Maxbialystock
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Everything posted by Maxbialystock
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He had 3 rookies in the game tonight, plus Rafaela in his 2d full season, Narvaez in his first full season, Toro who has bounced around MLB with a lifetime OPS of .656, and Gonzalez whose lifetime OPS is .680 and who has always been a part-time player. Oh, and Cora's pitching staff's ERA is ranked 23d in MLB. Cora could well get fired, but it will fix nothing. The pitching stinks and our best hitter/player went on the IL May 23. The Sox are 6 and 10 since then.
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"little intangible details" is a pile of crap. Bernardino was awful tonight while giving up 2 runs. He walked 1, gave up 2 hits, had a costly wild pitch, and also made a throwing error--and he got just one guy out. Nonchalant rookie Anthony made a costly error in RF. The Sox were 4 for 23 with RISP. What am I forgetting? Oh, yes, the Rays scored 10 runs, 7 of them earned. The Sox scored 8, 7 of them earned. Last night Cora used 8 relievers and tonight Kelly was his 7th. The good news is the Sox didn't quit and found ways to come back and tie the score, including 2 freaking runs in the bottom of the 9th. Also Bello had a quality start and has the 2d most on the team after Crochet. Story made some good plays at SS and was 2/6 with an rbi.
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You called nothing, you turkey, not when the Sox scored 10 runs and took it to the 11th inning.
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Anthony's out was the hardest hit ball by the Sox so far.
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Sox defense stunk in the 4th. And the same lineup players have stunk at the plate.
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Bello came off the mound nicely to field that grounder.
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Fascinating bottom of the 2d when the Sox showed a whole lot more than Duran, Devers, and Toro in the 1st inning. Baz looked almost human.
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Now some shots of Anthony in the dugout. Plus a sign referring to the "Roman Empire."
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Excellent single (and no K) by Story. Baz is throwing a lot of fastballs, one of which Anthony popped up.
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2 solid hits by the Rays in the 2d, but an easy grounder for 3d out. The NESN director and no doubt the Sox front office have decided to follow Anthony standing in RF as much as the actual game.
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Whoops. Baz looks unhittable after 1 IP and 3 K's.
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Great first inning by Bello! Just 12 pitches, a K, and nothing hit hard. His pitching stats say he is at his worst the first time through the lineup. I also liked his command and saw nary a fat pitch. He definitely worked the corners.
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Starting 3 rookies tonight is sheer brilliance. They become the Sox story this season if they can hit and stay in the lineup. Given the miserable Sox pitching, I don't see much hope of the Sox getting back into the hunt, but who knows?
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This ain't on Cora. Season to date Bello has averaged 18 pitches per inning and his K/BB ratio is 33 to 24. That said, I think Cora will be inclined to leave Bello in tonight as long as possible because he used 8 relievers last night. Statistically, I think Bello is the #2 starter on this team. If that doesn't terrify you, nothing will.
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Bingo. IP is a key stat when discussing Bello.
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Agree.
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Rays have been coming on strong--7-3 in their last 10 games, 35-30 overall--and that's mostly because of their pitching. Ours stinks, but recently our hitting/scoring has picked up--despite Bregman still being on the IL. I would have bet money the Yankees would have swept the Sox last weekend, so my predictions are worthless. So the most I can say about this series is that it will definitely be worth watching to see whether the Sox can still salvage this season. Bello has really only had one bad game (7 runs by Atlanta on May 18), but he also has had problems going 5 IP. And last night Cora used 8 relievers.
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Fine with me.
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That has definitely happened. Right after Bregman went on the IL, the Sox hitting stunk to high heaven. Now it seems to be bouncing back, but for how long? Nevertheless, 4th in runs scored, season to date, is pretty good, just as 23d in team ERA is pretty bad. And I'm sick and tired off all the whining about the defense when the MLB best team fielding percentage is 99% and the Sox are at 98%. Right now the Sox have a CF, RF, C, and 3d basemen (Bregman plus Mayer) who are all in the top 5 in MLB in DWAR's. Story and Duran are at least adequate. So that leaves 1b and 2b as the only weak defensive positions.
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Baloney. I'm all for bringing Anthony up along with Mayer and Campbell who are already up. But the Sox right now are ranked 4th in MLB in runs scored and 23d in team ERA. So Anthony is going to fix nothing although he could be a pleasant diversion. And Cora is the wrong guy to point the finger at when it's Breslow who gave up Sale and brought in Giolito. Those moves alone determined the Sox ignominy last season and this season. If you say the real culprit on pitching is JH, I won't disagree. But I will vehemently disagree Cora is the problem.
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All good points, but the simple fact is that another bat doesn't ameliorate the real problem, pitching. The Sox currently are ranked 4th in MLB in runs scored and 23d in team ERA. On the other hand, if you believe the pitching is unfixable, which it probably is, then now is the perfect time to make room for Anthony.
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A silly thread that seeks to rearrange the deck chairs while the pitching staff is causing the 2025 Sox to founder. Who cares what happens to Hamilton when the Sox team ERA is ranked 23d in MLB? The Sox are now ranked 4th in MLB in runs scored. Hitting isn't the problem and will in fact get better when Bregman returns. I would love to see Anthony brought up to Boston, but honestly see him as a trick pony, a diversion from our real problem, pitching.
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So we agree that team fielding percentage is meaningless. Good. We also agree that defense can affect pitching. And that's why I say a fair evaluation of our defense has to be based on the DWAR's of the individual players because DWAR's include everything a defender does or fails to do. Bregman and Mayer at 3b, Rafaela in CF, Abreu in RF, and Narvaez at catcher all are in the top five in their positions in DWAR. That's half the freaking defense (not including pitchers). Of the other half, Story does have a positive DWAR and has been very steady, especially on double plays. The Sox are ranked 4th in MLB in double plays per game. And Duran is a decent left fielder. That leaves just 2b and 1b as the trouble spots. As far as I'm concerned trouble at 1b is not biggie, but at 2b is, but Cora has not seen fit to bench Campbell--and I think Cora is right.
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Oh stop it. Just stop it. Devers does not in any way, shape, or form run the team. Cora was the one who convinced Devers to make the most of the DH position--after he lost 3b where he had played for 8 seasons--and Raffy did just that. He's having a career year and is tied for most games played in MLB precisely because he is the DH. He is also 2d in MLB in rbi's and 10th in OPS. Meanwhile Toro and Gonzalez are both worlds better at 1b than Casas was. Beyond any question, the dilletante in this situation is Breslow who went around his manager to ask Devers to play 1b. Dumb.
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June 18th is just 10 days away during which the Sox play six at home against the Rays and Yankees and three at Seattle. Plus they get the 12th off. I would love to see the Sox win 6 of 9, but seriously doubt they can if the pitching doesn't improve. And that's really the point, isn't it? If the Sox pitching doesn't improve, Winning 6 of the next 9 ain't happening. The Sox have won 3 of their last 6 games while averaging 8 runs per game. In the three wins the Sox scored 11, 10, and 11 runs. Is it relevant to point out that rookie Campbell currently has a WAR of -0.6? Rookie Mayer's WAR is +0.3 because of his defense. I think June 18th is soon enough for Anthony.