Maxbialystock

It's just not that simple. Yes, IP is a big deal for a starter, and this time Bello only pitched 4. But guess what? Last time out he went 7 innings and gave up just 2 runs and the Sox still lost, 4-0. Can you guess who came in and gave up the other 2 runs? Rodriguez, that's who. And that gets to my rebuttal of your blame-shaming of Bello. He only pitched 4 innings, but he also gave up just 1 run. Plus the Sox bullpen was absolutely, positively fully rested with a day off Monday and a day off last Thursday. But guess who comes in to pitch the 7th with the score 3-0 Reds? Rodriguez.

Of course not. Besides, it's obvious from just the few WAR's + ERA's + IP's I provided that WAR is a combination of ERA and IP and goodness knows what else. Winck ranks 6th on the Sox in IP with 32.1, first among pitchers in WAR with 1.8, fourth in ERA with 2.12, fourth in games played with 18, and a lowly sixteenth (16th !!!!!!!!) in K's per 9 innings. Guess who ranks 2d on the Sox in K's per 9 innings? Rodriguez, with 11.3. That said, the leader in K's per 9 innings is Paxton with 12.2, 3d is Schreiber with 11.1, 4th is Sale with 10.6, 5th is Jansen with 10.3, 6th is Pivetta with 9.5, and 7th is Bello with 9.4.

Nice

Really? My take is that Duvall's return takes away the DH position, period. So Dalbec becomes one of three 1B aspirants.

Back to back good comments--yours and the one from moonslav you were responding to. I think your 40% K rate comment is apt, but I also wonder where Dalbec plays when it appears Casas will stick at 1b. And, if not Casas, Turner--so Yoshida can DH and Duvall (due back in June) can play in the outfield with Duran and Verdugo.

Well, I don't agree. We lost the game because of the 5 run 7th inning, which Kike had nothing to do with. As for the semi-miraculous 7th and 9th innings by the Sox hitters, they were largely due to that 8-0 lead which brought in less than stellar relievers by the Reds--Cruz ERA 7.47 and Salazar ERA 16.20. When Lively left the game with 2 outs in the 6th and just a 3-0 lead, the reliever was Young, ERA 2.91. He got the third out in the 6th. Then came the 5 run 7th (with Rodriguez on the mound for the Sox) by the Reds, the 8-0 lead, and the decision not to bring Young back to pitch the 7th. So Cruz came in and gave up 3 runs. With the score now 8-3, with the Reds firmly in control, Sherriff pitched the 8th for the Sox and gave up the 9th and winning run. And, with the score now 9-3, Salazar got to pitch to six Sox hitters, five of whom scored, in the 9th before Diaz came on. As for Kike's error, too bad. Errors happen. My guess is that, because he and Valdez are slow turning double plays, he rushed his throw and missed. And to me the bigger error was by Cora, who sent Rodriguez out to pitch the 7th with the Sox down 3-0. He clearly assumed the Sox would not score any runs in this game.

Perhaps. What do you think of these the pitching WAR's for the Sox on espn-- Winckowski +1.2 ERA 2.23 IP 32.1 Bello +0.8 ERA 3.89 IP 39.1 Sale +0.8 ERA 4.72 IP 55.1 Martin +0.7 ERA 1.32 IP 13.2 Crawford +0.7 ERA 3.30 IP 30.0 Schreiber +0.6 ERA 2.19 IP 17.0

And now we know Cora agrees with you about Bello's 4 innings being insufficient.

Buttressed???? The Sox system is knee deep in SS's, including their 2021 #1 pick (4th overall) who just moved up to AA.

Well said. 8 of the 9 runs last night were earned. We could argue about whether that bad throw by Kike cost a GIDP and more than one run, but, frankly, right now the Sox are weak up the middle in turning double plays because both are slow on the toss, the turn, and the throw to 1B. The Sox system has a veritable mountain of SS's, including the Sox #1 pick (4th overall) in 2021 who just moved up to AA.

Cora says basic problem was Bello only going 4 innings. So he agrees with you.

Good stuff. I think moonslav has been saying something similar--building the 40 man roster, but not being averse to spending where it will make a difference. What we can't forget is that JH does have a vote in player acquisition.

8 runs doesn't meet your standard? The problem was the bullpen--specifically, Rodriguez.

Apropos of your lengthy post, I found tonight's game more encouraging than discouraging.

I just don't follow your logic. You raise hell because Bello failed to go 5 innings. Unsat, you said, even though he only gave up 1 run. Now you insist Winck should have been sent in to pitch the 5th and probably a couple more innings precisely because the Sox were down just 1-0 and had a chance to win. You can't logically blame Bello for a lousy start--specifically not going 5 innings--and then blame Cora for not sending Winck in for the 5th inning. FWIW, going into tonight's game Garza had pitched 4.2 innings and given up 0 runs, May 16 thru 24.

Nicely said. Plus Diaz gave up that double.

Bello's tough.

Not to me, it isn't. Oh, I agree it's a shame Cora never sent out one single good reliever and instead sent out Rodriguez. No Martin, Winck, Crawford, Jansen, et al. But at least tonight we saw some offense which we really haven't see much of recently.

Well, gotta blame that loss on Bello for only going 4 innings and giving up that huge run.

Unbelievable freaking rally.

Spot on. I sometime like to say a shutout (of our hitting) combined with a bloodbath (of our pitching) means we didn't waste good hitting or good pitching. But the Sox look awful tonight. Bello only lasted 4 innings, but at least he showed some guts on a night when he did not have his best stuff.

Let's see now . . . Bello goes 4 innings and give ups 1 run, and the bullpen has now gone 2 1/3 innings and given up 7 runs. And Bello gets singled out as a bum by our resident expert and beer connoisseur.

I don't drink, but my guess is you've had two or three too many Gansetts. Otherwise you would have more sense than to single out Bello for criticism when it's the rest of the team--the bullpen and the lineup--that are falling on their asses. Yes, 5 innings for the bullpen. Too freaking bad. But at least Bello--unlike Sale, Kluber, Pivetta, Houck, Paxton, Whitlock, whoever--didn't give the game away. He went 4, giving up 1 run. And you want to label him a bum.

No, the point being you are wrong about this game. As others with some sense have pointed out, while 4 innings is subpar for a start, giving up 1 run in 4 innings is pretty doggone terrific. The lineup is scoreless in 6 innings. Garza couldn't go two innings and gave up 2 runs.

Who made you king of Talksox? Bello didn't have it tonight--thus 30 pitches in the first inning and 59 in the first two. But he showed a ton of heart, especially after the lead off triple in the 4th inning--and no run scored. You want unacceptable? Point out Garza from the bullpen and the freaking lineup. Compared to them--the lineup and Garza--Bello is the start of the Sox in this game.