Marlins (Alcantara) vs Red Sox (Giolito): 8/15/25, 7:10pm

[Maxbialystock]

Attendance 36,854 against the lowly Marlins--who definitely put up a good fight.    The paying Sox fans like this year's team.  

[moonslav59]

It's nice winning a 1 run game, especially a low scoring one!

Love seeing Gio back in form.

Breg & Story coming through as the vets.

This team has grit.

[moonslav59]

Nothing fake about this win- just a true Story!

[tawest]

18 hours ago, notin said:

He does have the occasional game that reminds you just how good he was just a couple years ago…

He looked pretty good last night. Only 3 hits, and the only one that scored was Anthony that was on base only because he was walked twice. Timing is everything.

 

Best part was the Sox made the best out of a night their bats were, for the most part, silenced. Nice W, 

[tawest]

9 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Hopefully, the Sox can avoid the Ghost runner part of the game. They're not very good at it.

I hate the "ghost runner" rule. 

[Duran Is The Man]

i know Chapman is "old" but he's the best closer in baseball. Brez needs to sign him up for at least one more year.

[Maxbialystock]

3 hours ago, tawest said:

I hate the "ghost runner" rule. 

It makes sense to me even though I agree MLB did it to shorten game times--just like insisting pitchers take less than an hour between pitches.  Ditto batters who prefer to stay out of the batter's box so they can adjust their gloves, gold necklace, whatever.  

If the Sox are lousy in extra innings, that's their fault.  Last night they won because the Marlins reliever in the 10th walked the first two batters to load the bases with no one out.  

[Maxbialystock]

2 hours ago, Duran Is The Man said:

i know Chapman is "old" but he's the best closer in baseball. Brez needs to sign him up for at least one more year.

He's a freak of nature.    No one his age should be able to throw that hard.  Plus he still has command and he uses that splitter.  Plus he has an unforgettable presence on the mound.  

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

That was a scary game, they could not lose to the Florida Marlins and continue the slide.  

Just put Rafaela in center field and find a damned 2nd baseman already so they can put Gonzales at first and sit Toro.  I backed up that deep fly ball play where he tracked it down like a deer.  He gets such a fast jump, his first step is amazing and by the time the camera is following the ball he is already at full speed.  

I'm still not sold on Story, I'd love to see his LOB stats to go with the RBIs because he sure seems to come up a lot with men in scoring position.  But his defensive has been solid and of course he is 21 for 21.  The entire team seems to get great jumps when they steal bases, I love how this team runs the bases and puts pressure on the defense.  

[Maxbialystock]

I think I may have said Story drove in both runs--horsehockey.  Bregman had the biggest hit of the night when he hit the double with two outs and Anthony on 1b (after a BB).  That tied the game in the 6th against Alcantara whose pitching was lights out until that double.  

Bregman is the key guy on this 2025 Sox team--beyond question.  

I would love to keep him, but he's 31, has had injuries this season and in 2021.  He played 9 years at Houston and they let him go because his last five season OPS's were .801, .777, .820, .804, and .768.  So I'm not so sure he can repeat his .924 next year and the year after and the year after that.  Plus he is going to want a truck full of $$$$.  

 

[Maxbialystock]

8 minutes ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

That was a scary game, they could not lose to the Florida Marlins and continue the slide.  

Just put Rafaela in center field and find a damned 2nd baseman already so they can put Gonzales at first and sit Toro.  I backed up that deep fly ball play where he tracked it down like a deer.  He gets such a fast jump, his first step is amazing and by the time the camera is following the ball he is already at full speed.  

I'm still not sold on Story, I'd love to see his LOB stats to go with the RBIs because he sure seems to come up a lot with men in scoring position.  But his defensive has been solid and of course he is 21 for 21.  The entire team seems to get great jumps when they steal bases, I love how this team runs the bases and puts pressure on the defense.  

Terrific commentary on Rafaela, who absolutely should stay in CF.  Someone commented he hits better as the centerfielder than at 2b.    

Agree on the baserunning.

When Bregman returned, Mayer was to be the second baseman--the 5th one this season--but he's on the IL and unlikely to return.  So, unless Campbell returns to play 1b, I see Toro holding onto that slot and Gonzalez at 2b.  

Even with Toro this is a pretty good Sox lineup this year.  And they play good defense despite the errors.  

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

15 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

Bregman is the key guy on this 2025 Sox team--beyond question.  

Sox won with only three hits -- two by Story, one by Bregman. 

Note that all three were to right field. This is nothing new for Bregman, who I once saw take an entire bucket of BP pitches to right. He was a 40 homer guy, but still insisted on practicing going oppo -- that kind of preparation should be normal for a professional hitter, but he's still the only big leaguer I've ever seen do it.

And now you see Bregman's influence on a veteran like Story, who for parts of three years was a dead duck on pitches that broke down and away.

With more and more sweepers being thrown -- at least at Boston, this season -- it more and more important to go with the pitch. But this adjustment is only what haters of 15-strikeout games have been clamoring for for years -- and now the Sox finally have a leader to show them the way.

[vegasbob]

1 hour ago, Maxbialystock said:

It makes sense to me even though I agree MLB did it to shorten game times--just like insisting pitchers take less than an hour between pitches.  Ditto batters who prefer to stay out of the batter's box so they can adjust their gloves, gold necklace, whatever.  

If the Sox are lousy in extra innings, that's their fault.  Last night they won because the Marlins reliever in the 10th walked the first two batters to load the bases with no one out.  

Max. which game were you watching. Sox won in 9. not 10.  No ghosts were seen last night.

[Bellhorn04]

59 minutes ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

I'm still not sold on Story, I'd love to see his LOB stats to go with the RBIs because he sure seems to come up a lot with men in scoring position. 

With men on base he's hitting 294/322/515 = 837 OPS

With RISP 289/317/511 = 828 OPS

Bases empty 228/287/353 = 630 OPS

[vegasbob]

Where is the Saturday game thread ?

Only about 4 hours to go. The sharps have a lot of key info to disburse. 

Put it up, SS

[moonslav59]

3 hours ago, Yaz Fan Since 67 said:

That was a scary game, they could not lose to the Florida Marlins and continue the slide.  

Just put Rafaela in center field and find a damned 2nd baseman already so they can put Gonzales at first and sit Toro.  I backed up that deep fly ball play where he tracked it down like a deer.  He gets such a fast jump, his first step is amazing and by the time the camera is following the ball he is already at full speed.  

I'm still not sold on Story, I'd love to see his LOB stats to go with the RBIs because he sure seems to come up a lot with men in scoring position.  But his defensive has been solid and of course he is 21 for 21.  The entire team seems to get great jumps when they steal bases, I love how this team runs the bases and puts pressure on the defense.  

Sox with Men on Base (150+ PAs)

.976 Bregman (+.054 over season .924)

.895 Devers (-.010)

.889 Duran (+.105)

..837 Story (+.115 Most of all players)

.828 Abreu (+.021)

.766 Rafaela (+.035)

(Romy at 1.057 in 100 PAs & Anthony at .936 in 100)

RISP (100+ PAs)

.970 Devers (+.065 over season OPS w Sox)

.932 Abreu (+.125 over .827 overall)

.828 Story (+.106 over season .722)

.822 Duran (+38)

RBI High Leverage

28 Devers in 77 PAs

28 Abreu 90

27 Story 100

21 Rafaela 98

20 Bregman 64

18 Duran 95