jung

Nobody is going to do anything to Machado in this series IMO. But if Machado continues to play like an idiot purposefully attempting to injure players AND continues to play Shortstop, somebody (likely another hothead) is simply going to take him out on a perfectly legal slide because Machado has limited mobility and footwork around 2nd base at this point in his career. As Pedey often says, these new rules around 2nd base protect nobody. They just lead to a false sense of security which promotes lousy footwork which does lead to injury.

If he stays at Shortstop and continues to purposefully aim to injure opposing players somebody will get him. You are right about that play at 2nd and that is exactly the sort of lack of mobility around 2nd that typifies Machado's play there now that he is as big as he is and his pegs are as unstable as they are. Machado would have been a dead duck on that play to any sliding runner that was out to get him. Much safer for Machado to play 3rd and he is simply at this stage of his career a better 3rd baseman than a Shortstop.

The reason will be getting as much out of JD's bat as they can without exposing him defensively with a slim lead late in a game in LA. We don't know what kind of shape that ankle is in either. That is all of two double switches during pitching changes. My God, Roberts is double switching himself senseless in NL parks. It would surely not be that.

Oh so this is rich! Dodger pitching coach Rick Honeycutt, whining today that he does not like the Fenway bullpens. "Can't believe MLB allows this", referring to how close the fans are to the bullpens. Apparently Kirshaw was rattled. Really?? So what about all that pre-game MLB Network stuff about Kirshaw going out to the pen in shorts in an empty Fenway Park and "visualizing". What......he didn't "VISUALIZE" those stands full of fans telling him how much he was was going to suck last night? Did anybody throw anything at him? NO!!!! Anybody come out of those stands and body slam him? NO!!!! What about all that "Boy Kirshaw looks ready tonight" nonsense. Guess not! This is another reason why this Sox team just keeps right on wining games. Had they lost last night, it would have been "NEXT, See ya' Wednesday night." If they lose in Friday in LA, it won't be "the traffic is terrible getting into this park....the smog is awful....can't find a good delicatessen....the dog pissed on my homework". There will be none of that. What a bunch of gutless bums. Fortunately, all that will get out of the Sox players will be a good laugh. Won't effect anything. They won't be overconfident although in truth Honeycutt just put up the surrender flag. Nothing changes this Sox team.

This year we got to see what happens when a young player finally starts maturing into a budding veteran. Beni started the season overusing his way too big, way kinda' ridiculous hero swing that generally produces warning track power. He totally turned his season around concentrating on going oppo and ultimately turned in a great season while generating more opposite field hits than any other player in the league. Has carried that over into the post season. Did not love the jog down to 1st base. That said the vaunted "can play them anywhere" Dodgers were awful in the field last night and I just do not think Beni read that play right from the start.

I do expect Cora to use the double switch to his advantage which should drive the NL donkeys and their double switch nonsense nuts in the face of what is really happening in the NL. So I would not be surprised to see Mookie come into the infield from CF a middle inning or two and moved back out to RF with JBJ going to CF and JD going to the bench late in LA. But I think that is about as creative as Cora will get with his lineups especially if he is up 2-0 in games or even 1-1 in games. Beuhler going in game 3 probably means Holt plays 2nd to start game 3 with Kinsler eventually in at 2nd late for Defense. Won't that drive the LA fans nuts if it happens that way? Roberts is switching guys in from the 2nd inning on or at least he has in NL parks in those series, gets out-double switched by Cora in the WS.

I posted this someplace and can't find it now. Machado has a howitzer for an arm which is now his best infield asset. He is just too big and too top heavy now to play Short on what is a pair of shaky knees at this point. That is what hampers his footwork around Short. He has become in that sense what we once feared X would become at least at Short, a guy that is simply too big to play that position thus requiring a move to 3rd base which is where Machado should play out his career. If Machado keeps going like this AND stays at Short, somebody is going to take him out in retaliation much like he took Pedey out. The only dif will be that Machado will see it coming but won't be able to get out of the way. Pedey never got to see Machado coming.

One of the biggest differences between these big bad wall banging teams is that when they hit a a HR, more often than not, there is nobody on base. When the Sox hit a HR, its often with two men on and sometimes with bases juiced. Nobody goes to the opposite field, gets on base, runs the bases, moves runners, and manufactures runs better than the Red Sox. At the same time, we seldom hit one run bombs. Nobody but nobody wins a post season baseball game on 5 solo HR's. But if every guy comes to the plate looking to bomb away, well that is about what you get...a series of solo HR's, K's and various and sundry other useless OUTS. The Dodgers have all of two guys that are not trying to bomb every AB, the irrepressible Turner and the hated Machado. They are in large part, the Yankees without the pinstripes.

Pretty obvious that this whole "play guys anywhere thing" ain't all its cracked up to be either. I never believed it in the first place. They looked pretty shaky in the field.

This guy turner is a f***ing beast

Buck is such an idiot. "Its not a save chance but its an opportunity to get some work". There is no such thing as just getting some work for your closer pitching in the 9th inning. Simply too much at stake. If its garbage time, somebody else is pitching. If its not garbage time, your closer is pitching.

There have been a number of courageous starting pitching efforts...guys going out there with nothing and gutting it out. But I really can't remember a great effort other than Eo's and the Price effort in the whole damn post season all teams included.

When the story of this post season is written I am not sure we will find that anybody got great starting pitching.

No its not luck. Its the combination of a very focused, veteran, unintimidated team of players and a Manager with the balls to use them.

Wood was stunned. He almost hit him in the shin with that pitch. Just the most unlikely pitch to hit out imaginable.

Every button Cora pushes....every one.

Was really wishing X had offered at the 1-0 pitch. Year's past he would never swing at an 0-0. He has that one solved. But now he will not swing at a 1-0 which is actually even more of a hitter's count.

They just can't lay off this guys high heat. Starts at the thigh and finishes in your ear

lol...At least that broke the tension. I'm dying over here.

Machado with 3 rbi's tonight...really pissing me off.

f***ing Turner has a great hitting stroke.

Urias has turned into Mr Bridge for the Dodgers. He has really done a job for them.

Given the circumstances, the best single inning Kelly has pitched in 4 months. We should know. A bunch of us have seen every damn one of them. Terrific inning by Kelly.

Oh come on...I would take the three blind mice at this point. Why don't Buck/Smoltz just go down to the dugout and lave the Dodgers balls. That should keep them warm.

You know if Kinsler would stop trying to jerk the damn ball over the wall he might actually hit something. With any luck I will have applied the reverse jinx and Kinsler will hit one over his next AB. Somehow that sounds like wishful thinking.