jacksonianmarch

Welcome back to ESPN 30 for 30, breaking of the game thread mojo... On May 12th, after inadvertently starting the sox on a 2 game winning streak, jacksonianmarch did the unthinkable. He broke the mojo. Although he claims it was inadvertent due to work and family issues, most people on the site remained suspicious. On that day, the Red Sox were 19-18 and tied with the Yankees while sitting 1.5 games back of Baltimore for the AL East lead. They were also tied with the Yankees and Angels for the 2nd wild card spot. It was right before the May 13th game that the posters on talksox noticed an oddity. No game thread. Most posters were enraged, enraged enough to make the perpetrator's avatar and sig be "My Little Ponies". After the unthinkable happened, the Red Sox spiraled out of control. With their mojo broken and their team effectively gutted, the sox fell into a tailspin and won only 10 of their next 28 games. When questioned about the event, David Ortiz said, "That's some punk ass s***!" Dustin Pedroia gave an off camera comment about how his lasers have dried up. And Shane Victorino pulled a vocal cord while trying to comment.

Soriano "retired" in Japan and signed over here immediately. It can work both ways.

I don't think you can count on De la Rosa being a true replacement at this point. I still think he is the long term replacement for Koji. I can guarantee you Lackey isn't playing for $500K next yr. He is going to get money out of someone, and if he has to go to Japan to do it, he might.

You're at a decision point, really. You have a bunch of guys who are in AA or higher who have big league potential. You have an ace who will be a FA, who, let's face it, is probably gone at season's end. Peavy is in the last yr of his contract. Buchholz is a f***ing mess. Doubront has been mediocre when on and terrible when off. And Lackey is old, but effective. Sometimes you just have to s*** or get off the pot with these kids. Maybe the sox let Lester go, sign a guy like Masterson for cheaper money, deal Lackey and roll with the kids. It would be a true bridge yr, but it would allow you to see who is good and who isn't.

Of course he could. So could Lester, Buchholz or anyone on your staff. Thus far, he's been insanely good

We need to drop the banhamma

EEI made a point that Lackey would be an attractive trade piece with that option, although it might need to be renegotiated.

So this Tanaka character has been the best pitcher in baseball. This far, he's ROY, CY, and a good MVP candidate. I really and truly love the way he pitches, and his style actually allows for longevity. If he was a max effort guy, he'd sit mid 90s, but he doesn't have to be. He plods along at 88-91 and when he needs it, reaches back for 94-95. He locates to all 4 quadrants of the zone without a worry about pitching inside. He can cut it, sink it and run it. He can also leave it straight. His arm action is so similar that you cannot lay off the splitter, which is probably the best in the world right now. He throws a true plus slider and a show me curve that he can locate. He's been truly spectacular, and really the only reason why we're in a playoff chase at all

Contracts aren't coming down and guaranteeds are here to stay. It all about the market. And as long as you have 1 owner willing to pay, you'll always have dumb contracts

I like the game as it is. I think the next thing we're going to see if the elimination of penalties for team's signing QO players. We might see the teams losing a QO player get 2 picks instead of 1, but having a penalty for the signing team effectively forces middle tier players to stay in locations they don't want to stay in.

The biggest barometer for a minor league player is how they handle the upper levels. Bradley ripped s*** up in the SAL, but on promotion to AA, he took a step back. He hit .273 in AA and AAA through 141 games. His major production was based on OBP and a little power. Well, OBP is nice and all, except for when guys target you in the lineup and come right after you. He's 24 also, so it isn't like he is a kid, granted, he's only been a pro now for 4 yrs. My guess is that he wont be the hitter you saw in the minors, at least not here. Could he blossom if moved to KC or PIT, absolutely. But in Boston, where every game is under a microscope and where he is gonna be under the pressure, I don't think so. He seems like a kid who needs some time and wont get that here

Might it just be that Pedroia is wearing down a little? He's had injuries, that much is for sure. But little guys don't last in baseball. Maybe he's breaking down?

I was more talking about the 11 baserunners in 5.2IP

How'd Rubby look? The numbers look terrible

We are starting to see the losses of Pineda, Nova and CC. 3 games in a row, the pen has been handed a lead and all three they've coughed up. Granted, yesterday was our D pen, but still. Also, our offense sucks ass. Seriously, sucks ass. No cohesion, disjointed, and too many guy in the middle who don't hit. We miss Cano, but we just need some guys to play up to the backs of their baseball cards. McCann has been a disaster offensively. Ells has been below his career norms. So latte came back to earth. Beltran is hurt, but he sucke before injury. Soriano needs replacing, he looks horrible.

This team sucks. We are 9-2 when Tanaka takes the hill, and after tonight, we'll be 20-27 when he doesn't.

RIP Don. Godspeed

Nope, just didn't have anything. Mo used to go through a stretch where he'd blow 3 saves in 5 tries and then go on 20 in a row perfect. But I honestly think Robertson is in his swan song here. It's too bad, since the guy has proven durable, which is pretty rare in relieving. But for some reason, the Yankees have been able to hit on relief pitching in the draft. They suck at drafting starters or position players, but man do they get back end guys with power. We have 4 or 5 guys who could be setup guys at minimum in AAA right now. Might as well move Betances to closer in 2015 and allocate those funds to fixing our suddenly weak offense or starting staff

Another game we should have won, although we had no business winning it. Too bad Robertson spit the bit. Betances looked out of this world again. 6 batters faced, 5 K's. His breaking ball and his FB come out of the same slot, so when he throws the curve inside to hitters, the batter jumps out of the way. He is downright unhittable. I honestly think the Yankees have no intention of re-signing Robertson. I hope, for 2014's sake, that KRob is dominant this yr and gets over his hiccups. Because I hope he is a QO guy come this offseason and we can get a pick. Betances is the closer in waiting with Warren being the setup guy and Kelley being the 7th inning guy come 2015. By then, Pinder, Burawa, Ramirez, Montgomery, et al should be rounding out the pen too. There is no reason to spend big in the pen with the talent we have

Pineda set back another couple weeks with lingering tightness in the lat. Our rotation is limping ahead with a bunch of #5's and a career minor league reliever. It is time to make a deal Cash. Call the Cubbies and see what it would take to free Hammel and Samardzija

So this Tanaka kid might be a huge bargain.

Peter O'Brien hit his 10th AA homer today. He has also hit 10 A+ HR's. He leads the entire MiLB in HR with 20. He has power unlike anything we have had in this system in awhile

So Joe, it might have been nice to see Tanaka on full rest again tonight while skipping Nuno in the rotation. Just f***ing saying. And how many runs are you gonna let him allow? He's a sitting duck up there right now

Ells didn't get yelled at by the Rays dugout

You have a very poor memory for history. The sox did the same thing last yr in the playoffs, up 6 in the 8th inning. The Rays didn't bitch or whine. Escobar stole third, then the dugout erupted and he responded back.