8/7 @ Toronto, Game 1

[Thunder]

RHP Nick Pivetta (8-4, 4.57) vs LHP Robbie Ray (9-5, 3.04)

 

 

I'm coming to the rescue!

[TylerD]

This team f***ing blows

[Thunder]

This team f***ing blows

 

Well good morning to you too!

[jacksonianmarch]

No JD, no Durran

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Kike

Dugo

X-man

Devers

Renfroe

Plawecki

VAZ(DH)

DalbeK

Arauz

[vegasbob]

This is actually ironic. All of us here can comment, criticize, praise and cheer the lovable losers on, but Chaim Bloom and Alex Cora wake up (if they actually could sleep) and actually do something about this hot mess.

How would you like that job today ?

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Game time 3:07PM 1st game

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Some here see the glass half full, some here see the glass half empty. I'm guessing the half full crowd is drinking alcohol, where the half empty crowd is drinking non-alcohol.

[a700hitter]

DH — Time to accelerate the Death Spiral. Turbo flush.

[vegasbob]

Pivetta making a strong bid to get the first man up in inning 2 out, Bichette.

\

Finding success, one batter at a time. Nick actually looking good through 4 hitters so far

 

5 outs and counting, looking like a no hitter coming up

Edited August 7, 2021 by vegasbob

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Getting the feed from Toronto and just learned something unsurprising. Bobby Dee with a strike out rate of 35% leads MLB.

[mvp 78]

Getting the feed from Toronto and just learned something unsurprising. Bobby Dee with a strike out rate of 35% leads MLB.

 

Shocked pikachu face

[mvp 78]

Bloom to COVID IL.

[Maxbialystock]

While I agree Richard and Perez are almost certainly irredeemable, last night I watched Eovaldi pitcher very well for 4 innings, at which point he had seen 15 batters (once thru the lineup and then six more of them twice) and pitched shutout ball.

 

Then in the 5th, facing the bottom of the Jays lineup for the 2d time only, the wheels came completely off. Double, double, absolute useless mound visit, double, fly out, another mound visit, Guerroro walked intentionally, then out 2, a K.

 

At that point, the game was tied 2-2 and the Jays had 2 on and 2 out. The next three Jays hitters--Bichette, Hernandez, and Gurriel, went hard single, double, and dinger for 5 more runs and a 7-2 lead., after which Eovaldi was pulled.

 

To me there has to be something wrong with what happened in the bottom of the 5th. Eovaldi has good stuff, especially when he does not over-rely on his fastball, and OK command. But suddenly the Jay were hitting everything, including changeups and sliders low in the strike zone or even below it.

 

I'd love to blame Vazquez for that disaster, but wonder now if somehow Eovaldi didn't start tipping his pitches. Indeed, given the heavy reliance on tv cameras and computer imaging by all MLB teams, maybe that combo, read correctly, yielded the tiny little clues that Jays hitters could recognize and capitalize on.

 

Today Pivetta, who a month or so ago went 6.2 no hit no run innings, is once again going like a house afire--through 3 innings, no hits and no runs. Will the Jays combination of TV images tied to a computer produce another deluge of hard hit balls for zillions of runs?

[vegasbob]

The double no hitter continues through 2 1/2 innings. Exciting AL East pitcher's duel featuring Nick Pivetta and a guy named Ray

[vegasbob]

While I agree Richard and Perez are almost certainly irredeemable, last night I watched Eovaldi pitcher very well for 4 innings, at which point he had seen 15 batters (once thru the lineup and then six more of them twice) and pitched shutout ball.

 

Then in the 5th, facing the bottom of the Jays lineup for the 2d time only, the wheels came completely off. Double, double, absolute useless mound visit, double, fly out, another mound visit, Guerroro walked intentionally, then out 2, a K.

 

At that point, the game was tied 2-2 and the Jays had 2 on and 2 out. The next three Jays hitters--Bichette, Hernandez, and Gurriel, went hard single, double, and dinger for 5 more runs and a 7-2 lead., after which Eovaldi was pulled.

 

To me there has to be something wrong with what happened in the bottom of the 5th. Eovaldi has good stuff, especially when he does not over-rely on his fastball, and OK command. But suddenly the Jay were hitting everything, including changeups and sliders low in the strike zone or even below it.

 

I'd love to blame Vazquez for that disaster, but wonder now if somehow Eovaldi didn't start tipping his pitches. Indeed, given the heavy reliance on tv cameras and computer imaging by all MLB teams, maybe that combo, read correctly, yielded the tiny little clues that Jays hitters could recognize and capitalize on.

 

Today Pivetta, who a month or so ago went 6.2 no hit no run innings, is once again going like a house afire--through 3 innings, no hits and no runs. Will the Jays combination of TV images tied to a computer produce another deluge of hard hit balls for zillions of runs?

 

Great summary. I had a thought watching the Tiger's series along the same line . Peculiar hitting trend for no apparent reason. Is Cora getting payback??

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Since this downward spiral began about 11 games ago, the only facet of the SOX game that has improved is the defense.

Btw, the SOX starters' ERA over the last 11 games is 8.40. I actually thought it might have been higher.

[vegasbob]

Sox have scored 13 runs in 5 full games plus 3 innings today beginning August 1. Opponents have 28

[vegasbob]

Reminder this is only 7 innings , twice, today so the ability to blow up is reduced. In the interim Sox cannot buy a hit.

[Maxbialystock]

Great seeing Vazquez at DH, a big improvement over JDM with those strikeouts and GIDP's, to say nothing of his exceptional baserunning skills.

[illinoisredsox]

Since this downward spiral began about 11 games ago, the only facet of the SOX game that has improved is the defense.

Btw, the SOX starters' ERA over the last 11 games is 8.40. I actually thought it might have been higher.

 

There have been a 2 or 3 decently pitched games that have kept it “down”. ERod’s 5 shutout innings the other day for example. I think Houck had a good one in Tampa(?).

[Maxbialystock]

Interesting. Once again, 5th inning after a superb first four innings, and the first three Jays hitters, all seeing Pivetta for the 2d time today, just hammer the ball. Fortunately, two of them were caught.

[Maxbialystock]

OK! Pivetta gets the 3d out, a pop up, on a diet of fastballs.

[Bellhorn04]

Interesting. Once again, 5th inning after a superb first four innings, and the first three Jays hitters, all seeing Pivetta for the 2d time today, just hammer the ball. Fortunately, two of them were caught.

 

He faced the Jays 1-2-3 hitters in the 4th for the second time as well.

[illinoisredsox]

Interesting. Once again, 5th inning after a superb first four innings, and the first three Jays hitters, all seeing Pivetta for the 2d time today, just hammer the ball. Fortunately, two of them were caught.

 

Everybody can’t be tipping pitches. Have to wonder about some camera in the hotel in CF; there have been suspicions for years.

[Bellhorn04]

Yankees win again.

[illinoisredsox]

Might be time for some small ball; can Arauz bunt?

[Maxbialystock]

Great summary. I had a thought watching the Tiger's series along the same line . Peculiar hitting trend for no apparent reason. Is Cora getting payback??

 

Darn! I was thinking payback too. I hate conspiracy theories. I mean really, really hate them. Except when I think the Sox are maybe getting screwed.

[vegasbob]

Might be time for some small ball; can Arauz bunt?

 

No, can't bunt, but can hit !!

[illinoisredsox]

No, can't bunt, but can hit !!

 

At least he made up for it with a single.

 

Edit - reply was as you were editing