Kimmi

I didn't find anything wrong with the interview either. I think some of the problem is that Hanley doesn't fully understand the question being asked due to language barriers, so he gives a 'textbook' answer. I've seen Ortiz and other foreign players do the same.

I agree about Hanley. Personally, I love the guy. As with Pablo, I think a lot of the criticism about his character is unfair and unwarranted. Right now, the player that I am most frustrated with is Mookie. He is looking really bad at the plate, if you ask me.

I agree, he has good instincts and judgment on the bases.

I don't get this post at all.

There is a lot of unnecessary and unfair vitriol being spewed towards Pablo.

Of course there's a limit to how much Henry is going to spend. Just because he's willing to eat Pablo's contract does not mean that he's willing to spend whatever it takes to get players he wants. He might do that for one player, as he did with Price, so long as it keeps his budget at or near the luxury tax limit.

Thank you for this reasonable post.

JMO, of course, but I think they called him up too soon. Of course, I also think they called up Beni too soon, and he's doing just fine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they ruined Moncada or hurt his development, but I do think they messed up in their judgment of calling him up before he was ready. I think there is more to being 'ready' that goes beyond baseball skills. All that said, your point is fair.

Let me add that Barnes and Scott did a very good job in relief. Neither Kelly nor Kimbrel had to be used in that game.

I really don't think Dombrowski is concerned with a player's 'clock'. Theo yes, Dombrowski not so much. That said, if it ain't broke, there's no reason to call Devers up. If the situation becomes more dire, then by all means, calling him up would make sense (if he's indeed ready). Until then, I'd stick with the Marrero/Lin duo.

I will trust their judgment as well, although I think they messed up with Swihart and Moncada. Maybe they have learned not to act so rashly.

That could be. There is already quite a bit of hype surrounding him, which has to be overwhelming for a young kid. I would not be surprised to see him called up soon either. My guess is that Dombrowski tries to make a reasonable trade for a 3B, and if that's not possible, he rides the Lin/Marrero/Holt train as long as we're winning and playing well. If our situation becomes a little more urgent, Devers will be called up.

It happens quite frequently where pitchers just cannot throw a strike for anything. I am pretty sure that Chapman is not going to nibble in that situation. He either lost his release point or he was just completely rattled.

Awesome win last night. Some tidbits I read about the game this morning: 1. Pedroia's hit in the 2nd was the first hit with RISP against the Yankees this season (previously 0-24), and the win was the first win when trailing after 8 innings (previously 0-38). 2. The double steal was Mookie's call, not Farrell's. Could you imagine having to walk back to the dugout if he'd gotten thrown out? 3. To steal something from PA, Beni is so chill that he took off his shin guard before walking to first base. LOL Have I mentioned that that was an awesome win?

Another reason why this guy is my favorite tweeter: Red Sox Stats‏ @redsoxstats 9m9 minutes ago Still stunning to me how many people wanted Sandoval signed in the first place. Can not possibly believe Sox baseball ops wanted him.

Fixed that for you.

I agree that you start with the best players. Oddly, I believe in the leadership intangible, but not in lineup protection or clutchiness.

I wish him the best.

I'm glad they are putting Pablo (and so many fans) out of their misery. So long Pablo. I wish you the best.

I'm sure we've had this discussion before, but there is also the problem of one's interpretation of 'most valuable'. IMO, most valuable does not necessarily mean the best player.

From Matthew Kory: Nobody has mentioned Castellanos in rumors, not that I’ve heard of anyway. But the Tigers are out of it, they need to sell JD Martinez, and they’re probably not far from flinging whatever isn’t nailed down out the door. Castellanos is sort of nailed down, but maybe. He’s a former first round draft pick, selected by none other than Dave Dombrowski, and he’s the toolsy sort of guy you’d expect based on the first part of this sentence. He’s not a great fielder, but he’s under team control through the 2020 season and, here’s the kicker, he’s crushing the ball. According to FanGraphs, Castellanos is making hard contact 49.6 percent of the time! That’s insane and way above what he’s done in the past. Yet, his BABIP hasn’t shown it yet. Part of the problem is his 41 percent ground ball rate, but if he starts hitting the ball in the air with that kind of contact, this is a guy you would want in the lineup. So maybe the Sox take a shot with a guy like this hoping the improvement shows up sometime upon reaching Fenway. He doesn't seem like he's much of an upgrade, if any, and his defense is not good. I only bring this up because he's a Dombrowski guy so maybe he's on Dombrowski's radar.

I hope you are right. I know that Dombrowski has no qualms about aggressively promoting prospects, but the FO has said over and over that they will not rush Devers. Are they just blowing smoke, or is there something in his game or make up that truly makes them feel that he is not ready?

We are pretty much in agreement here. What worries me about Dombrowski is that I think he is all in. He has built the team to win now, so if he can get a player that he thinks is a difference maker, I think he will go for it, even if it means trading one of our top prospects.

Sounds about right.

Correction - ERod will start Monday night against the Jays, with Fister getting the start on Tuesday. These two performances will likely determine Fister's fate.