Maxbialystock

Bello stinks—simple as that. He is not a serious pitcher.

Bello walks Arozarena after getting an 0-2 count.

Strongly agree this game is mostly about Bello. Last night Criswell was hit hard in the first inning and gave up 2 runs--but no runs in the next 4.1 innings. Impressive. Texas leadoff batter who turns out to be an artist at getting his popups to land safely, has just scored the Rangers first run. And here's Jamie!

mlb tv just showed Harper and Stott, Phillies 1b and 2b, stare at a very high pop up that landed between them with neither one making any effort to catch it. Reportedly, the both speak English, but maybe not. In Harper's defense, the ball landed about 3' from Stott.

Not my preferred lineup, but Cora knows best.

Giolito and Whitlock are headed for the ash heap of Red Sox history. Whitlock, already a TJ surgery recipient, appears headed back for more. Giolito's procedure is like TJ, but less invasive and therefore more quickly recovered from. My guess is he will return next year long enough to need the real thing and be gone another year or two.

One more time. Like everyone else, I regret the loss of Sale and especially paying his salary while he has a great season for the Braves. But at the same time the Sox have one of their best rotations ever without Sale. And their weakness this year is in the lineup, especially the infield which can't hit and is error-prone. I don't like Grissom so far, but acquiring him makes sense with regard to team needs.

You could be right, but it's also true that they delivered.

You must have some kind of deep prejudice against Valdez because the rest of us see that foot, the one that can kick a ball the warning track, as absolutely invaluable when it comes time for penalty kicks.

I have repeatedly dumped on Devers--to my regret. I like FiveGoldGloves comment that any hitter, including Devers, will function better within a good lineup, which is absolutely not what the Sox have this season. I would go one step further and point out that Mike Trout of the Angels is the poster child for a player who almost every year competes for the AL MVP, but who has not been able to drive that team into the postseason very often--and forget the WS.

The pitching, somewhat miraculously, is solid. The lineup needs to improve on O and D to make the Sox competitive for the postseason.

Thanks. I overstepped in saying terminally stupid.

I'm probably the world's leading advocate for this year's Sox rotation, but even I have to agree some regression is possible/likely. However, I also think right now, 49 games into this season, this is the best Sox rotation in a long time--measured by the fact that the team ERA, 2.95, is just behind the Yankees' 2.92 for the best team ERA in MLB. The 2007 Sox team ERA of 3.87 was 2d best to the Padres 3.70--for an entire season of 162 games. It was even better, 3.29, in the 11-3 postseason when the Sox beat the Angels, Guardians/Guardians, and Rockies. Back then starters were bargains: Schilling $13M; Beckett (the ace in 2007) $6M; Matsuzaka $6.33M; Wakefield $4M; and Lester $384K. Flash forward to genius CBO David Dombrowski's 2019 Sox rotation, the one that couldn't even make it to the postseason: Price $31M; Sale $15M; Eovaldi $17M; Porcello $21M; ERod $4.3M. The 2019 Sox team ERA was 4.70 and ranked 19th in MLB. Now contrast the 2007 Sox, who won the WS by sweeping the Rockies, with the 2019 Sox, who didn't make the postseason--and you have some idea of why JH fired genius DD.

Since this thread is about Sale, I agree with the general belief that the Braves outsmarted us by giving up Grissom to get Sale, with the Sox paying Sale's $17M salary this year. On the other hand, while I would love to see 2024 Chris Sale in the Sox rotation, I like the one we have. In fact, so far, after 49 games, they are probably the best Sox rotation in 50 years.

Think of me as John Henry so I can tell you that spending big--in dollars or prospects--on pitchers is stupid. Right now the Sox rotation--Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Whitlock (on the IL, maybe for the season), Houck, and now Criswell--is the primary reason why the Sox team ERA, 2.95, is just a tad behind the Yankees 2.92 for the best team ERA in MLB. And the Sox are paying those six starters a total of $15M this season, $1M less than Kenley Jansen, the closer who these days basically gets by with one pitch, a cutter. Last night he threw 11 pitches, including 10 cutters and 1 slider--and he got the save (with no runs scored), but the Rays hit the ball hard.

No, I don't "trust" Story, who is probably another Ellsbury, especially the one who signed that insane 7 year contract with the Yankees. But right now Story is ours, and it's possible, if unlikely, he will not only stay healthy next season, but also--and this really will be a shock--show he can hit the dadgum ball. This year he's out, so all those other wannabes get their shot. And they will get more shots next year and/or the year after.

True. But Sale was really good when he was good. And we saw that in 2017 and 2018--at least, before August. He was especially lousy in the postseason. Plus the elbow thing was kind of inevitable for Sale. The bike, I agree, no excuse, but I've ridden bikes competitively, in traffic and in the country, up and down steep hills, etc, and never had a freak injury like his. Plus we have yet to see a Story that can hit, which means he's just a good glove, which are a dime a dozen. Plus his injuries suggest he is injury-prone. Back in April all he did was dive for a ball, which infielders are expected to do all the freaking time, but this time he's gone for a whole season or more. I think he's another Ellsbury.

It's a sign of age when you beat things to death, so you're right. I do think the pitching has been miraculously good, but I also think the hitting can and must improve if the Sox are going to the postseason. Right now I'm definitely on uppers (caffeine, blueberry pancakes, and acetaminophen) and therefore believe the last 3 games, all wins, all with the Sox scoring 5 or more runs, are a harbinger of what could in fact happen. That can change, of course, if tomorrow night Devers makes a key error--in which case he will again be the worst superstar in the history of the universe--and the Sox lose, say, 3 to freaking 1. Reacting is not enough. Over-reacting is the only way a real fan should conduct himself.

I don't know his stuff that well, so you could well be right.

Actually, right now he's playing good all-around baseball. He singled and scored the Sox first (and crucial) run in the 2d inning. He was the lead guy in the double steal in the 8th. He made an excellent throw from foul territory to 2d base for an out in the 6th. Either last night or Sunday night Wong caught a rebound (off the backstop) after a wild pitch and threw a one-hopper to Devers, who caught it and tagged the runner out.

Could be. I believe it is also true that Cora was told to fire last year's pitching coach.

Are those guys terminally stupid?

Another great win for the superb pitching staff, especially Criswell, who overcame those 2 runs in the 1st when the Rays hit him hard.

If definitely is.

Absofreakinglutely.