A Realistic View of 2024: Part II

[moonslav59]

The Red Sox are 14-12. 10-2 vs. the A's, Pirates and Angels. But just 4-10 vs. the Orioles, Guardians and Mariners. None of that is particularly surprising, shocking or amazing. There are quite a few bad teams, so you can stay respectable just by beating them. But if you want to rise above that level, at some point you have to start beating the better teams.

 

Or try and stay near .500 or just under .500 vs good teams and kill the bad ones.

[Maxbialystock]

The Red Sox are 14-12. 10-2 vs. the A's, Pirates and Angels. But just 4-10 vs. the Orioles, Guardians and Mariners. None of that is particularly surprising, shocking or amazing. There are quite a few bad teams, so you can stay respectable just by beating them. But if you want to rise above that level, at some point you have to start beating the better teams.

 

Cherry-picking, I see. There's skillful cherry-picking, and then there's yours.

 

You cite the Mariners as "good" when they are 13-12, plus you've forgotten the Mariners and Sox so far are 2-2 in games.

 

Of the other two good teams, I completely agree the Orioles pretty much dominated the Sox, 3 games to 0 at Fenway Park. But the Sox, now 2-5 vs the Guardians, played Cleveland tough in 3 of those 5 losses.

 

Then there's the terrible awfuls, the Pirates, who just happen to be 13-13 right now, which is almost as good as the wonderful wonderful Mariners. I guess you assume that, if the Sox sweep a team, that team has to be the pits. But the numbers just don't agree with you.

 

Agree the Angels and A's aren't so hot at 10-15 and 10-16, but both are ahead of the Astros, 7-19. And didn't the A's just finish a 4 game series @ the Yankees which they split, 2-2?

 

I do agree with the talksox consensus, which is that the 2024 Sox are probably awful. But to me that is all the more reason to be amazed and even delighted that they are still 2 games above .500 despite now having lost 3 of their 5 initial rotation, plus Story, plus Casas, et al.

 

Or this. DALBEC THE HORRIBLE has now played in 17 games, the same number as Wong and O'Neill and more games than Devers, Story, or Refsnyder. Valdez, whose WAR right now is -0.9, has played in 23 games, and Abreu, WAR +1.3, has played in 21.

[moonslav59]

I think we've had losing records in extra inning games since 2021. This year, we are 1-3. That is one area we might be able to reverse.

 

We play the hot Cubs, now (Thanks Astros!)

Then the Giants and off to play at MIN.

Day off and 2 @ ATL, followed by another day off. This should give our staff a break, and hopefully by May 10th we have some arms back for the homestand vs WSH (3) and the Rays (4.)

 

[moonslav59]

I know harping on the bad seems to be the way of the world, right now, so I'll join the crowd for a bit.

 

Here are some of the weakest "links" on the Sox.

 

1. Defense.

 

2. A few batters starting off very slowly:

.483 Rafaela (2nd on team in PAs)

.427 Valdez (5th in PAs)

.428 Reyes (10th in PAs)

.245 Dalbec (12th in PAs)

Maybe Valdez and Reyes see less playing time, when Grissom joins the 26, but Rafaela and Dalbec need to get closer to .600 or .700 than .400 or .500. (Yoshida .660 hasn't helped, either.)

 

3. It's hard to find many weaknesses with the pitching staff. Jacques (5.40) is gone. Campbell 12.40) is on the IL. Only Anderson is 14 in IP (7+ IP) with an ERA over 4.50.

7+ IP worst 3:

5.52 Anderson

4.50 Joely

4.20 Wink

 

[notin]

Cherry-picking, I see. There's skillful cherry-picking, and then there's yours.

 

You cite the Mariners as "good" when they are 13-12, plus you've forgotten the Mariners and Sox so far are 2-2 in games.

 

Of the other two good teams, I completely agree the Orioles pretty much dominated the Sox, 3 games to 0 at Fenway Park. But the Sox, now 2-5 vs the Guardians, played Cleveland tough in 3 of those 5 losses.

 

Then there's the terrible awfuls, the Pirates, who just happen to be 13-13 right now, which is almost as good as the wonderful wonderful Mariners. I guess you assume that, if the Sox sweep a team, that team has to be the pits. But the numbers just don't agree with you.

 

Agree the Angels and A's aren't so hot at 10-15 and 10-16, but both are ahead of the Astros, 7-19. And didn't the A's just finish a 4 game series @ the Yankees which they split, 2-2?

 

I do agree with the talksox consensus, which is that the 2024 Sox are probably awful. But to me that is all the more reason to be amazed and even delighted that they are still 2 games above .500 despite now having lost 3 of their 5 initial rotation, plus Story, plus Casas, et al.

 

Or this. DALBEC THE HORRIBLE has now played in 17 games, the same number as Wong and O'Neill and more games than Devers, Story, or Refsnyder. Valdez, whose WAR right now is -0.9, has played in 23 games, and Abreu, WAR +1.3, has played in 21.

 

In fact, the Mariners are 11-10 against the rest of the league, while the Pirates are 13-10 vs the rest of the league.

 

The Guardians and the Orioles did do a number on the Sox right nw, however...

[notin]

I know harping on the bad seems to be the way of the world, right now, so I'll join the crowd for a bit.

 

Here are some of the weakest "links" on the Sox.

 

1. Defense.

 

2. A few batters starting off very slowly:

.483 Rafaela (2nd on team in PAs)

.427 Valdez (5th in PAs)

.428 Reyes (10th in PAs)

.245 Dalbec (12th in PAs)

Maybe Valdez and Reyes see less playing time, when Grissom joins the 26, but Rafaela and Dalbec need to get closer to .600 or .700 than .400 or .500. (Yoshida .660 hasn't helped, either.)

 

3. It's hard to find many weaknesses with the pitching staff. Jacques (5.40) is gone. Campbell 12.40) is on the IL. Only Anderson is 14 in IP (7+ IP) with an ERA over 4.50.

7+ IP worst 3:

5.52 Anderson

4.50 Joely

4.20 Wink

 

 

The Sox would benefit from Yoshida's .660 over Dalbec's .245. Dalbec right now has an unfathomable 5:1 K:TB ratio. 5 times as many strikeouts as total bases. That' just ridiculous. What does he have to do to get benched?

[notin]

...and you are "wrong," if what you think should happen, doesn't happen.

 

Like thinking the Sox should have re-signed Justin Turner or should put Whitlock in the bullpen?

[dgalehouse]

Cherry-picking, I see. There's skillful cherry-picking, and then there's yours.

 

You cite the Mariners as "good" when they are 13-12, plus you've forgotten the Mariners and Sox so far are 2-2 in games.

 

Of the other two good teams, I completely agree the Orioles pretty much dominated the Sox, 3 games to 0 at Fenway Park. But the Sox, now 2-5 vs the Guardians, played Cleveland tough in 3 of those 5 losses.

 

Then there's the terrible awfuls, the Pirates, who just happen to be 13-13 right now, which is almost as good as the wonderful wonderful Mariners. I guess you assume that, if the Sox sweep a team, that team has to be the pits. But the numbers just don't agree with you.

 

Agree the Angels and A's aren't so hot at 10-15 and 10-16, but both are ahead of the Astros, 7-19. And didn't the A's just finish a 4 game series @ the Yankees which they split, 2-2?

 

I do agree with the talksox consensus, which is that the 2024 Sox are probably awful. But to me that is all the more reason to be amazed and even delighted that they are still 2 games above .500 despite now having lost 3 of their 5 initial rotation, plus Story, plus Casas, et al.

 

Or this. DALBEC THE HORRIBLE has now played in 17 games, the same number as Wong and O'Neill and more games than Devers, Story, or Refsnyder. Valdez, whose WAR right now is -0.9, has played in 23 games, and Abreu, WAR +1.3, has played in 21.

 

Lol. I post a brief recap of the season to date , and you call it " cherry picking". You then post a bunch of cherry picked details and numbers to rebut my simple summation of of the early going . By the way, it is really against my better judgement to respond to your silly, boring, repetitive and troll-like posts. I'll try to be more careful in the future. I think that I am one of the few who is wise to your nonsense.

[dgalehouse]

In fact, the Mariners are 11-10 against the rest of the league, while the Pirates are 13-10 vs the rest of the league.

 

The Guardians and the Orioles did do a number on the Sox right nw, however...

 

April records notwithstanding , I think it is fair to say that the Mariners are generally considered to be a better team than the Pirates. Anyone can have their own opinion ( even if they are just trying to provoke) , but I didn't post anything that was misleading.

[Bellhorn04]

The Sox would benefit from Yoshida's .660 over Dalbec's .245. Dalbec right now has an unfathomable 5:1 K:TB ratio. 5 times as many strikeouts as total bases. That' just ridiculous. What does he have to do to get benched?

 

Hey, his ratio is 1:1 in the last 2 games so things are improving rapidly!

[moonslav59]

Like thinking the Sox should have re-signed Justin Turner or should put Whitlock in the bullpen?

 

...or not bring Cora back, keeping Bogey and not signing Bloom to be the GM. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

[moonslav59]

Hey, his ratio is 1:1 in the last 2 games so things are improving rapidly!

 

And, Yoshida has a 1.296 OPS in his last 4 games with an HR

[Bellhorn04]

And, Yoshida has a 1.296 OPS in his last 4 games with an HR

 

Cora values defense!

[moonslav59]

Cora values defense!

 

Our defense at DH is worst in MLB.

[Bellhorn04]

Our defense at DH is worst in MLB.

 

It's actually the injury situation that's been keeping Yoshida as our $18 million Designated Sitter the last few games. There's just no place to put him if Devers is DH'ing.

[moonslav59]

It's actually the injury situation that's been keeping Yoshida as our $18 million Designated Sitter the last few games. There's just no place to put him if Devers is DH'ing.

 

We all know Devers is only DH'ing, because he's a better defensive DH than Yoshida.

[Maxbialystock]

The Sox would benefit from Yoshida's .660 over Dalbec's .245. Dalbec right now has an unfathomable 5:1 K:TB ratio. 5 times as many strikeouts as total bases. That' just ridiculous. What does he have to do to get benched?

 

Blaaaat!!!! Yoshida and Dalbec are from different dimensions and therefore never compete for innings/games. Dalbec right now is our best fielding first baseman and not half bad at 3b, but can't hit a lick. That's why he has played 17 games. The exception can of course be a righty reliever with the Sox behind, maybe men on base, 5th or later inning, and Dalbec coming to bat. Yoshida could pinch hit.

 

Yoshida can't field at all, especially in comparison to the other outfielders available. So he has to DH or PH. Unfortunately, as DH he loses to Devers every time. If it's a lefty starter, he also loses to O'Neill, Duran, Wong, and McGuire, all of who have better OPS' vs lefties than Yoshida.

[Old Red]

I'm pretty sure you are the clueless one...

 

🙈🤭🤫. I’m not the one that that just throws things against a wall, and has a hope, and a prayer that something by lucky chance something will stick like you, and your heel tag team partner. Funny, but I don’t see Jose Abreu, Gallo, or Chapman in the Red Sox lineup, nor ever had, or most likely never will, and no to answer your big question from last year the Red Sox did not sign JT to sit on the bench.🤭🙈🤮

[Old Red]

He still can't understand the difference between saying something should happen vs saying it might happen or will happen. Then, he projects his cluelessness onto others.

 

In the big scheme of things NONE of them ever happen. Coulda, shoulda, woulda are just thrown against the wall hoping something will stick, and never does. Just for the fun of it, and playing make believe. Once again Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain. You play that part more, and more everyday.

[notin]

In the big scheme of things NONE of them ever happen. Coulda, shoulda, woulda are just thrown against the wall hoping something will stick, and never does. Just for the fun of it, and playing make believe. Once again Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain. You play that part more, and more everyday.

 

What the f*** do you think sites like this are for?

[notin]

. I’m not the one that that just throws things against a wall, and has a hope, and a prayer that something by lucky chance something will stick like you, and your heel tag team partner. Funny, but I don’t see Jose Abreu, Gallo, or Chapman in the Red Sox lineup, nor ever had, or most likely never will, and no to answer your big question from last year the Red Sox did not sign JT to sit on the bench.

 

 

Calling ******** on that. Did the Sox re-sign Turner? Did they move Whitlock to the bullpen? I mean, they did sign a Gold Glove outfielder once when you shined about them not getting players who could field. Of course, you singled that guy out as a player who couldn’t.

[Maxbialystock]

Lol. I post a brief recap of the season to date , and you call it " cherry picking". You then post a bunch of cherry picked details and numbers to rebut my simple summation of of the early going . By the way, it is really against my better judgement to respond to your silly, boring, repetitive and troll-like posts. I'll try to be more careful in the future. I think that I am one of the few who is wise to your nonsense.

 

Agree I can be silly, boring, repetitive and don't forget long-winded.

 

Simply stated, I think the Sox record, 14-12, is astounding given their injury list, abysmal fielding, so-so hitting and baserunning, and up and down bullpen. They could easily be 10-16 or worse--except that the original rotation of Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Whitlock, and Houck are/were so doggone good. The Sox still have the lowest ERA in the MLB.

 

And lately the defense has looked better, to say nothing of the Sox being 2d in MLB in dingers (but 17th in OBP and 12th in runs scored).

[notin]

Blaaaat!!!! Yoshida and Dalbec are from different dimensions and therefore never compete for innings/games. Dalbec right now is our best fielding first baseman and not half bad at 3b, but can't hit a lick. That's why he has played 17 games. The exception can of course be a righty reliever with the Sox behind, maybe men on base, 5th or later inning, and Dalbec coming to bat. Yoshida could pinch hit.

 

Yoshida can't field at all, especially in comparison to the other outfielders available. So he has to DH or PH. Unfortunately, as DH he loses to Devers every time. If it's a lefty starter, he also loses to O'Neill, Duran, Wong, and McGuire, all of who have better OPS' vs lefties than Yoshida.

 

Yes Yoshida is a weak defender. But know who else is? Valdez. Dalbec. Hamilton. Duran. And, well, most of the guys Cora trots out there.

 

And I’m calling for him over Dalbec, who has five times as many strikeouts as total bases. Refsnyder is a former infielder with some 400 innings at 1b. Yesterday against RHP McKenzie, Cora could have put Yoshida in LF - and chances are good Yoshida knows where that is - and Ref at 1b.

 

Yoshida has not started since April 20. Devers didn’t start DHing until April 24. Yoshida was in the dog house before Devers returned for some reason…

[Old Red]

What the f*** do you think sites like this are for?

 

Most people get something right once in awhile, but not you two. That doesn’t sound like much fun to me, but to each its own.

[Old Red]

Calling ******** on that. Did the Sox re-sign Turner? Did they move Whitlock to the bullpen? I mean, they did sign a Gold Glove outfielder once when you shined about them not getting players who could field. Of course, you singled that guy out as a player who couldn’t.

 

Saying to resign JT had a lot better chance of happening, and wasn’t just throwing something

against the wall hoping it would stick like you saying Gallo, Chapman, and Jose Abreu. Whitlock went to the rotation, because Houck was vaxed a couple of years ago, and because Gio went down this year. I said resigning Sale the second it happened was a bad idea. Nailed it! I said hiring Bloom the second it happened was a bad idea. Nailed it! I said resigning Kike for $10M was a waste of money. Nailed it! I was told by more than 1 poster on here that the Red Sox couldn’t have done better than Kike for $10M with Moon leading the way. How did that turn out? I don’t get everything right, and never said I do, but at least I get some things right. You, and your heel tag team partner never do. Just by luck you should get something right, but not you two. That’s amazing, but really not surprising at all. WOW!

[notin]

Most people get something right once in awhile, but not you two. That doesn’t sound like much fun to me, but to each its own.

 

It’s not about being right. It’s just talking baseball, which is the entire point of this forum. You should try it instead of constantly talking about other posters.

 

And don’t go thinking you’ve ever been right about anything…

[notin]

Saying to resign JT had a lot better chance of happening, and wasn’t just throwing something

against the wall hoping it would stick like you saying Gallo, Chapman, and Jose Abreu. Whitlock went to the rotation, because Houck was vaxed a couple of years ago, and because Gio went down this year. I said resigning Sale the second it happened was a bad idea. Nailed it! I said hiring Bloom the second it happened was a bad idea. Nailed it! I said resigning Kike for $10M was a waste of money. Nailed it! I was told by more than 1 poster on here that the Red Sox couldn’t have done better than Kike for $10M with Moon leading the way. How did that turn out? I don’t get everything right, and never said I do, but at least I get some things right. You, and your heel tag team partner never do. Just by luck you should get something right, but not you two. That’s amazing, but really not surprising at all. WOW!

 

Turner was a better chance? Based on what? I don’t see him in that lineup.

 

Also, hiring Bloom turned out to be irrelevant since the budget was cut by Henry. So someone else was going to not fiend better?

 

And please “some poster said I was right about Kike.”

 

 

Dude, you cannot read. It’s that simple.

 

Notin: Banning the shift is banning a strategy. That would be like banning guarding the foul lines

Old Red: He thinks the shift means guarding the lines!

 

Notin: Sox need better D at third, but they can’t use Casas and Devers as 1b/DH unless they use Turner in a bench role.

Old Red: He thinks they signed Turner for the bench!

 

Notin: If the Sox try to trade Yoshida, the best they could do right now is Jose Abreu.

Old Red: He thinks they should get Abreu!

 

All real examples. And all made by some guy who has now posted to brag about how he’s always right…

[Old Red]

Turner was a better chance? Based on what? I don’t see him in that lineup.

 

Also, hiring Bloom turned out to be irrelevant since the budget was cut by Henry. So someone else was going to not fiend better?

 

And please “some poster said I was right about Kike.”

 

 

Dude, you cannot read. It’s that simple.

 

Notin: Banning the shift is banning a strategy. That would be like banning guarding the foul lines

Old Red: He thinks the shift means guarding the lines!

 

Notin: Sox need better D at third, but they can’t use Casas and Devers as 1b/DH unless they use Turner in a bench role.

Old Red: He thinks they signed Turner for the bench!

 

Notin: If the Sox try to trade Yoshida, the best they could do right now is Jose Abreu.

Old Red: He thinks they should get Abreu!

 

All real examples. And all made by some guy who has now posted to brag about how he’s always right…

 

Show me one post where I said I was always right. Get that pounded thumb checked out. For you there is no cure.🙈🤭🤮

[Maxbialystock]

What the f*** do you think sites like this are for?

 

Guys like you. You write good stuff.

[moonslav59]

Show me one post where I said I was always right. Get that pounded thumb checked out. For you there is no cure.🙈🤭🤮

 

The strawman builder strikes again.