9/01 Rangers @ SOX 7:10PM ET

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

G. Otto vs R. Hill

 

Hill coming off his best start of the season.

 

 

 

 

Go SOX!

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Pham

Dugo

Bogey

Devers

JD

Arroyo

Cordero

REF(CF)

Plawecki

[Maxbialystock]

G. Otto vs R. Hill

 

Hill coming off his best start of the season.

 

 

 

 

Go SOX!

 

I have not been on the fence about Hill. I think he's too old, can't pitch, whatever. But right now I don't mind him as the 5th starts.

 

His last game, on the other hand, was masterful. Completely focused, no big pauses between pitches, no shake-offs, and he threw like a freaking knife thrower from 15 away vs. the actual 66 feet.

 

There is nothing more I like than when I am wrong in underestimating a pitcher. 19 starts, 4 quality starts, 6 wins vs 5 losses, and an ERA of 4.32 and a WAR of +0.6. Not really worth $5M, but, compared to Eovaldi or Sale, much more valuable vs. his cost.

[Maxbialystock]

Pham

Dugo

Bogey

Devers

JD

Arroyo

Cordero

REF(CF)

Plawecki

 

About Dugo. His DWAR to date is -1.3--the abominable outfielder. But for now I like him in RF despite that misplay last night. He's got the arm, which a rightfielder needs.

 

Arroyo over Story at 2b. My, my. And Refsnyder over Kike in CF.

 

And it looks like Bloom didn't DFA Devers despite all the complaints on the game thread last night. Oh, right. No one wanted to DFA him, but no one wanted him in the lineup either. When a player goes into a slump, the remedy is not to play him. That's what brought Bogey's swing back. Oh, wait.

 

Cordero over Dalbec at 1b. Of course.

 

And Plawecki catching Hill, which he did for Hill's last start.

Edited September 1, 2022 by Maxbialystock

[vegasbob]

I have not been on the fence about Hill. I think he's too old, can't pitch, whatever. But right now I don't mind him as the 5th starts.

 

His last game, on the other hand, was masterful. Completely focused, no big pauses between pitches, no shake-offs, and he threw like a freaking knife thrower from 15 away vs. the actual 66 feet.

 

There is nothing more I like than when I am wrong in underestimating a pitcher. 19 starts, 4 quality starts, 6 wins vs 5 losses, and an ERA of 4.32 and a WAR of +0.6. Not really worth $5M, but, compared to Eovaldi or Sale, much more valuable vs. his cost.

 

60'-6" , with the release point often being in the 53'-55' range . Less than 3/5's of a second from the pitcher's hand to the plate at typical speeds. MLB hitters have incredible eye-hand coordination , eyesight acuity, and fast twitch muscles to be able to adjust to a moving, twisting ball and hit a round ball with a round bat on a line drive. Why the hell Devers and JDM have any problems with this is beyond me .

[vegasbob]

About Dugo. His DWAR to date is -1.3--the abominable outfielder. But for now I like him in RF despite that misplay last night. He's got the arm, which a rightfielder needs.

 

Arroyo over Story at 2b. My, my. And Refsnyder over Kike in CF.

 

And it looks like Bloom didn't DFA Devers despite all the complaints on the game thread last night. Oh, right. No one wanted to DFA him, but no one wanted him in the lineup either. When a player goes into a slump, the remedy is not to play him. That's what brought Bogey's swing back. Oh, wait.

 

Cordero over Dalbec at 1b. Of course.

 

And Plawecki catching Hill, which he did for Hill's last start.

 

Holding back Story and Kike strengthens the bench for extra innings. And I do have to mention that a day or two off for a truly struggling hitter has been used from time to time to let them work in the cage without the game pressure being on them. Devers early in his August slump tried to carry the team at each At Bat with 6 run homer swings to no avail. I do believe he would benefit from a working-rest this time. Let him PH when it counts in a couple games to force moves on the opponent.

[Maxbialystock]

I not only stand corrected, I thank you for the right distances. My analogy still works at 53 feet.

 

I stand with Ted Williams, who said hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely is the most difficult skill in all sports. And right behind (or even with) that is pitching, with the addition that even a reliever will throw more pitches than a hitter will swing that bat in a given game.

 

To me what makes baseball unique is the centrality of the hitter-pitcher confrontation. Real aficionados watch every at bat, every pitch, intently and remember what they saw. That ain't me, but I try. Thus was Barnes stint on the mound last night excruciating despite the happy outcome. I now agree with everyone who claims closers first and foremost must be fearless.

[Maxbialystock]

Holding back Story and Kike strengthens the bench for extra innings. And I do have to mention that a day or two off for a truly struggling hitter has been used from time to time to let them work in the cage without the game pressure being on them. Devers early in his August slump tried to carry the team at each At Bat with 6 run homer swings to no avail. I do believe he would benefit from a working-rest this time. Let him PH when it counts in a couple games to force moves on the opponent.

 

I have argued against you on that point--for a whole bunch of reasons--but you could be right. You cannot be a Sox fan and not like Devers a ton. Watching him struggle, especially when we can see how hard he tries, is painful. He plays to win and is hugely frustrated right now.

[Maxbialystock]

I hate to admit this, but I'm looking forward to this game and progress toward .500. Five straight wins would do that, but right now that's like climbing Mount Everest in sneakers and shorts and no guides.

[vegasbob]

A few other things about hitting that stand out to me. Golfers and tennis players make me laugh heartily with their need for silence and no background distractions when putting their balls into play ( intentional pun) . Yet a baseball hitter must focus with 30,000+ unwashed yellers screaming for a hot dog and cold one , with the stupid wave swirling around the park. God bless them that the baseball player can see through that mess and still hit the ball.

 

Second, the pitcher is throwing downhill with leverage not present in most other sports , exacerbating the movement and angle of attack/contact with the ball. The ball itself has two different surface , the leather skin (92% of the surface) and the slightly raised stitching . The reaction off the bat varies with what element makes contact. Humidity affects the ball and pitcher's grip so there can be a subtle difference between the first inning and the ninth as to a similar pitch' s line of travel.

 

Third, if the ball hits you when batting, you are awarded first base. If the ball hits you anywhere on the base paths, you are out . The foul pole is considered fair territory . 75% of the earth's surface ( land and water) is in foul territory which why a .250 hitter is about a 1.0 f or b WAR .

[Maxbialystock]

A few other things about hitting that stand out to me. Golfers and tennis players make me laugh heartily with their need for silence and no background distractions when putting their balls into play ( intentional pun) . Yet a baseball hitter must focus with 30,000+ unwashed yellers screaming for a hot dog and cold one , with the stupid wave swirling around the park. God bless them that the baseball player can see through that mess and still hit the ball.

 

Second, the pitcher is throwing downhill with leverage not present in most other sports , exacerbating the movement and angle of attack/contact with the ball. The ball itself has two different surface , the leather skin (92% of the surface) and the slightly raised stitching . The reaction off the bat varies with what element makes contact. Humidity affects the ball and pitcher's grip so there can be a subtle difference between the first inning and the ninth as to a similar pitch' s line of travel.

 

Third, if the ball hits you when batting, you are awarded first base. If the ball hits you anywhere on the base paths, you are out . The foul pole is considered fair territory . 75% of the earth's surface ( land and water) is in foul territory which why a .250 hitter is about a 1.0 f or b WAR .

 

Agree on the first, but not as much on the 2d because the batter, when he is able, doesn't have to swing at pitches outside the strike. The strike zone is mostly for his benefit, not the pitcher's. You lost me on the 3d.

[vegasbob]

I have argued against you on that point--for a whole bunch of reasons--but you could be right. You cannot be a Sox fan and not like Devers a ton. Watching him struggle, especially when we can see how hard he tries, is painful. He plays to win and is hugely frustrated right now.

 

Note, I have never said and wouldn't to DFA or trade, or dump Rafael. Not unlike Matt Barnes's mental confidence issues, my point is that someone needs to help Devers clear his mind because in a month's time he has been unable to self correct. Give him a Xanax and chill for a day or two. Constructively, someone like an Ortiz could get him to relax, talking about hanging in all the friendly Dominican bars during the off season. Maybe Millar could but for the language matter.

 

Here is a serious point. Devers will be here next year in the lineup at 3B , in a contract year. He is looking at incredible , generational money. Whether he gets that from the Sox or the soon departing Arte Moreno matters not. The kid needs to show he can adjust/adapt to tough situations , if he is asking for 8-10 year money, and stay focused on his job. His recent rare struggles have compressed his hitting mind to the size of a pea, sort of like Matt's confidence.

[vegasbob]

Agree on the first, but not as much on the 2d because the batter, when he is able, doesn't have to swing at pitches outside the strike. The strike zone is mostly for his benefit, not the pitcher's. You lost me on the 3d.

 

Agreed on the strike zone being for the benefit of the hitter to force throws into his strike zone. It then begs the debate on the quality of the umpire's judgement as to that zone. But considering that the umpire has to judge elevation, width , foul tips, catcher's interference, wild pitches, passed balls, and be forced to judge about 250-300 pitches in a 9 inning game, they do well.

 

The third paragraph is because game threads should be mostly for fun, not fact driven analytics. Always enjoy seeing your takes on matters at hand

[FredLynn]

I have argued against you on that point--for a whole bunch of reasons--but you could be right. You cannot be a Sox fan and not like Devers a ton. Watching him struggle, especially when we can see how hard he tries, is painful. He plays to win and is hugely frustrated right now.

 

The Sox better pay Devers and prevent him from leaving.

[vegasbob]

Odd how game situations can shift over next to nothing happening. Hill had 2 outs on 6 pitches, when Lowe worked him to a 3-2 walk after several fouls, and then Garcia takes him to 22 pitches before a 3-2 called third strike. Nothing much happened but Hill spent a lot of energy on the last out. May eventually affect the BP inning needs.

[FredLynn]

Devers strikes out on a ball that bounced on the plate

He needs to sit

[vegasbob]

Big money, long term contracts anyone? Semien and Seager haven't helped the Strangers at all. Worse record than Boston in a weak division.

[vegasbob]

You could almost tell that Rich hill was struggling to spot the ball like he did the other night. Need to stop the situation with a DP ball

[FredLynn]

Big money, long term contracts anyone? Semien and Seager haven't helped the Strangers at all. Worse record than Boston in a weak division.

 

And they are about to beat us

This one is almost over already

Hill sucks

[jad]

Devers strikes out on a ball that bounced on the plate

He needs to sit

 

Maybe Vlad G. would have squared that one up. But let's hope Raffy doesn't go that route.

[FredLynn]

Wow

Hill escapes with only one run allowed

[Maxbialystock]

Wow

Hill escapes with only one run allowed

 

Great, great job, plus good calls by Plawecki.

 

The hitters are all huddling on the bench asking for their mommies. Baseball is about more than showing up.

[Maxbialystock]

And they are about to beat us

This one is almost over already

Hill sucks

 

Another great call from a talksoxer. What insight, what boldness.

[FredLynn]

Another great call from a talksoxer. What insight, what boldness.

 

Bases loaded nobody out is a recipe for disaster.

Good thing the Rangers are a horrible team.

[FredLynn]

If we’re lucky Martinez will only make one out

[FredLynn]

JD needs to retire

[iortiz]

Seems like Hill didn't like to leave the mound but he was imploding badly.

[Maxbialystock]

Bases loaded nobody out is a recipe for disaster.

Good thing the Rangers are a horrible team.

 

I prefer to think Hill made some great pitches.

[FredLynn]

I prefer to think Hill made some great pitches.

 

He did. But it’s still a recipe for disaster.

[FredLynn]

Game over

The team continues to suck