Maxbialystock

If you ain't over-reacting, you ain't a real fan, which is short for fanatic, which means obsessed and irrational. Love how the Sox are playing today. Sale had some good innings. Brasier got 3 outs in the 8th with a 3 run lead. Sox scored 6 terrific runs with dingers by Devers and Duvall--so my endless whining about the putrid offense is looking pretty lame, I'm happy to say. With Klubar and Sale both having decent 2d starts, I'd say moonslav's prediction of a decent rotation is looking pretty sensible because we still haven't seen Whitlock and Bello. Bullpen looks OK too. Defense and baserunning abysmal, but not insurmountable.

Definite competitive. I ask because I think this one right now could be. Klubar and Sale have both come back nicely after horrible starts. Pivetta and Houck had decent first starts. Only Crawford stinks. Meanwhile, Whitcomb and Bello, both better than Crawford, are due back within a week. I don't expect much from Paxton, but he's lurking out there in the twilight zone. Indeed, I would argue the worst part of this year's rotation is that stinking defense behind them. McGuire and Devers both made egregiously bad plays (but Devers' was so bad it wasn't an error because he never got a glove on the ball) to give up 5 gift runs. Hernandez already has 3 errors and has made zero excellent plays at SS. The outfield has no range and no arms. I also think the bullpen could be better this year.

Horrible at bat for Turner. Just terrible. Gotta bring Devers home with one out.

OK, that's it. Sale needs to rely on his sinker, changeup, and slider--and use that worthless fastball as a waste pitch. He looked really good in the 5th--even with Hernandez committing his 3 freaking error this season. The Sox defense reminds me of what Casey Stengal reportedly said about the Mets, I think in their first season as a brand new franchise: "doesn't anybody here know how to play this game?"

Note to moonslav. Looks like the pitching will be OK. But, just as you said, they have to do better than other pitchers on teams with decent defenses. This team's defense stinks.

That was a super fantastic changeup Sale just threw!!! Where has it been?

I said this on another thread. Historically, the Sox have relied heavily on simply buying pitchers. That has certainly been true in the John Henry era. The Rays, on the other hand, won't even pay to keep a really good starter--and year in and year out they have pretty good pitching, with or without an ace. As recently as last freaking season John Henry was shelling out pretty big bucks for two pitchers--Price and Sale--who were of no use to the Sox. So, 1) you are blaming the wrong guy; and 2) I'm inclined to agree with JH. Don't shell out big bucks for someone who the day after he's signed might need a new freaking elbow or whatever.

Great to see those 2 runs scored and especially Raffie's dinger to LF. Sale's fastball is way to hittable. He needs to keep using the cut fastball, which looks pretty effective to me. His slider is only OK, and his changeup, today anyway, seems not to be working. He did get screwed on two calls/pitches that definitely hit the corners.

Ace means big bucks, and JH ain't paying no big bucks for no pitcher, period. Bloom has no say in this, but probably agrees with JH.

Sox offense looks helpless/hopeless for the 4th straight game. I'm of course excluding the first inning of the Pirates series.

Nice summary and stats. 6 games in and the Sox need to make a stand.

Absolutely true. But a small sample is all we've got. Speaking of which, in 3 of 6 starts to date, Houck, Pivetta, and Klubar were all decent. Whitlock and Bello rejoin soon. Sale could pull a Klubar and allay our concerns. The pitching could be decent this year.

True, but right now the hitting is suspect. And the defense stinks.

Honestly? I see nothing "fine." The hitting tailed off badly vs. the Pirates after the first inning of the first game--which was followed by 3 runs in 26 innings. The pitching remains suspect. And the defense is not suspect; it's just plain lousy. I commend you for polling that the Sox would have a winning record this season, and I definitely hope you're right and I'm as wrong as wrong can be.

Exactly. These Sox just might have mastered the fine art of scoring and giving up runs in exactly the right proportion to lose. They took 2 of 3 vs. the Orioles by scoring 9, 9, and 9 runs. Against the Pirates, their run total was 8 runs in 3 games. More precisely, in the first inning of this series the Sox scored 5 runs. In the next 8 + 9 + 9 = 26 innings they have scored 3 runs. Right now it's hard to see a Sox strength. Lousy defense, so-so pitching, and now so-so hitting.

By all means, do so.

After just 5 games--with the Sox now 2-3--the pessimists have the floor. The rotation stinks--Kluber, Sale, and Crawford, anyway--and so does the defense. Devers missing a pop up he absolutely should have caught but didn't even get a glove on it (thus no error!!!) cost 3 runs and one loss, 7-6 to Pittsburgh. In the next game, McGuire mishandled a swing and miss third strike (in the strike zone!), which would have been the 3d out, but instead cost a baserunner and then 2 runs when the next better hit a dinger. So, in two games out of five played, abysmal defense was center stage. Bullpen has been pretty decent. After 5 games, the Sox ace is Winckowski with 6 innings and 1 run (ERA 1.50).

Excellent post.

I finally got around to watching the replay of the passed ball, which was definitely in the strike zone. I think the PB by McGuire, which I still consider to be egregious, was caused by two things, a very good breaking curve and a swing by the batter. Result: 2 unearned runs. So far--and we are talking about a very small, almost infinitesimal sample--the defense, starting pitching, and baserunning are suspect. The bullpen seems OK, and so does the hitting, despite now going 17 straight innings while scoring 2 runs.

It was definitely above the knees. I'm not sure whether it was outside the strike zone. In any case, McGuire did not have to lunge for the ball.

True. The Orioles had 10 I think. Or 11.

I left out baserunning, which this year is egregiously bad. Everybody steals bases right and left on our pitchers, but our baserunners are terrified of stealing.

I left out baserunning, which this year is egregiously bad. Everybody steals bases right and left on our pitchers, but our baserunners are terrified of stealing.

This first week is like a nightmare on bald mountain: it has exposed all the Sox weaknesses. Tonight it's both lousy hitting and an egregious passed ball on a pitch in the strike zone, swung on and missed for strike three, which then became a man on first with two outs, which then became a 2 run dinger--both runs unearned. Last night it was a missed pop fly--very catchable--by Devers which led to what are now called 3 earned runs because Devers's ineptitude was so gross he never even touched that pop up. Later, he almost missed another pop up--this one in foul territory. And both nights have also hinted that maybe the magic in the bats was short lived. Since that terrific 5 run first inning last night, the Sox have scored 2 runs in 15 freaking innings. Isn't that something? I just saw the Pirates SS make exactly the same popup--same spot and everything, that made Devers look like an idiot last night--look easy. Our first two starters in the rotation stunk in games 1 and 2. I mean awful. So was Crawford in game 4. And the two guys, Houck and Pivetta, I figured would get hit hard have each pitched 5 innings and given up 3 earned runs (by Houck) and 1 by Pivetta tonight. So those two, along with the bullpen, give us a smidgen of hope. But, frankly, this team so far seems hell bent on fulfilling our direst predictions. Definitely a weak defense, even without the game-costing misplays by Devers last night and McGuire tonight--absolutely no range and no arms in the outfield. Almost decent infield, but don't expect really good plays. Hitting that started out great but now looks ordinary. And a very suspect rotation.

Don’t forget Devers last night.