Maxbialystock

McGuire getting thrown out is entirely within the character of this team this year.

This is getting so old so fast.

Dickwad is right.

Reese McGuire can't hit Orioles pitching. What an idiot--he gets ejected.

Very inclined to agree with you.

Meh. Wong is versatile, and it's his fault he's still in the game. He tied it with a dinger. Both catchers are above average hitters--on this team.

Finally, a K and out #3. Bottom of the 9th. Nice to see another Sox run of any kind. With McGuire, Hamilton, and Reyes coming to bat, doubtful.

Jansen, not to be left out of a collapsing bullpen, has now walked 2 guys in the 9th.

2 of 3 Oriole runs tonight are unearned. When will this defensive nightmare end?

I have no feed. Just mlb.com gameday--thanks to blackout restrictions.

The Sox do it again. Two unearned runs from Reyes error.

What happened on that 2d out?

First error, by Reyes at 3B. Devers would have made that play. They moved Rafaela in to play 2b, who not Devers to play 3B?

Bon mots.

Sox have turned 2 double plays, committed no errors, and have a 2-1 lead with just 6 outs to get against the Orioles tonight--and the curmudgeons don't like it. Not good enough they say.

What's irritating? Sox are up 2-1, Whitlock is pitching is heart out, no Sox error, a Sox double play. This game is a long way from won, but I sure don't see anything irritating.

I'm not sure of that. I think he's just trying to keep it close to the edges. He does not believe he has good stuff. And maybe he doesn't. The other guy, Rodriguez, does seem to have good stuff.

I completely agree Rafaela overall is a plus defender, and that's kind of my point. As good as he is, he still leads the team in errors--one of which was simply lack of focus--and he still contributed to 4 unearned runs. I'm now thinking/claiming this lineup lacks focus in the field and at the plate. The rotation absolutely is focused and is pitching well beyond their usual capability. Combined, the 5 of them are getting paid $14M this year--less than the Sox are still paying Sale, who is pitching for the Braves.

I see the angst from last night's loss has carried over to today. Nasty comments and dire predications abound. I'm watching the Masters, which is my fav because it's gorgeous and competitive at the same time. The crowd at August National is massive and the azaleas are in full bloom. Tiger's 1 under after 2, despite on the 2d hole having to get out of the woods by reversing a club and swinging from the left side--a perfect 40 yard chip into the fairway. He will be lucky to make it through the first 2 rounds because of the walking required.

Meh. The primary value of any position player is whether he can hit--especially if he plays for the Red Sox. Second for a centerfielder is his range. And third is his arm. Ellsbury was an instant hit with the Sox because he could hit and score runs. He took some lousy routes early on, but got better. He had a weak arm--no problem. Then, primarily because of his hitting, especially in 2011 when he hit 32 dingers, he got that insane contract with the Yankees, I think $21/year for 7 years. JBJ was tons better than Ellsbury in CF when he replaced him in 2014, but he couldn't hit diddly, so for that entire season be bounced back and forth between Boston and Pawtucket. His peak salary was $11M in 2020.

Meh. There are tons of examples of players who have been good in the infield and in the outfield. I think the infield is tougher, so I also think going from the infield to the outfield can make sense--depending, of course, on whether said infielder can take good routes in the outfield. Mookie did it with ease. So did Robin Yount. So has Rafaela. And right now it looks like Duran is doing fine out there.

Well said--by you and Duran.

As I've said too many times already, Story was/is darn good at SS, but he could not prevent all the bonehead plays, leading to unearned runs, by the rest of the defense. Rafaela, for example, has been awfully good in CF, but he also dropped an easy pop fly. When that combined with Valdez's dropping a throw to 2b, the Sox ended up yielding 4 unearned runs on a grand slam that never should have happened. The Sox lost 2-1 on 2 unearned runs caused by Devers misplay of a high hopper. Abreu let a slow roller got through his legs in RF, which advance 2 runners to 2b and 3b--allowed another unearned run.

Absolutely fascinating game thread, which tells us a lot about what we want to talk about. For starters, it's clear success is just boring. It certainly lacks angst. When the Sox win, the game thread is--and I'm exaggerating--just 2 or 3 pages. Ho hum. Or, better still, "ho hum, and I'll bet it doesn't last." Now the Sox have lost their 2d in a row in a series--against the ascendant Orioles--regarded as an early indicator of just how good the 7-3 Sox were going into this series. And the game thread is at 18 pages with no end in sight. I'm as concerned as anyone else. The two starters, Bello and Crawford, went 5.1 and 5 innings and between them gave up 1 earned run in 10.1 innings. So the rotation still looks awfully good. But the bullpen and the porous defense gave up 6 runs in the first game and 7 in the second. And the offense scored just 1 run in the first game. In the second, an excellent 5 runs in the first 5 innings, but nothing thereafter. Tonight the Orioles go for a sweep with Rodriguez, who has 2 starts and given up 3 earned runs in 12.1 innings and has endured zero unearned runs. Whitlock also has 2 starts and just 1 ER in 9.1 innings. Weissert got the loss in the 1st game in which the Angels scored 2 unearned runs from a Devers error and won, 2-1.

Interesting take. I think it's Cora's job to find out if that's an issue. It's entirely possible he knows already and has decided that it's up to the player to adjust.