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Maxbialystock

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Everything posted by Maxbialystock

  1. Maxbialystock
    Duran LF Yoshida DH Story SS Devers 3B Casas 1B Duvall CF Verdugo RF Reyes 2B Wong C 5 lefty bats and 4 righty.
  2. Maxbialystock
    Unfortunately, apt phrasing. I think Story will hit sooner rather than later. As for the rest of the team, that's anyone's guess. Duvall is fading again, so is Dugo. Nevertheless, I'm hopeful they'll all starting hitting with more consistency. Outfield defense is actually OK, and I think the infield should be OK with Devers, Story, Reyes, and Casas. Catchers are already OK. Bullpen is scary, I agree, but Whitlock is due back soon and Houck not long after. I think Sale starts Friday, August 11. Rafaela could get to Boston before September and is reportedly pretty good playing anywhere but catcher and 1b.
  3. Maxbialystock
    Yes, Story starts tonight at SS.
  4. Maxbialystock
    Probably a bad call by the first base ump, but it's an instantaneous decision. Game over!!!! Reyes with the grand slam.
  5. Maxbialystock
    Adam Duvall is an embarrassment tonight with his 4 K's in 4 AB's.
  6. Maxbialystock
    You just don't get it. You question Cora only when things go bad. In fact, you are very much of an instant reactor. In this case, you're wrong for three reasons: 1) Bello had been hit hard (with several of them caught for outs), did have 99 pitches, and still has a bunch of games to go; 2) Winck was an excellent choice to relieve, but just didn't get the job done (although that first hit was kind of lucky), which was simply to get just one freaking out, and actually got hit hard on the final out; 3) you've ignored the fact that the real problem tonight is hitters 1 thru 7 for the Sox tonight have one freaking single and they are lucky Reyes and Wong have 3 hits between them and the Sox have 2 runs. Thus have the Sox also struck out 12 times tonight (to the Royals 3).
  7. Maxbialystock
    Duran should have had it, but it wasn't an easy play. The real issue is that the Jays are hitting and the Sox are not.
  8. Maxbialystock
    I would not have sent Jansen to pitch in a 9th inning in which the Sox were already down 4-3. He's a closer. This was a game the Sox were determined to lose, what with two errors, an egregious baserunning error, etc. They got lucky when Devers reached down well below the strike zone to get a three run dinger that required perfect contact to get out.
  9. Maxbialystock
    Crawford had 5 starts in July and the average pitches thrown was a tad under 80. Today he threw 81 pitches, one over his average in July.
  10. Maxbialystock
    Agree.
  11. Maxbialystock
    Bad throw, but also a slow release. I can't be sure if Arroyo had to wait until the pitcher got out of the way.
  12. Maxbialystock
    Has to be said. We were all clamoring for another starter when the real problem is the bullpen. And the infield defense.
  13. Maxbialystock
    Same pitch--91 mph sinker down--that the batter before Raleigh got a double off.
  14. Maxbialystock
    Infield again a bunch of clowns.
  15. Maxbialystock
    In his five July starts Crawford averaged 80 pitches, and today he threw 81 pitches. So, no, not overmanaging. Schreiber should have been a good call, but today he stinks.
  16. Maxbialystock
    You spoke too soon. Seattle is hitting him hard because today he stinks.
  17. Maxbialystock
    I think you're wrong. Our collective opinion--replete with contradictions though it always is--is probably more relevant than theirs is because they are focused on the here and now. Plus they are both paid huge sums in guaranteed money. Bloom--and all the people on talksox who agree and disagree with him--has a better perspective on what makes sense for this team this year as well as next year and the year after. I think 3 factors weighed against going after a good starter-- 1. Too expensive in prospects/salary. 2. Three starters--or Sale and two long relievers, Houck and Whitlock--are headed back to the Sox this month and cost nothing in additional funds and/or good prospects sent elsewhere. 3. This team has a good shot at the playoffs, but probably isn't good enough, even with an added starter from elsewhere, to win it all. This isn't 2013 or 2018 redux.
  18. Maxbialystock
    I disagree. I think Bloom believes the Sox have a good shot at getting to the postseason. But spending big (money and/or prospects) for another starter would be justified only if the goal was to win the WS. For that to be the case, on July 31 the Sox had to have comfortable lead in the AL East.
  19. Maxbialystock
    What opinion on Henry? I'm interested because JH is easily the best owner the Sox have ever had if you go by WS wins, etc. He has also show little hesitation in firing managers--Cora is his 5th--or GM/VP's--Bloom is also his 5th.
  20. Maxbialystock
    I basically agree on how JH sees things, which I like to call a sea change because he chose an executive coming from the Tampa Rays system, where they excel at spotting and developing talent without spending big bucks for it. I think the disaster of the 2019 Sox team, coming as it did immediately after the incredible success (with very talented players in both seasons) of 2018, convinced him to try something different. As you have said, for decades the Sox have been good at developing position players, but not pitchers, whom they routinely acquired on the open market (and paid good money for). That's how they ended the 86 year drought and then won 3 more WS, more than any other MLB team, 2003 to today. Today it sure seems as though you can pay a lot of money and players for just one starter--and not get that much in return. Price and Sale of the 2019 Sox team are the perfect example. I believe the White Sox got prospect Moncada as part of the Sale sale.
  21. Maxbialystock
    In another sphere of endeavor a reliable maxim is to reinforce success, not failure. This year's Sox are by no means a failure and are in fact fun to watch. But they aren't at all like the 2013 and 2018 teams who just needed that little extra boost in the postseason, not to get there.
  22. Maxbialystock
    Ahem. My rejoinder is that the reinforcements are Sale, Houck, and Whitlock, none of whom requires a trade. Same goes for Story. As for all the beat writers, announcers, etc, etc, they are unreliable on this topic because every single one of them wants maximum exchange of players so they have something to talk or write about. They also want huge salaries to talk about.
  23. Maxbialystock
    I think you also said that before the road trip. I was more optimistic and would point out that 2 of the 3 losses were each by 1 run and lost in the 9th and 11th innings. The latter was egregious because the Sox didn't score in the 10th or 11th innings despite starting each with a man on 2b. Today it's righty Gilbert who has 11 quality starts out of 21 total and a WHIP of 1.06. His OPS against vs. lefties is .677 and righties .638, and Seattle won all 5 of his starts in July. Four of them were quality starts including a 9IP shutout July 4 vs the Giants. Sox are going with a "balanced" lineup (without Turner, who's hurt): Duran LF Dugo RF Yoshida DH Devers 3B Duvall RF Casas 1B Arroyo 2B Wong C Chang SS
  24. Maxbialystock
    Interesting. I agree completely that managers and CBO's are hired to be fired. In fact, I think Cora is John Henry's 5th manager and Bloom is his 5th CBO. That said, however, I do like Cora as a manager. In 2018 he managed the best Sox team ever (which also had lots of talent). In 2021 he managed a far less talented team to the ALCS--without a closer. And this year he sure seems to be doing a heckuva job. As for Bloom, I like that he came from the Rays system because they have repeatedly demonstrated they can field good teams without paying top dollar. I agree it remains to be seen whether he is the right guy for the Sox, but also believe that John Henry wants a sea change in the Sox approach to constructing the MLB roster. This year's Sox collective salaries are ranked 15th in MLB, the lowest in the John Henry era and probably the lowest in the last 40 years.
  25. Maxbialystock
    A fair point. My rebuttal begins by characterizing 2020 as a covid nonseason when Cora was also banned. It simply shouldn't count. So that gets us to 3 seasons, the first of which, 2021, was better than any of DD's seasons except 2018 because in 2021 the Sox made it to the ALCS. Let's also not forget that throughout his reign DD had more talent and a lot more money to spend. Since Chaim Bloom took the reins, John Henry has insisted on both a reduced budget and the avoidance of big contracts for starters, which were the hallmark off DD's tenure. 2022, agreed, was sorry, but let's not forget than last year the AL East was, like this year, a juggernaut, and last year the Sox played each of the other four AL East teams 19 times (76 games, almost half the season). As for the this year, I'm fine with standing on whatever happens even though this year's Sox salaries are 15th in MLB, the lowest ranking in the John Henry era and probably the lowest ranking in the last 40 years.
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