Kimmi

Actually, I don't think he rests on his laurels at all. I think he and his FO team are continuously looking for ways to improve the team. My post was more for the posters who have given me the impression that they think we're good to go and Dombrowski can rest on his laurels as far as starting pitching is concerned.

Some interesting hitting stats regarding the Sox' aggressive approach, courtesy of Evan Drelich: As the 5-1 Sox begin their first homestand, they’re swinging at 30.1 percent of first pitches they see, 10th most per STATS. In 2017, they were last, at 21.1 percent — and it wasn’t particularly close. Next up was the Guardians, at 24.9 percent. Overall, the Sox have offered at 48.1 percent of pitches per FanGraphs, up from 43.9 percent in 2017. Only the Dodgers — who employed Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers as the assistant hitting coach — swung at fewer last year. The Sox’ swing percentage this year is sixth. Of course, the whole idea is centered on pitch selection: swing when you get a pitch you can handle. And then handle it. As the Sox have pursued pitches earlier in the count, they do not seem to have encouraged wild hacks. Their swing-and-miss rate remains the third-lowest in the majors, just as it was in 2017. Indeed, the pitches they're targeting seem to be much better. In 2017, the Sox swung at 62.3 percent of strikes. Take a guess: it was the lowest anywhere. And now, they’re at 72 percent, second most — practically tying them for the league lead. And when the Sox swing at pitches inside the zone, they're making more contact on those pitches than anyone. They were strong in that area in 2017, in fourth place, but they're the leader right now. The Sox batters have been able to be more aggressive, without losing any of their plate discipline. That's a great (though very early) sign. It hasn't translated into scoring runs yet, but my opinion is that it will. I do not have any concerns about the offense.

No one is complaining about our 6-1 record, except for those saying we should be 7-0. LOL But it would be very remiss of me not to mention that we have only won (or lost) one of those games decisively, the 7-3 win over the Marlins. The rest of the games could have gone either way. We are 5-1 in those games with a +4 run differential. That's hard to do. We've been a tad lucky. Not that I'm complaining.

It actually does, figuratively speaking. LOL

Maybe he will be our closer next year when Kimbrel leaves!

Just to clarify, he did say a smooth ride to the playoffs, which is a lot different than saying a smooth ride to winning the division, given the rest of the AL competition.

What I have always believed is that the job a manager does off the field is far more important than the in game decisions that he makes. And I don't even have stats to back that up. How about that?

I agree with this. But by the same token, one cannot turn around and say that Cora lost a specific game for us. Not saying you, but posters in general. It's the players that ultimately have to perform. I'm not saying that a manager does not make mistakes. Just that a win or a loss should not be pinned on the manager.

Poor Gabe. I'm pulling for him.

The 'mistake' did not directly result in the loss.

Read my previous post for what I'm talking about when it comes to randomness. All the scouting reports in the world cannot prevent randomness, or luck, if you will. Things as simple as an umpire calling a 3rd strike on a batter on a pitch that was a ball is a random event. Having a hit that bounces over the fence for a ground rule double as opposed to bouncing around the outfield is a random event. Having the wind/sun turn JD's fly ball out into a triple yesterday is a random event.

I'm not talking about managers decisions when I talk about randomness. I'm talking about things like a closer making the perfect pitch to a batter, and the batter hitting a 20 foot check swing dribbler for a game winning hit. Did the batter really beat the pitcher because he was more skilled than the pitcher, or did the batter get lucky? That's randomness. And there are many of these random events that take place every game.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'close game randomness'. If you mean does a great bullpen have any impact on a team being able to play better than .500 in one run games over the season, then yes. A great bullpen does have a slight impact on that. The key word here is 'slight' though.

I understand that moves cannot be made in a vacuum, and that they have to be made to give us the best overall team. I also understand that trading Jackie might become a reality if the FO prioritizes keeping someone else. If I were in charge of the team, I can say with little hesitation that the first one to go will be Kimbrel. That is in no way a knock on Kimbrel. It's just my opinion that a team should not spend a boatload on relief pitchers, including closers.

That's all I and others have been trying to say. If Hanley is hitting, he'll get the at bats. If he's not hitting, he won't. It would be kind of silly to bench him to keep his option from vesting if he is hitting well.

^^This. He is also a smart hitter. I think he's a bit of an airhead, but he's a smart hitter. And I've always thought that he gets a bad rap. I hope he absolutely rakes this year.

Hitting .100 is a bit of a hyperbole, but as the saying goes, a run saved is as good as a run scored. JBJ is good enough defensively that his defense is worth keeping him on the field, even with his streaky bat.

^^This.

That is a possibility, but I certainly hope it doesn't come to fruition. Our outfield defense would take a serious hit. I am a huge JBJ supporter, streaky bat and all. I do not want him traded.

I get that. And I get that Dombrowski has been trying but has been unsuccessful. That doesn't mean that he should rest on his laurels in terms of trying to acquire more starting pitching depth, even if it currently appears that we won't need it.

I like to joke you about golf, but I am sure that for golf fans, it is very exciting. I am also sure that if I took the time to get into it, I'd find it very exciting. I have actually watched the last rounds of golf events in the past and have found them entertaining. People say bowling is boring too. I love watching it. I think I mentioned that I recently found a whole new enjoyment in cross country skiing events. What I once considered to be an extremely boring sport, I now find can be quite exciting. Curling too.

There's a long way to go in the season. Even if it turns out that Dumpster Diving is not needed, and I really hope that it's not, there is literally almost no downside or risk to signing these guys to minor league deals. OTOH, the reward could potentially be very good. Insurance, just in case, is a good thing.

Kimbrel made me nervous last night. One of the best things about Koji is that he didn't mess around. I'm sure he made me nervous in some games as well, but what I remember about him is how he would usually get the job done quickly and without any drama.

Also, I hate all of these whack off days early in the season. I guess with the extra inning game last night it helps us out a little, but still.

No comment other than to say, 'Great game!'