jung

His velo on the FB when he faced us had fallen below 90 and has barely crawled back over 90 even now. It had been falling steadily since his injury problems began. At the point when he faced us he was still trying to figure out what he could throw to get outs against ML lineups. Good God people this information is not even hard to find. and If you did not see that game, I'm not responsible for that either. I can assure that for anybody that did, that game is burned into his memory banks, probably forever!

The walk to Pedey was the real backbreaker for the Guardians. That pitch was not even borderline and that was the walk that opened the floodgates. But I still think Iggy's walk and the one Gomes took were legit. Gomes has always had a good eye but Iggy really worked hard to get his walk and that has not been a strong suit for him in his fledgling career. Home plate ump Chris Gucchioni has been a full time ML ump since 2009 but had been on the ML ump staff since 2000. His K9 and BB/9 put him pretty close to average amongst ML umps but he has a reputation for squeezing pitchers. As many times as the hitters complained today you would think it is the other way around. At the end of the day, I think we would say that on balance his reputation for squeezing pitchers is justified and the hitters had very little if anything to complain about.

If this were Pro Hockey we would be calling some of the young guys "The Energy Line". They make tons of mistakes. They have much to learn to become polished, professional players but boy they can really spark things. The vets on this edition of the Sox appear to revel in its young players and so when there is a spark, we often get ignition. That has not always been the case here. Sure when young guys are not going good, they get a little hang doggish at times. But that comes with the territory. On balance I would way prefer this to a team with no young guys or guys working their way up through the ranks in a position to contribute.

Just the fact that all four of these games were played and played to completion was something of a surprise. Don't know how many members actually live in New England but an hour north of Fenway, where I am, it rained really the entire four days. Did mostly in Mass. as well. Rained for the most part around the ballgames. Finally let up at least here this morning. But was raining up till 7:00 AM steady and then on and off till about 10:00 AM even today.

Totally Twilight Zone series ends with a totally Twilight Zone game. Tito probably does think that starting with 2011, this place has got it in for him. Not only does he have the 9th inning to look back on but the play at 2nd in the 7th. Bourn did look safe on that play. Tito does not even get to really argue it as Fenway strikes up God Bless America and everything stops. By the time it is over the wind is even out of Bourn's sails and there is no arguing left to be done.

Tough spot for Perez but in retrospect he would have helped his team more if he had acknowledged the physical issues he was having on the mound. If Smith came in to an 0-0 count he might have had a better shot at Ells. As it was, he came in with no room for error...maybe one Ball would have been all the room for error he had. Really focused effort by the Sox at the plate in the 9th.

I thought the walks to Gomes and Iggy were pretty clean. You are right though.... there will be a good deal of screaming in Cleveland about the Pedey walk that got it all started.

Gomes has taken a few very big walks this year.

Tito is going to begin feeling like this place has got it in for him.

Last situation we had like this was in Toronto and while the pitcher coming into the game gets all the pitches he needs, Toronto's pitcher clearly did not take enough time and we cleaned his clock.

Terrific post...truly memorable

Jurrjens for example...that should be a memorable enough example for you. There have been other junkers that have had similar success since Jurrjens but NOBODY should be able to forget that one! As for my views of Middlebrooks, I would not deny any hitter the opportunity to swing at pitches up and out over the plate. If you look at the hot zones for pull hitters, they are very often all three of the inside zones and (what a surprise) the up and away. That is exactly what I think WMB's hot zones will eventually look like and should look like. Up and on the outer third or out over the plate is a mile away from the pitches WMB struggles with and that I would like to see him decide to ignore. Even if he hits a strike low in the strike zone and on the outer third...where is that ball going? I would like to see him stay away from those with less than two strikes in hopes that he eventually coaxes the pitcher into a pitch anywhere on the inner third because those are pitches he crushes more and more as he develops as a hitter. Yes he came up as a hitter that seemed to be an equal opportunity hitter. However he was just a kid that did not know how to turn on the ball. Since learning how, more and more the preferred pitch for him is anywhere on the inner third. That in spite of the ball he hit in Minnesota that was up and out over he plate, headed for CF and wind blown to Right Center. When WMB hits them to LF, they don't a following wind...those cut right through the wind.

It would be nice if the Sox hitters could lay off pitchers that end up a foot off the plate outside and low. We have regularly turned junk ballers into legends for the past two years. It is not a question of a well rounded, pitcher with command of several pitches using a slider for an out pitch...it is a matter of pitchers coming in here that don't have much more than a slider or maybe a cutter depending on location owning this team.

It really does not matter if his name is Mickey Mouse...if he can hit that spot pitching against the Red Sox he becomes Cy Young.

I can credit Kluber. While it is true that the Sox have been meat to pitchers that can hit that spot starting on the plate and headed lower and farther outside, the pitcher still has to hit his spot to be that kind of effective. Kluber has hit it with regularity with the usual result for pitchers we face that can.

I can't buy it being the pitching at least not our pitching. Felix was wild both in and out of the strike zone the entire time. When he was out of the strike zone he was often way out of the strike zone and when he was in the strike zone he was often up and in the middle of the plate. Indian hitters swung at too much junk and often beat very good pitches to hit right into the ground. Our guys have fallen prey to the usual for us...any pitcher that can hit the outer third going low and away has this team by the short hairs.

Maybe this is just a bad day to be hitting.....odd sun or something. Naps lost that ball to the sky over at 1st base on a ball that you would think normally would not have caused a problem. Neither team's hitters have been all that impressive today.

Down 4-1, Ells stealing in that situation was flat stupid. Had a LH hitter coming up behind him in a situation where one run does nothing. Sox needed to rally.

Swinging at junk is only half the help Cleveland's hitters have given Felix today. The other half is all the pitches up and pretty much middle of the plate that they have just flat missed. Felix has been up in the zone all day long and Cleveland's hitters have little to show for it.

Like I said...I really don't think Felix has settled that much

Hittings for both teams complaining like crazy when none of them really have much to complain about today. Cleveland's hitters appear to have forgotten what a strike looks like as they are busily hacking away and just about every time a Sox player has complained the pitch tracker has supported the home plate ump.

Some of the stuff they are swinging at is way out of the zone...and early in counts for that matter and they were doing it right when it looked like Felix was trying to walk the bases loaded

Honestly I don't think Felix has settled as much as he is getting a ton of help from the Cleveland hitters today. If all they did was stand there in the batters box they would have about four more walks this game.

Ells had that perfect Ells swing going for him much of 2011 and that is how he generated much of the power he exhibited that year. I do agree that he has sprayed the ball most of his career including 2011. When a good HR pitch met that perfect swing in 2011 it tended to find the seats. His swing right now is a loooooong way from the swing he was sporting much of the 2011 season.

Ells appears to be hunting for GIDP pitches AND......He finds one.