sk7326

Right - and it also proves how the baseball playoff is virtually single elimination. The Red Sox had that rotten weekend at Tampa Bay, and it was barely a blip. Here, it's the end of your season.

The Red Sox had a great season. Any team that won 108 games had a great season. Winning the tournament is a different deal - and we know the baseball season is the worst of all the sports at identifying the best team. There is nothing a GM can do to guarantee a world series winner. Billy Beane was a bit glib when he said (something to the effect of) his job as a GM ends with the postseason ... but it's largely true. Now it's just about winning the 11 games (now 8). And since we know that the Baltimore Orioles were one of two MLB teams to hold the Yankees without a homerun in back to back games at the Stadium this year ... that shows just how much "nothing matters". Don't get me wrong - the title is what we live for, but it's also something an 85-77 and 83-78 team have done in my lifetime. Those aren't exactly great GM'ing jobs.

if there is one sport you should never make back to back t-shirts for, it's baseball

Oh I am totally okay with how the game was managed. You can do the right thing with a bad result - it happens all the time.

The only thing I could say is that maybe Cora should have had somebody else warming up. At the same time, I can understand why he was going to ride with Kimbrel - and there was still another game to plan for.

The manager's job is to get the right players in the right spots. After that it's on the players to deliver.

And management did not really appreciate how free agent could work

There are still clowns who complain about ruined summahs after 3 world series in a decade ... so facts aren't going to get in the way for some people.

At a certain point you gotta count on a good pitcher getting 3 outs. And the Red Sox had to manage like they had another game to play - because they did. The 18 v 9 scenario is not wholly correct because the Red Sox were always odds on here. I mean, the lowest the win prob got in the 9th was 66% (basically before Sanchez was up). I was nervous and Kimbrel could not locate his slider at all - but the Red Sox were more likely than not to bring that game home. You are right - you can't really evaluate decisions entirely on results. I mean, I could drive a car with my legs (including steering) - and I might be able to navigate a trip home successfully. But it's still a crappy idea. But I think Cora going to Kimbrel was a perfectly fine move ex ante.

The bullpen had stabilized some and Pedro showed similar difficulties 3rd time through and whatnot in Game 5 of the Oakland series. It was not a great example of learned behavior on Grady's part. After that experience, having Pedro deliver a 3 run lead with 6 outs to go should have been plenty.

Tito managed 8 seasons, had 0 losing ones ... the team made the playoffs 5 of the 8 years. They struck gold in 2 of the 5 playoff berths, which given how fickle baseball is, is a pretty good hit rate. The collapse in 2011 is a negative, which he deserves some blame for. 2010 was a season which somehow did not really end until 2 weeks to go in the season despite a genuinely comical level of injury. The 2013 Cleveland Guardians made a 26 game improvement from 2012 and have not had a losing season since.

Astros are really good ... but so are we.

Sale was on a bullpen day ... they still had a Game 5 to plan for. I don't think Sale had another inning of pitches in him while still being available for Game 5. The 2003 decision on Pedro was nuts given the pitch count and given that they tried it once before (in Game 5 of the Oakland series) and almost blew a lead. Cora handled things fine. It wasn't his fault Kimbrel had no idea where his curveball was going. And you still have to go back to Kimbrel. Maybe they should have had someone else ready to go - but Cora had to manage to a degree like he had another chance at this (because he did).

More importantly, in a game 7, Price will be the only pitcher not available. (for more than a batter or two) I mean for a Game 7, Eovaldi will probably be asked to get through the order once.

Clearly all success is linear - so under Farrell Betts was destined to decline again. This is silly. Cora has certainly helped, but the kids were likely to do better. Francona is the best manager the Red Sox have had since Dick Williams, and it's not close. Cora was a phenomenal managerial prospect, and has shown that the promise was real. That said, I look back at 2013. Farrell looked terrific because of how bad the Red Sox were the year before, and he was an improvement on Valentine just by being a normal person who brought sanity to the workplace. Last year was a negative vibe - despite a successful season - so that this year has been so good makes things seem particularly amazing. Cora has done a really good job - but there is a lot of future left. I mean Francona was excellent with analytics at a time when it was less prevalent. Farrell was shifting infielders on that stuff. He has a lot of the positive of Francona, with the additional positive of speaking Spanish (which I think is damn near a prerequisite for the job now). But Francona was/is a flat exceptional communicator, and did a great job working with young players in a bananas market. Of course Francona had the best media training possible, managing in Philly and having to give media updates on Michael Jordan's progress.

What people REALLY forget is that the Red Sox had a 3 run lead entering the bottom of the 6th inning of Game 7!

We executed the most improbable victory in baseball history - on the way to breaking the curse. We executed a pretty damn improbable victory - on the way to winning it all a second time It's harder for me to think of the cringes anymore - even 2011.

Yes ... it's October and Cora will have his finger on the eject button with the starters anyway.

Astros make sense at the pick, but really a 51-49 sort of edge. When we get to this series, they are all coinflips. But if this team gets 5 or 6 clean starts out of 7 they will be tough. There is not much of the ALDS to rehash - the Red Sox starting pitching was better, and that made all the difference. Even the one bad start Boston had, Cora limited the damage. In the next series and beyond the question to me is whether the Red Sox can get JUST enough production from their 2B/3B/C to keep the offense on schedule. Is those guys can manage to continue to not be dead spots in the lineup we'll be fine.

Most importantly - Eovaldi kept the bullpen fresh so Cora can manage the staff aggressively today with an off day

that's the kind of bunt I approve of

that's the kind of bunt I approve of

making it a bullpen game was not a terrible idea - but the choice of opener looked shaky.

I think he figures if he needs one, Rodriguez can work in a pinch.

I understand, but it's the playoffs and you have to ask it another way. How many teams can lose 3 out of 5, even to the Baltimore Orioles? ALL OF THEM How many teams could lose 1 game, even to the Baltimore Orioles? ALL OF THEM