Maxbialystock

3-1 A's after three. About right given how much better Blackburn is than Hill. Had JDM's blooper not been mishandled, the score would be 3-0. Stupid play by Story backing up on that grounder.

They win 33% of their games, all against MLB teams. Other comparable MLB teams today: Royals at 34%, Nationals at 35%, and Reds at 36%. Right now they are really struggling, with two recent losing streaks of 9 in a row and 10 in a row. However, last year the A's finished 86-76, in 2020 they finished 36-24, in 2019 they finished 97-65, in 2018 also 97-65, in 2017 75-87 (46%), in 2016 69-93 (43%), in 2015 68-94 (42%), in 2014 88-74, and in 2013 96-66. So, yeah, a pretty bad season, but their track record says they ain't "minor league" and in fact get to the postseason every now and then (2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, and 2020). All the while, because they have abysmal attendance, they spend about 1/4 on salaries that the Boston Red Sox spend. Of course, as Brad Pitt says at the end of the movie Moneyball, the A's can't seem to win it all. The Sox, meanwhile, have won more WS, 4, in the John Henry era--more than any other MLB franchise. So, while I really like what the Sox have accomplished, I also find it hard to sneer at the A's when they are having a down year.

Nicely done. Plus I like Michael Cera, versatile actor. But the central question of our times remains: que CERA, CERA?

Weak they may be, but their starter will be Blackburn, 5-2 with an ERA of 2.31. Hill goes for the Sox. Season to date, the A's win 1/3 (32.8%) of their games, which means one in three games. The Sox are playing well, but nothing about tomorrow is guaranteed.

Great point because the Sox only scored 10 lousy runs tonight, not nearly enough to win. It is of course irrelevant in his last game, with Vazquez behind the plate, Winckowski gave up 4 runs. Tonight with Plawecki catching he gave up 0 runs in 5 innings.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you are on record saying Bloom and Cora are borderline incompetents. Or at least never worthy of positive comment. By all means feel free to refute by citing your compliments toward either of them. About last year's team, which you claim was loaded with talent. You have forgotten that, although the Big Three (Devers, Bogaerts and JDM) were carryovers from the 2018 team, Mookie Betts was long gone. Meanwhile, the "dummy" Bloom brought in Hernandez (WAR 4.9, tied for best on the team), Renfroe (WAR 2.4), Verdugo (WAR 2.2), Arroyo (WAR of 1.5 in 57 games), Schwarber, Iglesias (last few weeks only and not in the postseason), who all made a difference in getting those 92 wins--followed by that sparkling postseason. On the pitching side, I left out Whitcomb (WAR 2.9, 2d best on pitching staff), Pivetta (WAR 2.6, 3d best on pitching staff), Houck (WAR 1.6, 5th best), Taylor (WAR 1.3, 6th best), and Ottavino (pricey, I agree, but he did get 8 saves and had a WAR of .8, 10th best). As for Cora, by the end of the season, he didn't have a reliable closer, but somehow the Sox won 6 games without a single save, and lost 5 games in which the only blown save was in the 6th inning. In other words, just as in 2018, he was masterful.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you are on record saying Bloom and Cora are borderline incompetents. Or at least never worthy of positive comment. By all means feel free to refute by citing your compliments toward either of them. About last year's team, which you claim was loaded with talent. You have forgotten that, although the Big Three (Devers, Bogaerts and JDM) were carryovers from the 2018 team, Mookie Betts was long gone. Meanwhile, the "dummy" Bloom brought in Hernandez (WAR 4.9, tied for best on the team), Renfroe (WAR 2.4), Verdugo (WAR 2.2), Arroyo (WAR of 1.5 in 57 games), Schwarber, Iglesias (last few weeks only and not in the postseason), who all made a difference in getting those 92 wins--followed by that sparkling postseason. As for Cora, by the end of the season, he didn't have a reliable closer, but somehow the Sox won 6 games without a single save, and lost 5 games in which the only blown save was in the 6th inning. In other words, just as in 2018, he was masterful.

4 pitches, but only the slider is consistent effective--not so the fastball (very hittable), splitter (not controlled), or the changeup. Nevertheless, he is the right guy to get another shot.

We need a chorus of "buckle down, Winckowski, buckle down. We can win, Winckowski, if you'll only buckle down."

It's this simple. The Sox started this season with two freaking first basemen: Dalbec (righty bat) and Shaw (lefty bat). Last year Dalbec's OPS was .792 and Shaw's OPS was .843. This year Shaw couldn't hit spit and is gone. Dalbec was supposed to be the Sox first baseman, but his OPS is .608 and his WAR is -0.3. Enter Cordero, who, with all his faults, has an OPS of .678 and an overall WAR of +0.1. I don't disagree about his footwork, but do disagree that it's a fatal flaw. I also disagree with your presumption that Bloom is an idiot for not carrying three good-hitting first basemen.

Ahem. Schwarber worked well last year, not because he was a great fielder, but because he could hit. Moving players to new positions is as old as baseball for the simple reason that you want, as much as possible, to get your best bats into the lineup. I believe Ted Williams is still considered to be the best player the Sox ever had (if you don't include Babe Ruth, who was traded), and he was never a great or even good outfielder. Mookie Betts came up as a second baseman and moved to the outfield before arriving in Boston because of Pedroia. As it has turned out, he has been a fantastic rightfielder with great range and a terrific arm. Then, of course, there's the great Hanley Ramirez, who was basically a so-so SS and originally in the Sox system, who came back when Bogey had taken over, so off he went to LF, which is supposed to be easy, but was a disaster for Hanley. About 1b this year. It was supposed to be Dalbec, a former thirdbaseman who should have been able to transition easily to 1b. Today he's not bad defensively, but others (Cordero, Shaw, Arroyo, etc) have been plugged there because once again Dalbec has struggled at the plate--his OPS is now .608. Shaw got sent away for one reason only: he stopped hitting. Cordero keeps getting moved around because he is almost hitting with an OPS of .678 (higher than Dalbec's, Kike's .613, JBJ's .607, and even Verdugo's .636). I would be remiss if I did not also admit/agree that now and then a player's defense is part of why he's in the lineup. This year Story and JBJ are in that category. Maybe Kike too except that his hitting has really gone down. I would even argue that Bogey and Devers are too simply because their defense is adequate and their hitting is excellent. At the other end of that spectrum is JD Martinez, who reportedly loves playing the outfield (and has a pretty decent arm), but this year has been almost exclusively a DH because he's just too slow for the outfield.

Winckowski starts today, Wed, June 15. He was shelled by the Orioles in late May, and the write-ups say he has yet to master his delivery in a way that makes his fastball, slider, changeup, and splitter effective.

Definitely, one game at a time. Tomorrow Cora's going with his ace, a lefty/righty with the initials TBD.

Then felt I like some watcher of the skies When a new planet swims into his ken; Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes He star'd at the Pacific—and all his men Look'd at each other with a wild surmise— Silent, upon a peak in Darien.

Having watched Fever Pitch about a thousand times, I'm sure it never gets old.

Way to go Sox!!! Great start to the homestand. Refsnyder might be a good pickup.

Valdez doing his level best to create an Oakland rally. A walk and bonehead play.

Not exactly a great distinction. Eovaldi's been up and down is now on the IL, as is Whitlock. That leaves WachaHill, which sounds kind of passive to me.

I started this season with the firm conviction that no one among Devers, Bogaerts, and JDM would be worth their asking price. Watching this team this season--and especially including the new guy Story at $22 freaking million per year--I now think this team will sink into mediocrity without signing at least one and preferably all three of Devers, Bogaerts, and JDM. I say that because the rotation now has Eovaldi and Whitlock joining Sale and that elbow guy on the IL, and the bullpen, while it has had some good games recently, does not inspire confidence.

So far he's thrown 4 pitches: 4 seamer, slider, changeup, and cut fastball. Plus his control is looks pretty good. Nothing fat and nothing way off the plate. Great inning for Brasier!

Brasier, the frightener--only he frightens us, not the opposition. 2 outs, great start!

Fine. Great. A year ago. He's still pitched a great 5 innings, but you have to get your dig in at Cora. We are now in the 3d time through the lineup against Ray, and they still stink to high heaven. The problem today should have been the starter, but he's been terrific. The solution today should have been the lineup. And they act like they just want to get back to Boston.

Wow. Just wow. What a freaking platitude that ignores the fact that Crawford is pitching his ass off in his first ever start for the Sox. 5 scoreless innings, and you are griping. Sheeesh. The lineup is what stinks today.

It's the lineup that stinks. Crawford is the savior of western civilization as we know it.

1. My bad on Houck vs. Crawford--I believed today's OP. Of course, we might also see Houck in relief today. 2. Your insistence that Houck and/or Whitlock should have been closing from day one flies in the face of Cora's demonstrated ability to get the most out of his pitching staffs, including his bullpens. You and TylerD both seem to think he's an idiot. 3. Both Houck and Whitlock have demonstrated they are good at long relief and even at starting. As I keep reminding you, the rules of MLB allow opposing teams to score in any inning, not just the 9th. The value of Houck and Whitlock was/is the ability to throw more than one inning in relief--and even more as starters. 4. Neither Whitlock nor Houck has demonstrated an ability to close--mostly, I quite agree, because Cora wants to use them differently. Nevertheless, we did see Houck close Friday night, and I think he was more lucky than good: 22 pitches needed, plus he gave up a hit and a hard hit out. 4. Last year for, what, half a season, we saw what a real closer looked like--Barnes with his mammoth knuckle curve alternating with that upper 90's fastball. Before last year, Barnes used a bigger repertoire and was middling successful as a reliever. But once that knuckle curve got good, he just needed those two pitches to get 3 guys out when needed. In 2013 Koji Uehara had a slow fastball (87 mph?), a nasty splitter, great command, and the guts of a cat burglar. In the 2018 regular season Kimbrel used basically what Barnes did last year--a great knuckle curve and high velocity fastball (even faster than Barnes's last year). Nobody, but nobody on this team reminds me of Barnes when he was good, Kimbrel, Uehara, Papelbon, et al. 5. Robles has closed successfully in the past. Whatever he is throwing has been reasonably effective this season--except when he is closing.