Maxbialystock

Given how close the two teams' winning percentages are--.525 for the Sox and .445 for the Nats--I think taking 2 of 3 is a reasonable expectation for the good guys. Right now the Sox have their best active roster in a long time-- Five decent starters (Paxton, Sale, Bello, Pivetta, and Crawford) plus a sixth, Houck, o/a 21 August, and at least seven decent relievers (Martin, Winck, Bernardino, Jansen, Murphy, Schreiber, and Whitlock). Bello might be tired, but no one else should be. In fact, quite the opposite. Also six decent lefty bats (Devers, Yoshida, Casas, Duran, Dugo, and Wright) and six decent righty bats (Turner, Duvall, Story, Refsnyder, Reyes, and Wong). So to me it's simply a matter of which Sox team shows up tonight at Nats Ballpark (which has good sight lines) at 7:05 tonight--the guys who can hit and pitch and even play defense, or the weak-hitting stumblebums we've seen too much of lately.

Boo yourself. I'll be honest and say I love the stats on the Braves players' games played. Also the question, "Why do our guys need a day off all the time?" Clearly, playing every dadgum day works for the Braves. So it's fair to ask, couldn't that work for the Sox as well? And my answer is that I believe that most MLB players could use extra days off because the regular season is such a grind--6 games a week for 6 months. But, more than that, I believe the manager should make that judgment. Bellhorn is absolutely right. Cora believes not only in resting guys, but in using his freaking bench. And to me it's hard to argue that his system has failed. The 2018 Sox not only had Boston Red Sox best regular season ever (in 123 seasons)--while regular resting players, even Mookie freaking Betts--they then beat the 100 win Yankees, 3 games to 1, in the ALDS, the 103 win Astros, 4 games to 1, in the ALCS, and the 92 win Dodgers, 4 games to 1, in the WS. And here are the regular season games played by those lazy, no good, badly managed 2018 Sox: JDM (DH), 150; Beni 148; JBJ 144; Betts 136; Bogey 136; Nunez 127; Moreland 124; Devers 121; Holt 109. Three years later, 2021, under a new GM/VP (Bloom) and an owner who now wanted nothing to do with high priced pitching, Cora took the 92 wins Sox (who literally did not have a closer for the 2021 postseason) to the ALCS after beating the 92 wins Yankees in the wild card and the 100 wins Rays in the ALDS (3 games to 1) before losing to the 95 wins Astros in the ALCS (4 games to 2). Last year the hard core Braves won 101 games in the regular season but couldn't get past the presumably soft core Phillies in the NLDS. My point is not that the Cora's right and the Braves are wrong, but that more than one system can work, especially if the players have bought into that system. And moonslav for once is full of it because he has provided no stats, just his opinion on resting players. When he's sure he's right, he piles on the stats. This time, nada.

Once more I have to day that no one reading this thread can think you guys have any hopes whatsoever for 2023. And I find that astounding because right now I think the Sox pitching looks better than 2021 and as good as 2019. As moonslav has pointed out, with the return of Sale, Whitlock, and Houck (now delayed until 21 August so he can start), Cora has good starters, long relievers, and short relievers. Of course there are concerns--Bello's possible fatigue, Sale's history of injuries, etc--but at least a whole bunch of these guys are present for duty. And, if the Story and Duvall of yesterday's game--combined with the Turner we've seen all season and the possibility that Reyes can hit (but I now have my doubts about Refsnyder)--the Sox just might have some good righty bats to go with all those lefty (Casas, Devers, Yoshida, Duran, Dugo) bats. Seriously, if I'm anywhere near right, shouldn't we pay just a little bit of attention to this year's team?

I'm pretty sure the team announced today that Houck will start. And I suspect the reason is to use 6 starters to keep from wearing them out during the current (started 4 Aug) 48 games with just 3 days off. I'm not expecting more injuries to Sox pitchers, but understand they are possible.

Story and Duvall coming through today could not be better for the Sox, whose hitting and especially scoring has been lackluster over the last 15 games (averaging 3.28 runs per game). The talent--Story, Duvall, Devers, Yoshida, Casas, Duran, Verdugo--is there. And now the pitching looks pretty good with Good Sale back plus Whitlock and soon Houck.

Interesting. The so-called "Realistic View of 2023" has become the "Realistic View of 2024. So apparently moonslav has given up on 2023--and he may be right. Now that the pitching is decent--and I do agree with the concerns about Bello--the hitting has tanked for 15 games now, during which they have scored on average 3.28 runs per game, including the unearned runs like the one last night. With Whitlock back today and Houck in 2 days, it does look like the Sox pitching is in pretty good shape. So all the caterwauling about how desperately the Sox needed one, two, or even three good starters now looks excessive. Instead, it turns out Bloom should have been looking for some reliable bats. Devers, Story, Duvall, Yoshida, Duran, Refsnyder, Verdugo, Wong, et al, are substandard. Casas is still hitting and possibly Turner. Reyes was hot, but seems to be cooling off.

Not just Devers, but pretty much a team malaise. Over the last 15 games they have scored an average of 3.28 runs per game, and that includes some unearned runs like the one last night.

I use mlb.com which costs a tad over $100 for the season, but I don't get games against the Braves, Orioles, or Nationals.

In Bloom's defense there is scant evidence the Sox know how to develop pitchers--and that's been true for over fifty years. There have been a few, of course, but mostly the Sox trade for good pitchers. Right now, this season, Eovaldi, Wacha, and ERod are all pitching way better for other teams than they did for the Sox.

Despite my wise-ass remarks, I'm watching this game intently and hoping the lineup will come thru.

Looks like Reyes has cooled off. Completely agree with Duvall pinch-hitting for Refsnyder.

Duvall and Story, take note. Turner just did what you two do way too infrequently. He is more valuable to the Sox this season than the two of you combined.

This is absolutely not on Cora. The Tigers starter Manning gave up 6, 4, and 8 runs in his last 3 starts--and today's he's given up 1 hit and 1 unearned run.

After 5 innings, the Sox have 1 run--unearned, of course.

I think the Sox don't know squat about teaching/coaching/improving pitching. That's why they have always relied heavily on acquiring pitchers developed by other teams. And let's not forget that this year Eovaldi, Wacha, and ERod are all pitching way better than they ever did for the Sox. And now, because of the very recent example of how Kike suddenly began hitting again after going to the Dodgers, I'm beginning to think the Sox don't know much about hitting either. The greatest Sox hitter ever, Ted Williams, learned absolute zippo about hitting from the Sox coaches/managers.

Those uniforms have done a lot more for the Sox this year than their idiot of a hitting coach.

Anyone here remember Kike Hernandez? In the 14 games since he went to the Dodgers his OPS is .823--way above what he hit for the Sox this year (.599). It's also above the OPS's of the these Sox players in August: Duran, Dugo, Wong, Duvall, Story, Yoshida, Devers, and Turner (who missed most games with an injury). If the Sox have a hitting coach, he sure ain't helping.

Dugo gets an absolutely fat pitch--a mistake, if you will--and pops it up to SS. After three innings, the Sox are still hitless. Anyone who believes this team is not in a hitting slump is not paying attention. Before today, they averaged 3.38 runs per game for the last 13 games.

Verdugo RF Yoshida LF Turner DH Devers 3B Casas 1B Reyes SS Duran CF McGuire C Urias 2B Very interesting lineup with Duvall and Story both out. Also Wong--very possibly because McGuire has looked pretty good since he returned. If nothing else, this suggests this club has some depth because the actual lineup looks pretty decent to me.

I think it's possible the recent downturn in scoring is tied to the absence of Turner. Verdugo has been in a slump, but just might be coming out of it. Gotta like his defense, however. Duvall and Story are both out today, which, sad to say, if fine with me.

Ahem. How do you know Bloom didn't try to make a deal for either or both of them and was told, "not good enough?"

Morale??!!!???? Every single player is being paid an insane salary to play freaking baseball in front of a pretty good fan base and in a famous ballpark. Compare that to their grandparents who lived through the Great Depression and World War II, and--if any of them played MLB or was married to a player-- the low pre-Curt Flood MLB salaries. Carl Furillo, as very good rightfielder for the Dodgers, worked construction in the offseason to make ends meet. So did other MLB players. And a whole bunch of them also served in the Army/Navy/AirCorp/USMC during WW II. As for deepening the pitching staff, that's happening right now--last night, tomorrow, and 2 days later with the arrivals of Good Sale, Whitlock, and Houck. Two weeks late, granted, but at least with these guys we know what we are getting. Good Sale is really, really good. And Whitlock and Houck have demonstrated they can start--after a fashion--and very definitely be the long relievers you have cited several times as useful.

Bloom passed on getting another starter--to which I say, "wild applause! Best no-trade of the season!" The Sox current rotation is now Bello, Paxton, Good Sale, Crawford, and Pivetta. Not too shabby. Tomorrow Whitlock returns and 2 days later Houck, so that Cora will then have three pretty good long relievers in Murphy, Whitlock, and Houck, and after them he has Jansen, Martin, Shreiber, Winckowski, Bernardino, and Barraclough (the jerk who came in last night with 2 outs in the 5th and a man on and immediately went to work to get that Tigers runner home with a walk and a single).

I doubt that I know more than you.

Love the 3 game win streak and ecstatic about both Sale and Murphy last night. In fact, with Whitlock returning tomorrow and Houck 2 days later, the Sox pitching could be at it's best since early 2019. Simply dumping Garza and Llovera should be cause for jubilant celebrations all over New England. But the hitting ain't there, not by a long shot. Duran's August OPS is .634, Refsnyder is 0 for 6, Duvall OPS .638, Wong .579, Story .517, Devers .731, Turner injured + OPS .400, Yoshida .660, etc. I've heard rumors all those guys met with Cora and asked him to stop playing Reyes and Casas because both of them are red hot and making everyone else look bad. Over the last 13 games the Sox have scored an average of 3.38 runs per game. In the Sox 61 wins this season, only 13 of them occurred when the lineup scored fewer than 5 runs.