sk7326

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

(nods)

He wouldn't be the guy to move ...

The question really is - if not the 3rd catcher, who? You don't REALLY need a backup "CF". (you have 3 of them already!) Swihart and Holt can play corners. For me the question is: do you value, say, Brandon Phillips (and I'd pick a veteran like him over Travis or somebody) for a designated bench bat.

My biggest source of anger about the "Pedro thing" in the ALCS was that it was the SECOND TIME Grady hung him out to dry. After nearly kicking Game 5 away, how do you go to that well again?

That 2003 series was a sneaky classic. Given how much drama and success the Sox have given us the last 15 or so years, GREAT series and comebacks like the 2003 ALDS vs Oakland and 2007 ALCS vs Cleveland sometimes slip under the radar. Or even Boston in 2008 nearly completing a crazy miraculous comeback in the ALCS.

Yes on the defense. I don't know a LF who has played at Fenway (for Boston) who has NOT had crappy defensive metrics. I've posited UZR has issues with odd-shaped outfields ... and there is none odder than LF in Fenway. (just so many fewer chances to make plays for LF)

I prefer the A's winning - only so we can focus on baseball and not have to deal with the psychodrama that comes with a Yankees series and the endless media referendum on it. The A's series would just be a lot less insufferable from a media coverage perspective. As far as baseball reasons - I don't care. All these series are hard.

He's not playing by himself out there.

The Orioles obviously suck - but if you're striking out 40% of guys you face, the stuff can't be that bad. Granted, the last time he saw them he struck out 12 of the 16 batters he faced, so it's a dropoff there. But again, striking out 75% of the hitters you face is absurd. (Seriously, that was a higher rate than Clemens hit in his 20 strikeout game in 1986)