jung

Obviously Cora does not think he needs LH relief arms at all in this series. I suspect he is right though there always comes a moment in a short series when your opponent knowing you don't have a LH arm to bring in haunts you.

Actually if the way the series plays out we have to play two games in MF Yankee Stadium and Sale is still not Sale, I have more confidence in Porcello than any of the other LH pitchers we have. They simply cannot pitch in that stadium. Porcello has to pitch and pitch well in Yankee Stadium. If we could win two games here, before having to go there, that would be GREAT! I have no confidence in any of our LH arms there other than the arm of a healthy Sale. In fact, depending on how it goes I might be willing to start Wright in one of the Stadium games just to avoid Erod or Price there. Erod has had good games there. But I do not like what I am seeing from Erod right now. In fact I like that idea the more i think about it. If we get outta' here without having used Wright much or at all, I would likely go Porcello and then Wright in Yankee Stadium.

It does look to me like Cora is going to be dependent on erstwhile starters to give him the horses to make it through to the 8th and 9th innings. I thought that was what he would do. Evo, E-rod and Wright to the pen, probably Vlaz or BJ as well. He might even go match up to get through 8th innings if he can get guys like E-rod and Evo and Wright to take 2-3 inning chunks of a game when they are needed. His regular season late innings guys will end up getting an out or two of the 8th instead of an inning until Kimbrel comes in and takes the 9th. The problem with that idea (might as well criticize my own comment) is that outs are like innings for pitchers in the post season. The pressure is just enormous. So I just don't know how starters getting post season middle innings relief work will respond to it. Heck I don't know how our regular relief pitchers other than Kimbrel will respond. If Kelly makes it he will be the last guy pulled into the post season pen. Pom, Hembree, Scott, Thorny are all NO's. If it comes down to Workman v Kelly I am taking Work.

Kelly eventually gives you a pitch like pitch 6 or a grooved FB and Kablaam!

is 7-0 a Kelly proof lead?

Sandy has looked like he was swinging a Sequoia tree for at least a month if not longer. I am not sure he could catch up to it if he knew were it was going. But the tired bat could be the cause of all of it. Once a hitter realizes he is swinging a tired bat he tries to start his swing early and then he really starts to look foolish...about the way Sandy has looked for the last month.

Sandy working on 0 for 8,000,000

Nunez walking better but that is going to swell eventually. Now maybe the 5 days off will end up being worth something, like Nunez healing completely. Looks like Cora has said, OK enough fellas. Last game before we sit for a week. Lets try to focus PLEASE!

Last of 162...great great season

Yea but I am not going to waste my time and interest watching what Tito and AJ do with their teams. I only have interest in one team. That reminds me...MAN It was good to see and hear Don back in the Fenway broadcast booth again!! SOB had the audacity to look tanned, healthy and happy. How dare he!!!

Well now that the thread has completely devolved over what is a meaningless series in all respects other than resting players while not costing them their edge and Cora trying to finally figure out what he really has for a post season pitching staff, I would say the most interesting aspect of the end of the season from a Sox perspective is what does Cora do to keep them sharp yet physically and emotionally rested for what will be a 5 day lay off if I have it right...something they have not had since April. It should be rejuvenating physically and mentally as long as the hitters can keep their groves without a real competitive environment for 5 days. We are so reliant on those first 5 guys in the batting order.

Focusing on going oppo probably saved his career. He was well on the way to defensive specialist-ville at the rate he was going.

JD appears to have a little bit of the Green Monster in his head. He was taking many more of those sliders moving away to RF earlier in the season and he is getting handled by them more often now, trying to pull the ball over the Monster. The Monster giveth and the Monster taketh away.

Beni visibly trying to go to left and visibly trying to beat the shift. I like that from him. He is not some monster HR hitter and he is not going to be.

Sale is not extending toward home plate. That is of course Hembree disease. When I start putting Sale and Hembree in the same sentence, you know I am worried. Last pitch of that inning a bit better. Would like to see it on a FB though.

The variety and the skills of the Sox everyday players up and down the bench has been a joy to watch these last couple weeks. The pitching...not so much.

You guys have all caught the flavor of these last weeks. Cora is experimenting all over the place and we knew the MFY were not going to catch us. That said, its getting down to the wire and Sale still does not look like Sale. If I could recognize his motion as something I am used to seeing, I would be OK with it. But I can't recognize this and the results would seem to support being unable to recognize it.

Wise guy!

Game 2 game thread

Why don't they just put Sandy in one of those hyperbaric chambers for about a week and see what happens. Looks like he is swinging a Sequoia tree.

f*** Ellsbury. Never liked him even when he was here! Can't carry Mookies jock.

So just getting this up now just in case I end up late to the 1pm start. Sox playing two today. Second game, 7pm

You have to believe the O's thought they would mash this year. You can't believe they thought they would pitch this year and they are getting too old as a team to field all that good. But I can't pick a single thing they did this year. Didn't hit, didn't pitch and didn't field. thats a heck of a combination.

I know how the Orioles broadcast team does things. They are selling playoff tickets in Spring Training. Have not heard them much this year. But it does make me wonder how they handled this disaster.

I think he means that the Sox are going to win out the regular season. Happy to have you take game 1 no matter what happens.