Maxbialystock

ERA was created to accommodate pitchers. Not only do runs caused by errors by the other players not count, but also runs caused by the pitcher's own errors. Indeed, if a pitcher (like ERod) simply doesn't bother to cover 1b on a grounder to the right, it's a single because pitchers shouldn't be required to contribute to the defense. ERA+ simply furthers the process of accommodating pitchers. Nevertheless, I think ERA is the best measurement for pitchers over the long term. That said, I do agree with Kimmi and others who point that there is value in a pitcher who can be relied upon to pitch 5 or more innings every 5 days and to do that season after season after season. In his 5 seasons with the Sox, Porcello started 28, 33, 33, 33, and 32 games. In 2018, the Sox best season ever, Porcello pitched more innings, 191.1, than Price (176) or Sale (158), had 16 quality starts to their 18 (Price) and 17 (Sale), and had the most wins, 17 (while losing 7). He even pitched 15.1 innings in the postseason with an ERA of 3.52. Only Price (26 innings, ERA 3.46) and Eovaldi (22.1 innings, ERA 1.61) were better. I'm not a Porcello fan, but credit is due.

Good reminder.

4 1/2 hours until the first pitch. Pivetta gives us the edge tonight, but the next threes games, all vs. the Jays, have Richards, Houck, and ERod starting. And, as others have pointed out, tomorrow the Yankees begin a 3 game series against the Rays at the Trop, after which the Sox play 3 at the Trop. It feels like September in July. Indeed, the Sox have just 62 games to go.

This sir, is a rant. I recognize the form because I indulge in it regularly. I don't think many if any MLB teams have gone to 11 position players, which I agree would make no sense. I think 13 pitchers and 12 position players can work because 3 position players usually means 1 or more position players who don't play much. I might add that right now Plawecki only plays 1 of 4 games although he did pinch hit last night. I disagree on the ills of expansion. Would you have MLB go back to 8 in the NL, 8 in the AL, and just a WS and no other playoffs. Of course, these days MLB is competing with other major sports for talented athletes, but on the other hand little league baseball is pervasive, not only in the USA, but in other countries. Plus in our hemisphere baseball has become the sport for hispanic athletes from other countries to hope for big bucks. So I think the talent is good enough. Agree on speeding up the game, but there seem to be forces--commercials, MLBPA, whatever--which are averse to shorter games. Three batters per reliever is I think an experiment, just like starting each extra half inning with a man on 2b and no one out. In the last two games between the Sox and Yankees, we acquired empirical evidence that facing three batters can be fraught with peril and completely change the tenor of a game. Saturday Cora pulled Eovaldi, who had a great game, and Ottavino destroyed it. Yesterday German was, astoundingly, almost as good for the Yankees as Eovaldi had been for the Sox. But Loaisiga came in with a 4-0 lead and a man on 2b with no outs and gave up 5 runs, one of them charged to German. I do not agree MLB is in peril because of these rules or MLB teams' preference for pitching. The bigger peril is COVID 19, because it is apparently not going away (as we believed 3 months ago).

Agree on Houck. I do think he can start, but think shoring up the bullpen is more important, especially with Sale returning. However, ERod's migraine is concerning--will he go on the IL???--and Richards and Perez are problematical. In any case, it was smart to call Houck up. Overall, I am now inclined to agree that Bloom going after pitching makes sense. Sad to say, but this could also apply to going after a first baseman.

Agree, but the tricky part with him is his salary.

Good magic today, not so good last night. But definitely a great season so far. What scandal? The Astros stealing signals? The Toronto Blue Jays certainly weren't bothered when they offered him that big contract. As for the stutter, it seems he owns it far more than it owns him--he talks about it in public speeches. I had a boss like that 30 years ago.

However you want to describe or define today's game, it was still a terrific and needed win. And, in case no one else has mentioned it, I will remind one and all that this fantastic rally was very much the product of the much maligned bottom of the Sox order. Verdugo doubled, Renfroe doubled, Vazquez singled, and Cordero singled. All four of them scored runs that tied the game. Finally, Hernandez at the top of the order doubled, but then Plawecki (pinch-hitting for Duran who had K'd all three times) ground out (allowing Cordero to score the tying run), Bogie flied out (scoring Hernandez with the go ahead run), and Devers ground out.

I like Cora better, but Francona has won two WS and done really well with the Guardians.

I would love to agree with you, but I now think Boone made the right move--as did Cora last night. In both cases the starters had vastly exceeded any reasonable expectation, especially in an era when bullpens have become so important, stocked, and used.

I agree. I left for a family dinner, but thought about my thesis and now agree both managers, Cora last night with Eovaldi and Boone today with German made the right call when they brought in Ottavino last night and Loaisiga tonight. Indeed I can remember commending Cora when he pulled Pivetta out when he was pitching a no-hitter and in fact pointed out that Eovaldi was more than happy to be pulled in that earlier game. In both cases--as well as the earlier game--the managers had good options in the bullpen. I also emphatically agree that today German had already exceeded what Boone had hoped he could do. And to his credit this year Cora has given his starters more innings/outs/pitches to his starters than other managers might have. I brought this topic up today mostly because of the example of a WS manager not long ago who pulled his starter after a terrific. scoreless 6 innings, after which his bullpen lost the game. After the game that manager said he had decided before the game that 6 innings would be his starters limit-about which I railed endlessly. On the other hand, I like others have pointed out in some games that the third time through the batting order does seem to carry considerable risks (as the statistics demonstrate). What last night and today demonstrated is that baseball has a special capacity to surprise us. Both Eovaldi and German were fantastic, but you still gotta play 9 innings--unless you're in a downpour at Yankee Stadium.

Well, I'm delighted that Boone was right after all because the Sox sure needed this win. And I guess that means Cora was right last night pulling Eovaldi because, well, the Sox just didn't deserve to win that one. And it certainly meant nothing that in his previous outing Ottavino gave up another 2 runs.

A fair point. I'm one of the culprits because I slam-dunked Porcello, which raised a lot of hackles. As for the pennant race, it's definitely a doozy, and I for one don't want Bloom to sign Porcello. Sale should be starting within 2 weeks. ERod may or may not come back, but right now Houck can fill in for him. I don't like Richards or Perez, but the Sox have certainly had worse starters. If Ottavino doesn't bounce back, that's a lot of pressure on the bullpen.

That's a good point, similar to bkzwhitestrican's The sad truth for the Yankees, however, is that Germain staying in was a much better option than bringing in Loaisiga.

Yankees. I'm satisfied the Rays are the real threat this year.

I agree there were reasons to pull Germain. On the other hand, it was just one lousy hit, the first the Sox had, and Germain was dominating the entire Sox lineup. Cora did the exactly same thing last night when Eovaldi gave up his first freaking run with two outs in the 8th inning. It was also his 100th pitch. So out he goes, and in comes the deluge. The two games are identical. Both times a terrific starter gets pulled, both times with a good lead, and the bullpen butchers it. For the Sox, it was the second straight game Ottavino butchered. For the Yankees, it was a good reliever who maybe wasn't ready.

Boone pulled his stunningly good starter (today) after he gave up his first hit. He followed the book, and the book betrayed him the same way it betrayed Cora last night when he pulled Eovaldi.

Thank Boone and his reliance on stats that tell him he must pull his starter when he gets near 100 pitches no matter how well he has been pitching. Cora made the same decision decision last night, and just like today, the bullpen gave away a good lead.

Since it was ignored, I gotta say it again. Both games, yesterday's and today's, were lost by managers who pulled their starters too soon. I believe they were guided by stats primarily and not by what they saw on the field of play. One stat says that no pitcher can succeed in the 3d or, heaven forbid, the 4th time through the opposing line up. The other is a pitch limit for starters. Both of those stats actually make sense, but not always. Right now, unfortunately, the stats dominate all decision making without regard to the dynamics of the game.

I definitely think Cora is better than Francona, but it's too soon to be sure, especially for a manager.

Ball game.

Freaking insane. I had the Sox dead, deader, deadest. And, suddenly, like a fresh breeze, the Yankees computer program, just like the Sox computer program last night, reaches into the game and snatches away a terrific pitcher and brings in one who doesn't quite have it. This computer program--which both teams use, obviously--begins with the premise that even a great pitcher like Pedro Martinez can become too familiar to opposing hitters and therefore vulnerable. Thus was Grady Little fired for not pulling him and thus have all subsequent managers believed that success depends on pulling their starter at the first sign of trouble.

That curve didn't break much and was a tad high in the zone. Thank goodness. Of course, here comes the Yankees bullpen.

Good call.

Germain has 10 K's in 7 innings, but he's also cheating.