Kimmi

The Jays are to Porcello what the Yankees had been to Price this season before his last start against them. The good news is, we won't be facing the Jays in the postseason.

No bad juju. Back to back to back.

You never want to get too far ahead of yourself, that's for sure. That said, I am guessing that if the roles were reversed, most people would already have the Yankees crowned as the division champs. Or looking at it another way, I bet many people are more confident of the Yankees making the playoffs than they are of the Red Sox winning the division, even though the Yankees lead for the playoffs is smaller than our lead for the division. I guess the sense that something is going to go wrong is still ingrained in our baseball minds.

Anyone who posts on this board regularly is a certified lunatic, I mean fanatic.

LOL Ouch. Hope they can get at least one game in today. WIN!

Kind of ironic that Pom gets credited with the win. LOL What a crazy game. But, a Red Sox win coupled with a Yankees loss is always a good thing.

My thought as well. I don't remember the incident at all, but I know that OB and Remy bust each other's chops about things like this all the time. I don't have a problem with OB in the booth, though I like Orsillo a lot better.

You can do this on both Fangraphs and Baseball Reference. With either site, go to the player's page, then click on Game Log. On Fangraphs, there are calendars that allow you to choose specific beginning and ending dates. In Baseball Reference, tap on the beginning and ending rows, and the site will compute the data between those two rows.

Ha. I read that article not too long ago. Super nerds get no respect. They are not killing the game. Baseball is still baseball. If you don't like the advanced stats, don't use them. It's as simple as that. Most fans don't.

No doubt Notin. I have the utmost respect for her and other catchers.

I agree. But even when umpires are fairly consistent with something like calling the high strike, what gives an umpire the right to create his own strike zone? There is an MLB regulation strike zone. The pitch is either a strike or it's not. It's not supposed to be subject to the umpire's interpretation.

Another voice of reason.

Understanding the rationale behind a contract and thinking it's a good thing are two entirely different animals. Sandoval's contract was a bad contract which I would not have done. And while I would never give Kimbrel that kind of contract, I could understand the rationale behind it, as I said in this post:

I know this news will make a lot of people happy. I am good either way.

Yes, somebody (maybe you?) brought up that very valid point about the possible connection between our aggressive base running and the hamstring injuries. I have no idea if there is a causal effect there, but it sounds reasonable. IMO, Swihart has looked just fine behind the plate, which would be my biggest area of concern over offense. If Swihart can indeed return on the 14th, and Vaz can return by early Sept., I don't think there is a need to look for another catcher.

Yup. He isn't expected back anytime soon.

I disagree. It's a plus, for sure, but not a big enough plus to overcome the benefits of having healthy and rested players.

I agree, but I do think that Leon is doing a better job this year than Vaz.

Thanks. The 14th isn't too far away.

As much as I am a fan of Vazquez, I have to give Leon the props. He is the King.

LOL Good point.

Well there is an argument against UZR that I can get on board with. You are absolutely correct that sample size is one of the difficulties with UZR and other defensive metrics. But, with a large enough sample size (roughly 3 years), UZR is a good stat.

I can see where it's coming from. I can also understand why fans are willing to go there. Convince me that it's the right thing or even okay to do? That's a whole different story.

Injury updates on our walking wounded, per the Globe: Eduardo Rodriguez (ankle) is scheduled to throw a live batting practice session on Friday. If it goes well, the next step could be a minor league rehab assignment. Rodriguez has made swifter-than-expected progress in his recovery from a severe right ankle sprain and should be ready before the end of August if he can continue to avoid setbacks. The 25-year-old left-hander boasts a 3.44 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and 110/32 K/BB ratio in 104 2/3 innings (19 starts) this season. Christian Vazquez (finger) has begun workouts in Florida. Vazquez underwent surgery to repair a fractured right pinkie finger in early July and is not expected to be ready for live games until closer to late August. Sandy Leon has been serving as Boston's everyday catcher. Ian Kinsler (hamstring) will work out with Low-A Lowell this weekend. He'll then join up with the Red Sox in Philadelphia on Tuesday but probably won't be activated from the disabled list until later in the week. The veteran second baseman suffered a left hamstring strain in his third game with Boston on August 3. He was acquired from the Angels on July 30 for two pitching prospects. Blake Swihart (hamstring) is scheduled to take live batting practice on Friday. Swihart, who landed on the disabled list August 3 with a right hamstring strain, is on track to return to the Red Sox active roster when first eligible next Tuesday. The 26-year-old is batting just .226/.288/.304 over 51 games this season in a super-utility role.

All other things being equal, we obviously would want home field advantage over not having it. That said, it would be more important for our players to be healthy and well rested than to go all out fighting for HFA, if it came down to it.