jung

The Sox hava an appointment with an all hands game even with Porcello starting. So he has to start. Sale has to start. Eo has to start game 3. So Price is all that is left for starters starting games in this series that can give Cora something out of the pen until after Eo and Porcello clear their starts. The chances that the Sox win all three games in Houston are basically 0 and at least IMO the chance of the Astros taking all 3 in their building is also 0. If AJ actually finds a way to protect Bregman in their order that could change things but IMO not so much that the Astros take all 3 games in Houston. It is however a big deal and I would be sticking my neck way out to say that finding a way to protect Bregman in that order would not substantively change the series. It could do that. Its that big a deal. In fact I don't even want to think about what Bregman would be doing if we were pitching to him instead of pitching around him. A 2 out of 3 stint in Houston brings both teams back here with one of them in position to end the series in game 6. So the series goes 6 at least and I suspect we get that all hands game for game 7 here. Both of these two teams are grinding away at each other inelegantly. Its not an elegant series. It is however pressure packed, white knuckled baseball theater at its best. The two managers and coaching staffs are grinding away at each other as well.

IMO, Eo gets Game 3 now. Porcello gets 4. Sale gets 5. Price gets 6 and its all hands for game 7. So RH starters are going to be relied on to pitch well in Minute Maid, not that they should pitch the same way they pitched in Yankee Stadium...the opposite in fact...but pitch well none the less.

Managers typically relegate some starters to the pen for the post season. Using a Starter as a relief pitcher when he HAS to start in a post season series, not so much. Porcello now has to be moved back to game 4 when game 3 was likely optimal at this point. Eo has to get Game 3. Porcello has to start Game 4. Sale gets Game 5. Assuming more does not happen that forces starters intended to start in this series into relief appearances, Price gets Game 6 and its all hands on deck for Game 7. 7 might be the place where we see Erod again if only to pick up a couple of early innings. Cora no longer has confidence in Erod IMO and well he shouldn't. He won't nor should he give Erod any innings past the 6th in any game if he uses him at all. The danger at this point is that Sale pitches poorly in game 5 if the Sox have lost Games 3 and 4. Then they will need God only knows what to pull Game 5 out which really puts any reasoned plan for Games 6 and 7 in jeopardy. Cora has to plan on his RH starters pitching well or at least well enough in Minute Maid against what is in the main a heavy Astros RH lineup. The dif between what they had to do in Yankee Stadium v Minute Maid is that while our pitchers needed to avoid thigh high to the outer edge against the Yankee RH hitters they have to pitch away to the Astros RH hitters. In fact, the Sox pitchers are already doing that with the Astros in Fenway. We have not been willing to pitch to Bregman at all and that is likely a great move until the Astros can prove they can protect Bregman in their batting order. Even with the unwillingness to pitch to Bregman we are giving away too many free bases to a very good team. AJ will process what is happening and likely respond to it in some way, shape or form. Still see this series as a wrestling match with one team finally wrestling the other team to ground. I think our memories about this series in the end will be about these two teams just wearing away on each other until one team gets pinned by the other as opposed to memories of great plays made ala' Jeter post season play for example. Very tough on us fans as we spend entire games white knuckled. No lead seems insurmountable. Everything seems possible because the star of this series is the enormous pressure these two teams are putting on each other and the will of the participants or lack of it to survive it.

Our pen has been terrific in POs against very good offenses. If you don't count the zillion free bases and the HR's last night and being bailed out by starters coming in to relief roles. PLEASE.....they need to get through a game without giving up so many free bases, HR's and having to be bailed out by the starters before they are anything like "terrific". Christ, even our closer is a panic. The reality is that pens that are great pens are measured against what they do with a lead in the post season anyway. Nobody gives a rats behind what a pen does when your team is behind especially in a short series which is why we did not see Kimbrel last night. You try to "gut out" games that you are behind in hoping your offense comes back and you try to "win" games you are leading in going into the late innings in the post season short series. People need to understand that much of what is done in a baseball game most particularly in a short series is based on how many outs you have left in order to mount a comeback of any sort in a given game, conversely how many outs you need to make to get out of the game if you have the lead and the sense of the game you are playing in and that is how you expend your bullets. At the same time, Managers and Coaches always have to have an eye out for how many games are left and how many innings are left to cover. Cora is playing to take this to 7 games for an all hands game because that is the only way he wins this thing without burning Porcello in these relief stints. As it is, Porcello has to start on Wednesday having pitched tonight. So Cora is already pressing his luck. But what choice does he have. With all those guys out there in that pen did Cora have anybody he could go to with any confidence at all for the 8th inning with the lead....ANYBODY? Could he even go to anybody out by out and piece together an 8th inning with the lead...ANYBODY??? I am however convinced that these two teams are going to beat each other senseless in this series. One of these two teams is going to end up wrestling the other team to the ground in this series. Nothing pretty to see here.

I don't think there will be a pretty or a classic inning in this series. This is a wrestling match and I don't mean WWF.

Nice pitch Craig. This guy is such a panic of a closer.

End this Kimbrel. Much better played game tonight by the Sox save X's brain fart. This is more how I thought this series would go. Both teams just grunting and pulling and tugging on each other....neither really giving an inch.

This is not the Astro's "we in the lead" pen though. That makes a huge dif. Any night you don't see Pressley is a big deal.

Atta boy Mookie!!!!!!!!!

I would rather see Holt batting against anybody at this point and Kinsler brought in as a late innings defensive replacement. He is not even getting close to hitting the baseball.

Kinsler may be earning himself a spot on the bench for the rest of this series other than defensive replacement service or v lefties.

I have not seen a pitch tonight that Kinsler was anywhere near to hitting fair. There...hoping for the reverse jinx to work for him. Not sure what else to try.

That was a good job of pitching to JD. Setting him up something fierce and have done it for two nights now.

Oh well....Mookie takes 2nd while Beni is yanking meat at the plate.

Come on Beni...oppo

Finally walks on ball 6

So thats ball 5 and that one has been a ball all night too

Strike 1 has not been a strike all night and suddenly it is?????

Do not bring Brazier out for the 8th. Don't know who they will come with. It better not be Brazier and it can't be Kimbrel.

Brazier looks like he is out of bullets already.

At the end of this series, if this does not go our way the story in the media will be the free bases we have and are giving up.

Brazier's arm slot is all over the place. Probably why he is a relief pitcher.

Funny how that all worked out on the foul ball. I guess even NY does not want to argue with Joe West...they just let him have his way.

This home plate ump is a train wreck. Again I ask, aren't these guys supposed to get to the post season based on their regular season record? This guy shaves his head but ain't old enough to shave his face. What the f*** is he doing here.

Both Devers and Nunez go arm side pretty well. Neither can go glove side to save their skins. At least Devers can blame youth. Not sure what Nunez can blame....