Red Sox (Criswell) vs Tigers (TBD): 9/1/24, 1:40pm

[Brock Beauchamp]

[moonslav59]

We face a righty, today, in a pretty close to must win game. Brieske has a 4.44 ERA.

Rafaela gets the day off, and Ref gets a start vs a RHP. Here is the line-up:

1. L Duran CF

2. L Yoshida DH

3. R Refsnyder LF

4. L Devers 3B

5. L Casas 1B

6. R Wong C

7. L Abreu RF

8. R Romy 2B (too bad DHam is out)

9. L-R Sogard SS

I like our chances, today, but then again, I did yesterday, too.

Criswell needs to do well.

[Maxbialystock]

48 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

We face a righty, today, in a pretty close to must win game. Brieske has a 4.44 ERA.

Rafaela gets the day off, and Ref gets a start vs a RHP. Here is the line-up:

1. L Duran CF

2. L Yoshida DH

3. R Refsnyder LF

4. L Devers 3B

5. L Casas 1B

6. R Wong C

7. L Abreu RF

8. R Romy 2B (too bad DHam is out)

9. L-R Sogard SS

I like our chances, today, but then again, I did yesterday, too.

Criswell needs to do well.

You were really close to being right yesterday despite the Tigers having a big edge with their starter, lefty Skubal, who was terrific for 8 innings.  

Thus did Pivetta get a quality start--6 IP and 2 ER.--and the loss.  

 

[Maxbialystock]

Sneaky.  In comes the lefty in the 2d inning with 2 on and 1 out in the Sox top of the 2d inning--leading to Abreu's GIDP.  

Devers remains hitless in his now 3d game since returning to the lineup.  

[Maxbialystock]

Lefty Hurter, now pitching for the Tigers, went 5 IP while giving up 2 runs against the Angels on August 27, 5 days ago.  

[Maxbialystock]

Sox have 6 lefty bats going against lefty Hurter.  

[Maxbialystock]

Duran K's to end the Sox 3d inning.  

[Brock Beauchamp]

Devers with the fortunate grounder.

[moonslav59]

Duran has really stepped it up, and that is not an easy thing to do, since he was doing great, beforehand.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It's Rich Hill!

My most vivid memory of Hill was pitching for the Twins in 2020 when there were no crowds and you could hear him drop an f-bomb after roughly half his pitches.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

That was rich.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Nice job by Criswell. 

[moonslav59]

Been using Hill, a lot, after such a short time in the minors.

I guess this was bound to happen. He can't be at 100%.

[moonslav59]

5 Hits & 2BB: 1 run

3 Hits & 1BB: 4 runs

The Sox season in a nutshell.

[FredLynn]

4-1

Game over

its all for the best. Gotta lose as many remaining games as possible to improve our draft position.

Full throttle!

What a joke!

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

78-84 is looking more doable every game.

[jung]

Cora must have deluded himself into thinking he has a good bullpen.

Here, I will try to put the reverse jinx on the Tigers. Here we go:

"Sox are about to let the lowly Tigers take two of three and win this series.

[FredLynn]

People really need to vote with their feet and not show up at the park. Or show up and everyone turn around away from the field in unison.

[jung]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

78-84 is looking more doable every game.

If I had to bet money, I would bet that the Sox will finish just over 500 but just under what they needed to make the post season.....affording the fanbase maximum pain.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

One has to wonder what the SOX record would be now if Duran wasn't having such an exemplary season. 

He's easily been the SOX best player so far this season.

[FredLynn]

1 minute ago, jung said:

If I had to bet money, I would bet that the Sox will finish just over 500 but just under what they needed to make the post season.....affording the fanbase maximum pain.

There’s nothing worse than mediocrity 

[jung]

3 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

One has to wonder what the SOX record would be now if Duran wasn't having such an exemplary season. 

He's easily been the SOX best player so far this season.

Duran has played good baseball throughout the season. The rest...fits and starts....mostly fits.

Timing is per usual for the vaunted NESN booth crew, criticizing the quality of the opponent as said opponent is about to take the series.  Smooth guys.....real smooth.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

I really thought that the SOX FO picking up Rich Hill would not only get the SOX to the PO's, but also to the WS.

Oh, well, hard to be right all the time.

[Maxbialystock]

12 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

5 Hits & 2BB: 1 run

3 Hits & 1BB: 4 runs

The Sox season in a nutshell.

Meh.  Fact is the Sox hitting/scoring, season to date, is better than the pitching.  Last night and today, agreed, the lineup has been miserable.  

Last night the Sox pitching was excellent,  Today, Criswell was fine and the bullpen stunk--yet again.  

[Maxbialystock]

A pretty good rule of thumb this season is that Sox must score 5 runs to win.  

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

4 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

A pretty good rule of thumb this season is that Sox must score 5 runs to win.  

I'd go with 6 runs. And even that wasn't good enough for that long stretch right after the ASB.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

"It ain't ovah till it's ovah." The SOX aren't the only mediocre team in this PO race.

[Maxbialystock]

10 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

One has to wonder what the SOX record would be now if Duran wasn't having such an exemplary season. 

He's easily been the SOX best player so far this season.

He has indeed.  His WAR is currently 8.8.  Devers is next best at 4.  Then Abreu at 3.  

8.8 is the 2d best WAR in MLB.  Judge at 9.8 is first.  Bobby Witt is 3d @ 8.7.  Ohtani, primarily because he's a DH, is only 6.9.  

Duran leads MLB in triples with 13 and is tied with Bohm for most doubles with 44.  He is 8th in runs scored with 96.  

[FredLynn]

12 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

"It ain't ovah till it's ovah." The SOX aren't the only mediocre team in this PO race.

It’s ovah. The odds of making the playoffs is 21%. 
Twins: 87%
Royals: 80%
 

its ovah

[Oscars]

I have to agree with Chad Finn’s recent column, the Sox don’t have enough pitching to make the playoffs .
Fatally, it has recently been coupled with a weak offence.