Maxbialystock

Let's see, now. Pivetta, 7 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs. Sox bullpen, 3 IP, 4 runs.

Sox bullpen has been rotten in this series, but until today it wasn't much needed. Both Marlins runs are charged to Slaten, but Bernardino was the guy giving up hits right and left. And that was after Pivetta pitched 7 innings of one hit, no runs baseball. Great play by Duran. Both rbi's by Devers on strategic ground outs, in case anyone wonders who good or bad the Sox hitting has been.

Happy Fourth, everyone. Just to set the record straight, the American Revolution actually began April 19, 1775 at Concord and Lexington. Two months later, June 14, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, created the Continental Army, put GW in charge, and sent him up to Boston, where the headquarters of the Massachusetts militia was. That militia was the Continental Army because other colonies sent just onesies and twosies of companies. Still to be fought was the battle of Bunker Hill and finally, March 1776, thanks to the guns brought from Ticonderoga by Henry Knox, driving the British Army and Navy out of Boston, never to return. Then and only then did the Second Continental Congress have the gumption to write and then sign the Declaration of Independence. But it still took them all of April, May, and June to screw their courage to the sticking point.

I agree with all the bad stuff about Sale, Giolito, and Grissom. Just a complete disaster which only reinforces JH's belief that his brain trust lacks brains. On the other hand, a team now without Story, Whitlock, Sale, Grissom, Giolito, Casas, and others I can't remember is right now, July 4, 2024, playing some of their best ball since the 2021 Sox made it all the way to the ALCS. The pitching, now with a rotation of Houck, Crawford, Pivetta, Winckowski, and Bello, is the best Sox pitching in a decade or more because the Sox ERA is ranked 7th in MLB. And everyone on that pitching staff except Jansen is a bargain basement no-name. Houck, who just a year ago was tabbed as the guy who couldn't get guys out the third time through the order, is the Sox ace and his WAR, 2.8, is a tad better than Sale's 2.7, plus he has more quality starts, 13 to 10. Duran, who seemed to be emerging last year, has gone completely ape this year with the 4th highest WAR, 4.6, in MLB (not including pitchers). The Sox still lead MLB in errors--7 more than the next worst--but somehow manage to get guys out thanks to the pitching and what is actually a pretty decent defensive outfield. Speaking of whom, Rafaela and Abreu, both with much lower WAR's (1.2 and 1.8) than Duran, nevertheless contribute a bunch. Rafaela, still batting 9th, has 47 rbi's to team leader Devers' 49. Hamilton's WAR is a decent 1.3 (OPS .741 also decent) and he has only committed one more error than Devers' 6. Rafaela has a DWAR of +0.5 despite 10 errors. Before I forget, Cora is the best manager in MLB and absolutely perfect for this team--as he was also perfect for the 2018 juggernaut. And the pitching coach is one of the best in MLB. If Cora has failed, it might be in his reluctance to conduct some form of laying on of hands to transfer his defensive infield chops to Devers, Hamilton, Valdez, Smith, Rafaela, et al. Sox hitting so far is a bigger weakness than the defense because they are ranked 12th in runs scored, which historically has destined Sox teams to losing seasons. The Sox are, however, ranked 6th in team OPS, so the problem seems to be "RISP disease." And I think that is caused by two things: a fairly inexperienced lineup and one that lacks a bonafide big righty bat.

Wander Franco. Oh, wait.

Interesting--very. So two strikes against that injury. The first is that it happened while swinging the bat, which Casas absolutely must continue to do to remain in baseball. The second now is that, not only must the Sox and Casas rely on "natural healing," but it could take forever.

"Middle third" is misleading. The Sox payroll is 11th, which is one slot from top third. That said, I agree it's unarguable the Sox have made a bunch of bad trades/acquisitions recently. That said, however, the entire Red Sox rotation this season is paid less than the closer Jansen, who gets $16M. The two best starters, Houck and Crawford, each get $750K or so. And the highest WAR, 4.7, on the team is Duran, who is also paid $750K. And you are dead wrong about not competing. The Sox winning percentage is .541, which translates to 88 wins, which should compete. In addition, the Sox are 1/2 game out of the 3d wild card slot and 1.5 games out of the 2d wild card slot.

Agree Smith sucks, which is all the more reason to play him. On Talksox, especially on game threads, it is essential we have someone to gripe about. Tonight a bunch of guys expected to dump on Bello, who graciously gave up 3 singles and a run in the first inning. So the bunch ran with it the whole game, adamantly refusing to say he had done anything remotely acceptable. First time I can remember 6.2 innings, 1 run, 7 K's, 7 singles, and 1 run was blind stupid luck. What they actually said is that the Marlins can't hit. Nosiree, not a lick. I looked that up and it turns out "not a lick" is 296 runs in 85 games, which 3.5 runs per game. The best offense in MLB is the Orioles: 440 runs in 85 games or 5.2 runs per game. Just last week/weekend the terrible hitting Marlins played 4 against the best pitching staff (ERA 3.09) in MLB--the Phillies. They split 4 games, winning 7-4 and 3-2 and losing 0-2 and 6-7. Simple math tells us the no good, worthless Marlins averaged 4 runs per game against the best pitching staff in MLB. So far they've averaged 2.5 runs per game against the rotten, stinking, worthless Sox staff.

Devers now at 49 rbi's. And Rafaela, the punk kid who always gets sand kicked at him at the beach, is just 2 behind him at 47.

And guess which Sox horrible, terrible, awful, no good, rotten Sox hitter is 13 for 25 in his last 7 games? The guy who speaks almost no English and even less Spanish.

Agree on most and certainly understand what I call the "big market big payroll" syndrome/expectation. As I've said too many times, it's enough for me at almost 84 to have seen four freaking WS wins. Thus in my view John Henry owes me absolutely nothing. Plus I think he should be pissed that time and again--recently, say, 2019 to the present-- his FO smart guys signed big arms to big contracts and then watched them collapse while still getting huge salaries for what seems like decades. I must have missed the "full throttle comment," which absolutely does not jibe with what Chaim Bloom was clearly directed to do since 2019: "do not spend long and big on arms." Absolutely agree Dalbec and Smith are duds. But I can remember Sox teams whose 7th, 8th, and 9th batters thought "batter" had something to with making cakes. Hit a round ball with a round bat squarely? No way. Anyway, Dalbec is gone, maybe for good. As for Smith, I guess he gets the nod over Gonzalez (who has played 1B) because he's a lefty bat in a righty starter universe.

No s***!!!!????? You do come up with some gems. Nice win too. I didn't realize it before tonight, but I've learned that the Marlins should have simply forfeited tonight's game because they are so awful. They can't hit--nosiree, not at all.

We disagree, but that's OK--which I apologize for forgetting. I like these 2024 Sox a lot because, with Giolito, Story, Whitlock, Casas, Sale, et al on the IL (or pitching for the Braves while paid by the Sox), they should be floundering at the bottom of the AL, not just the AL East. Instead, the suckers are winning ball games they didn't win last year. The rotation is insanely good for a bunch of no-names. I mean, as recently as last season we were all arguing about whether Houck could face a lineup 3 times. As for Bello, I'm fine with whatever Cora and Breslow agree on. But to me it makes sense to leave him with the best manager in MLB and possibly the best pitching coach.

I was overseas, but religiously checked the Sox box scores in 1949 and after, so that's 75 years of fandom even though I couldn't get Sox games on radio or TV for about 50 of those years. DirectTV changed that in 2002, so I've been a real fanatic since then. Lucky timing because JH bought the Sox and brought in a pretty good brain trust to finally end the 86 year drought. His first big move was to fire that idiot manager and bring in Francona. I've been a Sox fan because I was born outside Boston and both my parents grew up in Massachusetts. Plus Ted Williams, of course. I had an Uncle Ned who was a real Sox fan, living right there in Boston the whole time, for the entire 86 year drought, but I don't think he made it to October 2004. I remember watching him watch every single Sox game on TV. including some of the bad years. I thought he was nuts, so I must be one too. Having said that, one fellow nut to another, you are certainly entitled to your point of view. Real fans thrive on disagreeing.

One more time. In the 4 games before this series, your no good, lowdown, rotten, stinking, worthless Marlins split 4 games with the best team in MLB, the Phillies. And they did it in Philadelphia. So you are darn right I'm impressed with Bello tonight. He pitched every bit as well as Crawford did last night. And, shame on me for saying this, but I'm actually hoping--not asserting, but hoping--tonight's outing is the beginning of a turnaround for Bello. Isn't that terrible to hope that when you and others want in the very worst way for Bello to crash and burn for the rest of this season?

No, buster. You've been this way. I certainly have not. I watched almost every game in 2018, the best season the Sox have ever had. And I did the same in 2021 when the Sox made it to the postseason, beat Cole and the Yankees in the wild card, beat the 100 win Rays in the ALDS, and finally lost, 4 games to 2, to the Astros in the ALCS. People have forgotten that in his first two seasons as CBO, Dombrowski's teams won the AL East in 2016 and 2017 but were trounced, 3 games to none, both years in the ALDS. To me those were worse seasons than 2021. Such is Cora's genius that the Sox made it to the postseason and the ALCS in 2021 without a freaking closer. The last two seasons were not good, but they were still watchable. And, to a knowledgeable Sox fan since 1949, the 2024 Sox have been astounding precisely because of all the no-names, including the entire Sox rotation, who are making a difference.

I get it. And I sure hope others on this thread do too. You don't like the 2024 version of the Sox, so you can't help but spew your venom all over this game thread. Also, try this on for size. Bello was dead, dead, dead in the first inning with those three quick singles and 1 run in and 1 out. But then he got a K for out 2. Then he got called for what I think was a bogus balk, putting runners on 2d and 3d. And then he got the third out on a grounder. And never looked back. Why do you refuse to acknowledge he had a great game tonight?And why do you ignore that the awful, terrible Marlins just split 4 games with the winningest team in MLB? I'm not saying Bello has turned a corner, not after just one game. But, if you are a real Sox fan, as you clearly are not, you gotta love what he did tonight and hope there will be more to come. Last night Crawford, our 2d best starter, went 6 innings and gave up 1 run.

The "bad team" just split two with Philly in Philadelphia. In case you haven't noticed, the Phillies have the best won-lost record in MLB. My gosh, you guys hate giving a Sox pitcher any credit. And, yes, I know Bello has struggled massively for big chunks of this season. But as I've said once already, he has one of the best pitching coaches and the best manager in MLB to guide him.

Ahem. Before last night, the Marlins split 4 games with the Phillies in Philly while scoring 7, 0, 3, and 6 runs. So puhlease don't tell me they can't hit--or pitch, for that matter. And last night they scored 3 runs off the Sox.

You and I are on completely different wavelengths. I have seen a competitive Sox team this year. You know, the one that took 2/3 from the Yankees and 2/3 from the Phillies. Going into this game the Sox were .5 games out of the third wild card. And the pitching has without question been the strength of the Sox this year. Bello has struggled, but not in every game and certainly not tonight. Furthermore, he has a far better pitching coach and far better manager in Boston than he will find in Worcester.

Rafaela triples and Duran and Refsnyder can't bring him home. So who do we blame? Bello, of course.

Are you serious? Tonight he's gone 5 innings and given up 5 singles and 1 run. And you want to send him back to Worcester.

Of course I watch the games. And my point is that tonight you are blinded by those previous games and can't see that Bello is actually pitching well tonight. You ought to be ashamed of yourself because he's our pitcher and has given up 1 run in 5 innings in a 2-1 game. Bello is the reason the Sox are leading.

You don’t gain or regain confidence sitting on the bench.

You’re an idiot. Why insist Bello stinks when he’s been pitching well? We all know how he’s struggle this year, but he also has 3 quality starts.