Red Sox (Crochet) at Reds (Abbott): 3/26/26, 4:10pm

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, notin said:

They are cooler with men on base…

And this is why I support Duran in the three spot (at least against righties)

[drewski6]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Anthony should lead the team in OBP, as he did last year (not counting Devers.)

My guess is Contreras finishes 2nd in OBP, so batting him 3rd might work better than 4th, especially vs LHPs over Duran.

To me: Anthony 1st or second is the #1 priority.

Contreras, Duran and Abreu should bat 3rd, 4th or 5th.

A RHB should take the other 1 or 2 slot, and that can be Durbin or Story.

I dont hate Anthony-Contreras-Duran. But you cant drop Duran out of the top 3 vs righties.  Unless you are just ignoring what Duran has done this spring.  I think 2024 Duran returns

[Kimmi]

5 hours ago, JoeBrady said:

And fairly meaningless, imho.

• Kimmi knows the numbers better than I do, but my recollection is batting order is fairly meaningless  I think breaking up the lefties might've have shown the biggest impact.
• Since every team is different, every BOP will be different.
• Most of our players don't add many differentiating skills.  These conjectures work better when you have a .375 OBP/45 SB guys, or a 45-HR threat.  Most of guys are a little better/worse at certain areas, but not enough to make a serious impact on BOP.

An error as egregious as batting a weak hitting pitcher in the clean-up spot all season would result in a difference of about 16 runs over the course of the season or roughly 1.5 wins.  Most moves that are discussed here, like whether Anthony should bat 1st or 3rd would result in a difference of about 2 runs over a full season, so they are relatively meaningless.

Who was the manager that talked about pulling his lineup out of a hat everyday?  He would probably have about the same success as he would have if he constructed his lineup based on conventional wisdom.

I think you're right that it's more important to break up the lefties, and also more important to factor in a player's comfort level based on his hitting approach.

All that said, an optimal line up could result in between 5 and 15 extra runs over the season, maybe 1 or 2 wins, so in that sense, maybe not so meaningless.  Sadly, managers typically don't go with the optimal lineup.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, notin said:

Really all he said was Mayer would platoon.  That he mentioned both IKF and Monasterio added nothing since no one expected Wong or Yoshida.

https://heavy.com/sports/mlb/boston-red-sox/marcelo-mayer-opening-day-plans/
 

Admittedly not my favorite source, since heavy.com cites CBSSports, who in turn cites Rotoworld…

This report said it was "walked back..."

https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2026/03/alex-cora-red-sox-will-mix-and-match-with-marcelo-mayers-platoon-partner-at-second-base.html

[vegasbob]

Interesting first inning of the season for the Red Sox: 2 hits, a walk, a Stolen base and no one advanced beyond 2B . Key guy in li9neup DPs

2nd inning , looking strong until Rafaela swings at pitches out of zone then DPs with 2 on. 

At least we turned the lineup over.

[vegasbob]

R. Anthony is a pure hitter. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Is this the game thread? Pitch clock, starters throwing strikes, almost half over already.

[vegasbob]

Nobody hitting  at the right time.  Story should not be a #2 hitter as was said here.

[vegasbob]

Welcome to the infield Mr. Durbin, oooops.

Failing to support Crochet's shutout with a bat or glove gets you a stare.

[vegasbob]

Crochet spinning up a 2 hit shutout through 6 but with some base traffic.  He is earning his pay today.  Somebody in the lineup needs to launch one to help him.

[vegasbob]

Slaten and Whitlock keep the shutout alive .   The real test in a 1 runner will be if Chapman can extend his 2025 heroics and close it out.

One thing about the first game is that if you win it, you might win them all. If you lose the opener there is a small chance you will go 0-162, just a possibility

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Hey guys. Took me awhile to sign in.

Crochet continues to be amazing.

Go SOX!

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Should be fun watching Anthony this season.

Mentally and physically he just smells of greatness.

[vegasbob]

Duran and Anthony come through in the 9th to give Chapman a little less stress.

It will be a great year if that dynamic duo play up to their full potential.    Mayer contributed too, off the bench which is a plus

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Winning on opening day is nice, especially on the road 

[vegasbob]

Wow, big time win by the Sox today.

To think the 9th inning was over on the umpires strike call but Anthony picked the perfect place/time to challenge a call well below the line.  This guy is , in fact, a winner

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

10 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

Should be fun watching Anthony this season.

Mentally and physically he just smells of greatness.

How do I really feel about Roman?

Well, I wouldn't trade him for anyone in MLB.

[vegasbob]

1 minute ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

How do I really feel about Roman?

Well, I wouldn't trade him for anyone in MLB.

I'd gladly send him to SF in return for Devers and payoff Roman's contract as well.

Just want to see who bites

[moonslav59]

Nice win.

Good way to start the season.

[Old Red]

Good pitching. Finally some timely hitting, and a good opening day win. Also good to see MM come in, and get a couple of hits today.

[moonslav59]

Mayer + Anthony went 5 for 6!

[moonslav59]

4 hours ago, drewski6 said:

I dont hate Anthony-Contreras-Duran. But you cant drop Duran out of the top 3 vs righties.  

Agreed.

vs RHP

1. L Anthony

2. R Story (maybe try Durbin, if Story struggles here)

3. L Duran

4. R Contreras

5. L Abreu

6. R Durbin

__________________

vs LHPs

1. L Anthony

2. R Story

3. R Contreras

4. L Abreu

5. R Durbin or L Duran

6. L Duran or R Durbin

[Maxbialystock]

2 hours ago, vegasbob said:

Wow, big time win by the Sox today.

To think the 9th inning was over on the umpires strike call but Anthony picked the perfect place/time to challenge a call well below the line.  This guy is , in fact, a winner

I'll take Anthony and Mayer and their extemely low salaries over those three newbie infielders Breslow brought in.  Anthony and Mayer had 5 hits and scored all 3 Sox runs. Contreras, Durbin, and Kiner-Falefa had no hits hits and the Sox only error.  So far, they stink.  

Pitching was terrific in large part because Breslow brought in both Crochet and Chapman.  

As for the challenges of balls and strikes, I like that system because it causes very little delay and squelches any and all complaints.  You think you got screwed on a call, challenge  it.  I would far rather have this than robot umps.  

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Agreed.

vs RHP

1. L Anthony

2. R Story (maybe try Durbin, if Story struggles here)

3. L Duran

4. R Contreras

5. L Abreu

6. R Durbin

__________________

vs LHPs

1. L Anthony

2. R Story

3. R Contreras

4. L Abreu

5. R Durbin or L Duran

6. L Duran or R Durbin

Me, I would bat Contreras and Durbin 8th and 9th.  

[moonslav59]

13 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

Me, I would bat Contreras and Durbin 8th and 9th.  

Why?

[Maxbialystock]

34 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Why?

 

34 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Why?

Durbin's a rookie and Contreras is past his prime and has never played 135 games in a season.  .  

[moonslav59]

10 minutes ago, Maxbialystock said:

 

Durbin's a rookie and Contreras is past his prime and has never played 135 games in a season.  .  

Durbin played a full 2025 season.

Contreras is not way past prime, and age is no reason to bat him 9th.

BTW, welcome back, Max!!!

 

[mvp 78]

14 hours ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

Is this the game thread? 

Not a very exciting one apparently.

[Bellhorn04]

The new ABS system looks like an instant winner.  Well done MLB - don't get to say that very often.

[Bellhorn04]

Just now, mvp 78 said:

Not a very exciting one apparently.

We're slow starters.