Maxbialystock

One thing Bloom and Cora should have done in the offseason was to dump JDM. Too old. Oh, wait a minute . . .

Well said!!!!

NOAA map shows rain in Detroit, but not all of Detroit.

I've watching Bull Durham on TV--about as entertaining. Nevertheless, while I'm dismayed at how easily Manning is setting our guys down, I'm encouraged that Wacha has given up just 1 run in 3 innings.

Good to have you back. Arauz still in for Story and Shaw is in for Dalbec. Sox down in order to Manning in the top of the first, and, as you can see, Wacha has control issues.

This guy Manning for the Tigers has nothing. Lucky popup and lucky K of Devers. Three outs in 9 pitches--meh.

First pitch strike (swung on) to Enrique. Followed quickly by popup 1st out.

40 minutes to game time.

Could someone please wake up jasonbay44? Lineup for today/night: Herndandez, Devers, Bogaerts, JDM, Verdugo, Vazquez, Shaw (1b), Arauz, Bradley. 4 lefty bats vs. Manning. Story still sick. Dalbec resting? Bradley back in RF. Vazquez moved up from 8th to 6th. Cards and then Mets castoff Wacha (WAR of -.6 last year) starting.

Good point about last year--nothing lost.

Great bump and fascinating discussion thereafter--thanks to everyone else. jacksoniamarch as usual pulls no punches, but was basically right, I think. When his fastball and that great curve were working, Barnes was astounding and well worth the extension. When a crack in his armor appeared, Barnes kind of folded, and here we are in April 2022 wondering whether he will ever make it back to that level. For the record, I was completely in favor of raising Barnes' salary and extending him 2 years. A bargain closer, I thought--and I was wrong. Overall, I hasten to add, I think Bloom and Cora did a great job last year fielding a competitive Sox team that beat the Yankees in the wild card playoff and the Rays (with their 100-62 record and +206 run differential) in the ALDS before finally going down to the Astros in the ALCS.

Money no, pay raise and extension, yes. That move was intended to establish Barnes as the once and future closer for the Sox because he sure seemed to have the same two nasty pitches--knuckle curve and over 95 mph fastball--that made Kimbrel successful. You don't think Bloom checked with Cora on what he thought of Barnes? I do agree Bloom comes from the Rays school of acquiring and developing players, which is not what Cora (or John Henry) is used to. So I am not saying that Bloom and Cora will always agree and am saying that Bloom is the guy who hired Cora and can fire him. Nevertheless, I doubt that Bloom extended that new contract offer to Barnes without asking Cora what he thought of Barnes.

Great way to put it, and I agree with both you and John Henry. One Dombrowski in the life of a ball club--or the life of its most successful owner--is enough.

Interesting. My view is that Whitlock has a far better repertoire than Houck, who basically throws three pitches--a slider, a fastball, and fastball that breaks down slightly. He either doesn't have or doesn't trust a curve or a changeup. Last night I thought Houck was close to the strike zone on a lot of balls. Right now I like the way Cora is managing his pitching staff. Whitlock can be a very valuable long reliever, including in the late innings. Houck has the experience starting, so I'm fine with him being in the rotation.

I'm simply assuming that Cora and Bloom talk about a lot of stuff and that the subject of the raise would have come up. It's Bloom's call, and I assume the only guy who might overrule him is John Henry. If you are suggesting Cora was against the raise, I disagree, but I also have no inside knowledge or other info on how Cora felt.

I misread spotrac and thought it showed $3M for one of the columns on Diekman. Today a relook confirms no $3M column.

Yep. But let's face it. When the owner or GM or whoever is evaluating their manager, his first consideration is wins and losses. In 2018 John Henry must have felt he had tapped into a gusher. 2019, not so much, followed by the 2020 suspension. But they rehired Cora for 2021, which proved to be confirmatory.

Meh. Your first point is completely fair and accurate. In defense of both Bloom and Cora, who jointly must have agreed on that pay raise, when Barnes had that great knuckle curve and over 95 mph fastball, he was really effective.

If the Yankees series has suggested anything, it's that right now the bullpen is way, way more effective than the rotation. The rotation has pitched 14 innings while giving up 10 earned runs, and the bullpen has gone 13 innings while giving up 1 earned run. I also think this is a unique phenomenon for this season, one that Boone capitalized on in the first two games and Cora was kind of forced into in game 3 when he pulled Houck after 3.1 innings and 78 pitches. To top off this craziness--if you assumed, as I did, that Eovaldi, Pivetta, and Houck would pitch better than the bullpen--last night in the 9th Diekman, whom the Sox are paying $3M of his $3.5M salary, struck out the Yankees 2 thru 4 hitters (Judge, Stanton, and Gallo) in the 9th inning and needed I think 11 pitches to get Judge out. Diekman, a lefty, K'd two righties, Judge and Stanton, and a lefty, Gallo. After the first two games, I opined that maybe Boone outmanaged Cora by using his bullpen a lot earlier, but also added that, going into this season, I had my doubts about the bullpen. After last night, I think Cora may have returned to his wily ways of 2021.

Detroit tomorrow at 5:10. Well done, Sox!

It sure was. They've actually been pretty good in all 3 games, giving up I think 1 earned run in the series.

He'd thrown 78 pitches, just 45 of them strikes with 3 BB's and 3 K's. It was time.

The Yankees--fans and team--entirely agree with you and promise never again to score runs on on Pivetta's 3d time through their lineup. I do agree it's a tough call--3d time through the lineup vs. a bullpen that scares no one.

You're probably right although in Cora's defense his bullpen doesn't throw/pitch like Boone's.

One more time. The Sox smacked the Yankees starters for 2 dingers and 5 earned runs in 7 innings and and scored 1 earned run in 13 innings off their bullpen. Boone simply took advantage of a Yankee strength, and it worked like gangbusters. The Yankees scored 7 earned runs off the Red Sox starters in 10.1 innings and 1 earned run of the Sox bullpen in 7.1 innings. Cora stayed with his starters, and it cost him/us, although it's hard to blame him for not relying on his bullpen more. I think the Yankees and Sox have similar hitting--both are good. Both teams hit each others starters, but not their bullpens, and the Yankees won both games because, basically, Boone trusted his starters less than Cora trusted his.