Maxbialystock

Crochet is currently ranked 3d in MLB in pitches thrown. I've read numerous articles, as have you, that the third time through the batting order normally gives the advantage to the hitters. I thought Crochet looked terrific today, which is pretty much the way he has been all season. I honestly don't worry much when he faces a batting order for the 3d time. But I was fine with Whitlock coming in to finish the 8th, which would have been scoreless for the White Sox if the ump hadn't called a third strike, clearly in the zone, a ball. I would have left Crochet in to finish the 8th if the Sox were up by just 1 run.

Meh. Bregman is a ton better than Devers, and the Sox lead MLB in double plays by a wide margin thanks to Bregman, Story, Campbell, and Casas. When you throw in Duran, Rafaela, and Abreu, it's a pretty good fielding team. Plus I love the way Bregman played in on that grounder to 3b, which allowed him to throw out the lead runner going to 2b. I too am disappointed by the throws by Bregman and Campbell leading to 3 unearned runs for Crochet and probably a second straight loss. But I partly blame the weather plus coming off the double header on Sunday.

After a dry spell It's now raining (2d day) in Greensboro. YBut it's not raining in Tabuk.

Devers has yet to practice at 1b. Casas and Devers both have higher career OPSs than Yoshida. Yoshida is admittedly an expensive bench-sitter, but I think he stays there.

Fascinating. Makes sense.

Well you were wrong because the 2025 Devers was his worst ever. Or so I claimed and am happy to see his OPS is already at .825. His rise coincided with a Sox winning streak.

The article in the OP is hardly original. I was commenting repeatedly on Cora's reluctance to use his bullpen and specifically said leaving his starters in games was the direct cause of losing games 3 and 4 in Texas.

1. We know what the Dodgers are paying Betts, but don't know how much more they were willing to pay him if the Sox made a competitive offer. It's important to remember that the Betts deal happened after the 2019 season, which was unmitigated disaster. The Sox had the highest payroll in MLB and couldn't make the playoffs. The hitting was still pretty good with Mookie--the Sox finished 4th in MLB in runs scored. But the pitching, ranked 19th in team ERA, stunk. 2. So DD was fired and replaced by Chaim Bloom from the Rays system, probably in hopes he could field a competitive team that didn't break the bank at Monte Carlo. Thus the pursuit of relative bargains like Story and Yoshida--and a whole bunch of pitchers. The 2021 team, Chaim's first when you exclude covid 2020, was pretty good and made it to the ALCS before losing to the Astros. 3. But then came 78 wins (and no postseason) in both 2022 and 2023, so the Chaim experiment ended and Breslow, with a Yale degree (majors in molecular biophysics and biochemisty) and 12 years of MLB pitching experience, was hired. 4. Last year, despite the Giolito/Sale disasters, was a slight improvement--from 78 wins to 81 wins--plus the Sox finished 3d in the AL East instead of the cellar in both 2022 and 2023. In the 2024 postseason Breslow had the go ahead to make some big acquisitions--Bregman, Buehler, Chapman, and Crochet. Interestingly, however--and I think moonslav predicted this last year--the Sox payroll right now is ranked just 12th. 5. I don't like being 1-4 right now, but have hopes the new blood--including Campbell and the guys still in AAA--will get the Sox to the postseason. 6. All in all, I'm inclined to defend JH, who is the best owner in Sox history--his quirks notwithstanding.

OK, OK. I admit Devers can hit well and that moonslav has a point. But I live in the present and right now he's killing us and the team is 1-4. Other hitters stink too, and the pitching isn't all that sharp.

If you're right, Devers needs to grow up. He's getting paid more than he is worth--$313.5M thru 2032 or 2033. He may like playing 3b, but he's demonstrably a liability there. DH is the right position for him now with gold glover Bregman available. Bregman's lifetime OPS is .847, but it's been around .800 for the last 3 seasons. I personally don't like the DH, but it's now legal in both the AL and the NL, so it's stupid not to put a good bat there.

Afraid so. Heck, today Duran contributed an error.

There is no known pitch in MLB that Devers can't swing and miss at. He has a complete repertoire of swings.

I was wrong. Newcomb only pitched 4 innings, then Whitcomb 2.

beides

Yet again the opposing manager goes to his bullpen first. Not going to his bullpen cost Cora two wins in Texas. As I've said too many times, all of the Texas runs in 4 games were scored off the sttarters. And tomorrow's an off day so the entire bullpen can rest.

Agree, plus it's another positive comment on Newcomb.

First intelligent comment on this topic. Newcomb now had 3 shutout innings (even though he dug a big 4-0 hole for the Sox). First up in the 5th, the man who K'd with a runner on 3b.

Can't be the Babe, even though I think he's among the top 3 all-time in MLB, because he spent most of his years with the Yankees. But with the Sox he was a terrific pitcher. No one else comes close to Ted Williams, who once said the most difficult skill in all sports is hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely. He didn't mention how fast the ball was moving or with what trajectory. Only Ruth's hitting stats are better, and the Babe never went to war. Teddy Ballgame missed 3 seasons because of WW II and two more (in which he played 43 games total) because of his combat tour in Korea. In 1960 when he turned 42 he played in 113 games with 29 dingers and an OPS of 1.096.

I like a balanced lineup. For example, lefty bat Abreu has 15 total bases and an OPS of 2.300 and righty bat Campbell has 11 TB and an OPS of 1.286. They have played a combined 168 MLB games and are paid minimum MLB wage. The unbalanced part is that everyone else--just 4 games, granted--stinks. But ain't it nice that those seven stinkers include three lefty bats (Devers, Casas, and Duran) and four righty bats (Bregman, Story, Rafaela, and Wong)? The article/analysis at the top is over my head.

I live in the present, game to game, so my view is that he has hurt this team in the first four games. And I really don't care whether it's his shoulder, his truncated spring training, or that big wad he chews at the plate. Do I need add he is paid an enormous salary? I also note, however, that Duran, Bregman, Story, Casas, Wong, and Rafaela are doing their level best to cover for Devers' lousy hitting because they ain't doing much better. After 4 games rookie Campbell and 164 total games Abreu together have 26 total bases and the entire rest of the Sox team has 14.

After the first four games, two stats stand out-- 1. All 12 of the Rangers runs were scored off the starters and some of that falls on Cora who announced he would use his starters as much as possible to save his bullpen. The Rangers manager took the opposite approach. 2. The Sox hitters were 7/41 with RISP. So the hitting stinks--especially by those who are paid the big bucks.

I think Cora is obsessed with the schedule, so much so that he left Buehler in to give up 2 more runs in the 5th and a 4 to 2 lead for Texas. The bullpen is still unscored upon but Cora hates to send them out there because he wants the starters to pitch a minimum of 5 innings and preferably 6 or 7. If Cora pulls Buehler before the 5th, the Sox could have won the game 3-2. Meanwhile Texas is up 2 games to 1 because their manager loves to use his bullpen. I am overstating the case against Cora--of course I am--because the real problem so far is the lousy hitting. Tonight the Sox were 1/12 with RISP.

True. I'm just just not in the habit of listening to pregame stuff.

Good point. I do recall reading about that. I still think he was wrong and was saved by the Sox pathetic hitting, (not including Abreu).

Devers and company get Cora off the hook. Those 2 runs off Houck in the 6th were not needed for the Texas win.