a700hitter

Your post above is 3/4 about Porcello. This shows me that you really don’t read my posts or try to understand what I am saying. In multiple posts, I have identified as one of the 3 big reasons for this team’s failure along with the vacant 5th spot and the bullpen. All of these were fixable by DD and/or Cora. Porcello gets a ton of offensive support. If he pitched just mediocre 4.25-4.50 ERA, he would be 10 games over .500. The bullpen cannot be blamed for his games to any significant extent. He has consistently sucked. It’s weird that we always talk past or around each other.

The pen lost quite a few games for Sale and Price. Using the record in games that they pitched is misleading. The bullpen blew several leads that they inherited from Sale and Price. There have to be at least 6 or 7 games like that. As for your assertion that it couldn't be expected to do much better out of the 4th and 5th slots than 28-25, I think we should have done much better than that in our 4/5 slots. Porcello has enjoyed great run support. If he pitched to his career norm of a 4.25 ERA, he would probably be 10 games over .500 like he was last year. What was our record in the 4th and 5th slots in 2018? There is no arguing that we would be a better team if the 1/2 guys pitched to expectations, and I am not denying that. As I said, we are stuck with those guys for contractual reasons. That being said, DD didn't fix or upgrade those parts of the staff that was fixable through acquisition. Also, Cora took way too long to realize that he has to drop Porcello from the rotation, and it looks like he is getting another start on Friday. Ughhh. You mentioned Cashner, but I view him as a trash heap pick up. It was a lame attempt at a fix.

The distinction is that we had no choice but to ride with Sale and Price for good or bad. Everything else was fixable by changing personnel.

I don't disagree, but they have not been bad enough to send to the pen. Like it or not, we have had to ride with them. Even with them under performing, this team would still be playoff bound if the 4th and 5th spots were not complete garbage. Porcello's 5.63 ERA is atrocious. But for him making $22.5 million, I think he would have been DFA'd. The 4th and 5th spots needed new personnel, but the team owners and GM didn't address it. The no-name bullpen just did not have enough quality major league arms. That to cried out for new personnel, and DD did nothing. There were issues that DD could have addressed to right this ship. Unfortunately, Sale and Price were not at the top of that list, because their contracts made them unmovable.

EROD 13-5 4.31 Like I said, the obvious black hole is the 5th spot. And the outlier horrible starter has been Porcello. If those 2 spots and the bullpen had just been adequate, this would be a 93-95 win playoff team, despite Sale's and Price's off years.

If the 4th and 5th rotation spots as well as the bullpen had performed just adequately, I don’t think that would have turned this years team into a 108 win juggernaut like the 2018 team, but I think we would be around a 95 win team and make the playoffs.

3 bullpen innings from 2 starters -- Eovaldi and Cashner.

I knew what you were saying.

I don't hate the move. If he starts to blow up, he can give him the hook fast. If he is in the groove, he can go 2 and give the other guys a rest.

It is so easy that he has blown his elbow out twice and now pieces are falling off and floating around.

Eovaldi

It is the right move to hook Darwinzon now before he blows up the game. He has lost the release point.

Not bad. I like it.

Not confident that Darwinzon can hold it together for a second inning.

Betts last AB was awful. He gave it away. It was so predictable from my couch. There is no way Bieber wanted to load the bases for Devers so he starts off Betts with a fastball that he takes for a strike. Then he goes to the knuckle curve out of the zone and Betts bites at it. Third pitch — a fastball down Broadway and Betts stares at it.

I know that the starting pitching is your favorite theme, but the top 3 have been reliably good. I did not say great. They at least keep you in the game. To the extent Sale has taken a step back, ERod has taken a step forward. The back 2 spots have been black holes putting tremendous stress on a no-talent bullpen. Also, there is no decision for Cora to make with the top 3 (except not to baby them). They have not been bad enough to drop them from the rotation even temporarily. I would argue that Porcello should have been sent to the pen a month ago. I had proposed that before the trading deadline to send Porcello to the pen and trade for a starter. I think that was the way to go.

Travis should have gotten the E. It should have been scored a Hit and E-3

Cora has the same team last year but with a gutted bullpen. Also, the last 2 spots in the rotation have been consistent dogshit. Still, even with those problems, this should still be a playoff contender. Cora got spoiled by last year's team hitting on all cylinders most of the season. He has been slow to react this year and it has cost wins. It took much too long to move Devers to the top of the order, when it was obvious to all that he was having the best season of all our hitters. Beni and his slump killed the offense when he was in the 2 hole. As for the pitching, he is only now figuring out that Porcello needs to go to the pen. Thankfully, he realized that Cashner can't take more starts. I think that he might finally have a handle on how to use these guys. Hopefully, it isn't too late.

It's sick the season that Devers is having.

I don't see Bradley as having a very big market. If someone wants to overpay him, DD should go after one of the other top CF gloves.

Let’s see how the behave of they win it all.

Statistical integrity and history are being blown to bits. Also, I don’t know who makes the decision to juice up the ball, but advance knowledge of this super ball might have affected a GM’s approach to roster building. The Red Sox Roster is not a one dimensional roster. Our lineup has power, but it also has speed and the ability to get on base. The Yankees are 1 dimensional and they are thriving with this super ball.

i think Moon was referring to statistical integrity. He was not challenging your cynicism.

Yep, then you have them pegged.

Yeah, we agree on that. I never said anything different about him.