Maxbialystock

Meh. I think it's a good learning experience. He has been lights out in MILB, so this is the next step. Of course I want to win and beat the brains out of ERod. Great play by Rafaela!!!!! Plus Bregman called it right.

So I think that's the issue with Tolle. No command. At least, not tonight.

Tolle has thrown very few pitches low in the zone or below the zone. In fact, the overwhelming majority are in the middle of the zone.

Worth mentioning that the Diamondbacks are a good hitting team. Top 5 in runs scored and OPS.

Changeup high in the zone with very little break for a double.

Just amazing how badly Rafaela bats against lefties. Great triple by Lowe!!!!! Against a lefty too. Arizona has 8 lefty bats (4 are switch hitters) in the lineup. One can only hope Tolle's changeup is working, assuming he actually throws one.

Lots of fastballs from Tolle. Plus his control ain;'t that great.

Check the facts. He hasn't rested anyone too much. Bregman, Story, and Rafaela have been playing every day. So did Anthony before the IL. Duran missed a few starts because he stinks against lefties. The guys playing 1B and 2B "rest" only because Cora's trying to find the best matchups. Plus Hammond is awfully good on defense. Abreu has missed games because of being on the IL at least twice--plus he's a slow healer. Lowe has missed games because he stinks against lefties. Cora has been cautious with Narvaez because this is his first MLB season as the primary catcher. Please tell me about the "good performers" Cora has ignored. Claiming Cora is not serious about these final 21 games is just nonsense.

I like this lineup tonight. 7 righty bats plus Love and Duran who both have had trouble hitting lefties this season. I looked at Tolle's pitches in his first game. Lots of fastballs of course. No curves. Sliders and cutters. And, in the 3d inning, the changeup showed up. I can't remember what it looked like but no one hit it. He didn't have good command, but I hope he can use it tonight. Duran LF (.586 OPS vs lefties) Bregman 3B .900 Story SS .757 Gonzalez 2B .986 Refsnyder DH .956 Lowe 1B .222 (!!!) Eaton RF .695 Rafaela CF .699 Narvaez .748

What I've read is the Sox will retain Bregman. What's your source.

The day off should have helped everyone. Here are the OPS's for September-- Yoshida 2.000 Narvaez 1.400 Lowe 1.333 Eaton 1.292 Story 1.212 Wong 1.171 Gonzalez .923 Refsnyder .764 Rafaela .705 Duran .633 Sogard .500 Hamilton ..500 Bregman .357

I doubt it. Too many issues have emerged. Anthony is out for the rest of the season and maybe Abreu is too. Bregman's in a slump (12 games). Crochet just got shellacked in his last start. Bello didn't look so good either. Nor has May. We all loved how Tolle looked in his first start, but he will continue to be limited in his pitch count and how often he starts. All of those pale into insignificance when compared to the catastrophic loss of Jordan Hicks, now on the IL with a bad shoulder. Will this nightmare never end?

I read about Chase Field and found out that since 2019 they pretty much keep the roof closed all season long. Doing that takes a huge burden off the ballpark's (and neighborhood's) HVAC system. In 2019 they installed artificial turf.

My question is, how will the Sox know when Anthony's left oblique has in fact healed? Ordinary folk don't have to worry about such an injury, but MLB players do. Apparently, the motion of swinging the bat is what causes stress on the left oblique (or right oblique). And the other question is, what must a MLB player do to prevent a recurrence of this injury?

Old friend my Aunt Fanny. He did have some good games, even seasons, but did not consider covering 1b on grounders to the right side of the infield obligatory. Arizona is in the Mountain time zone, so why the 9:40 start time? Are they not on daylight savings time?

Exactly. Here's what the WAR folks say: "But WAR is necessarily an approximation and will never be as precise or accurate as one would like."

I'm reminded of Daniel Bard, a very different kind of pitcher who started out well with the Sox and by his 5th season had a bad case of the yips. He dropped out of MLB from 2014 to 2019, 6 straight seasons. Then he returned to the Rockies in 2020 and by 2022 had an ERA of 1.79 and 34 saves at age 36/37. After the 2022 season his contract for 2 years, 2023 and 2024, was $19M, but he retired after 2023.

Hicks is a men;ace to Sox pitching this season. I see nothing wrong with his leaving the clubhouse. The problem is when he returns to the clubhouse.

All very reasonable although this year Duran can't hit lefties.

Absolutely fascinating analysis. Thanks.

Love your optimism supported by stats, but also by hopefulness. As a former New Englander said, "Hope Is Not a Method." Bregman's slump (12 games) and Anthony and Abreu on the IL are heavy blows. Of the three other OPS's over .800 (Lowe, Ref, and Gonzalez), Lowe can't hit lefties and Ref and Gonzalez can't hit righties. The next best OPS, Duran's .786, also cannot hit lefties. If the Sox go 4-2 on this road trip, I think they can do what you say.

First, what a great idea to start a game thread on an off day!!! Second, while I agree with mvp 78 the Sox are definitely still very much in the postseason hunt, I'm definitely nervous about both the hitting and pitching. Of the Sox 6 best OPS's--Lowe .949, Anthony .859, Bregman .849, Ref .847, Gonzalez .834, and Abreu .811--Anthony and Abreu are on the IL, Bregman is in a 12 game slump, Lowe can't hit lefties, Ref can't hit righties, and Gonzalez OPS vs righties is .697. So putting a lineup together continues to be a balancing act. Pitching has been the real strength of the 2025 Sox. Despite losing 8 freaking starters--Crawford, Buehler, Dobbins, Fitts, Houck, Newcomb, Criswell, and possibly May--the Sox still have an excellent top 4 (Crochet, Bello, Giolito, and Tolle). Plus the bullpen of Chapman, Whitlock, Weissert, Wilson, Matz, Slaten, and Bernardino is actually pretty good. Nevertheless, the weak-hitting Guardians managed to score 19 runs in their 3 game series at the Fens. They scored 7 off our ace Crochet. Bello struggled, giving up 3 runs and 3 BB in 5 IP. Tolle looked terrific in his first ever MLB start against the Pirates, but he is restricted in the number of pitches he can throw and how often he starts. May, the presumed 5th starter, had 2 good starts last month, but 4 lousy ones and an August ERA of 5.68. And then there's Jordan Hicks, who has pitched in 20 games in relief (in July, August, and Sep) and has an ERA of 8, 1 Hold, 12 BB's, and 15 K's. SF sent us a box of rocks. Why is he still on the roster?

A Realistic View is always a great thread to come back to. With the rotation struggling and 3 of our best hitters--Bregman, Anthony, and Abreu--either struggling or on the IL, I'm reminded of a Bette Davis line from All About Eve: "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night."

😃

Same guy I remember. Best or 2d best hitter in MLB history.