Maxbialystock

I'm not saying I'm right. But my explanation is better than yours. The only other explanations I've read are that Cora literally doesn't care and/or he wants to get fired so he can go back to the Astros.

One more time. Yes, I understand how absolutely weird leaving Barraclough in is and I sure don't blame SPLENDIDSPLINTER and others for wanting the head of one Alex Cora. But I offer the following just in case there is some method to this insanity-- 1. The Sox have in fact been screwed by the schedule--48 games with just 3 days off. 2. I don't keep track, but it is entirely possible Cora and his pitching coach and Varitek all agree the bullpen is at their limit. See 1 above as well as the fact that the starters haven't been eating innings. 3. Cora has in fact done this before this season--kept a reliever in despite the deluge of runs. This time is different because the Sox in fact had the lead, 4-3, when Barraclough came in. But the principle is still the same. If you are trying to revive/rest your bullpen, you may have have to pay for it in lost games. 4. It would be interesting to read/hear what the players say after the game, if anything. Or, for that matter, Cora.

I was thinking the exact same thing except I hadn't focused on any particular team.

The NESN commentators just showed a slide depicting the number of pitches thrown by each reliever over the last week. So Old Red has a point. If you count Pivetta, the Sox now have 6 starters, but they ain't going very many innings--except for Bello's 7 innings in his last start. The other thing to remember is that on August 4, 24 days ago, the Sox began a string of 48 games with just 3 days off interspersed. That's a killer.

Unfortunately, the signal is also going to the players on the field and in the dugout.

I sure can't tell you that. What we are seeing is nothing less than mind-boggling.

Check your wording. I think you mean to say--in a roundabout way--that you would be happy to see Cora get fired. To be honest, I too question leaving Barraclough in. Yesterday was actually a kind of rest day because Cora left Murphy in for 4 innings and 6 runs and Llovera pitched the last inning. Plus Barraclough went in with a 1 run lead.

One of the best predictions on talksox this entire season--sadly.

You could be right. I like Verdugo, but the experts on talksox--and they do know a ton more than I do--say the smart move is to trade him this off season while he still has a year of "control" left.

Don't mention his name, please. I beat up on him incessantly when he came back from the injury and basically said the first 8 games in April were just luck. Right now his OPS is .920!!!

Did I forget to mention that rotten, stinking, worthless Yoshida is 2 for 2 and scored 2 of our 4 runs? Those should not count, of course, because the Sox are paying him to play great D.

No one else on this team or on any recent Sox team makes the 3d out grab that Casas just made for the 3d out in the 5th. The play by Urias was magnificent of course, but Casas has an unbelievable reach and he's not half bad on bounced throws. But moonslav will never give Casas an ounce of credit for anything he does on defense. The defense just saved a freaking run--made possible, I grant, by Wong's passed ball. I think the incessant caterwauling about the defense is unbalanced. The defense is good enough. Sale (who I think is a good defender, rare for a pitcher) committed the only Sox error, which cost nothing in runs, but he also gave up 2 BB's, 7 hits, including a dinger and 2 doubles, and one wild pitch. The Sox win when their hitting and pitching are good. In that regard, I think Sale was not all that bad in giving up 3 runs in 4.2 innings against the Astros. He didn't have his best command, but did throw 92 freaking pitches.

Show me. Oh, wait, it was that fly ball into the stands in CF that Duvall should have grabbed but didn't go up high enough for. You blame everything on the defense. Is that wild pitch by Sale on Wong?

The only Sox error is by Sale, and he struck out the next guy up. So, yes, I'm saying that.

Baloney. Sale is getting hit really hard. And without Casas—this is unarguable—the Sox are scoreless.

Sale looks great tonight, but that crappy Sox defense is just giving away runs.

He does look a little casual, but you are dead right to give him a rave. He has been terrific in RF.

Amen!

Ahem. You have my permission to glance at the scoreboard and notice that the Sox are leading 2-0 because terrible, awful, worthless Casas nailed a 2 run double. The next guy at the plate, Story, is a good fielding SS who struck out with men on 2d and 3d. Wake up or grow up, take your pick. This game is primarily about hitting and pitching. The very last thing the Sox need is to replace Casas with a slick-fielding, never makes an error first baseman who can't hit like Casas can. Also, FYI, the Sox fielding percentage is I think last in MLB, but it's still 98 freaking per cent, so 2% of the time they make errors.

Agree. 2018 does not prove that the regulars playing less guarantees better play. But it does make it harder to argue that, when players are rested (or injured), they automatically play worse.

You miss my point by a mile. To me a missed game is a missed game, whether because of injury or a decision by Cora. And the 2018 Sox regulars missed a ton of games, but the Sox were hugely successful--in games won (most in MLB), in runs scored (most in MLB), and in fielding percentage (tied for 7th, which is pretty good for the Sox).

Meh. Baseball is almost unique among the five big USA team sports--football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer--in not having to rely heavily on great teamwork. Indeed, the center of every freaking game is the confrontation between pitcher and batter, which is all about individual skills. Half of every roster is freaking pitchers, most of whom can't even spell teamwork. And the most important skill among the position players is the ability to hit a round ball with a round bat squarely. If you can hit, you can play. "Good field, no hit" is for guys in the minors. And you better believe that Cora is not unique in shaping his lineup to get the right bats--with some defense--into the lineup. Casey Stengal was renowned for "platooning," and Cora right now has about an even mix of good righty and good lefty bats. I agree the defense stinks, but I also think hitting comes first, so I'm fine living with Devers and his errors--same with Casas. I completely agree that the Sox have used a lot of players this year, but blame that mostly on the injuries. On the other hand, it's also true that most of the 2021 roster is gone, so no question Bloom has been moving guys in and out at a rapid pace--and that does make it harder on Cora and his coaches, but not nearly as hard as it would be in other sports. However, it's also true that the entire talksox board was clamoring for Bloom to bring in new blood--better arms, mainly--to the Sox for the stretch run. This is made easier--even for the position players--by the reality that you can in fact plug players into different positions without risking much. My favorite example on this year's Sox was Turner playing 2b because it put a very good bat where there usually was an awful one--and also allowed Casas to play 1b and Yoshida to DH.

Of course they weren't all from "rest games." In fact, I insist on that point. You say that the Cora's rest games are excessive, and sometimes I agree with you. However, in 2018 injuries caused a ton of those missed games. See especially the AL MVP Mookie Betts who missed 26 freaking regular season games. My point, which is borne out by winning 108 games in the regular season and 11 of 14 in the postseason, is that at the very minimum those missed games by Mookie, Beni, JBJ, Bogey, et al were excessive and did not prevent the Sox from scoring a ton of runs (876, most in MLB) or from having an almost decent defense (tied for 7th in fielding percentage vs. 30th, dead last, right now). In 2018, beyond any question, fewer games by all 12 of their most used players resulted in better hitting/scoring, better defense, and more wins.

FWIW, espn stats say there have been 817 MLB pitchers so far this year and that -0.9 puts Kluber in at 792d best. Pitchers ranked 429th thru 522d all have WAR's of 0.0. So, out of 817 MLB pitchers, 428 have WAR's of 0.1 or better and the bottom 290 pitches have WAR's of -0.1 or worse.

OK. But the 5 run rule still applies.