Maxbialystock

Refsnyder, the presumed greatest righty bat ever against lefty pitchers, is vastly overrated. The telltale on him is that Cora doesn't let him hit against righties, whereas almost all good righty bats can hit lefties and righties.

Sox “hitters” aren’t. Swingers and/or observers, maybe.

Could not agree more about the amount of physical exertion in playing a game--except for pitchers and catchers, of course. Thus does every MLB team carry 2 catchers and 6 thousand or so pitchers. No, I think the grind is maintaining focus during the 135 or so pitches your team's pitchers throw in every game. Plus every now and then your runner on first base has to sprint toward second on every pitch because of a 3-2 count and 2 outs. Plus baserunners have to be really focused, which we all can acknowledge is harder than it looks, especially 6 games a week for 6 months. Plus, of course, I like the notion of using the bench guys more often than once a month. On the other hand, we also know that four guys on the Braves have played all 117 games so far this season--in the hottest summer in human history (we think). And they have played well because all four have solid WAR's (fWAR's). And the Braves right now only have the best freaking record, 77-42 (.647), in MLB. (Footnote: Albies missed the last 2 games with an injury, so right now just Riley, Acuna, and Olson have played all 119 games for the Braves.) So I am not saying Cora's way is the only way, but am saying his way works for him and the Sox.

Pivetta 83 pitches to get thru 4 innings. 5 hits and 3 BB's, but also 7 K's.

Pretty bad call by the ump on the called 3d strike. Way outside.

Good point--not firing him, but at least tearing him a new one.

But then our catcher stupidly assumed the play was going home, tried to take 2b, and was thrown out. So instead of 2 on and 1 out, it's one on and two outs.

I know you're supportive of Alex Cora. I'm just being a pissant because I truly believe this discussion about days off is silly. I'm happy to give the Braves credit for what they do, but I'm convinced the numbers are completely on my side in defending Cora. To be absolutely clear, the evidence of the 2018 season argues very strongly that more days off--mostly because of injuries, not planned days off--made the Sox better, not worse. Mookie was the AL MVP and missed 26 freaking games.

Who gives a flying hoot about those numbers? They're irrelevant. The Sox were 68-30 before the ASG and 40-24 after the ASG. They had a great first half of the 2018 season, a decent 2d half, and a terrific postseason in which they went 11-3 against the best teams in MLB.

Very interesting. Another left-right-left-right lineup, which I like.

Yes, the Sox players do get scheduled days off. And what I don't understand about those days off is why they are questioned so severely on this thread. As I've already said, what the Braves are doing seems to work for them, but what Cora does for the Sox has also worked. In contrast to four different Braves players playing all of 117 games to date, here are the games played for the most successful Sox team in their 123 year history and pretty close to the most successful MLB team in history (the 2018 Red Sox)-- JDM 150 games Beni 148 JBJ 144 Mookie 136 Bogey 127 Nunez 127 Moreland 124 Devers 121 Holt 109 Leon 89 Swihart 82 Vazquez 80 So I would like moonslav or any of the carping critics of Alex Cora to explain how the Sox could be so successful without playing their best players every freaking game--in fact, far from every single game.

I think Chaim Bloom and the Sox will justifiably stay way from Wander Franco. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I'm fine with the Rays sorting this thing out. If he's innocent, they should keep him because he's a terrific ballplayer they've already invested in. If he's predatory, he should go to jail.

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.