jung

What a mistake pitch that was.....WMB did not miss it

This is still a pretty tough lineup that Buch is for the most part controlling tonight.

Shop was actually on the binders at about half way between 2nd and 3rd trying to make it look like he needed to put the binders on to keep from barreling into 3rd.....sure Shop you were going to be barreling into 3rd alright.

Shop is still huffin and puffin

Flags look to be dead quite. Must have had some spin going the other way on that ball by Shop as it confused the hell out of the CF.

Well whether the warning signs were there regarding Lester and Beckett is a whole different discussion. Some thought they were...others didn't. or I guess maybe don't is more to the point.

I don't think Oswalt is getting attention because he was he last of the pitchers out there as much as some folks really wanted Oswalt with others totally rejecting the notion as soon as the nature of his back injury was better understood. Some folks thought the back issue should not prevent a deal from happening and others vigorously disagreed. There were without question other options in the offseason. The only discussions I remember about Oswalt were discussions about whether Oswalt was an option at all regardless of his being the last guy out there. Should have done something to mitigate the starting pitching issues long before Oswalt was the last guy standing or maybe laying down is more appropriate.:D

Ain't that the truth...those kinds of back issues are an absolute red flag. He may not be right enough to pitch again in the regular season.

Pedey....really starting to get that pop back in his bat I hope we are all watching how difficult it is to work in a running game when your speedsters are 1-2 in the order. You just do not want to take the bat out of the hands of your 3 hitter in the lineup. The hit and run takes the bat out of his hands although the run and hit does not. When you have a RH hitter and the green monster to shoot at you really don't like the idea of taking a possible run off the base paths via caught stealing unless it is late in the game and you happen to be playing for one run. More Ole' from WMB on the low and away.

If WMB is going to continue to insist on swinging at the low and away, someone is going to have to teach him to stop trying to pull it. He looks more and more like a bullfighter giving that pitch the Ole' with the bat standing in for the sword and cape.

Well that was as close to a Green Monster homer without being one as you are ever going to see.

Actually that was Agons that went out to the mound from 1st base to talk to Ace. I don't think he heard a word Agons said either and really did not want him over there it appeared. The problem Ace has had from the very beginning closing is that it takes him a few pitches to settle. If he comes in with guys on, that can be a real problem as he may well give up a hit that also gives up a run. Once he settles, he is pretty good but he can throw some real ugly pitches when he first hits the mound.

I cannot believe how poor their bunting skills are generally. I have never seen the bunt turned into such an adventure before. The entire team seems incapable of laying one down. Yet another area where they just often seem ridiculous compared to their "peers".

Not surprised that there is not much interest in Beckett from teams.

I will have to look again tonight because I was not looking for it last night but I think if you have the patience (I sometimes do and sometimes don't) to watch Carl set up in the box, he is often in the "new" stance which has been a version of the old stance from the start this year...just not as pronounced. However I did also notice when last I took the trouble to look that even in the middle of plate appearances he would be almost out to last year's stance. So I think he is has simply not gotten comfortable enough with it to make sure he is using the new stance every plate appearance. He does reach pitches outside better but old or new he does not appear to see them out there any better and there were times that I was sure he was using the new stance and he would still be swinging at pitches off the outer edge of the plate. The only way you can tell on TV anyway is to look and see the position of Carl's lead leg. If it looks like his foot on his lead leg is likely way in the back of the box well that is pretty close to the old stance. If it looks like his foot is a few inches forward of that....not many....like two inches forward of that...then that is the new stance.

Well now 700 you have hit on one of the reasons why getting Crawford was a bad move. What are the Red Sox going to do and what were they ever going to do with two guys at the top of the lineup like Ells and Crawford...one fine...two?????? The Red Sox have never been and are not now that kind of offense. That said I have always believed you put the opponent in a deeper hole. Steal the base because they are literally going to give you second base. If they walk Agons they have walked the bases loaded and are stuck pitching to Ross with nowhere to put him. There is still the chance that they would not have walked Agons but had they done so, that is still a deeper hole than runners at 1st and 3rd. The double play is already in force with runners at 1st and 3rd. By stealing the base, you either get runners at 2nd and 3rd and AGons at the plate or bases loaded with Ross at the plate and nowhere to put him. Because of the Sox offensive profile, it is still a tough choice to make, tougher than if you are the A's for example. However I would have stolen the base and taken my chances that they pitch to Agons or walk the bases loaded and pitch to Ross.

I would give anything to see them rattle off ten wins in a row, take a real run at it. I just can't deal with the idea of seeing them pack it in as a means of making the need for changes more immediate, more urgent. I will take ten wins in a row and a shot at pulling it out however slim that thread that still links the Sox to the post season might be over a collapse profound enough that it demands immediate and sweeping changes. I think most of the player personnel decisions that we have been discussing in threads here are going to happen mainly in the off season this year regardless of whether or not the Sox finish completely out of even the WC play in or actually make it into the play in as the second WC team. In addition, I don't think many teams are going to come calling on the Sox at the deadline forcing them to make a decision to let go of a player that could help them make a run this year. Maybe making no moves that are short term in nature on the buy side while not losing any of the players that might help them this year is the best way for this trade deadline to work out. Would not have to feel guilty about either mortgaging the future against a really slim chance at doing anything this year or costing themselves that slim chance for this year either. C'mon Sox, you guys have let us down all summer long. Give us a few weeks of feeling like we have a shot at least....heck you Red Sox may discover that playing sound baseball, winning games and moving up in the standing is more gratifying than focusing so much energy elsewhere. Maybe V is not the devil himself and deserves at least a shot. Heck as it is now, V sort of comes off a buffoon used by the players and management alike and even though I am not a V fan there is just something wrong about that. I just want to enjoy what remains of this season come what may and prefer a slim chance to no chance at all. I guess it would be more fun to be 10 games over 500 right now and right in the thick of it but imagine how much energy would be buzzing around the web site if they did rattle off ten wins and put themselves right in the thick of it after having just screwed up most of this season five ways from Sunday?

Like I said earlier for the all the s*** he takes actually much of it from these ballplayers, that tossing in the 10th was likely the best piece of managing V has done all season long. Still have no idea what they are doing on the base paths or at the plate although I still think that game where the Sox had two on and nobody out and V tried to bunt with either Punto or Ross bunting into a double play that was followed by somebody running into an out burned V so badly that I think he has been gun shy ever since of trying to manufacture a run with these guys. They have to go off on a genuine run to get anything done. They need to win 10 of the next 12....something like that and then they still need to win like crazy after that and they actually have to play like they care. They will very likely have to do it with the pieces they have now...maybe even fewer cause management is not going to spend prospects to bring more guys in to play with this crew of knuckleheads. Seeing that throw from Crawford...he may well be done for the year shortly. It is still all right in front of them although they have squandered away 100 games of the season and I don't know why they should suddenly play any differently now. Believe it or not, what might save them, what might turn this thing around might finally be keeping Ciriaco at SS or keeping Ciriaco up here to play in various positions and bring Iggy up. That play that Pedro made early in the game is just the kind of play that has been lacking, the kind of play that Aviles could not make if his life depended on it. A plus defender at SS gives them a guy that can pull their asses out of the fire, a guy that can take a batted ball that has runs for the opposition written all over it and turn it into a 3rd out of the inning or a DP. In addition Aviles does not even make the plays that any SS should make so Ciriaco or Iggy would also make a big difference there. They need to feel like more things can go right for them in a baseball game and a plus defender at SS gives them that. I don't want to see Aviles at SS again this season unless everybody else is DEAD.

Ace WAS always the only guy V could go to there and had to stay with him....no choice. Could not go to nut job Padilla and once Ace got it going, Frank was going to be more of a risk coming in out of the bullpen than staying with Ace was going to be.

How do you not give a guy pitching his heart out that pitch....say what you want about Ace he has been one of the few warriors they have

That 10th inning toss might have been the best piece of managing V has done all year long.

Way ta' go Pedro.....that was actually not in the place where he wanted to pitch that...allowed Pedro to get the bat inside out...a little farther down in the zone which is where he wanted it and Pedro can't get to that pitch. That was a nice piece of hitting also...I don't care what they say in the booth.

Well this is a good spot for Ciriaco.

Can anybody execute a bunt?

V trying to pump some life into this team.....at least give V credit for knowing he is managing a bunch of lifeless stiffs.