How will the Red Sox do?

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I never doubted our O would be good, but this is mind-boggling.

 

It was the O's pitching, and now we face PIT, so ....

 

Yes, gotta like the start.

 

With the next six games vs. Pitt and Detroit, a winning record for Boston is absolutely essential. The final 20 games in the rest of April are all against better clubs with playoff aspirations, starting with a four-game set in Tampa.

 

The Rays are loaded with arms and young impact players: Franco, Arozarena, Paredes, Siri. The Angels and Twins are improved, while Milwaukee and Cleveland have pitching staffs with shutdown stuff.

 

A 6-3 or even 5-4 record after the next week will set the tone for the first month. After that, if the Sox can just break even at 10-10 the rest of April, they can legitimately stay in the hunt.

[moonslav59]

With the next six games vs. Pitt and Detroit, a winning record for Boston is absolutely essential. The final 20 games in the rest of April are all against better clubs with playoff aspirations, starting with a four-game set in Tampa.

 

The Rays are loaded with arms and young impact players: Franco, Arozarena, Paredes, Siri. The Angels and Twins are improved, while Milwaukee and Cleveland have pitching staffs with shutdown stuff.

 

A 6-3 or even 5-4 record after the next week will set the tone for the first month. After that, if the Sox can just break even at 10-10 the rest of April, they can legitimately stay in the hunt.

 

I hope we are 6-3 after 9, but it's a long season.

 

Certainly starting out well helps our chances and sometimes sets the mood and pattern of a team for the year.

 

I'm encouraged by the fact that we still have a lot of talent that has yet to play:

 

Crawford & Pivetta

Whitlock & Bello

Mondesi & Paxton

JRod & Mills

and Story

 

I'm expecting some good things from 5-6 of these guys.

[mvp 78]

I have had them both on Block for a long time. Keep me informed how their middle-school spat goes.

 

I'm sure you already know exactly how it's going then.

[mvp 78]

Don't get worked up over small samples either way. I try to wait until Memorial Day before I really have a good idea on how a season is really going to go. The first series of the year is always over amplified.

[Hugh2]

Don't get worked up over small samples either way. I try to wait until Memorial Day before I really have a good idea on how a season is really going to go. The first series of the year is always over amplified.

 

The only good thing about looking at stats this early is the hilarity of how unsustainable they are. I mean, maybe Tampa goes 162-0, Adam Duvall will hit 108 Home Runs, score 382 times and knock in 432 runs. Wander Franco is on pace to be the first .600 hitter in baseball!!!!!!!!

 

Can you guys believe Alex Bregman is looking to strike ou 283 times this year? Jeffery Sprints will strike out 384 batters in just 194 innings without surrendering one hit the ENTIRE YEAR!!!!

[Bellhorn04]

Don't get worked up over small samples either way. I try to wait until Memorial Day before I really have a good idea on how a season is really going to go. The first series of the year is always over amplified.

 

It is. All I can say is, after losing the first one and being down 7-1 in the second, winning 2 of 3 is a happy result.

[mvp 78]

The only good thing about looking at stats this early is the hilarity of how unsustainable they are. I mean, maybe Tampa goes 162-0, Adam Duvall will hit 108 Home Runs, score 382 times and knock in 432 runs. Wander Franco is on pace to be the first .600 hitter in baseball!!!!!!!!

 

Can you guys believe Alex Bregman is looking to strike ou 283 times this year? Jeffery Sprints will strike out 384 batters in just 194 innings without surrendering one hit the ENTIRE YEAR!!!!

 

I would love to see a guy k 300 times.

[mvp 78]

It is. All I can say is, after losing the first one and being down 7-1 in the second, winning 2 of 3 is a happy result.

 

I liked that even though they LOST the first game, that the team fought back and made it close. I felt like last year's team would have folded and just lost 10-5 or whatever. The offense kept fighting and I think that will serve the team well over the long run. That's kind of why I said this team was a 84 win team, but will end up with 88 wins. They seem like they'll outcompete some other teams throughout the long season.

[moonslav59]

One reason we lost too many games like these recent games with the O's in 2021 and 2022, was our piss-poor pen, especially the 8th and 9th inning guys.

 

So far, Jansen, Martin and Schreiber have done their jobs.

 

I hope Winck can keep up the pace.

[Hugh2]

I would love to see a guy k 300 times.

 

If we could live in hypothetical la la land for just one moment.

 

What would one make of a guy who:

 

Bats .167

strikes out 300 times

hits 100 home runs

knocks in 300 RBIS

[notin]

The only good thing about looking at stats this early is the hilarity of how unsustainable they are. I mean, maybe Tampa goes 162-0, Adam Duvall will hit 108 Home Runs, score 382 times and knock in 432 runs. Wander Franco is on pace to be the first .600 hitter in baseball!!!!!!!!

 

Can you guys believe Alex Bregman is looking to strike ou 283 times this year? Jeffery Sprints will strike out 384 batters in just 194 innings without surrendering one hit the ENTIRE YEAR!!!!

 

If Springs did strike out 384 batters, he would set the post-1900 record by one strikeout.

 

It makes Nolan Ryan’s 383 strikeouts in 1973 all that much more impress. Ditto Koufax’ 382 K’s in 1965…

[mvp 78]

One reason we lost too many games like these recent games with the O's in 2021 and 2022, was our piss-poor pen, especially the 8th and 9th inning guys.

 

So far, Jansen, Martin and Schreiber have done their jobs.

 

I hope Winck can keep up the pace.

 

The worry with Schreiber is that his velo appears to be down and he had a bad Spring Training. We'll see if his stuff ticks back up.

 

Joely should help when he comes back. Crawford and Houck may kick Ort/Brasier/Kelly out of the pen when Whitlock and Bello return.

 

There was hope that Winckowski's pitch mix would "play up" out of the pen and so far it has. He wasn't hitting 97 with his splitter last year and 3 k's in 3 innings is good for him. That slider is still a below average pitch. He may need to stop throwing it or at least reduce using it.

[mvp 78]

If we could live in hypothetical la la land for just one moment.

 

What would one make of a guy who:

 

Bats .167

strikes out 300 times

hits 100 home runs

knocks in 300 RBIS

 

Baseball Jesus. MVP Season. It's the 2 true outcomes that were promised...

[Maxbialystock]

The great, and objective John Tomase said it this way. This Red Sox team is the least talented team in the JH era to start off the season.I don’t think anyone predicted what happened in 2021, nor what happened last year, so I’m not predicting at all. I will say that a lot of things will have to go right for this team to be anything like 2021 starting with good health of the starting staff.

 

Excellent post.

[moonslav59]

Excellent post.

 

How can this team be viewed as less talented than the 2020 team, even if Sale and ERod are not on the IL, all year?

[Maxbialystock]

After just 5 games--with the Sox now 2-3--the pessimists have the floor. The rotation stinks--Kluber, Sale, and Crawford, anyway--and so does the defense.

 

Devers missing a pop up he absolutely should have caught but didn't even get a glove on it (thus no error!!!) cost 3 runs and one loss, 7-6 to Pittsburgh. In the next game, McGuire mishandled a swing and miss third strike (in the strike zone!), which would have been the 3d out, but instead cost a baserunner and then 2 runs when the next better hit a dinger. So, in two games out of five played, abysmal defense was center stage.

 

Bullpen has been pretty decent. After 5 games, the Sox ace is Winckowski with 6 innings and 1 run (ERA 1.50).

[Bellhorn04]

How can this team be viewed as less talented than the 2020 team, even if Sale and ERod are not on the IL, all year?

 

Tomase is a tool, he probably overlooked 2020.

 

Being more talented than the 2020 team just isn't much comfort.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Tomase is a tool, he probably overlooked 2020.

 

Being more talented than the 2020 team just isn't much comfort.

 

Come on, we've been through this, and no one has to look up stats to justify comparisons -- pro-rated or whatever.

 

Bottom line: on "Opening Day" 2020, the Red Sox starting line-up featured 7 of 10 teammates who won the World Series and the most games in Boston history.

Edited April 5, 2023 by 5GoldGloves:OF,75

[Bellhorn04]

Come on, we've been through this, and no one has to look up stats to justify comparisons -- pro-rated or whatever.

 

Bottom line: on "Opening Day" 2020, the Red Sox starting line-up featured 7 of 10 teammates who won the World Series and the most games in Boston history.

 

But the 2020 opening day pitching staff was DECIMATED by losses of all types from 2018-2019.

 

And the 2019 team only won 84 games.

[notin]

Come on, we've been through this, and no one has to look up stats to justify comparisons -- pro-rated or whatever.

 

Bottom line: on "Opening Day" 2020, the Red Sox starting line-up featured 7 of 10 teammates who won the World Series and the most games in Boston history.

 

They also had Ryan Weber as the #3 starter…

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

But the 2020 opening day pitching staff was DECIMATED by losses of all types from 2018-2019.

 

And the 2019 team only won 84 games.

 

Sure. And the guys who wore the laundry last year won 78. But the reason I changed my post from "players" to "teammates" is that that '20 core was a proven winner. I'm not saying they were anywhere as good, but going into that summer they had a pedigree of playing together -- unlike this year's cobbled together conglomeration (even with guys with rings won elsewhere)... suitable for more cobbling next winter... or more likely, this July.

[Bellhorn04]

Sure. And the guys who wore the laundry last year won 78. But the reason I changed my post from "players" to "teammates" is that that '20 core was a proven winner. I'm not saying they were anywhere as good, but going into that summer they had a pedigree of playing together -- unlike this year's cobbled together conglomeration (even with guys with rings won elsewhere)... suitable for more cobbling next winter... or more likely, this July.

 

The 2020 pitching staff was in tatters, that's the main point.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

The 2020 pitching staff was in tatters, that's the main point.

 

It was the worst pitching staff I've ever seen in Boston. But tattered also describes the meatballs served up by the entire '23 starting rotation the first time through.

 

I have high hopes for Bello and Whitlock. As for Paxton... at least Ryan Weber attended Winter Weekend in '20. When Paxton missed the team bus, the Sox wouldn't even allow him to hitch a ride, lest he pull a muscle in his thumb.

[Bellhorn04]

It was the worst pitching staff I've ever seen in Boston. But tattered also describes the meatballs served up by the entire '23 starting rotation the first time through.

 

I have high hopes for Bello and Whitlock. As for Paxton... at least Ryan Weber attended Winter Weekend in '20. When Paxton missed the team bus, the Sox wouldn't even allow him to hitch a ride, lest he pull a muscle in his thumb.

 

We have too many injury comedians here now.

[mvp 78]

Tomase is a tool, he probably overlooked 2020.

 

Being more talented than the 2020 team just isn't much comfort.

 

This team has the same talent as last year's team IMO. The names are different and the talent is spread out a little.

 

Think of how horrendous the pen was.

[mvp 78]

We have too many injury comedians here now.

 

I played in a death metal band. People either loved us or they hated us... or they thought we were okay. A lot of death metal bands have intense names, like "Rigormortis" or "Mortuary" or "Obituary". We weren't that intense, we just went with "Injured".

[oldtimer]

I don't believe the Sox will play .500 ball this season. Starting pitching will be the major shortcoming.

[mvp 78]

I don't believe the Sox will play .500 ball this season. Starting pitching will be the major shortcoming.

 

I agree, they'll be above .500.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

I agree, they'll be above .500.

 

Does that refer to the pitching staff's allowed On Base Percentage or Slugging Percentage?

[notin]

It was the worst pitching staff I've ever seen in Boston. But tattered also describes the meatballs served up by the entire '23 starting rotation the first time through.

 

I have high hopes for Bello and Whitlock. As for Paxton... at least Ryan Weber attended Winter Weekend in '20. When Paxton missed the team bus, the Sox wouldn't even allow him to hitch a ride, lest he pull a muscle in his thumb.

 

Hey!!

 

I do the injury jokes. You go back to your word play tie-ins and obscure baseball references!!