Red Sox (Bello) vs Cubs (Imanaga): 7/19/25, 7:15pm

[FredLynn]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

I do agree with you there Fred. Unfortunately, that won't happen.

No, it won’t. Breslow is afraid it might hurt Cora’s….feelings. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen. 

[illinoisredsox]

8 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Maybe the Sox should send their pitching draft choices to Japan where they will learn to pitch and not just throw.

Probably wouldn’t be a bad idea.

It’s the entire travel baseball mentality; throw as hard as you can as long as you can and then we’ll put someone else in. It’s permeated every level of American baseball.  No setting hitters up or learning the art.

[FredLynn]

I sure hope the morons in the FO don’t do something stupid like try to be buyers or equivocate like last year. We are toast. Again. We need to be big time sellers and try to field a competitive team in 2-3 years 

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Btw, after 100 games the Sox have the same record as they did last year 53-47.

[Jasonbay44]

3 hours ago, illinoisredsox said:

Fred’s a little weak on being able to tell the difference between throwing and pitching.  Imanaga knows how to pitch and he was putting the ball where he wanted it most of the night.  Tip of the hat to him; he was excellent tonight.

I also recall that a certain Sox closer threw no harder than the upper 80s; all he did was help to win a World Series.

He’s a very good pitcher. He won’t wow you but he avoids hard contact, locates well and has excellent pitch sequencing. There is a reason he’s an all star and has thrown a no hitter. 
 

That game sucked but sometimes you gotta give a great pitcher credit. 

[Hitch]

Can we trade Fred?

[Bellhorn04]

3 hours ago, Hitch said:

Can we trade Fred?

Fred is only part of the Doom Crew that worked this thread. 😛

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

11 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

I heard we don’t need an upgrade for Wong?

There is a firmware upgrade on Wong that s/b in place in a couple of days.

As the CEO of the We Got It Wong, Inc I apologize for the delay.

[Bellhorn04]

10 hours ago, notin said:

So glad to go to this game and see Refsnyder and Romy and Toro and Wong ALL IN THE SAME LINEUP!!

Who were you expecting?

[Bellhorn04]

I'd say it's a totally legit question why Cora didn't pinch-hit Narvaez for Wong in the 7th.  And I think I know what the possible answers are, but it's definitely something he should have been asked about after the game.

[dannycater]

10 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Btw, after 100 games the Sox have the same record as they did last year 53-47.

that's insane...but then bad teams repeat themselves too...is this a bad team? Who knows anymore.

[dannycater]

Just now, Bellhorn04 said:

I'd say it's a totally legit question why Cora didn't pinch-hit Narvaez for Wong in the 7th.  And I think I know what the possible answers are, but it's definitely something he should have been asked about after the game.

Cora's answer was poor, when you have a guy who can't drive in a run EVER this season, you don't have a choice but to pinch hit...dumb managing. 

[moonslav59]

I was hoping Cora would start Mayer at 2B and put Romy at 1B, instead of Toro or at DH, instead of Yoshida vs the lefty.

Toto and Yoshida had 4 of our 6 hits.

Maybe Corta knows more than we do.

Just maybe.

Geesh- two games and we are back to mega- nega- ville.

[Bellhorn04]

3 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I was hoping Cora would start Mayer at 2B and put Romy at 1B, instead of Toro or at DH, instead of Yoshida vs the lefty.

Toto and Yoshida had 4 of our 6 hits.

Maybe Corta knows more than we do.

Just maybe.

Geesh- two games and we are back to mega- nega- ville.

Negativity is the default position, moon.  Especially on game threads.  Fred can stay negative when the team is winning 10 in a row, so what what would you expect in a loss. 😛

[Bellhorn04]

10 minutes ago, dannycater said:

Cora's answer was poor, when you have a guy who can't drive in a run EVER this season, you don't have a choice but to pinch hit...dumb managing. 

What did he say?

[dannycater]

Just now, moonslav59 said:

I was hoping Cora would start Mayer at 2B and put Romy at 1B, instead of Toro or at DH, instead of Yoshida vs the lefty.

Toto and Yoshida had 4 of our 6 hits.

Maybe Corta knows more than we do.

Just maybe.

Geesh- two games and we are back to mega- nega- ville.

bottom 3 hitters I think didn't strike out, and why is Rafaela hitting so low in the lineup when he was hot? I realize platoons have been a thing for years on Sox/MLB, but there has to be a point where you dish it sometimes for a consistent lineup that produces. Do guys need time off? Does a Duran simply not allowed to face a lefty? So if it's okay for Wong to get a thumbs up from his manager to come through in a clutch situation, is it not also wrong to say hey let some of the lefty batters to face lefty pitchers. 

 

[dannycater]

Just now, Bellhorn04 said:

What did he say?

Wong, still without a hit this season with a runner in scoring position, seemed a candidate for a pinch-hitter in the seventh. Cora said he didn’t consider it, saying, “You got to trust your players. He’s playing today for a reason, and I felt like it was a good matchup lefty against him. It just didn’t work.”

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, dannycater said:

bottom 3 hitters I think didn't strike out, and why is Rafaela hitting so low in the lineup when he was hot? I realize platoons have been a thing for years on Sox/MLB, but there has to be a point where you dish it sometimes for a consistent lineup that produces. Do guys need time off? Does a Duran simply not allowed to face a lefty? So if it's okay for Wong to get a thumbs up from his manager to come through in a clutch situation, is it not also wrong to say hey let some of the lefty batters to face lefty pitchers. 

 

Refsnyder and Romy kill lefties, so not starting them vs. a lefty would be malpractice.

[Bellhorn04]

1 minute ago, dannycater said:

Wong, still without a hit this season with a runner in scoring position, seemed a candidate for a pinch-hitter in the seventh. Cora said he didn’t consider it, saying, “You got to trust your players. He’s playing today for a reason, and I felt like it was a good matchup lefty against him. It just didn’t work.”

Thanks.

[dannycater]

I'm on this board of late because first the Devers trade irked me, but then I'm also a fan and when the 10-game win streak occurred, I see all these possibilities and then the moment I put faith in them, start taping games...that's when the bad hits...but it's one series so far and Crochet is probably going to throw a no-hitter today

[dannycater]

Just now, Bellhorn04 said:

Refsnyder and Romy kill lefties, so not starting them vs. a lefty would be malpractice.

Yes, they have been terrific v. lefties...but you don't need to start Wong, and Duran and Abreu are guys that can hit for power or drive the ball in gaps.

[Jasonbay44]

36 minutes ago, dannycater said:

Wong, still without a hit this season with a runner in scoring position, seemed a candidate for a pinch-hitter in the seventh. Cora said he didn’t consider it, saying, “You got to trust your players. He’s playing today for a reason, and I felt like it was a good matchup lefty against him. It just didn’t work.”

Is there a such thing as a “good match up” for Connor Wong?

 

 

[oldtimer]

9 hours ago, Jasonbay44 said:

He’s a very good pitcher. He won’t wow you but he avoids hard contact, locates well and has excellent pitch sequencing. There is a reason he’s an all star and has thrown a no hitter. 
 

That game sucked but sometimes you gotta give a great pitcher credit. 

Our hitters don't know how to hit a pitcher that locates the ball and sets them up. Swinging out of their shoes and trying to pull balls on the outside corners led to popups and or swings and misses. Yoshida was our only hitter who seemed to be trying to keep his swing down.  Maybe they teach  that in Japan as well.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

1 hour ago, dannycater said:

that's insane...but then bad teams repeat themselves too...is this a bad team? Who knows anymore.

Not a bad team. Mediocre would best describe the Sox since 2022.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Not a bad team. Mediocre would best describe the Sox since 2022.

'mediocre' even the word sounds boring.

[illinoisredsox]

6 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Not a bad team. Mediocre would best describe the Sox since 2022.

This.

A .500ish team is not a bad team nor is it a good team.

The Rockies are a bad team.  Last year’s White Sox were a bad team. The Sox have not had what could even be remotely considered a bad team for a full season since 2014, when they went 71-91 (2020 doesn’t count for good, bad or average anything).

No, those recent 78-84 teams were not bad. Mediocre yes.  A C- grade sure.  Not a D or F.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

2 hours ago, dannycater said:

Cora's answer was poor, when you have a guy who can't drive in a run EVER this season, you don't have a choice but to pinch hit...dumb managing. 

Did Cora say "we've got to play better?" That's one of his 'go to' responses.

[notin]

13 hours ago, illinoisredsox said:

Fred’s a little weak on being able to tell the difference between throwing and pitching.  Imanaga knows how to pitch and he was putting the ball where he wanted it most of the night.  Tip of the hat to him; he was excellent tonight.

I also recall that a certain Sox closer threw no harder than the upper 80s; all he did was help to win a World Series.

It did help Imanaga he was largely facing a B team lineup due to some bizarre strategy involving not letting left-handed hitters face left-handed pitchers…

[notin]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Did Cora say "we've got to play better?" That's one of his 'go to' responses.

It also takes the onus off him.  I mean, why does he never say “I’ve got to manage better?”

Letting Wong with 2 men on in a 3 run game is just negligent…

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, notin said:

It did help Imanaga he was largely facing a B team lineup due to some bizarre strategy involving not letting left-handed hitters face left-handed pitchers…

Cora feels that Mayer and Abreu will not face lefties until they prove they can hit them. Hard to sometimes understand the words of a genius.