Maxbialystock

Oh, knock it off. Bellhorn04 has plenty of good reasons to defend Cora. I personally am mad about last night's loss and the very weak lineup that caused it. Let's not forget that the Jays only run was off sub Arroyo's error and therefore unearned. So I think this loss is on Cora. But no way, no how have I lost confidence in him. Last night only underscores how tenuous the hitting on this team is. Shaw was the DH (lefty bat going against righty starter) and is hitless in 7 games and 19 at bats. Story (OPS .601) so far is an expensive bust--on offense and defense. Dalbec (OPS .457) is once again off to a very slow start. So is JBJ (OPS .486). So is Arroyo (OPS .384). So is Hernandez (OPS .610). About 2018. Yes, certainly, a good hitting team, most runs scored and highest team OPS in MLB. JDM was a great acquisition and his first year he seemed to make everyone else hit better. That said, the Sox run differential that season was + 229, better than the Yankees +182, but not as good as the Astros +263. The Sox ERA that year was a decent but hardly dominant 3.75, 8th best in MLB. To me Cora really earned his pay in the postseason because his very highly paid closer Kimbrel absolutely stunk (ERA 5.91!!!!). By October ace Chris Sale was fading, and started just 3 games and pitched just 15.1 innings in the postseason. Price and Eovaldi, however, were pretty good, combining for 8 starts (5 quality starts) and ERA's of 3.45 and 1.61.

This is what I wrote on page 2, so obviously I blame this loss on Alex Cora.

The best part of today's Sox lineup? Our DH is hitless for the season.

Slowest double play combo in the history of MLB. That one was tailor made.

The cumulative WAR for today's starting Sox lineup is -.7. Whitlock has his work cut out for him.

Cora is a smart manager and has certainly demonstrated that fact beyond any shadow of a doubt. He also likes to rest guys. In this case, Bogey has played 13 straight games, plus it's a day game after a night game. The other, rarely mentioned benefit--at least on talksox--of these "rest days" is putting lesser guys in the lineup to show what they can do. Today, however, Cora is outdoing himself because this has to be the most putrid lineup I've ever seen. So, while I am a huge supporter of and believer in Alex Cora, I will blame him for this loss if such proves to be the case. It's not just a crappy lineup, it's a signal to the pitching staff that Cora has no intention of winning, no matter how well they pitch.

Cora knows what he is doing.

This did not look like the Sox team we have been watching before tonight. Except for Story's misplays--which were not errors--the defense, hitting, starting pitching, and relief pitching were all of a piece.

Meh. This current pain comes on the heels of a very surprisingly successful postseason in which the Sox had a late surge to get the wild card, then beat the Yankees and Rays to get to the ALCS, where the Astros finally eliminated them. Let's not forget the best Sox season ever--108 wins before taking 3 of 4 vs. the Yankees, 4 of 5 vs. the Astros, and 4 of 5 vs. the Dodgers--less than 4 years ago, to say nothing of 2004, which ended the 86 year curse, 2007, and 2013. My Uncle Ned was born right around 1915 and was a lifelong Sox fan who died in January 2004, which means he endured almost all (assuming his fandom began sometime around 1925) of the 86 years and certainly had no memory of the Sox winning the WS. I suppose you have a point in that John Henry has raised our expectations to a level unimaginable just 20 years ago. So, yeah, I guess our candy has been stolen.

Well, that solves that little problem. We can once again relax into unmitigated mediocrity.

That was an error by Dalbec, not a single by Zimmer. Also a terrific bunt, but an equally terrific play by Strahm.

Berrios should be dreading this 3d time through the Sox order. Nosiree. Piece of cake.

How in the wide, wide world of sports does a baseball team demonstrate a "sense of urgency?" MLB is a derivative of cricket and has all the urgency of curling. By the above I am not, of course, referring to great fielding plays and/or running the bases, but to the "battle" between pitcher and batter.

Canadians are still pissed off at us for not selling/giving them the vaccines when they were badly needed.

Lineup blew it. Pitching was superb. Rotten hitting and a costly error.

Completely agree. Barnes was a weird choice, but he got Wander Franco, he of the 1.111 OPS and WAR of 1.1.

Who, Nellie! Whitlock's first start ever. Congrats to SPLENDIDSPLINTER for a huge win last night! Sox hitting middle of pack: 17th in runs scored and 18th in OPS. Pitching 20th in ERA, 22d in WHIP, tied for 11th in saves (4), 17th in OBA (.230), 5th in most BB's (54). Defense is in the middle for fewest/most errors with 6, 9th in fielding percentage, .988, 12th in double plays, and 20th in stolen base percentage allowed, .778. Sox WAR leaders (hitters/fielders) are Bogey, .6, Verdugo, .5, Devers, .5, JBJ, .3, JDM .2. WAR bottom feeders are Shaw, -0.5, Arroyo, -.3, Arauz, -.2, and Dalbec, -.2. Sox WAR pitching leaders are Robles, .7, Wacha, .6, Whitlock, .5, Houck, .4, Valdez, .4, Diekman, .3, Eovaldi, .2, and Strahm. .2. Sox WAR pitching bottom feeders are Crawford, -.6, Pivetta, -.6, Hill, -.2, and Barnes, -.2. Sox DWAR leaders are JBJ, .2, Rike, .2, and Verdugo, .1. A bunch of guys at 0 and no one else is worse than -.1.

Well said.

Great job, mvp 78!! I was hoping someone would start the game thread early--because of the 1:35 start time. Very weird lineup even though just Kike, Mr. No-Hitter, and JDM (injured), are out. Story leading off kind of makes sense, but Dalbec 5th?

One very bad inning--including three BB's--by Pivetta. Also the hitting stinks as it did last night.

Looks like last night but with Pivetta inserting that 5 run disaster in the 2d. 4 walks by Pivetta, which hurt. 0 walks by Berrios. Kind of a shame to waste Valdez in a game which looks very one-sided.

He might end up doing that. But last year he tried leading off and was horrible. His hitting returned only after he moved down in the lineup.

The only thing worse than Pivetta not throwing strikes is Pivetta throwing strikes.

It's April, so those ERA's of the starters may be meaningless--or maybe they signify a slug fest tonight. Slightly warmer tonight.

Great call by Cora to bring Strahm in for Eovaldi with 2 outs in the 5th. To date Eovaldi ranks 3d in MLB in pitches thrown with 272. He is 5th in pitches/inning with 18.55. And he is 5th in K's per 9 innings with 11.66.