4/13/23 Thursday the 13th- What Could Go Wrong vs Rays ?

[vegasbob]

A win is predicted as Kluber finds himself and the hitters pound Jeffery Springs, he of 0.00 ERA over 13 innings with 19 K's.

[Bellhorn04]

Didn't Springs pitch for the Sox at one time?

 

Great thread title, Vegas.

[vegasbob]

In 2020 , Springs pitched for Boston. He was 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. Shipped out to TB '21-'22 and now'23 , Springs is a cumulative 16-6 with sub-3.43 ERA each year. Whips for those years : 0.68, 0.75, and 1.00

What do we make of these facts ?

[d-money]

In 2020 , Springs pitched for Boston. He was 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. Shipped out to TB '21-'22 and now'23 , Springs is a cumulative 16-6 with sub-3.43 ERA each year. Whips for those years : 0.68, 0.75, and 1.00

What do we make of these facts ?

 

Seems like Tampa just knows how to develop pitchers better.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

In 2020 , Springs pitched for Boston. He was 0-2 with a 7.08 ERA and 1.82 WHIP. Shipped out to TB '21-'22 and now'23 , Springs is a cumulative 16-6 with sub-3.43 ERA each year. Whips for those years : 0.68, 0.75, and 1.00

What do we make of these facts ?

 

He improved dramatically... once he left Boston's coaches and developmental staff... and joined Tampa's coaches and developmental staff (20 years ago we'd be talking about trainers).

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Doogie pulled his head.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Numbah THREE batter!

[vegasbob]

Refsnyder goes deep adding to his baseball reference stat line

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Duke, er, I mean Ref Snyder!

[vegasbob]

Who was the last Rays pitcher to lose to the Sox at the TROP ?? Edited April 13, 2023 by vegasbob

[d-money]

Let’s see if kluber has anything.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Well, there goes the SOX 1-0 win.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Let’s see if kluber has anything.

 

Before the game, he consulted with Sale on how to grip the special bat-finder pitch.

[vegasbob]

Well, there goes the SOX 1-0 win.

 

the only Sox lead in 4 games and Kluber blows it immediately. Congrats, Corey

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

the only Sox lead in 4 games and Kluber blows it immediately. Congrats, Corey

 

Please stop beating a work horse.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Love the chemistry on this team. Sulfur Dioxide.

[vegasbob]

7 batters, 4 K's. Making it look easy. McGuire turned a 3-0 count into a K by watching strike 3.

[d-money]

I kept saying this team needs a good start to this season and they’re trying to bury themselves in april.

[oldtimer]

Don't think Dalbec has changed his pitch recognition despite his current average. Standing and watching a pitch down the middle for strike 3.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Imagine if Cal Ripken had played having Cora as his manager.

[vegasbob]

Imagine if Cal Ripken had played having Cora as his manager.

 

Cal would have been the Tin Man instead of Iron Man , compiling over 10 consecutive games played in a row. I only trust Rafi could PH if the Sox stay in the game.

[redsoxrules]

I wish my manager would give me rest days off work. It crazy how sports have become.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Rays' announcer referred to Chang being in a slump. Imho, to be in a hitting slump, one has to prove he can actually hit to begin with.

[d-money]

Well kluber holding his own thus far.

[vegasbob]

With Springs sprung, let's tear up their BP

[Maxbialystock]

1. Thanks, vegasbob, for starting the game thread. Gutsy.

2. Yes, the Rays are beating the Sox, but they are also undefeated in 12 games so far this season and going for a record. '

3. As we have seen, the Rays are good at everything--hitting, pitching, defense, and baserunning.

4. The Sox are weak defensively and pretty much clueless on the basepaths. Hitting comes and goes. But I think the pitching really is pretty decent.

5. You have to be blind today not to see what an ace this guy Springs is. He has excellent stuff and can really paint those corners. That's mostly true of all the Rays starters. The kid last night looked pretty good and he's just 22. When was the last time the Sox had a 22 year old starter that good?

6. If you aren't blind and can admit that this year the Rays are definitely better than the Sox in every aspect of the game, then you should see this series as kind of measurement of where the Sox are.

 

7. And my no doubt ignorant opinion about that is: not so bad. Pivetta was great in game 1 when the Sox held the Rays to one freaking run--toughest game the Rays have had this season. Too bad Devers struck out looking at a sweet fastball with the bases loaded. Game 2, Rays won 7-2 because Whitlock was getting his first start and clearly ain't there yet. Game 3 the Sox score 7 freaking runs but still lose, mostly because vastly overpaid--and DD buy/holdover--Chris Sale started and now has an ERA of 11+. Today it's 1-1 in the 4th despite missing both Duvall and Devers in the lineup. In fact it's a nothing lineup.

 

So take that and smoke it in your pipe awhile.

Edited April 13, 2023 by Maxbialystock

[vegasbob]

Turner is coming alive and that would be good news

[vegasbob]

HP ump goes rogue and calls at least 2 low/outside strikes

[Maxbialystock]

Turner is coming alive and that would be good news

 

Yep. Ain't it weird that our 3, 4, and 5 hitters (Turner, Yoshida, and Duvall) were/are all brand new?

 

About which, this: a bunch of folks keep referring to Yoshida as the "clean-up" hitter, as if to say he should already have driven in 50 or 60 runs. But, from what I've read, your best hitters are higher in the lineup. Plus the 5th and 6th hitters can be very valuable. So the 4th batter is just one of your 6 best. Right now he really isn't one of our 6 best, but this is his first look at American MLB pitching. And it would have been insulting to bat him 9th--or not at all if I interpret some of the nastier remarks correctly.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1. Thanks, vegasbob, for starting the game thread. Gutsy.

2. Yes, the Rays are beating the Sox, but they are also undefeated in 12 games so far this season and going for a record. '

3. As we have seen, the Rays are good at everything--hitting, pitching, defense, and baserunning.

4. The Sox are weak defensively and pretty much clueless on the basepaths. Hitting comes and goes. But I think the pitching really is pretty decent.

5. You have to be blind today not to see what an ace this guy Springs is. He has excellent stuff and can really paint those corners. That's mostly true of all the Rays starters. The kid last night looked pretty good and he's just 22. When was the last time the Sox had a 22 year old starter that good?

6. If you aren't blind and can admit that this year the Rays are definitely better than the Sox in every aspect of the game, then you should see this series as kind of measurement of where the Sox are.

 

7. And my no doubt ignorant opinion about that is: not so bad. Pivetta was great in game 1 when the Sox held the Rays to one freaking run--toughest game the Rays have had this season. Too bad Devers struck out looking at a sweet fastball with the bases loaded. Game 2, Rays won 7-2 because Whitlock was getting his first start and clearly ain't there yet. Game 3 the Sox score 7 freaking runs but still lose, mostly because vastly overpaid--and DD buy/holdover--Chris Sale started and now has an ERA of 11+. Today it's 1-1 in the 4th despite missing both Duvall and Devers in the lineup. In fact it's a nothing lineup.

 

So take that and smoke it in your pipe awhile.

 

The Rays are good, but we won't know how good until they play anyone else that is also good.

 

Tampa might set an unbeaten record at the start of the year, but every single team they've played is in dead last place.

 

One might argue the Rays sent all these clubs to their cellars, but opponents in Washington, Oakland and Boston were doormats last year, too. Detroit, their other foe, didn't finish last, but only lost 96...