Elktonnick

I have been arguing for more than a year that Boston needed a new approach toward hitting to adjust to the changes in the game resulting from the increased number of power arms coming out of the bullpen and the increased use of the defensive shift. If Alex Cora is the manager to institute such a change then I am in favor of his hiring.

That's what Bogaerts is now a slap hitter with a downward stroke a la Charlie Lau. But the game has changed. Plus the league has adjusted to XB. They know he takes too many fastballs early in the count only to throw down and away breaking balls with two strikes resulting in either a strike out or a weak grounder

Bogaerts is the poster child for an out dated approach toward hitting. Albeit that he was beset with a wrist injury for most of the second half but even with that impediment he looked like the poster child for Rich Gedman's Charlie Lau swing. I couldn't tell if he was swinging a baseball bat or chopping wood. He looked pathetic especially in the clutch.

Yes!

I think you are right. I am going out on a limb but I wouldn't be surprised at a multi player deal that involved Boston shopping Price. I sense that the Red Sox front office may think that Price may be more of a clubhouse problem than he is worth. I fully expect the Boston sports media will begin to talk up such a possibility. I think the Boston sports media would like nothing better than to drive Price out of town. I am not saying that from a baseball perspective alone this would be the wisest move. I just see it as an inevitable consequence to Farrell's firing.

Quite frankly, I think Farrell's firing had less to do with the team's performance and more to do with the off field mess and the resulting backlash in the media and among Red Sox nation. There was an excellent piece in the Herald how Farrell wasn't on the same page with ownership over the Eckersley dust up. That is the kind of thing that can get anyone fired no matter how well they perform on the field. Any way it is all moot because Farrell is gone. Time to move on to the next victim err I mean manager.

I agree that anywhere other than Boston, Farrell would have probably survived. Just like Terry Francona before, Farrell's time simply ran out.

But the team did collapse!!. Some one must be held accountable. As it is oft said, "Success has many fathers, failure is born an orphan."

I think there was more to this than the public knows. Both Merloni and Shaughnessy mentioned it. Before they brought it up as one of the many justifications for his dismissal, I hadn't paid it much mind. But now I am not so sure. It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that JH was personally offended by the incident or this was further confirmation that Farrell had lost the clubhouse and was absolutely clueless about what was going on under his nose. We all remember the beer and chicken fiasco and the FO could have been fearful that this was all too reminiscent of that. Shaughnessy said on High Heat on MLB network that this was decision that was either approved or initiated by Henry himself. Unless Dombrowski, Kennedy or Henry gives us more details we will never know for sure.

While none of us will know for sure unless Dombrowski is more forthcoming, but after listening to Lou Merloni and reading Dan Shaughnessy's column, I suspect that Farrell's admission that he was unaware of the electronic sign stealing scheme may have played a bigger part of his dismissal than anyone is willing to admit. Not many individuals in a supervisory role in the private sector, could or would survive such a scandal in my opinion.

I certainly want a new hitting coach.

WOW* I never thought they would pull the trigger.* I thought despite all his shortcomings the ALE title would have saved his job.* I suspect that the cumulative effect of the Price fiasco, public and Boston sports media calling for his scalp and the general lackluster performance of this club down the stretch caused DD to pull the plug. In retrospect, I don't think Farrell was ever DD's man.* I suspect that DD would have pulled the plug sooner if Farrell's health scare hadn't intervened.* In any case, DD now has no excuses, if the 2018 Sox don't reignite the fan base, win back the sports media and make it beyond the first round of the playoffs he will be hitting the bricks this time next year.

If the Sox do sign JD Martinez then that allows them a heck of a lot of flexibility to move some of the under performing core players like JBJ who despite his stellar defense is an offensive drag. I think one of the reason the Sox have been reluctant to deal JBJ is they have always thought he is going to figure it out at the plate. I don't see it happening.

Salary cap notwithstanding I suspect Boston will make a super effort to sign JD Martinez.

As much as I don't think Farrell is the right manager for Boston, I don't see him being fired unless the FO wants to placate its fan base instead of making some significant and costly changes to its lineup. In an effort to get a big stick, I think there will be considerable pressure to move Bogaerts and Bradley at a minimum.

With the advent of the pitch count it made sense to drive up the pitch count so teams who bring in a reliever from the bull pen. Chances were that the reliever wouldn't be as good as the starter, at least that was the thinking over the past 15 years. It worked well for the sox then. However times have changed. Now there are so many power arms in the bullpen that chances are the reliever will be better than the starter for one inning any way. Now it makes no sense to pass up perfectly hittable pitches to drive up the pitch count only to face a more dominant reliever. That's what many analysts are pointing out today.

Truth is I have been spouting this since the end of last season. Virtually every analyst on MLB network and elsewhere has been saying for close to a year that baseball has changed because of the shifts and power arms out of the bullpen and hitters must adjust. It seems from my point of view that Sox hitters with the exception of Benintendi who has an upper cut swing and Devers have been slower to adapt than have other hitters on other teams.

Bogaerts looks paralyzed at the plate. He is as hitters often say caught "in between". While his wrist injury obviously set him back and I believe he should been placed on the DL, nevertheless he is still using that classic Charlie Lau- Walt Hrinieke swing that ruined Rich Gedman those many years ago.

Why did the offense come alive today? My reply is that Hanley, Moreland, Devers, and Leon were aggressive at the plate. On WEEI before the game Lou Merloni was making the same points that I made, namely that Sox hitters needed to stop taking first and second pitch strikes. ( I confess my comments reflect what I have been hearing from analysts on MLB TV and radio so I claim no special insight just good listening skills)

Actually there are a whole lot of professional baseball people who argue generically that teams are taking a new approach toward hitting which Boston clearly is not.. There is a movement away from the approach the Sox have traditionally employed toward more upward cuts trying to loft the ball and swinging earlier in the count. The Sox may have won the East but they are clearly not as good as the Astros, Guardians, Dodgers, Nationals and perhaps the Cubs. Arguably despite beating the Yankees for the ALE they aren't as a team as well set up to win in the playoffs as are the Yankees. If the Sox wish to be a serious World Series contender they will need to reconfigure their offense, change their approach toward hitting to reflect the changes in the game over the past few years as well as continue efforts to improve their pitching.

Boy you said !!! My wife and I scream at the TV. That old strategy may have worked ten years ago. But with today's bullpens every team has relievers who throw 95 or better.

He may have been. It may well turn out to be that he has a master plan. After all Rome wasn't built in a day as they say. Nevertheless, I believe that the Sox need to take a fresh approach toward hitting and develop a more aggressive approach a la the Astros.

As much as I dislike Farrell as a manager he did get them through to the ALE Division title overcoming some serious obstacles along the way. The fundamental problem with this team is well beyond Farrell. The team was poorly constructed from the outset offensively. To replace Ortiz they relied on a fading oft injured mercurial Hanley Ramirez who is doing his best to mimic Manny Ramirez in his declining years. Betts, Bogaerts, Pedroia, Benintendi and Bradley are essentially the same type of hitters who even at their best do not intimidate any opposing pitchers. The entire team from time to time suffers from a lack of focus which can best be attributed to their collective inexperience and the lack of a strong positive clubhouse leader instead they have the chronic whiner and sourpuss Price. Yes Farrell has some of the blame but this is DD's team. He has made some solid moves to shore up the pitching especially in the bullpen but now he needs to turn his attention to the offense. I for one hope they do a complete rethink on their approach toward hitting to reflect the changes in the game with the advent of the widespread use of the defensive shift and power arms in virtually every bullpen.

Fister on the other hand has been effective against Houston. He is my nbr 3 starter in the Astros series.

Thank you quite illuminating. I see, however, that the metaphysical debate of what defines a clutch hitter continues unabated. I do hope those who care about such things can achieve ontological certitude.