Maxbialystock

Agree on defending Bloom. Less sure of the near future because of the rotation. Bello has been excellent, but ain't no one behind him in the Sox system. Instead, we have Sale, Houck, Whitlock, and Kluber on the IL--and of those 4 only Sale has looked like a real starter. Kluber is over the hill, and Houck and Whitlock were more effective in the bullpen.

But in fact this very topic of "non-starting" Pivetta has already been examined thoroughly on game threads, on the rotation thread, and elsewhere. I haven't checked, but it's probably also been on the fire Cora thread.

This latest streak is only 3 games, but all of them have been huge. Yes, the days off have helped, but it still boggles the mind that Cora is getting by with 3 starters and a wakeup (Pivetta) while Sale, Kluber, Houck, and Whitlock remain on the IL--and will likely do so for 2 more weeks. If Bloom reads talksox and had to choose between keeping Splinter and keeping Cora, I think Cora would have to go. On the other hand, if word gets out to other blog sites, Splinter could bring in some pretty good prospects.

I was happy to see Vazquez go. I would not be happy to see Paxton go unless what Bloom got back were high value prospects. To me this year's Sox are definitely better than last year's, especially given the massive injuries to the rotation, Story, et al. Duran and Casas have come on. Yoshida was a terrific acquisition, and I'd definitely rather have Turner than JDM. Wong has been excellent. Duvall has only been OK. Dugo may or may not be fading after a terrific start. If Story and Sale return to their better selves in August, the Sox will be tough. Bullpen is way better than last year, but the defense is subpar.

Actually, Cora's doing that right now. The standard rest between starts is 5 days. Bello's last start was July 19, so tonight he is going on 7 days rest. He started on 14 July, so 19 July was the standard 5 days. The last three starts before the ASG were July 5, June 29 (6 days), and June 23 (6 days). And so on. I checked Paxton's game log, and found 2 starts out of 12 with just 5 days rest. Crawford, on the other hand, has had mostly 5 days rest between starts. I think of Verlander as a horse, but even he gets a lot of 6 days breaks between starts. The Sox started the season with 8 starters--Kluber, Paxton, Sale, Houck, Whitlock, Crawford, Pivetta, and Bello--although not all were healthy or even in Boston. Right now 4 of the 8 are on the IL. So resting starters more would seem to make sense.

I do not think this topic merits a whole new thread. Plus this idea was/is not new. The Rays have been doing this successfully for years, including against the Sox. There may indeed be a psychological dimension to allowing Pivetta to avoid the first inning, but there are also two practical explanations. The first is the math. Using a reliever to start does not strain the bullpen because these days very few starters go 7 innings, let alone 9. So it should not matter that one of those innings pitched by the bullpen is the 1st. The second is the effect on the opposing team's lineup. Pivetta is a righty, so when Bernardino, a lefty, starts a game in which Pivetta is expected to pitch 5 or more innings, the opposing manager is less likely to load his lineup with with lefty bats (assuming he has that option).

Right now Yoshida's DWAR on espn stats is -1.0, and I think he's better than that. When the Sox beat the Mets 8-6, Yoshida made the final out (with a man on base) on one of the toughest catches in MLB--running toward/into that left field wall (along the 3d base line) which is almost in fair territory. We have had plenty of leftfielders who couldn't make that catch, and in this case it was huge.

I think I posted elsewhere, I love the pitching staff you designed if Bloom picks up a couple of fairly decent starters (you cited one from the White Sox and one from the Cubs)-- Sale, Paxton, Bello, + 2 good starters from Chicago Houck, Whitlock, Pivetta, and Crawford as long relievers Jansen, Martin, Schreiber, and Bernardino as late inning guys But what if Bloom doesn't even get one decent starter? I think there is compelling evidence that Cora's improvisations--especially since Sale, Houck, Whitlock, and Kluber went on the freaking IL (and remain there)--have worked wonders. Improvisation isn't quite the right word because the Rays have been using relievers to start for years--as you pointed out. Plus the math is on Cora's side. We know the bullpen is going to pitch in almost every game, so what difference--in terms of bullpen usage--does it make whether a reliever starts or comes in later in the game? Last night we did see that not every reliever is ready to pitch the first inning. Schreiber, one of the Sox best relievers, was lucky to escape the 1st inning giving up just 1 run. A weird double play saved him. Bernardino, on the other hand, seems to thrive on "false" starts and can even go 2 innings. Maybe it helps that he is a lefty and Pivetta is a righty, so opposing managers are less likely to load their lineups with lefty bats. And this. Right now I don't have a whole lot of confidence in Whitlock, Houck, or Kluber as starters, so their returns might not help the rotation much. If the good Sale returns, that's four good/decent starters plus one good/decent false starter.

I think I posted elsewhere, I love the pitching staff you designed if Bloom picks up a couple of fairly decent starters (you cited one from the White Sox and one from the Cubs)-- Sale, Paxton, Bello, + 2 good starters from Chicago Houck, Whitlock, Pivetta, and Crawford as long relievers Jansen, Martin, Schreiber, and Bernardino as late inning guys But what if Bloom doesn't even get one decent starter? I think there is compelling evidence that Cora's improvisations--especially since Sale, Houck, Whitlock, and Kluber went on the freaking IL (and remain there--have worked wonders. Improvisation isn't quite the right word because the Rays have been using relievers to start for years--as you pointed out. Plus the math is on Cora's side. We know the bullpen is going to pitch in almost every game, so what difference--in terms of bullpen usage--does it make whether a reliever starts or comes in later in the game? Last night we did see that not every reliever is ready to pitch the first inning. Schreiber, one of the Sox best relievers, was lucky to escape the 1st inning giving up just 1 run. A weird double play saved him. Bernardino, on the other hand, seems to thrive on "false" starts and can even go 2 innings. Maybe it helps that he is a lefty and Pivetta is a righty, so opposing managers are less likely to load their lineups with lefty bats. And this. Right now I don't have a whole lot of confidence in Whitlock, Houck, or Kluber as starters, so their returns might not help the rotation much. If the good Sale returns, that's four good starters plus--and I can't resist saying this--one good false starter.

True. He did compliment the team and the win. We all contribute on impulse and not always wisely.

It was.

Yep.

Once again you have captured the mood of the senate. Tonight was a huge win, your third straight.

Thanks for those brilliant statements of the obvious. That reminds me. Earlier in this game thread you excoriated Cora--as you invariably do in every game--for starting Schreiber. You clearly had forgotten that right now the Sox have 3 starters--Bello, Paxton, and Crawford. Four others are on the IL--Sale, Whitlock, Houck, and Kluber. But by your commentary you appear to think that Cora's efforts to work around the lack of starting pitching is evidence that he's just stupid and doesn't know how to manage. But don't take my word for it. Ask the other contributors to talksox what they think of your insights.

Of course they are sustainable!!! Do you seriously think Pivetta is going to start and go 9 freaking innings? In this case, the reliever is simply the starter for 1 or 2 innings, depending. But the bullpen workload is the same. By not starting Pivetta--who was a disaster earlier this year as a starter--Cora had made him way, way more effective. He is also second on the team in innings pitched. Two days ago against the Mets the Sox did have a bullpen game and won 6-1.

Ahem. Cora announced about a month ago that Pivetta was/is staying in the bullpen. If you will check Pivetta's game log, you will see that decision was dead solid perfect. He got killed as a starter, but now is borderline invincible--simply by not starting but then pitching starter innings. Don't mess with success.

I could be wrong, but I do believe this is the worst home plate ump we've seen this season.

Sure was.

You are so ignorant you should be ashamed of yourself.

I know, I know. Worst reliever in Sox history with that stinking ERA of 2.12.

We are the the first freaking inning so a starter is irrelevant at this point. Schreiber should have been able to get through 1 inning without selling the farm.

Sox down 1-0, bases still full with 1 out. Schreiber could give this game away in the 1st.

Meanwhile, Schreiber is digging himself a hole. Not that the Sox game is of any importance. But, to those interested, the Braves have the bases full on a single, an HBP, and a BB. One out. Mound visit.

NOAA map says not too long.

Agree trading Kike to Dodgers was good for us. Very versatile guy who can fill in at 2b or SS so Mookie doesn't have to, but not that valuable for us this year. 2021 was another story. Like others on talksox have been for other games, I'm being screwed tonight by the insane blackout restrictions. Greensboro, NC is nowhere near Atlanta, but blackout it is, even though the only alternative for me is to drive to freaking Atlanta for the game, which ain't going to happen. You would think they could figure out an alternative where they make less money (than by my physical attendance), but do get to charge me something extra to watch the game on mlb.com and funnel that money to the Braves.