Maxbialystock

Good comments/insights. Maybe Bloom wasn't quite as dumb as folks have claimed. To me the key issue as 1 August came into view was that the Sox still had a lot of talent--Sale, Whitlock, Houck, and Story--on the IL and due to come off in August. So far Sale's two starts suggest we got "Good Sale" back. With Houck due back tomorrow or Tuesday, the Sox will have six starters (Bello, Sale, Paxton, Crawford, Pivetta, and Houck), and a slew of decent relievers (Jansen, Martin, Winckowski, Schreiber, Bernardino, Llovera (lately), Murphy, and Whitlock). moonslav listed 7 Sox hitters (Devers, Yoshisa, Duran, Casas, Turner, Duvall, Reyes) with OPS's over .800--and left out one, Urias. Plus Story's 8 seasons/lifetime OPS is .846, so chances are he will bloom soon. I wanted another starter just like everyone else, probably including Bloom and Cora. But that's why I like your post because I think we need to trust Bloom's judgment that getting the right starter was going to be too costly in prospects.

Good comments/insights. Maybe Bloom wasn't quite as dumb as folks have claimed. To me the key issue as 1 August came into view was that the Sox still had a lot of talent--Sale, Whitlock, Houck, and Story--on the IL and due to come off in August. So far Sale's two starts suggest we got "Good Sale" back. With Houck due back tomorrow or Tuesday, the Sox will have six starters (Bello, Sale, Paxton, Crawford, Pivetta, and Houck), and a slew of decent relievers (Jansen, Martin, Winckowski, Schreiber, Bernardino, Llovera (lately), Murphy, and Whitlock). moonslav listed 7 Sox hitters (Devers, Yoshisa, Duran, Casas, Turner, Duvall, Reyes) with OPS's over .800--and left out one, Urias. Plus Story's 8 seasons/lifetime OPS is .846, so chances are he will bloom soon. I wanted another starter just like everyone else, probably including Bloom and Cora. But that's why I like your post because I think we need to trust Bloom's judgment that getting the right starter was going to be too costly in prospects. Story ain't hitting, but both Reyes and Urias are. I

Sure was. It's great to have McGuire back, but Wong is special.

Crawford has 82 pitches, which is just about his limit this year.

Good grief. That's his second grand slam in less than a week. All those righties in the lineup are making a difference. Who knew?

Verdugo RF Devers 3B Turner 1B !! Yoshida LF Duvall DH !! Duran CF Reyes SS !! Wong C Urias 2B Against righty Cole, 5 righty bats starting for the Sox. His OPS against righty bats is .582.

Love that last sentence.

Cole is having a heckuva year, his best yet. His 5.0 WAR is the highest in MLB among pitchers. I do not think the Sox own him even though they got that big win off him in the 2021 wild card game. I think he gave up 2 in 6 innings against the Sox on June 11. Crawford is a plodder--just one quality start in 15 starts, mostly because he doesn't go 6 or more innings very often. In his previous 3 starts in August he went 4.2, 3.1, and 5 innings with pitch counts of 78, 78, and 81. The Yankees OPS against righties this season is .688--and the Sox is/are .763. Specifically, against righties Casas's OPS is .857, Devers .851, Duran (slumping right now) .845, Yoshida .845, Dugo .843, Duvall .841, Turner .809, Wong .735, and Reyes .690. Story's, however, is .364 (in 9 games, 21 at bats). Duvall sat out last night's game and just might get CF today given Duran's August slump (OPS .591)--plus the so-so route he took on that line drive to short CF. On the other hand, against Cole on June 11 Duran went 2 for 4.

I see it differently because I think those first 4 have not been hitting as they should. The game before and the game before that are examples of the bottom of the order carrying the freight. Story, meanwhile, continues to languish and is now batting 6th. Interestingly, he has the biggest gap on the team between hitting righties and lefties: OPS .857 vs lefties and .364 vs righties. Still just 9 games, however.

Agree completely. Also appreciate the correction on my comment about batters stepping out of the box. That said, it sure looks as though the batters are more in control than the pitchers. I happen to have that apple tv subscription, but tonight it was a huge pain getting the game anyway. Don't forget that I also cannot watch--live, anyway--Sox games vs. the Nats, Orioles, and Braves. That's because the MLB's blackout restrictions.

My bad. I even like him in RF.

One too many.

I do not think Yoshida is a great leftfielder, but I'm fine with him there so that Turner can DH and Casas can play 1b and Reyes 2b.

Excellent indeed. Hitting, defense, quality start by Bello, and an almost decent bullpen. Whitlock and Bernardino not so great, but Martin was terrific with men on 2d and 3d and just 1 out--and no one scored.

I must say that these new rules do seem to favor the hitters, who can simply step out of the box just about any old time they want to and with the complete support of the ump. Meanwhile, the pitchers are held to the 22 seconds--which I'm very much in favor of--and limited to the number pickoff attempts, etc. The old fart Turner is getting interviewed. Great!! He has been a godsend this season, plus at, what, 39, you know he's loving it.

What a great strike three pitch--looking--by Martin. Right on the corner and right after a slider that missed the corner, only this wasn't a slider.

Did not take the best route, but I wouldn't call that brain dead.

So you're saying Judge is a weak hitter?

Yankees bullpen has looked good tonight. Thank goodness for Brito.

Give the guy calling for those sinkers some of the blame because it's clear that's what Judge was looking for. The changeup, on the other hand, has been unhittable tonight--especially against righties.

Not if he throws a changeup instead of that sinker.

I think there just might be some dumb guys on this Sox team. Whitlock doesn't call his own pitches, but some idiot kept telling him, basically, to lay off that deadly changeup to righties and go with the very hittable sinker fastball to Judge.

Upbeat as always. I will support you on this basis: Cora right now has the right guys--with Houck back on Aug 21. No good fielders or hitters are absent unless you think Rafaela should be brought up (and I think you said Bloom won't want to). No good pitchers in the Sox system have not been given a shot with the big club, and about a thousand not so good pitchers have. In fact, Garza is still there. In other words, Cora has the hitting, pitching, and an almost adequate defense to get to the playoffs. The issue seems to be whether they have fire in their bellies.

FWIW--and it ain't worth much--I like the way check swings are called. The corner ump with the best view calls it and does so quickly based on what he sees--with absolutely no reclama. Absolutely the way it should be, even on what looks like a bad call (like the one that recently benefitted the Sox).

About Cora and the rest days. Yoshida reportedly needs them. Turner does too. I think just about everyone else gets them based on performance and/or whether the opposing starter is a lefty or righty. Yesterday was heavy righties and today heavy lefties. Also, right now Wong and Wright seem to be about even steven in starts.