Rays vs Red Sox Doubleheader: Jax vs Bennett (1:35pm) ; Englert vs Rivera (7:10pm)

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

They did ask Wheeler to replace a pitcher and he pretty much said shove that up your azz. Good for him.

I don't count back door selections.  Miso is the best right now, but Wheeler is clearly 2nd.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

Better to have multi-days off than have to attend that clown show

100%.  No disrespect for Gray, but I was very happy that they didn't select him.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

I am sure Breslow is peddling Mayer hard

He probably doesn't mention him at all.  Basically:

"If you even mention Mayer's name, I am hanging up on you.  But just for chuckles, what did you have in mind?"

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

Could the Sox get closer value by trading Guerrero instead of Chapman ?

Or better to keep Guerrero as a possible closer and move proven but older Chapman?

I'd bet that there is a good market for him, but I doubt he gets traded.

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

What do we think the pitching plan is with Whitlock in the 7th ?

Looking for 2 innings from him. Bello in 8th. I think not

Wells, Diaz and Miranda-was probably hoping to get out of the inning without Caminero coming up as the tying run.

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

Damn GG OF'ers Whitlock doesn't get the same D that others do. But he does get a nice DP

That was a lazy play by CF/RF

.It was Rafaela's ball

 

Not lazy but tentative.  We know that both of them are willing and able to go hard for a fly ball.  This time they both seemed to want to avoid a collision.  

[Maxbialystock]

1 hour ago, vegasbob said:

What do we think the pitching plan is with Whitlock in the 7th ?

Looking for 2 innings from him. Bello in 8th. I think not

Oh ye of little faith.  Slaten could have taken the 7th but took the 8th and it worked perfectly even though we know the manager is clueless.  

[Maxbialystock]

30 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

I have no memory of that at all.

😄

[moonslav59]

Yanks lost.

Rays lost twice.

Jays going down hard. O's losing.

Rangers got killed.

Sox keep winning.

[moonslav59]

Sox are finally back at .500.

To those who set that as the goal and cried "Playoff?" what is the goal, now?

[Tedballgame]

29 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

Sox are finally back at .500.

To those who set that as the goal and cried "Playoff?" what is the goal, now?

I didn't get to see the games today but, wow, back to .500. I hated this team all season and now they have sucked me back in by winning 11 in a row. The bullpen has been fantastic and the offense is coming around. Durbin has went from the worst hitter in baseball to one of the best since June. Contreras has been awesome. I honestly think they can make the playoffs and do some damage, especially if Crochet, Ranger, and Early come back, or at least some combination of them. The American League is weak so anything can happen.  Pitching can carry a team in the playoffs. This team has it. I would not trade anybody off the major league roster now.

[moonslav59]

1 minute ago, Tedballgame said:

I didn't get to see the games today but, wow, back to .500. I hated this team all season and now they have sucked me back in by winning 11 in a row. The bullpen has been fantastic and the offense is coming around. Durbin has went from the worst hitter in baseball to one of the best since June. Contreras has been awesome. I honestly think they can make the playoffs and do some damage, especially if Crochet, Ranger, and Early come back, or at least some combination of them. The American League is weak so anything can happen.  Pitching can carry a team in the playoffs. This team has it. I would not trade anybody off the major league roster now.

Having a solid 3-4 SP'ers and maybe the best 1-2 pen punch is a huge playoff asset.

The bats are coming around, and it's pretty amazing that 4 of the expected FT'ers are on the IL or have more or less lost their starter role:

Anthony IL

Story IL

Mayer IL

Narvaez (kinda second string to Wong.)

6 of our top 10 to 11 SP'ers are on the IL:

Crochet, Suarez, Early, Houck, Crawford, Oviedo and Sandoval just got off it and has 1 GS.

[notin]

17 minutes ago, Tedballgame said:

I didn't get to see the games today but, wow, back to .500. I hated this team all season and now they have sucked me back in by winning 11 in a row. The bullpen has been fantastic and the offense is coming around. Durbin has went from the worst hitter in baseball to one of the best since June. Contreras has been awesome. I honestly think they can make the playoffs and do some damage, especially if Crochet, Ranger, and Early come back, or at least some combination of them. The American League is weak so anything can happen.  Pitching can carry a team in the playoffs. This team has it. I would not trade anybody off the major league roster now.

I was never as down as most, but I have been preaching “sell” at the deadline as recently as 6 hours ago.  But every win makes a deadline sale look like a worse idea….

[JoeBrady]

1 hour ago, moonslav59 said:

Sox are finally back at .500.

To those who set that as the goal and cried "Playoff?" what is the goal, now?

When Torre was managing, he bite off chunks of improvement.  Like, 'we got to .500, so let's try to get to 5 games over .500'.  Seems to have worked.