Maxbialystock

I think that's an excellent standard. No baserunners. You know of course that's a perfect game. Are you nuts? The Sox have had several baserunners, including a man on 3b with 1 out--who didn't score. We have just 1 run.

I think you badly misread the first inning when he had 2 on and no one out. You simply ignored he got the next 3 guys out.

Compared to his recent starts, he looks fantastic. 5 K's and 0 runs in 3 innings.

Fair enough. Right now Breslow, regardless of what anyone says about the Sale/Giolito/Grissom moves, has to be happy. No one wanted this job for obvious reasons, and right now the Sox look awfully good despite those moves, the injuries, etc. If this keeps up over the next month, especially with Casas and Abreu returning, Breslow can look at trade options with a minimum of pressure.

Horrible Yoshida AB. Looked at two very hittable strike and swung at a pitch miles outside the strike zone.

Terrific comeback by Bello with 2 on and 0 outs. Maybe it helped McGuire was catching.

Could be. Both are big, been around the block, and spoke up.

This team is morphing right in front of us. They just took series from the Phillies and Yankees who have the best W-L records in MLB, and now they could sweep the Jays, who are right behind the Sox in the wild card race. The pitching continues to be way, way, way better than we had any right to expect, especially after Breslow not only gave away Chris Sale, but agreed to pay most ($17M) of his salary this season. This makes him a candidate for dumbest CBO in MLB--in my opinion. The hitting is coming around. The infield defense still stinks, but the baserunning slightly compensates. Plus it's possible the Jansen call to Cora to put him in the freaking game was a call to arms. Who knows?

Back in the very long winter of our discontent, it was called the June swoon. But right now the Sox are 10-6 in June and that includes taking 2 of 3 from both the Yankees and Phillies, who have the best W-L records in the American and National Leagues. To me this simple fact exemplifies the complete weirdness/wildness of this season. The Sox freaking gave away Chris Sale to the Braves and are even paying $17M of his salary. He is the Braves ace so far. And the Sox pitching staff, without Sale or Giolito or Whitlock, is the best it's been in years. Their team ERA is lower than the Sox ERA in 2018. Four of the five best lineup WAR's are bargain basement types: Duran, Abreu, Wong, and Rafaela. When you throw in O'Neill with his $6M salary, Casas, and Hamilton, you've got seven for a total salary of $11M. The current rotation of Houck, Crawford, Bello, Criswell, and Pivetta cost $11M in salary, less than the $16M for Jansen. So, yes, these guys could implode. But maybe Jansen phoning Cora to put him in the game is an example of why this Sox team won't fold.

Not that hard, I wouldn't think. They've got all the hitting stats, and his lifetime OPS was .940. As for the defense, you can pretty much give him a DWAR of 3 for most any season.

Yessir. He kind of said exactly that at his HOF ceremony, and I can remember thinking he was right. moonslav's stats are why I agree with you. Plus the 1954 grab (and throw) in the WS first game in the Polo Grounds. That was also Willie's only WS win.

Not sure I agree with the final sentiment, but do agree with your main point. Don't sell. See what this team can do, even with all the guys who are on the IL or underperformers or both. The pitching is excellent by Sox standards and in fact the team ERA is better than the 2018 Sox team ERA. How about that? The hitting sure seems to be coming around, and that's without Casas and Abreu, who are due back soon. The defense still stinks, but the baserunning helps to compensate. The Sox have just taken 2 of 3 from the Yankees and Phillies and Jays and are a mind-boggling 3 games above .500. What's not to like?

Announcers said so too--and I agree with all of you. Excellent win by the Sox. Increases their lead over the Jays, but we need the Twins to lose to gain a game on them. They are down, 5 -4, to the Rays, but delayed in the 5th inning. 12 hits to get those 4 runs--including 3 doubles and a dinger. Sox roster says they have 13 lineup players, and 12 of them played tonight. Wong was the odd man out.

He's intelligent, no question, but I'm less sure he is baseball smart. He brought in Giolito, and he let Sale go while also paying $17M of his 2024 salary--in return for Grissom. So, as of June 18, Giolito has yet to pitch to earn his $18M this year--stay tuned for next year. Grissom has been worthless. And Sale is the Braves ace. Not smart. Napoleon had it right. He had plenty of smart generals, but what he looked for was generals who were also lucky. It's still possible Breslow is lucky because he got the job--which few others wanted--and so far the Sox look pretty decent. Team ERA right now is 6th in MLB and lower than the Sox team ERA in 2018. That was completely unexpected and could be because someone, maybe Breslow, insisted the Sox change their pitching coach after last season. It also looks like the lineup is coming around--despite Mookie, Bogey, and JDM being long gone, Dugo now with the Yankees, Turner with the Jays, etc Plus Story is on the IL for the season, Casas on the IL for over two months, and Abreu for 2 weeks. The Sox still lead MLB in errors with 53, 4 more than 29th Miami. Something Breslow can work on, but not at the expense of hitting.

Definitely have to keep Grissom because he cost a king's ransom. To get him the Sox not only gave away Sale, who is now the Braves' ace, but are also paying $17M of his salary.

We got Grissom for Sale, who is the Braves ace and $17M of whose salary the Sox are paying. Trading Grissom for Sale was monumentally stupid. The Sox apparently fell in love with Grissom when he hit his first ever dinger in Fenway Park two years ago.

To me it's this simple. Without Story in 2021, the Sox made it to the postseason and in fact the ALCS. With Story in 2022 and 2023, the Sox went nowhere. And this year, once again without Story, the Sox are looking pretty decent. Without Story in 2021, the Sox finished 5th in MLB in runs scored. With Story in 2022 and 2023, the Sox finished 9th and 11th in runs scored. This year without Story the Sox are again just 9th in scoring, but appear to be heading upward--and that's without Bogey, Kike, JDM, Renfroe but instead with a whole bunch of newbies in the lineup. Story's lifetime OPS is .834. That, along with his good defense, is what the Sox are paying for and definitely not getting. And by not getting I mean both the lower OPS and all the missed games. In 3 seasons so far, the Sox have gotten less from Story than what the Rockies got in his last season.

That's become my refrain, and it's supported by the fact that the 1st, 3d, and 6th highest payrolls--the Mets, Astros, and Rangers--all have losing records. The Sox payroll is 11th. And well below the Sox the 20th, 25th, and 26th highest payrolls--the Royals, Orioles, and Guardians--all have winning records. Letting Sale go to the Braves was a mistake, granted, especially with the Sox paying $17M of his salary. But in fact his replacement, Houck, is having a better season, and so far the Sox pitching this year is better than, wait for it, the 2018 Sox. That is, the ERA is lower this year than in 2018. We lost Mookie to the Dodgers, but right now Duran's WAR, 3.8, is just as good, and he is paid 1/40th of what Mookie is paid. Story's defense is missed, but not his bat. Grissom is not missed. Giolito is not missed

The 2021 Sox finished the season without a closer--and no closer when the beat the Yankees in the wild card and the 100 win Tampa Bay Rays, 3 games to 1 in the ALDS. Then they lost to Houston in the ALCS, but not because of no closer. I think what Jansen did--call from the bullpen and then go in and get 4 very nice outs--was fantastic. But if someone else makes a really good offer to get him, the Sox should at least consider it.

Chaim Bloom wasn't the right guy, but I'm not sure anyone could fit into the procrustean bed created by John Henry's reaction to the 2019 season. And we still don't know what he's thinking. What we do know right now is that Craig Breslow made his own stupid deals of bringing in Giolito, who will be paid $38M for one season, provided he can actually pitch next season, giving up Sale to the Braves while also paying $17M of his salary while he is now the ace on their staff, getting Grissom, who so far is gruesome, etc. Nevertheless, I think Breslow was smart to take the job because right now I think he and the Sox are in a very good position. Yes, way too much of the $182M payroll has been wasted on weak or non-performers: Story, Giolito, Sale (pitching for Atlanta), Yoshida, Whitlock, Turner, et al. But the relatively new and extremely low cost guys like Duran, Abreu, Wong, Hamilton, Rafaela, Casas (well, except for the injury), Houck, Crawford, Bernardino, and Slaten have made it possible for the Sox to look downright competitive--and even more so when Abreu and Casas get off the IL, hopefully in the next 2 weeks. Plus more talent--we hope they are MLB talent--is waiting in the wings. Right now there is the very real possibility the Sox will want to compete this season. Better still, the team as is ain't that bad, except for the defense. And, frankly, as bad as it has been, I don't care that much as long as those same guys are getting hits and scoring freaking runs. Taking 4 out of 6 games against the 2 best won-lost records in MLB ain't too shabby, nosiree. Assuming the Sox are still in the hunt a month from now, Breslow can make a deal to improve their chances, but he doesn't necessarily have to. He should only make a deal that is smart.

Have to agree. Right now he looks very useful if the Sox are still in the hunt a month from now or, better still, in September. That said, it also depends on what another team might offer.

The real fundamentals of MLB are hitting and pitching, and this year the Sox pitching has been way better than anyone expected. None of the Sox pitchers has stolen a base. The hitting is coming around thanks in large part to those younger guys, but at the same time the Sox defense, which some regard as a fundamental baseball skill, leads MLB in errors with 53, 5 more than the next most by Miami.

Baseball changed the dimensions of the bases to encourage basestealing. I kind of like basestealing, but am less sure than you it's been the key to the Sox offense. Far from it, in fact. The Sox right now are ranked 5th in base stealing and 5th in team OPS, but they are just 11th (actually 10th because 10th San Diego has 1 more run and 3 more games than the Sox) in runs scored.

When Duran got thrown out trying to score form 2b, that was a heckuva throw by the Yankees leftfielder.

Just saw the HBP that broke Mookie's hand/wrist. Very tough break for him and for MLB. And the Dodgers.