Maxbialystock

Excuse me, but I need to understand your point. Are you saying that Sox runners should never attempt to advance when there is a wild pitch? And, further, that any player doing so who is thrown out should be benched?

That changeup Winckowski throws is very hittable.

Verdugo sure looks pretty in his huge chain, the badge of real ballplayer. Look, he just caught a fly ball!!!

Since that is almost never done and Devers is the absolutely best hitter and overall best player on the Sox, your suggestion makes no sense. Plus it was a great play by the Rays catcher.

More great baserunning by the Sox. Only four things they don't do well: play defense, hit, pitch, and run the bases. Other than those four, a pretty decent club.

Season to date, Brasier had an excellent April (ERA 2.57, 7 IP), lousy May (ERA 7.84, 10.1 IP), excellent June (ERA 2.25, 12 IP), and lousy July (ERA 6.75, 4 IP).

One thing I grant you is the uncanny ability to ignore specific examples of how you just might have been wrong about Whitlock this year--and divert everyone's attention by focusing on the word "idiot." Thus this syllogism: Whitlock should have been the Sox closer on the first day of the 2022 season; he has yet to be the closer over halfway through the season and in fact spent most of it as a starter; Cora is the reason for this big misdeed; I (Old Red) have never said anything disparaging about Cora.

I'm happy to be wrong on this point. "Idiot" is no doubt an exaggeration. So, please enlighten me. What have you said about Cora that is in any way positive?

No, actually, Sale started the debacle by not coming out to pitch the 6th inning. That's silly, of course, but not much sillier than blaming the loss on Brasier, who actually got two outs in the 6th before Strahm was brought in to pitch to Choi, who was then pinch-hit for by Majia, who singled and was followed by Walls who also singled, which led to the two egregious errors by Strahm (not Brasier) and Cordero (also not Brasier). If anything, one can make a case for leaving Brasier in to pitch to Choi because he struck out the last hitter (Arozorena) he faced.

One more time. The Sox lost 3-2, and 2 of the Rays runs were unearned. By no conceivable calculation can this loss be blamed on Brasier or, for that matter, Cora. Verdugo got himself picked off 3b with no one out. Cordero and Stahm committed the errors that brought in the 2 unearned Rays runs. The top 4 in the Sox batting order went to the plate 16 times and got 1 hit, 1 BB and 5 K's.

If the Rays win this 3-2, they win by scoring one freaking earned run. The Sox defense sucks. So does the baserunning.

Brasier was not that bad. He gave up a run, but got 2 outs. Strahm was the absolute killer out there--two hard hit singles plus a stupid and bad throw did the most damage, then aided by Cordero's stupid throw home for a second error. Then, with no one out and Verdugo on 3b, he gets picked off. At some point, the players have to get some of the blame. Speaking of which, the Sox first four batters are 1 for 11 with 5 K's, 1 BB, and a single by Devers. Is that Cora's fault too?

Worst Sox game--in terms of just showing their asses in public--I have seen in years.

Unbelievable incompetence. Verdugo, tying run with no one out, picked off 3d base.

Sox first four hitters--Duran (in a slump), Vazquez, Devers, and Bogey are 1 for 11 with 5 K's, a single, and a BB.

Brasier should have stayed in to pitch to Choi. Strahm got hit hard by two consecutive right batters after Choi was substituted for. Dumb throw by Stahm--no play. Dumb play by Cordero on a throw home that wasn't needed. Great start by Sale ruined by rank stupidity and incompetence.

I might add the double was a ball Verdugo caught but dropped when he hit the wall.

Whoa, Nellie. How can you say he didn't look good with 5 K's, 1 BB, 3 hits (including a double) and 0 runs in 5 freaking innings against a team that has hit the Sox pitching with ease?

Pretty amazing 5 innings. Chris Sale is a battler and an example for the other pitchers on the Sox. He said he would be ready and he was. Just 3 pitches, but he uses them well. And just 1 walk.

Agree "turned the season around" is a bit of an exaggeration, but your version gives the Sox several uncounted wins instead of losses. Is it 8? If so, that puts the Sox neck and neck with the Astros for 2d best record in the AL and--you're going to just love this--4 games behind the Yankees. If you convert 1 of the losses to the Yankees, the margin is 3 games. I completely agree a closer has to start sometime, but would challenge you to find just one who started closing on the first day (or first closeable game) of a season. Last season was Whitlock's first ever in MLB. And, for the record, he had 2 saves and 3 blown saves without ever being a closer. At the beginning of the season Barnes and Robles had the experience as closers. Indeed, in the first game of the season, April 8, Whitlock was a reliever who pitched 2.1 innings and gave up 1 run. The 9th inning pitcher was--wait for it--Robles, who pitched a scoreless 9th. Then Dieckman and Brasier gave up the 1 unearned run in the 10th and Crawford the winning unearned run in the 11. In his very next game, April 12, Whitlock pitched 4 scoreless innings in relief and the Sox beat the Tigers. Three outings later, April 23, he pitched 4 more scoreless innings as the starter vs. the Rays, a game the Sox lost in the 10th when Robles gave up an unearned run after the Sox failed to score (with a man on 2b) in the top of the 10th. Indeed, for the month of April Whitlock pitched 16.2 innings--against the Yankees, Twins, Jays, Rays, and Tigers--while giving up 1 earned run for an ERA of 0.54. The Sox won 3 of those 6 games, and could have won 2 others (3-2 to the Rays and 1-0 to the Jays) if the Sox hitting had been better. And you claim that Cora the idiot misused Whitlock in April? Do you even look at actual facts before you sound off? No, you don't. You simply make stuff up.

Out of curiosity, I have to ask what you think is a fair contract for Devers?

I like the idea of Houck and Hill pitching in the same game, and I don't think Houck has the repertoire to start. But I agree with you that moving into the closer job was the best fit and probably should have happened sooner.

I love it!!! Whitlock has exactly 1+ MLB seasons, 59 games, 122 IP, and zero, repeat, zero experience as a closer. Given that Whitlock had never closed before this season, no manager would have made him the closer on day 1. At this point it's pretty obvious Cora has two much better choices to close: Houck, who won the position last month with 6 saves and no blown saves; and Schreiber, who statistically is probably the best reliever the Sox have had in years with an ERA of .62, a WHIP of .62, and a WAR (despite pitching just 29 innings) of +1.9 (3d highest on the team after Wacha and Pivetta). Whitlock has the repertoire to be a starter. We saw that last year when he relieved for multiple innings. So, on a team that was desperate for starters at the beginning of the season, it made sense to give him a shot. His WAR to date, mostly based on starts, is +.9--not far off Eovaldi's (who has pitched 68 innings to Whitlock's 48) +1.3 and better than Hill's (with 70 IP) +.3. So, contend all you want to, but there is zero evidence Whitlock as the closer from day 1 would have turned this season around. A better argument could be made that Cora took too long to give Houck the job, but Houck was also very effective--as Whitlock was last year--pitching 2 or more innings in relief.

Rizzo's had a good career and can still hit/field at age 32, but the one caveat you have to make about a lefty batter going to the Yankees is that short porch in right field. Right field in Fenway is deep except at the Pesky Pole. Looking back, Rizzo and Schwarber--both lefty bats--would have been good choices. However, we don't know what considerations went into not picking them. My guess is the hope that Dalbec could hit. Also interesting is that Rizzo and Schwarber currently have the same WAR, +1.7. The one pricey acquisition Bloom did make was for Story, whose WAR is +2.3.

Dalbec is just one example, but this season every time I watch the Sox play the Rays, the Rays just seem more professional in the field, on the base paths, on the mound, and in the batter's box.