Maxbialystock

I don't particularly like Bernardino because of other games I've watching him pitch in. But it did in fact make sense to send him in against Ohtani and Freeman. Ohtani's OPS is .875 vs lefties and 1.119 vs. righties. Freeman's OPS vs lefties is .753 and .966 vs righties.

The inscrutable notin. While I agree the Sox hitting, especially with RISP, wasn't so hot, I remain amazed that no one has mentioned Bernardino as having had any effect on the game outcome. In fact, I don't think his name is in this game thread. The simple fact is that all by himself Bernardino killed us. Pivetta went 6 scoreless and Kelly would have gone 1.1 scoreless if Bernardino hadn't been absolutely terrible. He's done this before--sabotaged a winning effort--but he usually does it by allowing the previous Sox pitcher's to score runs. This time the grand slam cost him 3 runs and jacked up his ERA to a very misleading 2.53. His WHIP, 1.28, is a better indicator of why he hasn't been that useful this season. Yes, O'Neill got caught napping, not only not getting back to 1b quickly enough, but also going most of the way to 2b on an easy fly to short LF. But, had he been safe at 1b, the Sox would still have had 2 outs with little likelihood they would bring him home. To me the real message on this game is that the Sox are tough, but still need some help in the form of one or more good arms (SP or RP) and maybe a good righty bat or two.

Yet another 93 mph fast ball right down the middle for a K, this time by Duran. Maybe all the Sox have "can't hit mid to upper zone fastball" disease.

Wong K's on a 93 mph fastball near the geometric center of the strike zone.

Good old Vargas. Gotta love that guy.

I've seen him hit those this season, but I've also seen him miss a bunch. His OPS is .974, not too shabby, you think?

6 shutout innings for Pivetta!!!!! At 90 pitches, he might come back out for the 7th.

mlb.com box score says the temp at Dodgers Stadium is 78 degrees, just about perfect for baseball.

Ohtani The Great One has K'd 3 times against Pivetta.

Good move by the Dodgers to bring in the lefty reliever to get Devers, Yoshida, and Abreu.

Fat fastball right down the middle, and Devers swings and misses for a K.

Way to go, Pivetta! 5 scoreless innings and 77 pitches against the 3d best lineup in MLB. going into this series, the Dodger have scored 479 runs--compared to the MLB leaders, the Yankees, with 488 runs. Related applause for catcher Reese McGuire.

Good grief. Who is that masked man batting leadoff for the Sox? That was pretty nice and pretty doggone big.

I don't know any applicable rule, but what you say makes perfect sense. This is an absorbing game so far. Pivetta has used a lot of pitches, but has done the job for 4 innings. He could go 6. Sox are 0 for 8 with RISP.

Fool's gold, pure and simple. Vlad so far is a one season wonder--2021, age 21, when he hit 48 dingers and had an OPS of 1.002. In his other 5 seasons, his OPS's have been .772, .791, .818, .788, and now .815, and his dingers have totaled 15, 9, 32, 26, and now 14. In 2013 the Yankees signed Jacoby Ellsbury for 7 years and $153M, largely on the basis of one freaking season, 2011, when he had 32 dingers and an OPS of .928. He never had another season remotely as good before or after 2011. I think Vlad's a lot better than Jacoby turned out to be, but I think he and his agent are expecting a long term contract based entirely on his 2021 season (48 dingers, 1.002 OPS). In addition, because I think Vlad could be a fan favorite in Toronto, I'm assuming he and his agent will use that fact to demand a big contract, which officially doesn't have to be offered until after the 2025 season, but will definitely come into play if Vlad is headed for the Sox. Then there's the little matter of Vlad's weight, which is currently 245 lbs. Anyone here remember Sandoval? Anyone? The Sox swept in and took him away from the Giants and paid him $17M/year for doing basically nothing.

The Oakland Athletics hearken back to the Philadelphia Athletics, owned and managed by Connie Mack. The Oakland Athletics won three straight WS, 1972-74, which only one other MLB team, the Yankees, have done. The Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders began in the old AFL and were at their best under Coach John Madden, who led them to a bunch of conference championships in the 1970s and winning the Super Bowl in 1976.

Grissom is under attack primarily because of how he came to the Sox--basically, in a trade for Sale, who is now the ace for the Braves. Moreover, $17M of Sale's salary is being paid by the Sox. There is no way, no how Grissom can counterbalance what the Sox gave away. Grissom had 41 decent games in 2022 and has been awful in 46 games since: his average OPS for 2023 and 2024 is around .510 and his cumulative WAR, both seasons, is -1.2. If anything, his persistent hammie problems are a blessing for the Sox. At age 23, what he does have is the promise of youth. But he faces a lot of competition.

I know it was. They played the games, so of course they have to count them and the season. But to me it was a sham season.

Right now he is almost certainly at peak value. His WAR is 5.0, 5th highest among MLB hitters/fielders. He is about to turn 28 (Sep 5) and has several years of team control ahead of him. He just might be the biggest bargain in the known universe. Chris Sale paid him a great compliment at the All-Star Game, that Duran basically leaves nothing on the field of play and spends himself fully on every play--in the field, at bat, and on the basepaths. For us fans that means he's great fun to watcher whatever he's doing. Which raises this question. Why are Sox fans so reluctant to come to games at Fenway to see Duran in action? Also Devers, Rafaela, Abreu, Jansen, Houck, Crawford, O'Neill, Wong, and even Hamilton and Pivetta? The Sox are 95 games into this season, and 53-42. They own (for now) the 3d wild card slot, are just 1/2 game back of the Twins for the 2d place wild card and 3.5 games back of the Yankees. Oh, and this season once again the AL East has the best W-L record of 6 MLB Divisions, and the Sox are just 4.5 games behind the division-leader Orioles. Anyone remember the 2012 Sox? Anyone? The were a bunch of losers and finished 69-93--and they hadn't won a WS since 2007. Anyone remember the 2012 Sox average attendance? Anyone? 37, 567. This year the Sox attendance is 32,503, which is less than last year's 32,989 when the Sox finished 78-84, dead last in the AL East.

And that's the truth! Even MLB has had exceptions to that developmental truth--like Bryce Harper--but the NBA finally had to install a "no draft until 19 rule" to keep coaches from drafting high school grads. And the NFL has been aided by the obvious requirement to see a budding star play NCAA Div I for at least a year or two. Hockey and soccer also allow great talents to be revealed at early ages. But baseball is centered around hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely--and pitching to prevent that from happening. Exactly one half of each MLB roster is expected to master one skill or the other. Teddy Ballgame argued hitting was harder, but 1/2 of every MLB roster is pitchers, and you only play one pitcher at a time in a game.

Wow. I never thought you would be the leading excuse-maker for the Sox front office. Granted, JH put restrictions on starters by saying no to 5 or more years @ $20M/year or more or something like that. The genius of Scott Boras is that he has managed to do better than that for a whole flock of MLB starters. Also position players although they are lower risk (but not risk-free). The end result is that, since 2019, Sox CBO's have been squeezed by Scott Boras on one side and John Henry on the other. Bloom brought in some pretty expensive pitching duds--all below the John Henry $100M line, and Breslow, barely out of the gate, grabbed Giolito for $38M, half of which is already down the drain and the other half in doubt, and sent Sale and $17M to the Braves where Sale is now a contender for the NL Cy Young award. Breslow gets great credit for insisting on a new pitching coach and bringing in Bailey, who has been pure gold. But I would argue that the Sox CBO's, including DD, have not been very smart in acquiring starters.

60 games are not a season. Also no fans. Also players in and out of covid.

You're counting the 2020 season? Shame on you. It was a nonseason. Bloom's first real season was 2021, and the Sox made it to the ALCS, which is more than DD's 2016 and 2017 Sox teams did. Plus in 2021 the Sox/Chaim Bloom didn't have Mookie, Price, or Sale. After Barnes collapsed (went sour) in midseason, the Sox finished the 2021 season and postseason without a closer. CB probably deserved to get fired, but in his defense John Henry changed what he was willing to pay for--which continues into this 2024 season.

Interesting. As always, you know that territory far better than I. So, if no additions can be made at a reasonable cost, maybe the middle ground is that the Sox don't trade away Jansen, O'Neill, or Pivetta, all of whom are free agents at the end of this season. All three are "paid for" and all three would be missed. As Cora keeps reminding the FO, the 2024 Sox have a real shot at the postseason, and the FO should reinforce success, not undercut it.

Agree. The rule was intended to reduce delays, but final outs mean no delays if a new pitcher starts the next inning.