Maxbialystock

Plus the right guy starting the game thread. I'm nervous because of how the Rangers pitching handled our lineup yesterday. And, as good as Bello is (and certainly better than the Sox who pitched yesterday), the Rangers have the best hitting in MLB--just as you implied.

Agree with the projection of injuries. The rotation is a shambles and unlikely to recover--and the bullpen isn't strong enough to make up the difference. Nor is the hitting. Not sure what "sell" entails, so will hold off on commenting.

Starters Sale, Houck, Whitlock, and Kluber are all on the IL.

This ain't Worcester. Getting a wild card berth is still important to John Henry (I think), and it's doable. So I'm fine with Cora having the leeway to sub for Duran when he thinks it will give the Sox a better chance of winning. And, oh, by the way, since when is it bad for a player to get 4 freaking doubles in a game because his manager has him hitting against righties? Right now Duran's overall OPS is a robust .856 in part because he has 181 at bats vs. righties and just 32 against lefties. I have no doubt that, if Duran's success, now just 65 games old, continues, he will get more opportunities to hit against lefties.

I won't contest those numbers, but would say that .500 ball right now ain't too shabby given the ups and downs of the lineup and especially of the pitching. As I've argued ad nauseum, the Sox rotation has been decimated. Of the 5 original starters--Sale, Houck, Pivetta, Crawford, and Kluber--only Crawford is in the rotation, and he has just 8 starts. Sale, Houck, and Whitlock are all on the IL. Kluber is on the IL without a diagnosis or expected return date. Pivetta is in the bullpen. Fortunately, Paxton and Bello have come through: between them 22 starts and 12 quality starts. Crawford is the 3d starter, but with 8 starts and no quality starts. After those 3, no one, for now. Thus was today yet another bullpen start/game. Neither Paxton nor Bello started the season on the active roster, but are now the heart of the rotation. Between them 22 starts, 12 quality starts. Bello ERA 3.08, Paxton 2.70. Crawford is the 3d starter, with just 8 starts and 0 quality starts. Sale, Houck, and Whitlock are all on the IL and all were starters from the get go. Pivetta is consigned to the bullpen. Kluber isn't even that--he's on the IL with no actual diagnosis or date of return--and he too started the season in the rotation. Nevertheless, the Sox at .500 are just 5 games out of a wild card slot. Of course, overtaking the Astros, Yankees, Jays, and/or Angels will be daunting with a rotation in shreds and a very unproductive bottom third of the batting order.

So Cora needs to let the Fenway infield grass grow and grow and grow. Good fix--except by now MLB probably has umpires checking it.

Pretty good choice. I remember him well.

I'm certainly no expert, but that makes sense to me, especially the last sentence. I do think Cora is a good manager, but recognize that a manager can only do so much. You gotta have the players/talent.

Exactly how many "all-star type" lefties do you think there are? Or put it this way. Why is Refsnyder on the team--to watch Duran improve against lefty starters?

It's a bullpen game, which means several arms will be used. Pivetta can't be used today, ditto Jansen, Bello, Crawford, Paxton, and probably Winck. Plus we have now seen Bernardino, Ort, Murphy and Garza--all four of whom have given up runs. Also, the score is an unsurprising 6-1 because the Rangers lead MLB in runs scored. My guess, only that, is that going into this game Cora was reluctant to use his best bullpen arms unless/until he could see some scoring from the lineup.

It's early. Coming into this season it was a given Duran was not quite MLB material. But his fielding (routes) improved dramatically, Duvall got hurt, and, when Duran took over in CF he showed he could also hit. That said, .618 vs. lefties is pretty low, especially when Refsnyder is available and has an OPS of .930 vs lefties. But keep writing. I always enjoy learning from fans who know so much more than managers who are both professional and successful.

Really glad to see Hamilton at SS--but not so much at bat. Lately the bottom of the Sox order has been awful at the plate. This is of course Cora's fault for not putting good hitters in all 9 slots. Same goes for the starting pitcher today. The Sox are knee deep in good starters, but instead he went with Berndardino. Just stupid managing.

Duran's OPS vs lefties is .618. Against righties .878. So it might make sense not to start Duran against lefties.

The Sox are down 4-1 in the 4th inning for the simple reason we have seen one freaking Sox hitter and zero freaking Sox pitchers in this game. It's actually kind of amazing the Sox are only down by 3 runs. Blaming it all on Ort is just silly.

It's not just Ort. With Sale, Houck, and Whitlock out, the Sox currently have 3 viable starters: Paxton (on paternity leave), Bello, and Crawford. Plus the bullpen--not just Ort--isn't all that reliable.

I certainly have thought this was the case. His best season after the Sox stole him from the Yankees via Rule 5 was his first and entirely in the bullpen. However, three factors have militated against that. The first is that he definitely has the repertoire for a starter with fastball, cut fastball, slider, and changeup. The second is that he really wants to be a starter. And the third is the Sox shortage of starters this year, last year, and in 2021, Whitlock's first season. All the same discussion applies to Houck although he is less injury-prone than Whitlock and doesn't have the repertoire. Both have been exclusive starters this season because of the Sox shortage of adequate starters. Paxton and Sale have both spent lots of time on the IL. Kluber was/is a bust. Crawford was a bust but is back in the rotation. Bello was called up out of need and is now flourishing. Right now, without Houck and Whitlock--both of whom talksoxers insist should be in the bullpen and not the rotation--the Sox have three starters: Paxton, Bello, and Crawford.

Could not agree more. My one big concern is how the rotation keeps changing, so much so that nobody in it now was there at the beginning of the season--except for Crawford, who was demoted to the bullpen before coming back to the rotation. Cora recently said Pivetta is staying in the bullpen, but, with Whitlock possibly going on the IL, that could change. Right now Bello and Paxton look pretty good and Crawford could be adequate. After those three, however, it's anybody's guess who starts in the 4 and 5 slots.

Don't stop--you are often right and otherwise great counterpoint. Way back in April I predicted the Sox would finish with a losing record. Now I'm hopeful despite still another freaking "injury" today to Whitlock. It's pretty obvious Kike and Duvall are overpaid, so their being on one year contracts is a plus.

I am positive I didn't disagree with you. Duran isn't perfect, but right now he's better than Duvall in the field, on the base paths, and at bat. Duvall had a great first 8 games--OPS 1.699--and has just stunk in his subsequent 19 games with an OPS under .540. His career OPS is .758, but the real telltale was last season when it was .677. The Sox have four healthy outfielders--Dugo, Duran, Yoshida, and Refsnyder--who are all better than Duvall right now. Despite the above, I'm not about to recommend pitching Duvall on the ash heap of history. He could still turn things around.

dam strait you do. Feel free to start it now, but don't forget it's day after tomorrow and at Fenway.

Very exciting game. Offense comes through yet again and big time. Too bad about Whitlock, but really good pitching by Pivetta, Martin, and Jacques. 5 hits by Duran!! 3 by Devers and 2 by Refsnyder and the game-winning dinger by Dugo!!! The bullpen needs tomorrow off, but I sure wish the lineup could keep playing.

About it. Casas stinks today and Kike stinks most of the time.

Hard hit line drive by Dugo, right to the centerfielder. Oh, well.

The Sox have 5 hits so far: 3 by Duran, 2 by Devers, and 0 by everyone else.

I'm hoping the kid--20 year old Marcelo Mayer at AA Portland--makes it to Boston next year and becomes our long term SS with Story moving to 2b. With Duran and Dugo in CF and RF--and Duvall, Yoshida, and Refsnyder also available--the outfield looks pretty decent. Sale could be back by August, based on his latest MRI and that he is now throwing every other day. Sale, Paxton, and Bello would be a pretty darn good start on a rotation--if Sale returns to where he was right before the injury to his left shoulder.