10/16 SOX @ Astros ALCS Game 2 4:20PM

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Let's pump them up with some hope for the plane ride to New England!

 

Should have left D-Hern in then.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

At least Cora now knows he can’t use Hernandez in a big spot in this series

 

Or even a small spot.

[d-money]

How embarrassing for darwizon. See ya!

[Tedballgame]

And we're on to Boston. Go Sox.

[bmattioli]

See you later Houston

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

SOX now have home field advantage. SOX BP is better at home, I think.

[d-money]

Go sawx!!!!! Gonna have to outslug these guys.

[YastrzemskI]

Like I said… in the bag all tied 1-1 headed back to Boston. Lights out until game three.

 

Later fellas.. GO SoX!

[d-money]

Like I said… in the bag all tied 1-1 headed back to Boston. Lights out until game three.

 

Later fellas.. GO SoX!

 

It was a very lovely bounce back. Hopefully the offense stays hot. Facing urquidy.

[Old Red]

Old Red seems to have disappeared from this game thread. Not hard to figure out why. He's only here to criticize Cora, and the Sox are leading 9-0.

 

Max I’ve told you before that just when you think you know the answers I change the questions

 

I’ve just been enjoying the game, and a good game it was. Well played, and well managed. See I can give both sides of the story. Try it sometime it doesn’t hurt, so wrong once again that I’m only here to criticize Cora. The only negative I saw was why was D HErnandez added to the roster.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

He shouldn’t be on the post season roster.

 

Dhern's a thrower, not a pitcher. Houston features the best offense in the big leagues, so the world. And yet, someone in the Boston analytics department sees a good match-up between the two in the series for the pennant.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Actually, SOX BP, except for D-Hern, wasn't that bad. Good job by EO, Ottavino, and,as usual, Whitlock. Great win!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Won't have to see those inane orange hankies no more. Notice how most of them disappeared after the second grand slam... too heavy from tears and nose blows to twirl overhead.

[Larry Cook]

Great win today!

 

We came out and grabbed the lead and this time the bullpen didn’t cough it up!

 

For game 3, we have to grab a lead early against Grenke and keep the pressure on them.

[moonslav59]

What can I say?

 

WOW!

 

This team is really gelling.

 

All the way! One at a time.

[d-money]

Great win today!

 

We came out and grabbed the lead and this time the bullpen didn’t cough it up!

 

For game 3, we have to grab a lead early against Grenke and keep the pressure on them.

 

They’re pitching jose urquidy. He has been tough against us.

[moonslav59]

They’re pitching jose urquidy. He has been tough against us.

 

He's gonna get hammered.

[illinoisredsox]

A pitcher at Wichita State did that in a college game and about killed a player and ended his career. Dick move.

 

I remember that. Anthony Molina was playing for Evansville (?) when he was thrown at for trying to time pitches as the pitcher was warming up. The pitcher was one of the best in the college ranks IIRC, but his name escapes me.

[moonslav59]

How embarrassing for darwizon. See ya!

 

The guy has some major talent, but he never seems to be able to harness it.

 

Here is an interesting tidbit about DHern:

 

5505 pitchers have over 70 IP in their careers. Here are the top K/9 rates, career:

 

15.4 Josh Hader

14.9 A Chapman

14.7 C Kimbrel

14.6 Devin Williams

14,4 D Betances

14.4 Adwin Diaz

14.3 James Karinchak

14.2 DHern

(Note: He's also 24th on the list for most BB/9 at 7.4!)

 

Top K/9 Pitchers of all time with 1000+ IP

11.2 Robbie Ray

11.1 Chris Sale

11.1 Yu Darvish

10.7 J deGrom

10.7 Scherzer

10.6 Randy Johnson

 

11. Pedro Martinez 10.0

Edited October 17, 2021 by moonslav59

[Old Red]

The guy has some major talent, but he never seems to be able to harness it.

 

Here is an interesting tidbit about DHern:

 

5505 pitchers have over 70 IP in their careers. Here are the top K/9 rates, career:

 

15.4 Josh Hader

14.9 A Chapman

14.7 C Kimbrel

14.6 Devin Williams

14,4 D Betances

14.4 Adwin Diaz

14.3 James Karinchak

14.2 DHern

(Note: He's also 24th on the list for most BB/9 at 7.4!)

 

Top K/9 Pitchers of all time with 1000+ IP

11.2 Robbie Ray

11.1 Chris Sale

11.1 Yu Darvish

10.7 J deGrom

10.7 Scherzer

10.6 Randy Johnson

 

11. Pedro Martinez 10.0

 

Right know the Sox have 2 pitchers I wouldn’t trust in any close situation DHern, and the Sour Man. Why they were added I don’t know.

[Bellhorn04]

Right know the Sox have 2 pitchers I wouldn’t trust in any close situation DHern, and the Sour Man. Why they were added I don’t know.

 

Which relievers, besides Whitlock, do you trust in a close situation? Be honest.

[notin]

I remember that. Anthony Molina was playing for Evansville (?) when he was thrown at for trying to time pitches as the pitcher was warming up. The pitcher was one of the best in the college ranks IIRC, but his name escapes me.

 

 

Ben Christensen…

[Old Red]

Which relievers, besides Whitlock, do you trust in a close situation? Be honest.

 

Bra has done well, and now it seems Otta is back in Cora’s rotation. Outside of that nobody.Houck is a long guy.

[Tedballgame]

Ben Christensen…

 

Christensen got a million bucks from the Cubs but never amounted to anything. I hope that beaning haunts him. He ruined one kid's career and, in a way, his own.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Christensen got a million bucks from the Cubs but never amounted to anything. I hope that beaning haunts him. He ruined one kid's career and, in a way, his own.

 

When Jack Hamilton hit Tony C in the eye with a fastball, that was the worst thing I'd ever seen in a baseball game. In seconds a most likely fantastic baseball career was ruined.

[moonslav59]

Right know the Sox have 2 pitchers I wouldn’t trust in any close situation DHern, and the Sour Man. Why they were added I don’t know.

 

I've been arguing for an 11 or 12 man staff for the playoffs since day one. If we want to keep one scrub to take the mop up innings, just go with Perez, until his arm falls off.

[moonslav59]

Which relievers, besides Whitlock, do you trust in a close situation? Be honest.

 

Houck.

 

I have enough confidence in these guys to bring them in:

 

Robles

Brasier

Ottavino

Taylor

 

but not a whole lot.

[Maxbialystock]

Right know the Sox have 2 pitchers I wouldn’t trust in any close situation DHern, and the Sour Man. Why they were added I don’t know.

 

Of course you know why. You think Cora is stupid and incompetent.

[Maxbialystock]

I've been arguing for an 11 or 12 man staff for the playoffs since day one. If we want to keep one scrub to take the mop up innings, just go with Perez, until his arm falls off.

 

And I disagree wholeheartedly. It's not just that I think Cora needs as many pitching options as possible, especially when his bullpen has pitched 39 of the 63 innings the Sox have thus far played in the postseason, it's that the Sox don't have a bunch of talented position players not already on the postseason roster.

 

What they do have, however, is the best hitting lineup the Sox have ever had in the freaking postseason! Arroyo ain't hitting at 2b, but no way do we want Kike back there.

 

The one guy who clearly would have helped is Iglesias, who's ineligible.

 

People complain about Santana being there, but he has two real virtues: speed on the bases and versatility in the field. Shaw and Dalbec are acceptable pinch-hitters, plus Dalbec can play 1b or even 3b. Plawecki is OK as the #2 catcher. Who or what else does Cora freaking need?

[Maxbialystock]

Which relievers, besides Whitlock, do you trust in a close situation? Be honest.

 

Meh. Trust ain't the right word for this pitching staff because without exception they have all bombed. What makes Cora so great as a manager is that he trusts his pitchers--but also verifies. Thus Sale started game 1 of the ALCS and actually pitched better (1 run in 2.2 innings) than Houck, Robles, and Sawamura in that same game against that same Astros lineup. Oh, and guess who bailed out Sawamura and got the final two outs in the 8th inning of game 1? Perez!! You know, the same guy who has disappointed us time and time again this year.

 

Sale, by the way, did his level best to destroy the Sox in the ALDS by starting game 2 and giving up 5 runs in the 1st. But then Houck, the same guy who gave up two killing runs in game 1 of the ALCS, came in and pitched five superb innings, giving up 1 run, and enabled the Sox to come back to win 14-8.

 

Our ace is Eovaldi, who was going great guns yesterday until he got hammered for 3 runs in the 4th freaking inning.