mvp 78

This is Nate's longest outing (number of pitches) since prior to the 2018 WS.

He has only thrown 100+ pitches twice in his Red Sox career.

Nate is at 70 pitches through 5.1. He has only gone 7 innings 4 times as a Red Sox. His most was 8 against the Yanks in 2018 (also a career high).

@SoxNotes Kiké Hernández is the first Red Sox player to hit a leadoff HR on Patriots’ Day since Ellis Burks on 4/18/88 vs. TEX.

A mediocre player whose only utility is that he can marginally play almost any position? Sure.

It would have been so dumb to trade Vaz to the Rays in the offseason.

@IanCundall Red Sox OF Jarren Duran just hit his second HR of the day. 1-2 FB down that he golfed to straight away CF for a 3-run HR. His power is legit. In this two game look, Duran looks very comfortable w/FB down, but has struggled when they are elevated. Something to watch going forward. If Renfroe continues to be awful, it's only a matter of time before Duran is called up.

@redsoxpayroll Sox '22 payroll estimations before team options for Richards/Perez/Andriese: - Est. $140MM with JD opting in - Est $118MM with JD opting out CBT is still TBA beyond this season, but if it increases $5MM over the '21 number - Sox would be looking at $73MM or $95MM pending JD.

On Verdugo's HR: @redsoxstats Fun fact, that is Verdugo's 15th extra base hit at Fenway the last 2 years, he now has 1 double and 1 home run to the right side of second base, everything else oppo.

Seems like the Sox aren't letting their foot off the gas.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-yankees-have-been-bronx-bummers-so-far/ The Yankees hit bottom this past weekend, not once but multiple times. Projected to be the AL’s best team, they’re instead the worst thus far, with a 5–10 record and a five-game losing streak. On Friday, they played so badly against the Rays that Yankee Stadium fans started hurling baseballs back onto the field, and afterwards, manager Aaron Boone dressed his players down in a closed-door meeting. In terms of outcomes, the stern lecture didn’t help, as the Yankees lost again on Saturday and Sunday, making it the first time they’ve been swept this year. It was an embarrassing display that plays into stereotypes of the fan base’s sense of entitlement. The sweep marked their seventh straight series loss to the Rays dating back to September 24–25, 2019, a stretch that includes last year’s Division Series; the Yankees are 5–17 against the Rays in that span. So what’s ailing the Yankees, who at the outset of the season were projected for an AL-best 95.4 wins? First and foremost, they’re in the midst of a power outage and are scoring just 3.67 runs per game, second-to-last in the AL. Their .346 slugging percentage is in a virtual tie for the major league’s lowest, and while some of that is a function of their .210 batting average (the AL’s second-lowest, one point ahead of Cleveland), their .136 isolated power is 13th, and their 16 homers are 10th. For a team that ranked second last year in slugging (.447) and homers (94) and first in ISO (.200), that’s a nasty surprise. Then there’s the defense, which is 11th in the AL in defensive efficiency (.684, 10 points below league average) and last in Defensive Runs Saved (-7). The infield in particular is a mess right now. Torres is already shaky at shortstop, with -14 DRS in 1,096.1 innings since the start of 2019. With Bruce’s inadequate production at first base, LeMahieu has been playing there lately while Odor plays second — a significant step backwards based upon their respective bodies of work even before considering the latter’s .125/.192/.250 line in 26 PA.

Re: Vaz @byJulianMack It's now a bunt single

ChiSox should just concede at this point. https://www.fangraphs.com/players/zack-burdi/19159/stats?position=P

Did they update Vaz' scoring on the first AB? It's showing a hit now on gameday.

3 outs and 54 pitches. Doesn't sound good!

How about another 40 pitches this inning?

JD is def back, right? It's almost confirmed at this point.

JD trying to send Giolito back to bed.

Did Nate just strike out the side?

Jay Bruce announces retirement.

DFA Kiké

I've tried to convince myself that RBI is playable, but the fielding is truly awful. Also, the running mechanics are very bad. I just want the MVP 04 game mechanics back.

Modern day record of pitches in one AB is 21, by Brandon Belt. Dalbec saw 36% of Giolito's pitches this inning.

This AB....

When will Dalbec break out?