Behindenemylines

I think Gray walks, and I like to see the Sox replace him with a playoff caliber right-handed starter. Don't trust Bello in a big spot!

Red Sox have 5 or 6 spots to clear out on the 40 man so there should be some movement over the next few days.

The biggest need is still a right-handed power bat. If Gray walks (I think he will) he will need to be replaced. The Sox have a team that can make the playoffs, but to make a run in October more fine tuning will need to be done.

Milwaukee's ability to hit Dodger's starting pitchers enough to keep them in the game and get into the bullpen was the difference in that series.

I don't think the Red Sox problem in the Wild Card was the starting pitching. The bullpen blowing up (due to the injuries) and NOT being able to hit good pitching. A healthy Crochet, Tolle, and Suarez are playoff ready pitchers. If Gray walks I would feel better with the Sox replacing him with a playoff type starter. I do not think Bello is that pitcher. He would be all right during the season in the bottom of the rotation, but don't trust him starting a big playoff starter. I still feel a big right-handed power bat is number 1 priority.

We need a right handed 20+ HR bat at minimum. Two would be better! Maybe one a FA signing and the other via trade. You can not play in Fenway and be at the bottom of the league hitting homers.

I hope everyone enjoyed Yankee Elimination Day yesterday!

By pulling him in the fifth you now have to get outs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh to get to Whitlock and Chappy! Who in the bullpen is going to get those outs. If you had Slaton and Guerrero for the Sixth and seventh then maybe you can bring in Miller in the fifth. I would have rolled the dice with Tolle to get out of the fifth. Probably throws 90 plus pitches by that point and then bring in Miller in the sixth.

I had no issues with the starters other then they were pulled to early. Both of them should have been left in because we needed 6 plus from both with the shape that the bullpen was in.

The same now can be said about Anthony. Two seasons in a row that his power was counted on in the PO and he was hurt. The only way the Sox would have beaten the Yankees in the Wild Card round is if the July Sox were playing. Instead the April, May, and September Sox showed up. You need to hit for power in the playoffs to score runs.

We still need to add power to this lineup. Even if the bullpen didn't blowup the Sox still only scored 2 runs in two games. Early in both games I kept wishing that the Sox could get someone on and that someone could hit one in the short right field porch. Never happened! It is hard to string three or four hits in a row against good pitching. The Sox we saw in the PO were April and May Sox.

Tracy pulled both Tolle and Gray way too early. By the end of the season the bullpen was a shell of itself. Both were close games until Tracy went to the middle innings pitchers. Injuries to Slaton and Guerrero, and Miller and his control issues did the middle innings pitchers in. He needed 6 plus innings from both of them and pulled them for lessor pitchers way too early.

Didn't see this coming! The start to Game 1 and when Paez was brought in to finish Game 2 I thought the Sox would be the one being swept.

He earned it by what took place this season. He helped saved what was looking like a lost summer for Red Sox Nation.