Maxbialystock
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Everything posted by Maxbialystock
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So much for the idea of a thread about the Sox defense.
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O'Neill as DH reminds me that on some teams they simply rotate the DH slot around to give position players an easy game.
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Another terrific win, with the Sox now 18-13, which projects (somewhat meaninglessly) to 94 wins. It's possible the Sox were again helped by jetlag affecting the Giants. But the simple fact is that the Sox have an almost decent core of hitters--Duran, Devers, Refsnyder, O'Neill, Abreu, Wong/Wright (that's 6)--and maybe others like Rafaela and Valdez who could improve. And more than that the best freaking pitching in MLB. Crawford did not have his best stuff tonight, and he still went 7, giving up 2.
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Old school????!!!!! Vince had it right: winning isn't everything; it's the only thing. And that is the point about this astounding season, at least the first 30 games. The Sox are 17-13, which projects--beware projections--to 91 freaking wins. What's not to like, even to be enthusiastic about? In fact, the defensive struggles, combined with some weak hitting now and then and lousy baserunning, have only made the season that much more amazing. To paraphrase the bard, "the pitching's the thing wherein we'll catch the center of the brass ring." And let's not forget that last year Cora had to do an even tougher juggling act because he absolutely, positively did not start that season with 5 good starters. This year he's died and gone to heaven with a pitching stable, despite its instability, that has been the best in MLB for over a month and over 1/6 of a season.
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Agree completely--especially with the word "astounding."
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Hey, I wasn't one of the many on talksox who said Cooper would be the answer at 1b. This is his 4th team in 1.2 seasons. Miami, San Diego, and Chicago were the other three.
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Thanks for reminding me. He struck out both times. And he almost got an error before he finally grabbed that grounder.
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Excellent win. Cooper did not impress me one bit.
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Looks like the trip east combined with the Giants weak hitting and pitching were enough to allow the Sox to roll over them in game 1. Good as Webb has been, he too seems to have been affected by 3 time zones.
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Wrong. It's blather. No way, no how should the 2004 Sox with all that talent be compared to the 2024 Sox. 2004 led MLB in runs scored and OPS (.832). And the pitching staff had Schilling, Pedro, Wake, Lowe, Arroyo, and closer Foulke. And let's not forget that in LF the Sox played Manny with his DWAR of -1.8 and in CF Damon with his DWAR of -0.6. Mueller at 3b DWAR was -0.4. In 2004 Boston was ranked 25th in errors committed with 118. Oh, and in 2005 Renteria was the Sox SS for 153 games and with a DWAR of -0.5. In 2006 the Sox had two good SS's in Alex Gonzalez and Alex Cora--and finished 86-76. So much for good defense.
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The play was in short left field because the infield was drawn in. Moreover, it sure looked as though both the 3B coach and Cora were in agreement Duran should take a lead on the pop fly.
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A Realistic View of 2024: Part II
Maxbialystock replied to moonslav59's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
I'll bet. I took a couple of business trips to Houston and found out they do the same thing in hot weather that Montreal does in cold weather--facilitate walking indoors. -
I see this game a little differently. The Giants just finished a 10 game homestand, which means they are playing their first game on the east coast against the Sox. Going west to east is always tougher than going east to west. The Giants defense may be better--17 errors vs 24 errors--than the Sox, but their team ERA, 4.43, is ranked 25th in MLB to the Sox 1st. And they've scored 116 runs, ranked 21st in MLB, to the Sox 139, ranked 12th. On the other hand, I completely agree with anyone who says a starting pitcher can make a huge difference, and Webb has thrown 8, 7, 7, and 7 innings in his last 4 starts, giving up a total of 3 runs. He is not a K guy, but is apparently terrific at getting outs. His ERA of 2.33 is his best ever, and tonight he is going on 7 days rest.
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Wow. I thought that might be the case, but am happy you saw it (on replay or live). So, given that reality, Duran's huge lead was justified.
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If memory serves, Jansen is not nearly as good in the 8th inning as he is in the 9th, and he is especially not good when he comes in with men on base. I could be wrong about that, but don't think so.
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A Realistic View of 2024: Part II
Maxbialystock replied to moonslav59's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
True. But starters can eat innings. Last year Pivetta started as a starter and went to the bullpen before finally returning as a starter. Crawford, Houck, and Whitlock all came from the Sox bullpen. I do not have any good response to your point. In fact, I think you have nailed a key point about MLB managing. -
A Realistic View of 2024: Part II
Maxbialystock replied to moonslav59's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
According to spotrac, the Sox are paying Sale $17M this year. That's more than the total salaries, $14M, of the Sox original rotation--Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Whitlock, and Houck--this season. I have no doubt the Sox have 6 years of team control, but effectively right now they are paying Grissom $17M. Wasn't he selected in the 11th round? I know he looked very good at AAA last year. -
Martin got the last man out--with 2 men on--in the 7th inning on a little dribbler Wong picked up and threw to 1b. So of course Martin should have pitched the 8th inning. Yes, he gave up 2 singles and a dinger in the 8th--bad--but then he K'd 2 Cubs and got the last out on a fly. Tauchman's 3 run dinger to dead center was on a 94 mph cutter low in the zone, which I think was a good pitch but a better swing by the batter. Then in comes the Ancient Mariner, Jansen, who gets 3 quick outs in the 9th with basically nothing but his 93 mph cutter which he threw to good spots. I have maligned Jansen regularly this season and don't like his salary ($16M), but he has been effective. Overall, I can't complain about any of Cora's decisions, including leaving Martin in, last night.
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Duran had an overall good game, obviously, including the BB in the 9th and then getting to 3b on Devers' line drive single to LF. But not tagging up on the pop could have been a disaster because, had it been caught, the Cubs get a double play and are then likely to escape the 9th without giving up the winning run. I have not looked at a replay to see what the heck the 3b coach was doing.
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A Realistic View of 2024: Part II
Maxbialystock replied to moonslav59's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Meanwhile, the Sox are paying a big part of Sale's salary while he has made 5 starts, 31 IP, and ERA 3.69 for the Braves. Have I got that right? Grissom for Sale, with the Sox paying Sale to pitch for Atlanta? -
Terrific win by the Sox despite Martin's horrible 8th inning.
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Agree--he screwed up. And so did the Sox 3d base coach.
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I like the 3 batter rule and have absolutely no sympathy for Martin. He screwed up royally, period.
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Excellent list.
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That's a very good point. Again, it's worth remembering what the John Henry actor says to the Billy Beane actor near the end of the movie Moneyball. JH wanted Beane because of the cost per win the A's had in 2002 was so much lower than the cost per win for the Yankees. You need smart guys throughout your system to recognize and develop talent. Funny the subject of Cora came up because--on top of my ongoing support for him since he arrived--I too think this latest chapter underscores his value. In 2018 he showed what he could with a ton of talent. And this year he's shown what he can do with what at times has seemed to be a neighborhood pickup game.