Maxbialystock

Just a side comment. Two of the prevailing themes on this thread--"A Realistic View of 2024, Part II"--are that John Henry isn't spending enough on players and that the Red Sox seem incapable of finding/getting a decent SS. Indeed, over on the Defense thread, it's almost entirely about the lack of a decent defensive SS. So I'd just like to point out that in fact JH and his CBO, Chaim Bloom, did spring for fairly big bucks for Trevor Story, who I think everyone agrees is a pretty good defensive SS and even 2B. I think everyone also agrees that Story is a better defensive SS than Xander Bogaerts was. Relatedly--since we all know that Trevor Story's primary inadequacy is his propensity to get hurt--it's worth mentioning that in the first 3 weeks of the 2024 season Story, O'Neill, Devers, Pivetta, and Whitlock have all been injured to varying degrees.

I actually like the new version with the guy on 2b. It usually prevents games that go on forever.

I could be wrong, but I believe Jansen threw all cutters in the 9th except for one slider. That's why they hit him hard even when they made outs. Tonight the Sox showed some signs of life, but the bullpen once again stunk, plus the defense and baserunning (Casas) weren't so great.

Wonderful, even graphic descriptions--and also irrelevant when the Sox lose 6-0. The Sox lineup couldn't hit spit and the bullpen collapsed after Crawford pitched 5.2 scoreless innings. As for the collision between O'Neill and Devers, it was a freak accident--head to head. Devers, I hasten to add, made a clean catch of the ball before colliding with O'Neill, so I'm not as sure as you that he was at fault. I mean, the rest of your diatribe was directed against players who didn't catch the ball, but here you want to throw Devers in jail when he did catch it.

While I agree with the notion that some fielding coaches are better than others, I would also point out that with or without coaching most of us start learning how to field at a pretty early age. It's easier to practice fielding (and throwing) than hitting. Plus when I read the write-ups in Sox Prospects they provide great detail on the fielding ability and potential of incoming players like Marcelo Mayer. However, I also have the strong impression that the Rays in particular have a very systematic approach to teaching/coaching/training pretty much all of the baseball skills--fielding, throwing, pitching, hitting, etc. I say that because the Rays have been in the bottom five teams in total salaries for decades and have fielded competitive teams going back to 2008. Not every year, of course, but lots of years.

And it really worked well. Sox lost today, 6-0, not because the defense stunk, but because Cleveland simply outpitched the Sox. To be more precise, their bullpen outpitched ours. And shortstops were completely irrelevant.

Cleveland outplays the Sox every which way you can. Sox are now 2-5 at the Fens. Appropriately, I think average attendance in those 7 games is about 30K.

My bad. Our real problems today had nothing to do with defense. Our lineup couldn't hit and our bullpen couldn't get guys out. In fact--and unless the Sox score 2 in the 9th--the crucial mistake was the 8th pitch Weissert threw to pinch-hitter Brennan in the 7th inning.

Doesn't make much difference because the Sox are scoreless.

Hamilton replaced the injured player O'Neill. So Duran moved to LF and Rafaela to CF and Hamilton to SS. Hamilton was pretty good the last two games @ SS.

Now those plays were clownish, which are to be expected of both Casas and Abreu.

I don't consider that play to be silly. It was an in-between pop with both players trying hard to get it. Why wouldn't we want them to do that? Bumping heads was simply unfortunate.

You routinely make some of the most unintelligent observations about Sox games. Both teams have excellent pitching: Sox ERA is 1st in MLB and the Guardians is 4th. So the starters, as expected, pitched shutout ball. Now Cleveland is up by 2 because they pinch hit after Cora brought in a righty and Brennan, a lefty bat, hit the 2 run dinger off a slider on the 8th pitch which I think he was looking for. Weissert either doesn't have a change-up or didn't feel up to throwing one.

Both starters have been effective so far this year--Curry and Crawford. Bernardino staying in to pitch the 7th and against righty bat Ramirez who I think swung at a pitch that may have hit him. And he gets his required 3 outs and exits stage right.

So here we are sitting on April 15, tax day. The Sox have done nothing because, as several of you pointed out, there is/was very little that can in fact be done in the near term. And, guess what? The Sox took the last 2 from the Angels and are now 9-7, tied with the Rays, 1/2 game behind the Orioles, and 3 games back of the charging Yankees. The Sox still have the lowest ERA in MLB, 2.54, to the Yankees 2d place 2.78, and they also still have a +12 run differential, for whatever that is worth. It's OK to be nervous about that MLB-leading ERA--how long will it continue?--but it's also OK to note that in those two weekend wins the Sox committed 0 errors--you know, with the worst infield in the history of MLB. To repeat: with Devers, Story, and several others on the IL or simply not playing, plus the $17M the Sox are paying Sale and $7M to Turner, of the Sox $180M payroll, only $75M is actually available to play. Devers could start today, but is his shoulder healthy? And here come the Cleveland Guardians, 10-5, with a +29 run differential and the 4th best ERA, 3.20, in MLB. How tough are they? About like the Sox, I think. Those 10 wins were achieved against the likes of the A's (7-9), Mariners (6-10), Twins (6-8), White Sox (2-13), and Yankees (12-4). This season is hardly a saga. More like a episode from the Twilight Zone.

Agree he gets the job done: 4/4 so far this season. But you cannot have watched today's 9th inning without more than a modicum of alarm. He had the bases loaded with no on out on a HBP, a BB, and a single before he got the first out, a sac fly that scored a run and moved the other two to 2d and 3d with just one out. That's pretty freaking precarious. Then he struck out Rengifo and Trout, which was pretty doggone good. But still . . .

WS wins in 2004, 2007, 2013, and 2018 say the Sox are not fundamentally flawed. By the way, I love the Rays systematic approach to baseball. My guess is they are about as good as it gets in drilling on the fundamentals. But they've yet to win a WS.

I'm not in favor of drama by the closer, but let's face it--this year Jansen has been successful but less than impressive. Today he was especially terrible, but then he recovered beautifully. Absolutely no luck in 2 K's.

You mean Devers has a bad shoulder--we think--and Yoshida doesn't and is starting to hit. Fair enough.

Back to back no error games. Two pretty good wins when the Sox absolutely, positively needed them. Go, Bosox!

Actually, I found the 9th most impressive. Jansen did everything to give the game away, and then he got two K's for the save, one of them against one of the best hitters in MLB. Dazzlingly good, Mr. Jansen.

Teaching disability?????? Are you seriously saying that all minor leaguers--and major leaguers--should be equal in ability simply because they are taught correctly? It's true that Ted Williams was a great student of hitting, but he also was a terrific hitter before he was 20.

Today's game is a real test, much like Friday. Anderson, another lefty, is tough. And we have opening day starter, Bello, going for us. The other score worth keeping is attendance. In 5 home games: 36K, 27K, 26K, 26K, and 31K = 29K average.

What else is there? When you're a Sox fan, you plan your Saturdays--and other days--around when they play. I mean, they only played 162 games in a season.

Excuse me. Aren't you one of several on talksox who says the Sox should have kept Turner, a good righty bat, after last year? Why do you want to dump O'Neill, who is a righty bat, the best bat on the team so far, a pretty decent rightfielder, and 28 years old?