Yankees (Gil) vs Red Sox (Giolito): 9/12/25, 7:10pm

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

2 minutes ago, iortiz said:

This offense is a couple of pieces away to really compete. Having guys like Hamilton, Eaton, Lowe, etc speaks volumes. 

It speaks of injuries.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, iortiz said:

This offense is a couple of pieces away to really compete. Having guys like Hamilton, Eaton, Lowe, etc speaks volumes. 

They may have run their course, no doubt, but our depth and balance have carried us most of the year. 

We are the only team in MLB with 7 players at 2.7 fWAR or more. Our bottom of the order ranks higher than just about everyone else, this year. Tonight, everyone sucked.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

The Yankems dominance of the Sox in September continues.

[d-money]

Try showing a pulse tomorrow. Disgraceful game tonight. 

[harmony]

4 minutes ago, Nineintime said:

As far as actual games missed the Sox are not on the top 10.  LA  Mets White Sox Yankees Tigers Astros Orioles twins Phillies Guardians 

According to Spotrac, this season the Red Sox rank fifth among the 30 MLB teams in total days missed to injuries:

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/injured/_/year/2025/view/team

[moonslav59]

Just now, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

It speaks of injuries.

Brez should have known we needed 7 good OF'ers at the deadline.

He did trade Devers, but losing 3 more big lefty bats has just been too hard for this offense to overcome. (Anthony, Abreu & Casas.) Couple that with just about every SP'er we have, except Crochet missing time, and I'm thinking we did well getting as far as we have.

I still like our chances this weekend. Crochet & Bello.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Sox stars tonight were Gio and Eaton.

[Nineintime]

4 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Crochet made us worse: check.

Chapman made us worse: check.

Narvaez sucks: check.

Bregman sucks: check.

Slaten & Gio are bums: check.

Of course to start the year like all teams have to some degree.  It’s like stating the fiscal year with solid revenue streams but overall your business is failing so you ride your too revenue streams to make up for the others.  Eventually you even out or go backwards.  He don’t adjust which is the primary job of the GM to adjust.  He didn’t 

[FredLynn]

59 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

They haven't choked yet, Freddy Downer.

Yeah they have. You just don’t recognize it

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Tomorrow's game will be televised on SHUDDER.

[Nineintime]

3 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Tomorrow's game will be televised on SHUDDER.

Hahaha. 

[moonslav59]

Just now, harmony said:

According to Spotrac, this season the Red Sox rank fifth among the 30 MLB teams in total days missed to injuries:

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/injured/_/year/2025/view/team

Thanks, harmony. I knew it seemed like a lot. and of course other teams have missed top players a lot, too.

I don't blame Bloom for not having more depth. Our depth has helped keep us in this thing.

Our weakness seems to be the lack of star power and relying too much on balance and depth with no real stand out masher.

We have 9 SP'ers with 5 or more starts and Tolle+ Early+ Criswell with another 5. Only Crochet has stayed off the IL, among our top 12 SP;ers.

We've been going without our 3rd best RP'er (Slaten) who was viewed as our top 2 pen arm, last winter.

The Casas injury hurt and then blew up the Devers situation.

Losing Anthony and Mayer took a lot of youthful energy away.

Abreu was our HR leader and may not return this year.

[moonslav59]

6 minutes ago, Nineintime said:

Of course to start the year like all teams have to some degree.  It’s like stating the fiscal year with solid revenue streams but overall your business is failing so you ride your too revenue streams to make up for the others.  Eventually you even out or go backwards.  He don’t adjust which is the primary job of the GM to adjust.  He didn’t 

You said he did nothing to improve the team. I guess you meant at the deadline. Oh, and by the way: post deadline, the Sox are 22-15.

28-32 APR-MAY

31-19 JUN-JUL

22-15 AUG-SEP

You see a team getting worse: I see a team overcoming crippling injuries to stay in the race for not only the playoffs, but just a handful of wins away from being near the best team in the AL.

Ease up, dude!

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, FredLynn said:

Yeah they have. You just don’t recognize it

22-15 since the fireable offense at the deadline, despite losing Anthony and Abreu, is a "choke," but we don't see it.

Okay. Got it.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

8 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Thanks, harmony. I knew it seemed like a lot. and of course other teams have missed top players a lot, too.

I don't blame Bloom for not having more depth. Our depth has helped keep us in this thing.

Our weakness seems to be the lack of star power and relying too much on balance and depth with no real stand out masher.

We have 9 SP'ers with 5 or more starts and Tolle+ Early+ Criswell with another 5. Only Crochet has stayed off the IL, among our top 12 SP;ers.

We've been going without our 3rd best RP'er (Slaten) who was viewed as our top 2 pen arm, last winter.

The Casas injury hurt and then blew up the Devers situation.

Losing Anthony and Mayer took a lot of youthful energy away.

Abreu was our HR leader and may not return this year.

It was said tonight that Abreu is supposed to be back fairly soon., which was also said last week. I guess fairly soon is similar to fairly healthy. 

[moonslav59]

Losing 2 in a row is now a "choke."

Okay, 5 of 8 is a "choke," LMAO.

Oh, maybe going 6-7 in the last 13 is a choke.

I'm cherry-picking the worst of the recent sample sizes I can find, and none look like chokes to me. This team should be commended for hanging tough, despite all that has happened.

Now, I'll cherry-pick some good recent sample sizes:

Won...

3 of last 5 (60%)

6 of 11

10 of 17 (59%)

13 of 21 (62%)

24 of 40 (60%)

39 of 62 (63%)

Best winning % in AL?

58% TOR

57% DET

I think the unnoticing is on your behalf.

 

[moonslav59]

9 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

It was said tonight that Abreu is supposed to be back fairly soon., which was also said last week. I guess fairly soon is similar to fairly healthy. 

He hasn't played yet at WOO, so I'm not all that hopeful. Maybe he gives us 7-10 games.

[moonslav59]

It looks like hopes of winning the ALE are fading away, unless we go 5-0 vs NYY & TOR and keep winning vs others (unlikely.)

SEA is still playing. TEX is hot.

We are 1.5 behind NYY and 1.5 ahead of SEA pending their result.

One of HOU (80-68) /SEA (79-68) /TEX (78-70) will win the ALW. One will almost certainly be a WC winner, while the other could catch the Sox.

14 games to go.

[moonslav59]

It seems like the loss of Anthony was ten times worse than losing Devers.

On paper, it's likely not true, but it feels that way, now.

I will say, this team has gotten us feeling this way several times, this year, then BAM! They reel off 3 in a row or 4 of 6. Now, would be a good time for that.

[FredLynn]

34 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

22-15 since the fireable offense at the deadline, despite losing Anthony and Abreu, is a "choke," but we don't see it.

Okay. Got it.

Our offense stinks. WAY too many black holes, starting with Rafaela. Add in a dose of Hamilton, Yoshida, Duran (yes, Duran  who has been stinking for a while now), Wong, Lowe, Eaton etc and you get the performance we demonstrated tonight. We have been winning on pitching but at the end of the day you have to score runs to win games. Losing Anthony and Abreu and others are reasons WHY our offense stinks, but it DOES stink. This is going to follow the same pattern as previous choke jobs. Just three games ahead of the Rangers now for the last playoff spot and a very tough schedule ahead.

Watch and weep

[Maxbialystock]

2 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Bregman has really been great down the stretch . Hope the Sox FO gives him a 10 year contract.

Exactly my thought.  We can safely ignore his slump plus missing 6 weeks because, guess what?  He's great talking to the young players. So 10 years and $500M sure makes sense to me.  

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

It seems like the loss of Anthony was ten times worse than losing Devers.

On paper, it's likely not true, but it feels that way, now.

I will say, this team has gotten us feeling this way several times, this year, then BAM! They reel off 3 in a row or 4 of 6. Now, would be a good time for that.

On paper it is true.  See my other post.  

[mvp 78]

9 hours ago, moonslav59 said:

Brez should have known we needed 7 good OF'ers at the deadline.

He did trade Devers, but losing 3 more big lefty bats has just been too hard for this offense to overcome. (Anthony, Abreu & Casas.) Couple that with just about every SP'er we have, except Crochet missing time, and I'm thinking we did well getting as far as we have.

I still like our chances this weekend. Crochet & Bello.

Bello has a history of being a Yankees killer. Crochet is the ace. Bats just need to show up.

[Yaz Fan Since 67]

Game wasn't on TV, Kind of glad I missed it. 

[FredLynn]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

Bello has a history of being a Yankees killer. Crochet is the ace. Bats just need to show up.

If we don’t win the next two games then the Rangers are going to be right on our heels for the last WC. And we still have series against the Jays and Tigers. This could easily be another choke year. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

This team seems so unpredictable -- except to expect a 14-run blowout win sometime this week, in between a handful of losses where they score 2 runs or less.

A weekend home series vs New York is more important because of what no one really wants to admit: if the Sox have to play a 3-game Wild Card set in the Bronx, it is very unlikely they'll win 2 before the Yankees do...

... unless a few hitters somehow get hot really soon and carry those bat adjustments into the postseason. 

Right now, Boston's offense just cannot be counted on to beat the quality pitching it will see in the playoffs. The top three active run-producers also lead the team in strikeouts, and then we have a clean-up man recently cut by a last place club, protected in the batting order by a designated hitter with the 17th best Slugging percentage on the roster.

The Yankees have to be favored in any pitchers' duels because they have several men who can hit one out of the park. The Sox have warning track power.

[moonslav59]

12 hours ago, FredLynn said:

Our offense stinks. WAY too many black holes, starting with Rafaela. Add in a dose of Hamilton, Yoshida, Duran (yes, Duran  who has been stinking for a while now), Wong, Lowe, Eaton etc and you get the performance we demonstrated tonight. We have been winning on pitching but at the end of the day you have to score runs to win games. Losing Anthony and Abreu and others are reasons WHY our offense stinks, but it DOES stink. This is going to follow the same pattern as previous choke jobs. Just three games ahead of the Rangers now for the last playoff spot and a very tough schedule ahead.

Watch and weep

You've stuck with this all year, and maybe you do end up being right, but all year we have bounced back from these 2-3 game losing streaks.

It does hurt to see Eaton, DHam and Yoshida sandwiched between slumping players.

I take issue with the Duran comment. While he's been worse than 2024, he's at .773, now.

He was at .774 8/30.

He was at .784 8/15.

He was at .767 7/28

 

He was at .756 7/9

He was between .708 and .753 all June.

He was between .715 and .762 from 5/18 to .5/31.

Before that the sample sizes were smaller and more volatile as he ranged from the .500's to mid .700's.

He's been one of our most steady hitters all year. He's at .550 in the last 7 games. He, as well as most hitters have streaks like that, several times a year. He's at .752 the last 16 games and .875 since June 29th.

The O has gone into a fink, since Anthony's injury. The loss of Abreu did not help. The line-up has lost 4 of their best batters, this year (Casas, Devers, Anthony and Abreu.) We also basically replaced out FT catcher from 2024, who was a decent bat, last year.

Call it a choke all you want, and keep predicting doom & gloom, as you have all year- game by game, week by week. It's been working real well, right?

The Sox have the 4th best record in the AL- just 4,5 GB the best AL record. While it's true that we are also 4.5 GA of being the 8th ranked team (bottom tier,) we have one of the best records in MLB since the end of June. Some choke!

June 30>

43-21 MIL

40-23 BOS (63 games is a significant sample size.)

40-24 TOR

39-25 PHI

37-27 TEX

37-28 SEA

36-29 CLE

Okay, looking at the worst stretches I can find, we are...

6-7 since AUG 29th... epic choke!!!

Or is it the 0-2 run we are on?

 

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Bello has a history of being a Yankees killer. Crochet is the ace. Bats just need to show up.

It's "stopper" time, for sure!

[Maxbialystock]

14 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Sox stars tonight were Gio and Eaton.

Yep.  

[moonslav59]

2 hours ago, FredLynn said:

If we don’t win the next two games then the Rangers are going to be right on our heels for the last WC. And we still have series against the Jays and Tigers. This could easily be another choke year. 

Why assume TEX is going to keep winning? They play the next 5 on the road at NYM and then HOU. If they sweep HOU, we'll stay ahead of HOU for the WC slot.

Don't look now, but the real "choke" is HOU, and we're already ahead of them. They are...

5-8 in their last 13 games (We are 6-7)

20-25 in their last 45 (We are 27-18)

28-34 since July 3rd (We are 38-22.)

SEA is 13-15 in their last 28 but have played better more recently.