Maxbialystock

I'm shocked. It is the God-given right of MLB players to make complete asses of themselves. Heck it's probably in the Bill of Rights. So Cora better watch out when he tramples on the rights of our fellow citizens.

You could be right, but I have also been astounded to see Sox hitters go opposite field on inside pitches and--even more so--pull outside pitches.

Only slightly related to this bullpen thread, I decided to look at some simple stats to see if they could tell me which kind of pitcher is more valuable to a team, an innings-eater (a starter) or a reliever. So the simple stat is individual pitchers' WAR's. Now, before you jump in cry, "unfair, WAR is biased in favor of more innings just as it is biased in favor of more at bats," I would remind you that relievers never have to pitch to the opposing lineup 2 or more times as starters almost always do. Of the top 102 pitching WAR's--from a high of 4.2 to a low of 1.0--in MLB, 28 belong to relievers and 74 to starters. If you divide each of those two numbers by 30, the number of teams in MLB, it says that the average team has one reliever at the WAR 1.0 or higher level, and 2 1/2 starters. The Sox have a pretty decent staff (6th best ERA in MLB), so they have four pitchers in the top 102: three starters (Pivetta 2.4, Wacha 2.1, and Eovaldi 1.3), and one reliever (Schreiber, 1.3). In passing I might also note that in the innumerable discussions about who the closer should be, almost no one (except me) has said Schreiber might be the best fit. I should add that Cora has also not mentioned Schreiber as a possible closer.

To be honest, I think it's 2 and 3 because to me high 90's fastballs lead to slightly late swings that drive the ball to the opposite field, but I could be wrong.

Of course they are. They are known for decapitating other birds. I do expect good pitching. Manoah is the monster who shut the Sox down for 7 innings 2 months ago in Boston.

Go Sox!! Go SPLENDIDSPLINTER!!! Strangely enough, I am in fact looking forward to tonight's game and am glad you started the game thread

1. Yankees may not to have to face the Astros. 2. And they certainly won't have to face both the Dodgers and Mets. 3. However, last year the Braves won it all and they finished 88-73 in the regular season. So there is the unexpected. 4. I still think it's wrong not to put this Yankees team at 50-50.

Agree--for exactly the reasons you state. Also, since you brought up the topic of Wacha, I'm pretty sure Cora was hoping he could go 6 innings, which would have lightened the load for Brasier, Schreiber, and Danish. But after 5 innings Wacha had 90 pitches, including I think 12 in one at bat vs. Springer (who I think K'd), to say nothing of the three BB's, which not only put Jays on base, but cost Wacha pitches. Another thing that hurt Wacha and other Sox pitchers was the Jays ability to punch/poke/hit the ball away from those computer-driven shifts. They seemed to do that a lot better than the Sox.

JBJ's fWAR is -0.5 and includes his defense. He is a liability. Refsnyder's fWAR is +.8. He's an asset.

I'd give them at least 50-50. Yes, I know the playoffs these days are endless, but the Yankees seem to have no weaknesses. They are like the 2018 Sox (who were 11-3 in the postseason), only better.

Not really. Moonslav bombards us with data and bullet points. I compose lengthy treatises, never using one sentence when ten will do almost as well. Nevertheless, I did actually get into the details of the pitching last night, which no one else has done--because those are where the devil lurks.

Sad but absolutely true--and it's getting to be almost a habit. What a dunce.

If you go look at the bullpen thread, you'll see I defended every move Cora made last night, including bringing in Robles and mentioning those two ground balls.

I can be fickle. He drove me nuts his first season, the one after Ellsbury went to the Yankees. But then something happened in August, and rooted like crazy for him through think and thin. A lot to root for. Finally, I thought letting him go to the Brewers, who overpaid him, made sense after the 2020 season. This was confirmed last year. Now the Sox are paying a guy with an fWAR of -0.5 8 million bucks? So call me fickle.

Ahem. Forget the past month and just look at the last 2 weeks--during which the Sox took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals (who were then leading the NL Central Division) and 3 of 3 from Cleveland, who were then leading the AL Central Division. And about those bottom feeders. The very worst team in MLB, the A's, wins 1 out of every 3 games, but the Sox took 5 of 6. Detroit wins 4 of 10, but the Sox swept 3 of 3. The Angels win 5 of 10 (46.8%), and the Sox took 3 of 4. Seattle, almost as good at 46.1%, lost 2 of 3 to the Sox. What I will agree with is that the Sox so far have struggled against all four of the other AL East Division teams. Not just the Yankees, Rays, and Jays, but also the Orioles, who have taken 4 of 7 games so far. And, as you imply, this could well doom the Sox, but I'm not yet ready to go there. As for the Jays, let's not forget that playing in Toronto has removed our newly crowned closer, Houck, who has the Sox 5 most recent saves. Ya think Cora could have used Houck last night? Plus Duran, for whatever that's worth. And Sale, if he ever returns. About Cora last night. Does he get no credit for sticking with Wacha after that disastrous 1st inning? I ask because, while Wacha didn't have his best stuff, he battled thru the 2d thru 5th innings, giving up just 1 more run. I say, "well done, Alex." Also Wacha of course. Then Cora sent in Brasier, Schreiber, and Danish to hold the line for innings 6-8--which they in fact did. Still no credit? Finally, came the 9th, and not many good options, thanks to Houck's fear of a shot that billions of people have taken without negative side effects. However, Danish wasn't a horrible choice for the 9th: he had just pitched a clean 8th: fly out, K, groundout. Moreover--and no one but me has noticed this--so far this year Danish has pitched 27 innings in 23 games, which means this wouldn't have been his first time going more than 1 inning. I say that because a lot of talksoxers wanted Schreiber to go 2 innings even though he has pitched just 23.2 innings in 25 games. Unfortunately, Danish panicked in the 9th by walking Springer after giving up the single to Kirk (a great hitter for the Jays this year). So in came Robles, whom none of us like. That said, both game-winning singles by Bichette and Guerrero were seeing-eye grounders that got through the Sox computer-drive shift. So I would argue that Robles was not a horrible choice based on what happened and even though none of us like him this year.

Sensible. I'm on Bloom's side, of course, because some pretty good arms are currently on the IL: Whitlock, Eovaldi, Sale, Taylor, and Darwinzon Hernandez.

Forget the past month and just look at the last 2 weeks--during which the Sox took 2 of 3 from the Cardinals (who were then leading the NL Central Division) and 3 of 3 from Cleveland, who were then leading the AL Central Division. About those bottom feeders. The very worst team in MLB, the A's, wins 1 out of every 3 games, but the Sox took 5 of 6. Detroit wins 4 of 10, but the Sox swept 3 of 3. The Angels win 5 of 10 (46.8%), and the Sox took 3 of 4. Seattle, almost as good at 46.1%, lost 2 of 3 to the Sox. What I will agree with is that the Sox so far have struggled against all four of the other AL East Division teams. Not just the Yankees, Rays, and Jays, but also the Orioles, who have taken 4 of 7 games so far. And, as you imply, this could well doom the Sox, but I'm not yet ready to go there. As for the Jays, let's not forget that playing in Toronto has removed our newly crowned closer, Houck, who has the Sox 5 most recent saves. Plus Duran, for whatever that's worth. And Sale, if he ever returns. Indeed, this morning I read a comment that it's quite possible the Sox could play the Jays in the postseason at Toronto--without Houck, Sale, Duran, whoever.

Reread what you wrote. You call it a treatment that doesn't keep you from getting COVID or from spreading it. And don't forget you are defending someone who believes COVID vaccinations are bad for you. What other conclusion is possible besides "they don't help much?" So let me ask this simple question. Do you believe COVID vaccinations save lives--yes or no?

Astutely argued. One wonders why we spent billions and billions of dollars developing and testing those shots, manufacturing them, and going all out to administer them to as many people as possible--when they don't really help much. This goes way beyond any ponzi scheme because every freaking government in the world is in on this malicious scam. And, I suppose, Dr Fauci, who got the ball rolling in January 2020 to develop a vaccination in record time, was just another medical charlatan, full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing.

Absolutely true. Nothing dumber than wanting people to get vaccinated against COVID. In fact, enlightened people now realize that all vaccinations aren't just dumb, they are dangerous and should be avoided.

A second game thread. Neat. Entirely agree it was a very exciting game, but with a not so good finish.

I could go either way on this, but am inclined to agree with Hill staying as a starter. Whitlock has good potential as a starter, but we know he can be terrific in the bullpen. I think Whitlock, Schreiber, and Houck could handle almost all of the 8th and 9th inning stuff in close games. Alternatively, Whitlock has been very good as a long reliever.

I think he did because he was really good. He had one save in two save opportunities, which does not suggest he was prime closer material. He did have 14 holds and, unusual for a reliever, he pitched 73 innings in 46 games. Last year Houck started 13 games and only pitched 69 innings. Ottavino pitched 62 innings in 69 games, which is more typical of a reliever than Whitlock's 73 innings in 46 games. Thus my assumption that even last year they were thinking Whitlock had starter potential because he has such a good repertoire. I'm certainly no expert, but I think the best relievers normally rely on just two very good pitches that complement each other.

Whitlock has pitched 49 innings, Houck 47, so I guess Houck's arm is about to fall off.

See above. Relievers go on the IL as often as starters. So, not only are you relying on a hypothetical, but a flimsy one at that. Plus you are ignoring that Cora needed a starter and that Whitlock is well suited to be a starter. To become a closer, it is customary to go through a process similar to what Schreiber has been doing. Indeed, Schreiber has demonstrated far more potential to close than has Whitlock and in fact pitched tonight.