Maxbialystock

That grounder kind of played Arauz.

Just because I feel like picking on him, this is now two games in a row in which Vazquez has done his level best to help the Rays. Today it was calling for meatballs so the Rays could quickly cut the lead to 3-2. Last night in the middle of a big rally, Vazquez tries to go to 2b on a single and is out by a freaking mile. He runs the bases like he is invisible and the defense can't actually see the dumb things he does.

Once that idiot Vazquez stopped calling for fastball after fastball, what happens? Six straight outs, that's what happens. Cora may think Vazquez is fantastic, but I sure don't.

Don't blame the starter. Blame that idiot Vazquez who kept calling for the fastballs. Finally, after the first two hitters get a double and a dinger, he calls for the splitter. I have never liked Vazquez, but this year find him especially irritating because he does not catch pitchers very well--leads MLB in passed balls and gives up too many wild pitches--because he is constantly gambling on the basepaths and making outs at the wrong time, because he is getting fatter, and because he gets to share in the blame for the lousing pitching recently. Back to those fastballs. Time and again this season we have seen Eovaldi's fastball--even when it comes in at 100 mph--get hammered, which is why he finally started mixing up his pitches, including adding that splitter which works great, and throwing fewer fastballs.

Excellent updates. Thanks.

Well, Scherzer was probably the best fix for what ails the Sox, but my guess is that JH and CB both wanted to get him for something like Andriese, Chavis, and $1.99 in cash. Plus, I say again, I'm not so sure one great starter would be enough. Right now Eovaldi is solid, Sale is a hope--a very good hope, but mixed with some uncertainty--and the rest of the rotation is inconsistent or just lousy. And the hitting seems to be dropping off a little.

Never been to Maine, especially northern Maine, but have heard great things about it in the summer. You mentioned your dad before, and I again say, "terrific." Safe trip Texas.

See splendidsplinter's comment about this past month: John Henry didn't want to go over the luxury tax, and Bloom didn't want to give away any good prospects. And I agree with both of them. Bloom inherited a mess from DD and has gone far to meet John Henry's guidance while in the meantime fielding a very competitive team this year. Yes, I'm plenty worried about the final two months, a rotation that seems non-competitive, etc, but I also am not so sure one great starter like Kershaw was going to fix our pitching. Plus I think his price was too high. Meanwhile, I am going to root, root, root for the good guys.

I was a Sox fan from 1949 to 2004, which means 55 years of the 86 year waiting period, and feel more than amply rewarded for my "patience" (of which I had none). Now it's easy to be patient.

Rike Hernandez CF (!) Devers 3B JD Martinez DH Bogaerts SS Renfroe RF Verdugo LF Vazquez C Dalbec 1B Arauz 2B A lot of familiar faces with Arauz a bit of a surprise, but last night, against a lefty (which he will also face tonight), he fielded well at 3B and got 2 hits.

This makes eminent good sense to me.

I haven't heard squat about Sale, but I have seen both a warrior and a totally professional baseball player. He has been for the Sox both a brilliant pitcher when he is healthy and an aggressive and skilled fielder who is never, ever late to 1b on grounders to the right. His cumulative WAR for 10 seasons (2010-19) is 45.6, his career ERA is 3.03, and in his 7 best seasons (2012-2018), he finished 5th, 5th, 3d, 4th, 5th, 2d, and 4th in the Cy Young Award voting.

Wrong. I've whined as much as anyone. To my great discredit, I have conveniently forgotten any good starts by Richards, Perez, ERodriguez, or Pivetta. I still, however, trust both Cora and Bloom. Together they have given us a stunning 2/3 of a season, with the final 1/3--August and September--still to unfold. Olympia Dukakis from Moonstruck: it ain't over til it's over.

Eovaldi vs. Yarborough, game time 6:10 pm Once more into the breach.

Completely agree--great bat--but less sure of the fit. He has a bad hammie, so we don't know how many games he can play this season, plus the need was for a first baseman and Schwarber is an outfielder/DH. Nine of the next 12 games are against the Rays and Jays, and Schwarber and Sale might not play in any of them. Plus Arroyo is on the IL, Bogie has the bad wrist, JDM is in a slump, and Devers has the bad quad (that we know of).

I am inclined to be happy with what has been achieved without Billy Beane, not only because of the four WS wins after the 86 year drought, but also because we have no idea how successful Billy Beane would have been in Boston.

Well said. In my case, I think different things on different days. As for this year, if the Sox falter, I will be thankful for the superb 2/3 of a season which was totally unexpected--as I am thankful for the four WS wins in the John Henry era. I was a Sox fan for 55 years of the Sox 86 year drought.

ESPN is nuts. While I trust Bloom and now believe getting a good starter was just too expensive, that was in fact the most important need for this year's Sox. The Sox currently have one reliable starter, Eovaldi. Pivetta, second best, has given up 13 runs in 15.1 innings in his last four starts. Houck has done well, but has yet to win a game by pitching 5 freaking innings. And Sale ain't here yet and hasn't gotten a MLB batter out in two freaking years. Meanwhile, Schwarber is an outfielder on team that badly needs a good bat at 1b. Plus Schwarber has a bad hammie, so we have no idea how many games he will play for the Sox this year. The WEEI guys give Bloom a C-, and I agree with the caveat that I still trust Bloom--plus I don't know what guidance John Henry may have given him.

While I agree getting two Scherzer's--combined with Eovaldi, and the return of Sale--would be huge, I'm less sure doing so was feasible. Or, if it was, whether the cost was sustainable. I too am disappointed with not getting a viable starter, but also trust Bloom and, in case you've forgotten, John Henry, easily the best Sox owner in its 121 year history.

As the saying goes, "in life, timing is everything," and right now the Sox are vulnerable and up ahead are 2 more games at the Trop, 4 at Toronto, 3 more vs. the Rays at Fenway--as well as 3 @ Detroit. By vulnerable I mean that the rotation still awaits Sale and instead must rely on Richards, Perez, and ERod, as well as Pivetta's ups and downs. In his last three starts Pivetta, our currently second best starter, pitched 15.1 innings and gave up 13 runs. So right now Eovaldi is the only reliable starter. As moonslav can quickly remind us, all four of those starters have pitched good games this season, but right now, July 31, 2021, all four are suspect. For that matter, so is Sale, at least until he returns and shows he can get MLB hitters out. The lineup which has been so good all year, especially in coming from behind and aided by the Sox one strength, the bullpen, has JDM in another slump, Schwarber still trying to get over his hammie (which could go bad again), Bogaerts with an ailing wrist which could easily stay that way, and Devers with a quad issue which we know about. Plus, of course, the oft-injured Arroyo. Let me hasten to add that injuries are very much a part of baseball, especially MLB with 162 games, 6 games a week for 6 months. So there is nothing inherently unfair about these actually minor injuries. Nevertheless, current combination of weak starters and so-so hitting, both of which could persist through the next 13 games, could easily drop the Sox out of 1st place in the AL, perhaps for the remainder of the season.

As we all should. If the Sox slide downward over the next two months, it was still a great first 2/3 of a season and completely unexpected.

Great on the scene observations. Thanks. I too trust Sale and Bloom.

Exactly.

Well said and optimistic. I'm not there yet.

Simple, straightforward, and scary, as you have readily acknowledged way back on page 1 of Part III. Indeed. Richard, ERod, and Perez in their most recent starts underscore the problem with the rotation perfectly. Meanwhile Bogaerts has the bad wrist, Schwarber the bad hammie, and Devers a touchy left quad and possibly other issues. So the offense which has been very good, if not as solid as lineups in the past, is a tad suspect. And this over-achieving Sox team which has found all kinds of ways to win games this year, is entering the final two months with a pretty good bullpen and not much else. In Bloom's defense, good starters this past month did not come cheap. Thus the deal for Schwarber.