Maxbialystock

There's a lovely symmetry to it all, especially tonight's game with lousy hitting, lousy defense, and lousy pitching to make it 5 straight losses. If that isn't enough, the talksox name is gone, along with the talksox format. But, heck, like a bunch of others I had to leave boston.com--and talksox has proven to be a better site.

You're right, of course. But I'm in a crappy mood, and I don't much like Jansen.

I'm sorry, but saying "enshrined in baseball history' is just stupid. It's an accident and completely meaningless. Nothing is achieved.

When the game started, it looked like a sparse "crowd."

Indeed. The Diamondbacks do not have a good pitching staff, and they owned the Sox lineup. And now the Jays own them. Duran just hit a solo dinger for the Sox only run, and the NESN team acted like it was a game winner.

We are in trouble without you.

There are games this season when our lefty batters act as though they've read the "book" that says they can't hit lefty pitchers and act as though they believe it.

Duran and especially Hammond could hardly have looked worse in their first at bats.

Thanks for the reminder about the Sox announcers. I don't listen to them, but did read about what they said. And I thank you and others for telling me what jerks they were/are. My guess is it was there asinine way of defending the Sox. I root for the Sox relentlessly, but I try not to excuse them when they don't measure up.

Good points. I have jibed constantly at Story because of his absences/injuries, but I do think letting Bogaerts go was the right move and that theoretically a good defensive SS who can also hit (but not as well) made sense. Overall, the lineup half of the roster is in pretty good shape right now. But the pitching is a mess, largely because the Sox brain trust don't know the first thing about developing or evaluating pitching talent.

Hard enough to find talksox.com. Having found it, navigating the site is also a chore. On top of that, the Sox are in a tailspin after abasing themselves before the visiting Diamondbacks. They were/are, in a word, snakebitten. How bad was it? The Sox pitching gave up 23 runs in 3 games, which actually wasn't that surprising given how bad they are and how good the Diamondbacks hitting is (best in MLB by a big margin). The surprise was the Sox hitting, just 8 runs in 3 games against a pitching staff ranked 25th in MLB.

Today is a good day to talk about the booth and not the game.

You were saying?

I don't listen any more, so I really shouldn't be commenting.

Both are idiots with nary an insight between them.

Nobody has a bullpen remotely as bad ours. The signature game of this season is having to score 12 runs to squeak in a 12-10 win over the Orioles. There is almost no lead the bullpen can't/won't give away.

Prophetic. Simple fact is, Houck stinks today. I stand by my statement that a loss today pretty much ends this season for the Sox. And there's nothing particularly insightful about that. The bullpen stinks, period.

I unfailingly mention Barry's PED's and Pete's gambling, which he did while managing a MLB team. However, I believe I'm correct in saying that on MLB.com you can see advertisements for betting on MLB games. It's still forbidden for players, managers, coaches, etc, so to me it's just wrong for MLB to be pushing gambling on games.

Excellent OP by moonslav, whose analysis of the Sox current situation is spot on. The Diamondbacks, as reported in the Friday night game thread, came in hot as hot can be. They have terrific hitting and lead MLB by a bunch in runs scored--35 more than the #2 Yankees. And to my eyes their pitching in both games looked pretty good even though their team ERA is ranked a really lousy 25th. Good pitching usually trumps good hitting and the Diamondbacks just stomped the Sox into the ground in both games. I honestly don't think being at Fenway had anything to do with those two decisive wins. moonslav is dead right that the Sox need to make a stand--now. And, as optimistic as I've tried to be this season, largely because I think these players deserve our support, it's overwhelmingly apparent the bullpen is the Sox achilles heel. To me the signature game was actually a win, 12-10 in Baltimore. What could have been more revealing of how weak the bullpen is? Today is going to one more good test because Houck is our best starter and the Diamondbacks' Kelly doesn't look like much. If the Diamondbacks win, I think the Sox season ends today.

The Sox could no more afford Bogaerts--and you are dead wrong he would take less money in Boston than in San Diego--than they could Mookie. Also, who the heck cares? Bogey couldn't save this team, even in his best years, because eh can't pitch. Without Bogey and without Mookie and without JDM (in his good years), this Sox team is ranked 5th in MLB in runs scored. \This 2024 Sox team can hit and score runs. They just can't pitch.

Before yesterday's game, several people commented that the Diamondbacks are hot--and tough. I wasn't so sure. I was wrong.

It's so refreshing to read commentary by someone with real standards. Thank goodness--because some of us were getting to like one or two of these Sox players. You would have been so great commenting on Ted Williams and just hammering him for his lackluster play in LF. But standards are standards, and, if you ain't a 5-tool player, well, you're just a tool.

You are basing that, of course, on a rectangle we see but nobody on the field sees. Nor can we be sure it's accurate.

Two straight games the Sox haven't hit spit. Today I was impressed with Crawford's 5 innings and 2 ER's, but the bullpen is now in there to pad Arizona's lead. I keep missing key innings, so haven't really watched Garcia much. I like that sinker of his.

Bernardino chokes big time. He walks two to bring in one run and then throws a WP to bring in another. 23 pitches, 12 for strikes. Sims threw 15 pitches, 5 for strikes. I guess it's slightly miraculous the Diamondbacks only scored 2 runs.