Maxbialystock

Meh. Almost every thread is about next year, firing Bloom, firing Cora, firing both, who to keep next year, who to go after, etc. I'm probably the most ignorant deal-proposer on talksox, but I do have thoughts about the guys on the current team and think there is decent talent, even among the pitchers. And the guy on the mound tonight is one of them.

I disagree with your second line, but also think it's brilliant. Reminds me of--"if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me"--by Alice Roosevelt Longworth.

Don't forget Eovaldi and his $17M, for which he has contributed a WAR of 1.0, which includes 18 starts, an ERA of 4.15, etc. When you include Price, Sale, Eovaldi, and Paxton, that's over $70M invested in a combined WAR of Eovaldi's 1.0.

Well, he certainly has the temperament for closing, which Barnes has seemed to lack until very recently. I never liked Kimbrel, primarily because he stunk--ERA 5.92--in the 2018 postseason. So right now, assuming Houck and Whitlock come back healthy and are assigned to the bullpen, I like what I see for 2023. I think Schreiber, Houck, Whitlock, and Barnes can all close and/or pitch well in late and close games. Strahm and maybe 1 or 2 others can do good spot relieving. I would not spend big on a closer. The Rays have the 4th best ERA, 3.38, in MLB and 43 saves, but no one on that team has more than 8 saves.

Absolutely. Hill gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, and the bullpen 1 run in 3 innings. Two of the errors--by Pham and Chang--were just crappy play. Strahm had 2 outs and walked Cabrera, then made a horrible throw to 1b which put Bader on 3b. However, because Bader scored on a single to CF, the scorers decided it was an earned run under the assumption that Bader would have stolen 2b in any case.

Actually, I think Pham and Chang did show up to play their very best, and the problem is they just aren't that good in the field. Pham has little range, little judgment, and not much of an arm, even for a left fielder. Chang was a pick-up they were trying out at SS and looked lost on that popup, which Bogey would have caught easily. And Strahm let the pressure get to him with that terrible pickoff throw. It there's an area in which your theory--that guys are just going through the motions--might be true it's RISP disease, which seems to have hit the Sox especially hard this year, especially in the 2d half of the season.

Just about everyone on that list except Wacha had a lower ERA this year than last year.

3 Sox errors have to be Cora's fault too.

Good point. I'm sure if he had run out onto the field and shouted at the ump, he would have reversed his call and made it a ball. Sad to say, but those changeups Loaisiga was throwing to Almonte were working. If he wasn't called out on that pitch--which was in fact a ball--it would have been on the one after that. Devers once again hopeless at bat, which of course is Cora's fault for putting him in the lineup. What was he thinking?

I am too, but 60 is a really big number in this day and age. Plus the guy is a good outfielder.

3d error was the charm. Appropriately, by the pitcher who then gave up the run-scoring single with a man on 3d base. Pham cannot continue in LF. He has no range, no judgment, and no arm.

Bye. And good riddance. Great game going to the bottom of the 8th. Sox score first, Yankees tie it and go ahead 4-1, then the Sox tie it with Dugo's 3 run dinger. Bullpen doing just fine, thank you.

Agree.

Ahem. To be honest, I think the primary architect for 2018 was DD, who brought in four key arms--Sale, Price, Eovaldi, and Kimbrel--and a very good bat, JDM, who I think made all the other Sox bats better. DD did inherit a lot of pretty good hitters. Nevertheless, some credit must go to Cora for the best season in Sox history. Then the pitching collapsed in 2019 and the Sox missed the postseason, but still had a winning record. Still, John Henry fired DD because he realized he was paying a whole lot of salary for not nearly enough performance. Plus he was about to lose Mookie Betts whom the Dodgers were willing to pay $365M. 2020 was a losing season and also the season when Cora was banished from MLB for the Astros sign-stealing. 2021, Cora returns, but the Sox no longer have Mookie, Beni, Sale, Price, Kimbrel, JBJ, Moreland, Porcello, et al. Barnes turns out to be terrific closer, but only for half a season, after which the closer becomes "assorted." One could fairly argue that a good bullpen is a manager's best friend and that that usually includes a reliable closer. Nevertheless, the Sox whip the Yankees in the wild card and the 100 win Rays in the ALDS before losing to the Astros, 4 games to 2, in the ALCS--and they do it without a closer. In fact, they have 0 saves in 11 postseason games in 2021, but only 1 blown save (in the 6th inning of a game Sale started and lasted 2.2 innings). That to me suggests masterful managing by Cora. As for this year, 2022, please name another Sox team with such horrible pitching--due mostly to rampant injuries--that did better than this team's 72-77 so far? Only one other AL team has given up more runs than the Sox 715. Plus, and here I don't have the stats to back this up, but it does seem to me that RISP disease has hit this team especially hard.

Ahem. To be honest, I think the primary architect for 2018 was DD, who brought in four key arms--Sale, Price, Eovaldi, and Kimbrel--and a very good bat, JDM, who I think made all the other Sox bats better. DD did inherit a lot of pretty good hitters. Nevertheless, some credit must go to Cora for the best season in Sox history. Then the pitching collapsed in 2019 and the Sox missed the postseason, but still had a winning record. Still, John Henry fired DD because he realized he was paying a whole lot of salary for not nearly enough performance. Plus he was about to lose Mookie Betts whom the Dodgers were willing to pay $365M. 2020 was a losing season and also the season when Cora was banished from MLB for the Astros sign-stealing. 2021, Cora returns, but the Sox no longer have Mookie, Beni, Sale, Price, Kimbrel, JBJ, Moreland, Porcello, et al. Barnes turns out to be terrific closer, but only for half a season, after which the closer becomes "assorted." One could fairly argue that a good bullpen is a manager's best friend and that that usually includes a reliable closer. Nevertheless, the Sox whip the Yankees in the wild card and the 100 win Rays in the ALDS before losing to the Astros, 4 games to 2, in the ALCS--and they do it without a closer. In fact, they have 0 saves in 11 postseason games in 2021, but only 1 blown save (in the 6th inning of a game Sale started and lasted 2.2 innings). That to me suggests masterful managing by Cora. As for this year, 2022, please name another Sox team with such horrible pitching--due mostly to rampant injuries--that did better than this team's 72-77 so far? Only one other AL team has given up more runs than the Sox 715. Plus, and here I don't have the stats to back this up, but it does seem to me that RISP disease has hit this team especially hard.

I liked the name, "Guardians." I understand and accept why the name change was made, but think the choice of Guardians was a lousy one. The "Redskins" clearly had to go, but the "Commanders" is to me absurd.

I've already said I enjoyed last night's game, probably for the same reasons as you. The Sox battled. vegasbob says he wants to go all out to win every game. By inference one concludes that was not done last night. To which I say, "horsehockey." Wacha, our ace for this season, went 6 innings while giving up 3 ER's. The bullpen, now decimated by both Houck and Whitlock being out for the rest of the season, gave up 1 ER in 3 + innings--against the Yankees, who only lead the AL in runs scored (by 44 runs). As for the lineup, if Cora erred, it was in keeping Bogaerts, Devers, and JDM in the lineup. I'm being facetious, of course, but my point is that it was newbies Casas and especially McGuire who delivered the 4 runs that put the Sox into the lead, 4-3, on a night when the team as a whole was--and this has been a season-long issue--1/12 with RISP. McGuire pinch-hitting for Wong was a terrific move for which Cora of course got no credit from the boo birds. Indeed, just an inning later the boo birds were condemning Cora because McGuire didn't throw out speedster Locastro's theft of 2d base, after which he scored on a grounder to 2b and a sac fly--to tie the game at 4. Let's face it. Everyone on talksox has been spoiled rotten by the John Henry era. If the Sox aren't headed for the postseason, they're a bunch of losers with a dumb manager and even dumber GM or whatever Chaim Bloom's title is.

Meh. Schwarber can't pitch, and pitching has been by far the biggest problem this year. With Schwarber, the Sox maybe finish at .500, but no better.

A good game overall. I had no problems with the Sox pitching, but did think the hitting by the big money boys--Devers, Bogaerts, and JDM--sucked. The Sox were 1 for 12 with RISP--and that 1 was because Cora had McGuire pinch hit in the 7th.

They are displaying absolutely no interest in scoring runs.

Wacha showing tons of heart and the lineup once again showing no heart whatsoever. Twice a leadoff double and twice 3 straight outs.

Good for you, but I don't see that making much difference. Weak pitching destroyed this season for the Sox.

I wanted to keep Schwarber, but also like Bellhorn04's analysis on why Bloom didn't want to keep both JDM and Schwarber. He also points out that Fenway is tough on lefty bats. Plus the Sox bigger problem is pitching. Signing Schwarber was never going to get this Sox team into the postseason.

Bogey could take a lesson from Casas on plate discipline.

The second run was from a solid single by JDM. Nevertheless, you are right that the rally was based on walks, which, I hasten to add, Bogaerts absolutely refused to take advantage of. He swung at five straight balls well below (and some also outside) the strike zone. One could argue that the pitching produced a quality win. Funny thing, but it was just a week ago today when the Sox beat the Orioles 17-4. A false positive if there ever was one.