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Maxbialystock

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Everything posted by Maxbialystock

  1. Maxbialystock
    Completely agree the pitching is very much worth defending--an excellent laydown. Winck struggled yesterday, but in his 3 previous appearances who went 5 innings while giving up 0 earned runs. After 11 games the Sox team ERA, 1.72, isn't just the best ERA in MLB. The second best, the Yankees, is 2.48. Yesterday against the Orioles Bello had his best start of the season, 5.1 innings, 1 ER. The problems are with the lineup--weak hitting and lackluster fielding. The total salaries of the rotation amount to $14M, which is less than Yoshida's $19M, Story's $22M, Devers' $29M, or Jansen's $18M. Nevertheless, the Sox are 7-4, primarily because of the pitching--although the hitting has kicked in now and then and Rafaela, Duran, and O'Neill have all made good plays in the outfield.
  2. Maxbialystock
    I do agree non-error plays can hurt. In his first three appearances--this was his fourth--Winckowski pitched 5 innings while giving up 0 earned runs. Those 4 unearned runs on April 5 were because against the Angels Rafaela and Valdez decided to take the day off on defense. Rafaela dropped an easy pop fly and Valdez a throw to 2b.
  3. Maxbialystock
    Bello's best start this season--5.1 innings, 1 earned run. The hitting and defense are the problems.
  4. Maxbialystock
    I don't know about best, but awfully good, agreed.
  5. Maxbialystock
    Ahem. Bello, who struggled in both starts against ragamuffin teams on the West Coast, went 5.1 innings yesterday while giving up just 1 freaking unearned run, easily his best start of the year. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our pitching, but in our hitting and rotten defense, that they are underlings.
  6. Maxbialystock
    Didn't I say Story was great on defense?
  7. Maxbialystock
    Compared to last year's rotation, this year's rotation, with or without Pivetta, is vastly better. Heck, today Bello went 5.1 innings while giving up just 1 ER. One more time. The Sox pitching is this team's strength--and why the Sox are 7-4. And the lineup, both hitting and fielding, is killing us--just 2 stinking hits, but 3 more unearned runs. This is the 5th game out of 11 played in which the Sox lineup has scored 1 or 0 runs in the regulation 9 innings. In 11 games the defense has allowed 11 unearned runs.
  8. Maxbialystock
    Losing Story probably does hurt the pitching, but the rest of the defense is already doing plenty of damage. I didn't say that about the Sox playing the AL East 52 games, so allow me to say, "good point." I said it a lot last year and promptly forgot about it. Right now the winningest division in MLB is the NL Central: Pitt 9-3, Milwaukee 6-3, Cincy 6-4, Cubs 6-4, and Cards 5-6--overall +12. AL East is + 10.
  9. Maxbialystock
    I can think of 2 reasons for leaving him in: 1) eat up the innings so that the rest of the bullpen is well rested for the next several games; 2) stretch him out--he threw 65 pitches--because we just a lost a starter.
  10. Maxbialystock
    Angels are 6-4, Mariners 4-6, and A's 3-7. If you take out the 10 games against the Sox, the Angels would be 4-3, the Mariners 2-4, and the A's 3-4. And let's not forget that historically the Sox have not done well starting the season on the West Coast. And I don't care who you are going against, an ERA of 1.49 is pretty terrific even for just 10 games.
  11. Maxbialystock
    I said for the first 10 games. Go ahead, find another Sox rotation that did better in the first 10 games. And if we are talking about just the rotation, you can throw in today's game because Bello, who has been struggling, went 5.1 innings while giving up 1 ER.
  12. Maxbialystock
    Completely agree the Orioles series is a real test of this year's Sox. The lineup, as usual, has stunk. They scored 1 lousy run and managed to give up 3 unearned runs with their lousy defense. As I pointed out on this or another thread, in the first 10 games the lineup scored 1 or fewer runs in 4 of the first 10 games (not including extra innings). If they don't score in the 9th today, that's 5 out of 11 games. The rotation, on the other hand, is holding their own. Today Bello, who has struggled this season, went 5.1 innings while giving up 1 earned run. Pure and simple, the lineup stinks, but the Sox are 7-4, mostly because of the pitching.
  13. Maxbialystock
    Guilty. I generally agree the outfield with Duran, Rafaela, and O'Neill is pretty good. Both Duran and Rafaela have made some good grabs. Nevertheless, those dropped flies by Duran and Rafaela have been costly.
  14. Maxbialystock
    Good beliefs, but unsupported by what we're seeing. Duran just brought in two unearned runs, and earlier Rafael also dropped an easy catch that led to 4 unearned runs. 3d base, 2d base, and 1st base have all made costly errors as well. Only SS, O'Neill, and the two catchers are clean. 11 games and 11 unearned runs so far.
  15. Maxbialystock
    So far, just 11 games, this is the best rotation in Sox history. The problems are entirely with the lineup, which can't field and can't hit.
  16. Maxbialystock
    Rafaela dropped an easy pop fly that led to 4 unearned runs. Duran did the same today. With this Sox defense, absolutely nothing is guaranteed. And let's not forget that the same guys making all the errors and giving up the unearned runs are the guys who can't hit a lick. Only the pitching has been good this season so far.
  17. Maxbialystock
    You're darn right. That song in West Side Story gets it right when the gals say it's great in America and the guys say it's great in Puerto Rico. Alex is as American as apple pie, and he's made us all all proud. I'd rather have had him than that goofy guy with the weird hair although I did like Sully.
  18. Maxbialystock
    I guess the two unearned runs today are also because Story isn't playing SS. Duran dropped a fly in LF, which Story would have grabbed easily from the SS position. Anyway, that's now 11 unearned runs out of 24 scored against the Sox.
  19. Maxbialystock
    I should take umbrage with that remark, but in fact I forgot about the ghost runner who scored.
  20. Maxbialystock
    Could be.
  21. Maxbialystock
    And none of the 9 unearned runs were the result of an error or misplay by the Sox SS, whether Story, Reyes, or Hammond. In the first LA game, the one in which Story was injured, the two key errors were the dropped pop fly by Rafaela (Mr. Casual), and the dropped throw to 2b by Valdez. Make those two catches and the grandslam never happens. But in fact it did for 4 unearned runs. If Story had stayed in the game, he could not have prevented those two terrible errors or the 4 unearned runs.
  22. Maxbialystock
    It was just as terrible when Story was SS. He was great, but Rafaela, Valdez, Casas, Abreu, Devers, etc made sure that 9 of the 22 runs given up on the West Coast trip were unearned.
  23. Maxbialystock
    31 years in the Army and before that an Army brat--and I agree with you. What veterans, especially those returning from combat, want from MLB is what happens right after the home plate umpire says, "play ball."
  24. Maxbialystock
    Actual talent is pricey and, sadly, all too fragile. In the past JH has spent lavishly on starters only to see them go on the IL. The rotation this year has been nothing less than miraculous. The Sox currently have the lowest ERA and WHIP in MLB. When was the last time that happened? And the rotation of Bello, Pivetta, Crawford, Whitlock, and Houck is being paid $14M, compared to $16M for closer Jansen, $22 M for Story who is probably not returning this season, $18M for Yoshida who still isn't hitting and can't field.
  25. Maxbialystock
    Meh. I agree losing Pivetta is bad news, but he was just one of 5 starters and none of the 8 relievers.
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