Maxbialystock

Fully rested bullpen doesn't mean that much when it stinks to high heaven and means still less when whoever you send in has a freaking 2 run lead with the bases loaded and one out. It's basically Schreiber or nobody because he's the only Sox reliever who has gone in with the bases loaded and gotten 3 outs with no runs scored. But he did that against the loser Rangers. These Orioles are pretty decent, especially at Camden Yards where they are 41-28. And the last time Schreiber faced the Orioles he gave up 2 runs while getting no one out. Or put it this way. By any reasonable measure this was a good game for the Sox pitching. The lineup, not so good. 9 hits plus free passes, but yet again hit with RISP disease: 1 for freaking 10, Devers especially.

Game over. Cora simply put the wrong lineup in the game, I guess. Or maybe he shouldn't have started Bello. Or maybe pulled him after the 5th inning?

The players are not giving themselves the best chance to win. All the big guns are in the lineup and they can't hit spit. Two freaking runs in 8 freaking innings. The pitching has given up just 3 runs despite Bello, who had an excellent start, leaving with the bases full and 1 out in the 6th. All 3 of those runners scored and are charged to Bello. None of that is Bello's fault of course. Nor is it Ort's.

Rays stole a couple off of Wong. I don't disagree that some catchers have a quicker releases and better arms than other catchers. But some pitchers are better than others at preventing SB's.

These changes all make sense to me. Speeding up the game is long overdue, as are ending as much as possible all those little stalling tactics engaged in by both hitters and pitchers. As for those computer-driven shifts, I think they are intrusive and, just as bad, unfairly help the defense--and the pitcher--at a time when hitters are struggling. To remind: hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely is tough enough without having a computer telling the pitcher what to throw and fielders where they should ideally be positioned. That said, my insistence that baseball is all about human skills--vice human-developed computer programs--seems to run counter what my fellow boob-tube watchers also seem to want. Robo-umps. And they want them because they believe that little rectangle we see on our tv screens is real even though it is literally invisible to the hitters, pitchers, and umpires. That's right, we now insist on pitch-calling accuracy which nobody on the field can actually see. Why? Because we can see it on our TV screens and therefore it is more real than the umpires, who are on the verge of obsolescence.

Story was not bargain at $22M x 6, but I think he was a good acquisition because 2d base has been weak since Pedey got nailed by Machado. Plus he's a good SS. Plus maybe Bogey would settle for 6 X $25M.

I forgot that. Indeed, Bloom's unwillingness to dump Devers or Bogey on 1 August suggests he and JH haven't given up on either one.

Agree.

I hope you realize my own druthers are to find a way to keep Bogey and Devers and to fix the pitching. And the pitching is complicated by the fact that Sale, Wacha, Pivetta, and Bello just might be a good start on a rotation next year. If that comes to fruition--and you have mentioned that possibility-- the Sox should be looking for relievers.

Do not disagree about the dangers of a long term contract--nor, I suspect, do Bloom and Henry. They did, however, just give Story 6 years, and might offer Bogey, whose the same age, six years, which would run to age 36, by which he might have gone back to 3b even though others have stayed at SS at that age. Devers, 4 years younger, probably wants 12 years, but maybe the Sox can get him for 10, depending on total amount. You are right about the pitching, of course. But, if the Sox have learned nothing else recently, it's the absolute folly of paying "market value"--which means lots of money for lots of years--for an ace. See Price, Sale, Cole, et al. Compared to them, re-signing Bogey and Devers looks like a freaking bargain. I exaggerate of course. Thus I go back to moonslav's stream of charts that suggest how Bloom can spend the freed-up payroll expected in 2023. None of them are simple and none assume big bucks for long years for anyone. In other words, no easy fixes.

Could not agree more. I like both of them a ton, and they have been good for the franchise and us fans. But I just looked at MLB pitching, season to date. These are the teams with the best ERA's-- 1. Dodgers, running away with the NL with 92 wins. 2. Astros, 87 wins, most in AL. 3. Rays, 75 wins, but could catch the Yankees despite so-so hitting. 4. Yankees, 81 wins, AL East lead. 5. Braves, 84 wins, right behind the Mets for NL East. 6. Mariners, 76-59, in the wild card despite 21st in MLB in runs scored. 7. Mets, 85 wins, NL East lead 8. Guardians, 69-64, AL Central lead. 9. Cardinals, 79-56, NL Central lead. 10. Angels, 59-76. 11. Orioles, 71-64, their best season in a long time. 12. Jays, 75-59, their hitting is better 13. Brewers, 71-63, 2 games out of wild card. 14. Padres, 74-62, in the wild card for now. 25. Red Sox, 67-69 thanks to 8th in MLB in scoring and 9th in team OPS--and good managing

Their combined WAR to date is -0.6. To me the problem with the Sox lineup in 2023 is simple. JDM, who has helped a lot but not so much this year, is probably gone. Devers and Bogey, who have been at least as useful, hitting-wise, want long-term contracts which JH and CB might be reluctant to offer. Funny thing about those dingers everyone seems to crave. In their four WS seasons, the Sox were ranked 18th in MLB in dingers in 2007, 5th in 2004, 6th in 2013, and 10th in 2018. In those same seasons, the Sox team ERA was 11th in 2004, 2d (!!!!) in 2007, 14th in 2013 (but it was an outstanding 1st in the postseason, 2.59!!), and 8th in 2018.

I'm fine with Story at 2b. You are no doubt right about Dugo too, but I've seen him make more good plays in RF than in LF. Yes, he badly misplayed that carom off the right field wall in Fenway and had to run 40 years, but then he made a terrific no bounce throw to 3b to nail that guy--a huge play. Also at Fenway, he caught that fly/liner in deep right center that looked like it was going out.

Feet first is a legitimate slide, always has been. But I don't like the Ty Cobb way which was usually spikes up with intent to maim. That's how Machado ended Pedey's career although Pedey insisted it was a clean play--and apparently the umps agreed. On that slide last night, I agree Verdugo was just trying to get to 2d base as quickly as possible with a feet first slide. I also agree infielders should not get away with blocking.

Yes, that's what's going on and therefore it is normal to gripe. Indeed, I'm on another blog site for college basketball and during the games the criticism is frequent and scathing--and far worse than on talksox.

I cannot and do not refute your impression because I've never been there. The idiosyncracies of the playing field and roof affect the players, but, then, Fenway has its idiosyncracies too.

As I've said repeatedly, no Cora critic has yet successfully responded to the following: In 2018 he managed an excellent Sox team--but not much better in personnel than the 2016 and 2017 teams--to 108 wins and 11-3 in the postseason. That was the best Sox season ever, and the players deserve tons of credit. But there were times when Cora's managing helped. In 2019 the pitching collapsed (ERA of 4.70 was 19th in MLB), but they still won 84 games (and lost 78). In 2020 Cora was justifiably banished from MLB, and the Sox were terrible, 24-36. In 2021 Cora returned without Mookie, Price, Sale, Kimbrel, Beni, and Moreland and the Sox won 92 games and got to the ALCS in the postseason despite having to face the Yankees ace Cole in the wild card, followed 2 days later by the 100 win Rays (best record in the AL in 2021) in the ALDS, which they won 3 games to 1. In that postseason the Sox played 11 games without a closer and in fact never got a save. But the only blown save was in the 6th inning of game 2 vs. the Astros when Sale started, went just 2.2 innings, and Houck got the blown save in the 6th inning. That, sir, took some managing. And that was last freaking year!! This year, 2022, the Sox have the 2d worst ERA in the AL but are now 67-69, which is a ton better than Sox teams in the John Henry with lousy pitching. But going back to April the ongoing theme on Talksox--as it was years ago about Francona on a different blog site (BDM)--has been all the irretrievable, bonehead mistakes Cora has made. Plus the new theme that he mysteriously somehow "lost the clubhouse" sometime back in the spring. If you can, take a shot at the above. Explain it all away. To remind. I don't in anyway object to anyone saying, "well I would have done it this way." Or, "I think Cora should have done this." What I don't get is the insistence that he's stupid and doesn't know what he's doing. There is literally no meaningful evidence to support that.

Sox are 4th in MLB in HB (hit batters) and 11th in BB's.

JD Drew had his best years before he signed that 5 x 14 = $70M contract with the Sox. A good right fielder and bat, but not a gamechanger.

Finally, someone I can agree with. Cora threw all the pitches, took all the at bats, ran all the bases, and made all the plays in the field. These insightful game threads have made it clear that Cora has been at the root of all the losses and helped to win none of the games. So to get ready for next year, all Chaim Bloom has to do is fire Cora and get a winning manager and thereby save a ton of money because the pitching, hitting, baserunning, fielding, and will to win all suffered because Cora lost the clubhouse sometime back in April and May.

Good pitching beats good hitting, simple as that. And in this game the Rays bullpen just overwhelmed the Sox hitters. In the 6th, Casas and Kike K'd and Refsnyer lined out. In the 7th, Plawecki walked, Pham K'd, Dugo grounded out, Bogey walked, Devers walked, and Story K'd. So that so-called huge rally was based on 1 ground ball single and 3 walks. In the 8th, all 3 Sox batters K'd. And in the 9th, McGuire singled to lead off, but then Pham K'd, Dugo grounded out, and Bogey also K'd. Indeed, the Sox were lucky the bullpen--actually Familia--only gave up 2 runs in 2 innings. Also this. Let's give Bogey a single in the 9th and Wong enough speed to score and tie the game. The Rays still have the bottom of the 9th to score the winning run.

The presumption, a not unreasonable one, is that Plawecki is better handling the pitchers. The Rays got one HBP and two doubles in that inning. Also, the baserunner stealing 2b got a huge jump.

They are hitting in the clutch against the worst bullpen in the history of baseball. Or something like that.

Kike doing his best to take some of the heat off of Casas's K--by looking a lot worse.

The HBP was very weird, but Familia wanted to walk him anyway--he threw 10 pitches, 4 for strikes. And the Rays hits looked pretty solid to me. You want a fluky hit, sit Devers' rbi bloop single. This year the late innings belong to the Rays because of their vastly better bullpen than the Sox.