Maxbialystock

Cora is so dumb. Yesterday he started Houck when Sale was available. And today he pulls Sale in the 3d freaking inning. Good thing Cora's lucky. The Sox finally won yesterday, and Sawamura got a pretty handy GIDP with the bases loaded.

2d changeup = double and rbi for the Nats.

5th batter to face Sale, who has thrown just one changeup.

You've skipped over the key point, which is that Sale could pitch either day, yesterday or today. So why not have him pitch when he has his usual five days of rest? Normally, usually, everyone's opinion makes some sort of sense, but this doesn't. FWIW, Terry Francona had a similar situation in the 2007 when the Sox fell behind the Guardians 2-1 in the ALCS and there was a clamor to have Beckett start game 4. But Francona, like Cora, knew that Beckett was guaranteed to start one more game, so he made sure he had his usual rest. Plus I guess I gotta ask you this. If Sale started yesterday, who were you going to have starting today?

Terrific stats which explain why Cora is using Robles and Brasier so much. mlb.com says Whitlock is back and can pitch today, as unlikely as that is. Apparently, Vazquez could also pitch. So it could well be that Cora's best 4 options today are Barnes, Hernandez, Whitlock, and Valdez. Eovaldi pitched Tuesday, so conceivably he could pitch one inning without messing up a start day after tomorrow.

Unbelievable. You really don't get it. You keep insisting Sale had to pitch on short rest when he could pitch today with regular rest because both games, yesterday and today, are equally important. Yesterday the Sox were playing their fifth game in five days, so it made sense to insert Houck back into the rotation, which in turn allowed Sale to pitch with regular rest.

That's not what worries me. What does worry me is the Sox bullpen, now about to pitch in their 6th straight game without a break and without the depth they had the first three months of the season or even earlier this month. No matter how good Sale is, it is unlikely he will go more than 6 innings. My guess is he could go 5 and give up 1 or no runs. But this bullpen right now is perfectly capable of given up 2, 3, or 4 runs in the 3 or 4 innings they pitch today. Chances are good the defense will make their jobs even tougher. Meanwhile, the Sox offense is still struggling. Last night they waited until the 9th freaking inning before finally getting some runs. Before that, it was 1 run nail-biter against a team with weak pitching--significantly weaker than the Sox, who are not so hot themselves.

It worked out!!?? Forget Houck and think about the simple fact that Sale does the same amount of good pitching Saturday or Sunday because both games were/are crucial. So why oh why pitch Sale on short rest when he has shown--see moonslav's stats--that he struggles this year on short rest and in fact benefits from an extra day of rest. As for the sign-stealing, I agree it was bad, but guess what? MLB--the Commish himself--made a judgment call on what penalty was appropriate. And let's not forget the Dustin Pedroia was up to his eyeballs in stealing signals a few years ago. Moreover, sad to say, I think MLB is entering a period when it will be harder and harder for pitchers to mask their intended pitches. I have a suspicion, for example, that the Rays, who love video and computer programs, may have discovered a way to determine a pitcher's "tell" no matter how hard he tries to mask it. I personally think the Alex Cora is not only a good manager, but a good guy overall--the signal stealing notwithstanding.

You're almost as mean as me.

Statistically, you are absolutely right about one team beating another in a series. But right now the Rays are playing very well and the Sox are struggling, on top of which the wild card game was/is brilliantly designed to put the winner at a real disadvantage in the Division Series.

I don't call them that. I like almost all MLB teams, but there are a very few teams whose names I especially like: Brooklyn (now LA) Dodgers; Minnesota Twins; NY Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies; maybe the Texas Rangers. Red Sox and White Sox show a complete lack of imagination and/or connection to the city from which those teams come. Mets and Nats not bad. I like the American Indian names, but am fine with getting rid of them for the reasons stated. Diamondbacks and Mariners: too many syllables. Cardinals, Blue Jays, Orioles: love birds, but not as team names. Nevertheless, I like all three franchises even though the Orioles have stunk under owner D'Angelo. Devil Rays just plain dumb and therefore a good fit with the Trop--but a brilliantly run franchise (bereft of fans).

The LA series in 2018 was indeed amazing, and I sure do remember Eovaldi's stint in relief. I thought that game wore our guys out, but it clearly did not. And, yes, the postseason can be full of surprises. If the Sox get to the ALDS and play the Rays, however, I do not expect a surprise there.

When each league had just one wild card, that team had a real shot at winning it all. Now, with 2 each, wild card teams are simply scrambling to be able to say they made the postseason because the wild card games make them vulnerable in the Division Series. The Sox right now have an almost ideal situation vis a vis the wild card. Sale is starting today and Eovaldi, our ace, will be rested for the wild card game on Tuesday. But then comes the ALDS vs. the Rays, who will be rested, ready, and with the home field advantage--the Trop--which definitely favors the Rays. Plus the Rays are a much better team.

Meh. The "time" was the NYY series at Fenway, and the Sox flopped/choked. Now it's just a grind made harder because the thinned bullpen is playing their 6th game in 6 days, the hitting is still sporadic, and the defense somewhat less than reliable. Only the rotation--which I alone have noticed--has manned up. Houck last night. ERod Friday. Not Pivetta Thursday. Eovaldi Wed. Sale Tuesday. ERod Sunday vs. NYY. Pivetta Sat vs. NYY. Emphatically not Eovaldi Fri vs. NYY. Beyond any question the center of gravity for these Sox right now is the bullpen, which is a shadow of the Sox bullpen Apr-Jun and part of July. Barnes is lost. Whitlock, Taylor and Vazquez are on the IL or in Worcester. Ottavino is tired. Houck may have to start again. Richards, who was a great reliever for 9 games, ain't so great. Hernandez has control/confidence issues. Brasier, almost discarded, is now a key guy just as Robles is. Yet this struggling bullpen has to pitch about 4 innings of every game.

You may not realize it, but you have just described the brilliance of Alex Cora. He started the season with a terrific closer, who subsequently collapsed. But he had a good backup, a former closer, Ottavino, who from overwork or other reasons, has also become unreliable. So, as of this morning, Barnes--24, Ottavino--11, Robles-4, Richards-3, Whitlock-2, Andriese-1, Houck-1, Taylor-1, and Valdez-1 all have saves. His best outfielder is Kike, but he has had to play 2b off and on--and is so doing right now so that Cora can cram as many good bats as possible into a lineup with no DH (playing in a NL park).

Same thing happened--schizophrenia and going to a home--to my wife's mother around age 35 or so. Gut-wrenching.

Same thing happened--schizophrenia and going to a home--to my wife's mother around age 35 or so. Gut-wrenching.

Forget how well Houck actually pitched last night on 3 days rest. The big reason is that both games, Sat and Sun, are important, so not starting Sale on Saturday costs nothing. Moreover, as you have explained in great detail, starting Sale on 4 days rest would have been unnecessarily dangerous. Agree on Cora and Bloom, and right now my Sox MVP would be Eovaldi (WAR 4.7), not Bogey (4.8) or Kike (4.8) or Devers (3.0).

I believe I was unfair complaining Cora waited too long to pull Davis. It now occurs to me he is thin in in the bullpen and was hoping not to have to use Robles tonight. Moonslav is right that this has already been a good season.

Good reminder, thanks. Plus Whitlock and Valdez are still missing. If Houck does not start in the postseason, he, Whitlock, and maybe Valdez and/or Richards can do more than 1 inning in relief. This is key because none of the short relievers is all that reliable. Correction. Whitlock is still in limbo with that pectoral injury. Valdez is back, but in Worcester. Taylor is still out. Richards has faded from his first 9 or so relief appearances. Ottavino is worn out. Barnes is psyched out. So the bullpen is problematical.

Funny thing, but it looks to me as though Cora is feeling the pressure just like his players are.

Huge hits by Vazquez and Kike. Great, great pinch start by Houck on 3 days rest. Not so good defense with a weak defensive lineup. And an offense that almost didn't come thru. Pulling Houck after 5 perfect innings, including 8 K's was a questionable call by Cora even though Houck was pitching on 3 days rest and even though the hitting finally did come through. Not pulling Davis after the leadoff walk in the 9th was simply a bad decision by Cora. Davis got lucky in the 8th with that deep, deep sac fly by the Nats followed by the hard lineout to Bogey. That leadoff walked confirmed Davis was having a bad game, but Cora insisted on letting him stay in to groove--right down the middle--a fast ball for a 2 run dinger.

Now Robles wants to walk Zimmerman. This bullpen sucks, period.

Bad call by Cora. Davis faced four batters who: 1) hit a deep, deep sac fly to CF; 2) lined out hard to SS; 3) walked; 4) hit a 2 run dinger. That dinger and those 2 runs belong to Alex Cora for leaving Davis in after that leadoff the walk in the 9th.

I'll be honest and say I thought Cora took a stupid gamble pulling Houck after the 5th. Yes, he was on 3 days rest, but the Sox bullpen has lately been unreliable--see last night as the latest example. Or even tonight. The gamble was that the hitters would come through in the late innings, and they almost didn't. Now, however, with the gamble paying off, Cora and the Sox are in the catbird's seat. Houck doesn't have a changeup, but that splitter is almost as good against righties or lefties. So suddenly Houck becomes a key guy on this team for whatever is ahead this season. I would still use Plawecki to catch Eovaldi and probably Pivetta if he starts again, but not with anyone from the bullpen on the mound.