jung

Drew has had a really tough night tonight....right from the start.

Good night Irene

f*** Bailey don't waste a pitch completely

You are right Pal but I hate it when umps start to squeeze late. He has had a pretty good look at that part of the plate all night long and now ...what...he wants Bailey to come up in the zone now?

Wish I could trust Amica PZ but #4 looked like a pretty damn good pitch.

Joyce worries me here.

Jeez Bailey is going from grooving it to "can't find the plate".

Looks like the "genius" Manager tried to get more out of Rodney than he could give. Crystal ball on the fritz Joe?

Everything that can be wrong with a ballpark is on display in the trop. Place looks and feels like a dungeon. While the roof keeps the rain out is seems like a permanently grey day in there...dark, dank, grungy. The sound is hard to describe. Seems like you are in an echo chamber...terrible. Then you have the catwalks and the background of the roof and all that crap. Just watching Carp go after that foul ball....bullpen right out in the open where the player can trip over something on his way to the ball....place is a disgrace.

f***ing Rodney....If he ever decided to become truly tenacious on the mound he would be too scary. Could end up being un-hittable as a closer if that ever happened.

Two outs Vic...this is one time where swinging for the fences would not be a bad idea

And those two half years happened way back at the beginning for Loney when pitchers did not have reliable scouting reports on him. This represents a real turn around for him. Frankly this is a case of less meaning more as it relates to Loney's approach to his plate appearances. Could be sustainable as well.

He has changed a hell of a lot more than that. A good lesson in Loney.

Loney has completely changed his approach at the plate. May end up turning his whole career around.

I actually am beginning to worry that this is something more than his allergies acting up. I think this has been maybe two weeks????

You mean pulling the ball is not a sin to be avoided at all costs? I'm shocked. Some guys just learn late how to turn on the ball. I guess Loney is one of those.

Oh no...please no...its Tibow time on the Sox broadcast. I know this all has to be some plot cooked up by Remy to coax a pay hike out of NESN. For my money it is working like a charm. Pay him anything....please!!!

Real glad it was not Evan right after the hit batter. That is one guy in their lineup that can really hurt you if he knows where you are going to throw it.

nice job by Bres there

Always f***in' happens. the next batter knows the pitcher is not going to come inside if his life depended on it and sits middle out...BANG.....

Oh my God...can we get a pinch-analyst for Cafardo? Does he have any idea what the hell he is talking about?

Man, location for both pitchers has been hideous. I don't think Cobb responded well to trouble in the 1st and pitched like s*** from the stretch. Lackey has no excuse for leaving those pitches in the middle of the plate. That idiot Madden is probably whispering some inspirational ******** into Rays ears now..."do that twice more guys and we are tied already" or some s*** like that.

Cobb can't get anybody out! I never trust these guys that glare all game long. Don't think he much liked Vic's ball getting past Loney an has responded poorly.

Seems to me that at the rate he is going everybody including the Sox are going to be in the same place on Jon. They will all be looking at a pitcher that is more cutter happy than ever who will likely have lost a little more on his FB by then. Hitters are hitting his FB more and getting it in the air more. Jon is throwing it when he can locate it but appears to be losing confidence in his ability to get hitters out with it. When he can't locate it, he throws the cutter at an even higher percentage than usual. By varying degrees he is slowly but surely throwing all of his secondary pitches other than the Cutter less with his FB usage changing significantly up or down depending on his ability to locate it. Hitters are missing his Cutter less over time as well which would seem to indicate that they are expecting it more. I don't like the way the dif in velo on his FB and his Cutter is narrowing. If Jon misses with the Cutter when the hitter was expecting FB, it makes the Cutter an easier pitch to hit as it just ends up looking like a poorly thrown FB. His Curve has been a very reliable pitch for him but I think it benefits from being utilized judiciously. It is clearly a set up pitch for him. Anyway I think teams including the Sox will believe they have seen the best Jon has to offer and will consider his ability to eat innings his most endearing quality when the time comes. It would appear that he will be a cut above the Dempsters of the world but might be a cut below somebody like Lackey if Lackey continues on the path he appears to be on. Lester is just becoming more and more predictable over time I fear and I don't think there is an answer out there for him at this point. None of that would suggest Jon is headed for the scrap heap. I just don't think teams will be looking at Jon in terms of $20M per for 5 years or something like that. If it has to be 5 years then I would think the number might be something like $15-$17 per. If Jon is interested in max money per, then maybe $20 per on a 3 year deal.

Just cementing Gomes butt to the pine would absolutely be the wrong thing to do and unnecessary anyway. Vic is clearly still nursing the hamstring and maybe the back as well. Never sure when Ells is going to come up gimpy. Naps could do with more rest which should open up a little more time for the usual suspects at 1st as well.