jung

SOP for ML Managers has been to work backwards from the closer. If you have a dependable one, not even a great one, work backwards from your dependable closer. If you don't have one or resist one or two LIKELY SITTING THERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, the rest of your pen will be a mess with no assigned roles, no belief from the pitchers in the pen that they have any earthly idea how or when they will be used. If you have two dependable closers or likely dependable closers, now you are fat city. Gee, I wonder what the hell Cora is looking at.....Robles and Barnes?????????

No question, when JBJ has performed in those spots you wonder if he swung with his eyes closed.

Well historically JBJ has been able to surprise us unexpectedly. Good time for it here.

Win it here Sox. Lets not do extras

To answer my own question I do enjoy watching JBJ play in the field. However I suspect these line drives he has been hitting right at players are JBJ's hot streak for the year.

OK ump....lets go. My wife could get dressed faster than this.

Actually in the Bloom in Boston v Tampa comparison, at least Tampa is actually fun to watch play. Once you get past Rafi, who do you really look forward to watching on this team?

Wow...this team looks TERRIBLE. Way to respond to having a 3 spot put on ya'

Getting a good nod going is definitely worth considering on Red Sox game day. Only problem is that there is like 140 more of them left this year. That could be an issue.

You can stretch out Whitlock any year you want to. Completely counterproductive to this team this year. I don't buy the idea that the front office is insisting Whitlock be stretched out this year. You know how long stretching a pitcher out lasts? About as long as the year he is pitching in. Unless MLyeaB intends completely ridding itself of spring training, the Sox can stretch out Whitlock any year they want to. In addition, locking Houck to Hill makes no sense. So Hill is sort of a glorified opening. OK...fine...that is not a rational for locking Houck to Hill.

Well I don't see the logic in piggybacking Hauck to Hill. If you are going to use Hill as sort of an opener then do that. Don't commit Hauck to piggybacking Hill. Whitlock should not be starting at all. The bullpen is too weak to use Whitlock for 5 innings and then put him on the shelf for a few days. Both of those are Cora decisions. Cora seems insistent in developing his own pitching staff formula, not quite the bullpen centric version of today's game and not quite the rotation-centric version of the past. So far, if you ask me, its not working. A healthy Sale would be a big lift. Now strapping the team with Bobby D-oesn't hit and really still makes too many mistakes around the bag at first, Franchy a sort of ham handed platoon OF/1st baseman and a 2nd baseman "Story" that is likely destined to replace X at SS and now a lost in limbo Arroyo makes for a bunch of middling ballplayers sort of milling around not adding much value to the team. Combine that with JD and Vaz maybe about 1 year past it and this team does not look competitive this year and likely next year as well. If there are gems down on the farm that are ready to contribute in a big way next year that might resolve a good deal of this. If not.....this team might not be much fun to watch for awhile. Sale would help but lets face it, he is looking a bit like he is at least on the back 9 at this point in his career.

I have worried for the longest time that Bloom and Cora are like oil and water. Bloom wants to build the team one way...Cora wants to manage it another way.

The more Relievers we bring into games, the worse things get. We are sort of going against the grain of the way baseball is played these days.

Cora might have to leave starters in longer. We can't even back in to the 9th inning from the 6th inning, let alone the 5th. Not sure we can even do it from the 7th inning! Then when we get to the 9th, it just gets worse.

Sox 0-6 in extras. Sort of tells the bullpen story.

Well we can't hit and we can't pitch. I would have said fielding would be a weakness at the start of the season. We appear to be fielding better than we do anything else. Who'd a thunk it?

Robles had already given up a run by then.

Barnes is aiming the ball now.

What a back to back combination...Robles to Barnes....YIKES

The fans shivering in the cold not leaving....."punish us, punish us...we deserve it God"

Eck's comment from the booth...."Ill be darned"

Bobby D looks good in the batters box.....until the pitch is thrown.

Robles against a LH hitter in the 9th with runners on....just book the run. Lucky that was not worse.

ouch

THIS above. Whitlock should not be starting PERIOD. He can be slotted in just about anyplace but starting for this team is the worst way to use him. Cora needs to give it up.