially opposed to that rectangle superimposed on our screens which is as arbitrary as whatever strike zone the umpire is using. I have in fact seen rectangles that were incorrect, but with no comment by the people calling the game.

 

I'm not sure I've seen any incorrect rectangles.

 

I follow a lot of games on Gameday, and I see some egregiously bad calls there. And this is Major League Baseball's own technology.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

 

I am especially opposed to that rectangle superimposed on our screens which is as arbitrary as whatever strike zone the umpire is using. I have in fact seen rectangles that were incorrect, but with no comment by the people calling the game. .

 

Agreed -- I hate the box. It is imperfect, misleading, obtrusive, manipulative, and a crutch that all networks think they should follow suit with, to impose upon viewers.

 

Relying on a fake outline is like a business that requires male employees to wear neckties to contrive importance... because, you know, someone somewhere once thought it was a good idea -- even though ties ensure no respect whatsoever, and look ridiculous flapping on a windy day or dangling in a bowl of soup.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

A good catcher would have hung onto at least one of those 'wild pitches'.

 

With all our talks of robo umps and how they will reduce the impact of catcher skills, Gary Sanchez is a reminder that sometimes it's pretty important for the catcher to be able to, well, catch the freakin' thing.

 

If Sanchez was the main reason the Yankems lost, you shouldn't be mad at him.

[mvp 78]

I'm not sure I've seen any incorrect rectangles.

 

I follow a lot of games on Gameday, and I see some egregiously bad calls there. And this is Major League Baseball's own technology.

 

I didn't like the box at first, but it's fine. There's enough other nonsense during the games that can go away first.

[Bellhorn04]

If Sanchez was the main reason the Yankems lost, you shouldn't be mad at him.

 

Oh, I was laughing. There was another high pitch that he almost failed to catch too. He's an adventure. Glad he's their catcher and not ours.

[notin]

I didn't like the box at first, but it's fine. There's enough other nonsense during the games that can go away first.

 

Like Rick Sutcliffe…

[mvp 78]

@alexspeier

The Red Sox still believe Chris Sale - who tested positive for COVID-19 last Thursday - is on track to be cleared by the MLB/MLBPA joint committee to pitch tonight against the Orioles.

 

If he was unvaccinated, he would have had to miss 10 days (return on Monday).

[mvp 78]

@SoxNotes

The Red Sox begin their final homestand tonight. They lead the AL in runs scored per game (5.7), AVG (.278), and OPS (.826) at home.

 

The Sox are 44-29 (.603) at Fenway, including 34-18 (.654) since May 13.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Oh, I was laughing. There was another high pitch that he almost failed to catch too. He's an adventure. Glad he's their catcher and not ours.

 

I'm doubly glad.

[mvp 78]

Oh, I was laughing. There was another high pitch that he almost failed to catch too. He's an adventure. Glad he's their catcher and not ours.

 

If he was sitting in a chair behind home plate, he would have caught it.

[notin]

If he was sitting in a chair behind home plate, he would have caught it.

 

But what about a stool?