Maxbialystock

I like both options. Another bad start by May tonight will mean more runs to make up and more relievers needed--to say nothing of a 4th straight loss.

You jinxed nothing. Crochet simply had a bad game. Plus I'm delighted the Sox came back, if not quite enough. Occasionally in the past we have tried reverse mojo.

Baloney. He's 21, played in 51 total MLB games, and has an OPS of .828. Because of his .394 OBP, he leads off. He's a competent outfielder in LF or RF. Now is absolutely not the time to encourage Anthony to swing for the fences.

Are you kidding? Yes, Crochet had a lousy night, but it was terrific the way the Sox came back with some huge hits, especially Anthony's 2 run dinger in the 7th to make 7-6. Plus we got to see Cora make some great moves with the lineup, like Yoshida pinch-hitting for Narvaez in the 7th, which then allowed Wong to hit in the 9th and get that double. There are 2 good hitters on this team and only 2--Anthony and Bregman. And Anthony has just 51 games of MLB experience. Duran and Abreu aspire to be good. Cora also wants to keep Story, Rafaela, and Gonzalez in the lineup. I also like the 6 runs because in the next 2 games the Sox need to be scoring runs.

He can be fooled, but you are dead right about how good he is.

That works when you have reliable hitters in the key spots. This season the Sox lineup has been unbelievably inconsistent because Bregman was on the IL, Devers went to the Giants, Anthony showed up in June, Duran has been up, down and now up again, Story and Rafaela have been up and down, and we just saw Yoshida pinch hit for Narvaez so Wong is back behind the plate. I forgot to mention that THE GREAT CASAS lasted one month and stunk anyway. Mayer was supposed to be a sure thing, but only his fielding has been and now he has yet another injury, possibly season-ending. And, by the way, tonight's rotten lineup has scored 6 runs, which are as much a surprise to me as they are to you. By the way, you do have a point about that 2d spot, which is where Devers thrived with the Sox, especially when Bregman batted 3d. When Devers went to the Giants, however, they had no one remotely as good as Bregman to bat after Devers. His OPS with the Sox was over .900 and with the Giants is .758.

Nothing "nerdy" about total runs scored. And what the the heck is offensive flow if it means something different from how many runs were scored in each and every game? Do you seriously expect the Sox to score at least 4 runs and no more 6 runs in every game? But my real point is that it's nonsense to claim players need to be kept in a certain spot in the batting order. Moving from one defensive position to another is a much bigger deal, and some players do a lot of that. Lineups are the only tool the manager has to find the best matchups against opposing starters--like starting lefty bats vs righty starters and vice versa. There are times when I think specific players really do prefer to be high in the order--and that takes some chutzpah--and others who thrive near the bottom. Nothing changes in a hitter's routine--before, during, and after an at bat--when he changes spots in the batting order. I think maybe the leadoff guy gets the most pressure, but guess what? In most games he only leads off once.

Guess what? The overwhelming majority of MLB teams have better W-L records at home than on the road. That said, tonight's game with Crochet on the mound is ominous. Our ace has given up 5 runs, and our lineup went moribund after Bregman's 2 run dinger.

Oh, stop it. Cora's lineups have worked well. He makes changes when it is advantageous to do so. That's why the Sox are ranked 4th in MLB in runs scored despite having just one solid hitter, Bregman. Crochet sure could use a changeup.

Sox have 1 hit in the 4 innings/12 outs since Bregman's dinger. And let's not forget that, after Bregman's dinger, the Sox went 0/3 with RISP. I love when Bregman throws the breaking stuff low, but not on every single pitch.

Wow. Now the Astros pitcher is griping about the calls. And getting away with it.

Ok, now it's ball game and the Sox lineup looks like crap since Bregman's dinger in the first.

Of course they try to do that, but it ain't as easy as you make it sound.

Crochet threw no fastballs to Walker, who was ready for that cutter. Whoever is calling the pitches is dumb.

I think the ump may be reacting to the catcher' pulling their mitts back toward the center of the zone. He's assuming the ball had to be outside the zone.

Another good IP for Javier. Still a long way to go for both teams.

Great. Another 4 takes on Bregman's dinger.

That fastball just above the strike zone seems to work on a lot of hitters, not just Anthony.

Seriously? He has the highest WAR, 4.0, among the Sox lineup players.

Javier back in control since Bregman's dinger.

Narvaez K's on a pitch that almost hit the plate.

Not very smart--Rafaela picked off.

My goodness that deep fly from Toro stayed in the air a long time

The worthless scumbag Astros hitter bad mouthed the ump on a strike well within the strike zone. Hitters get away with that bs, but not pitchers. Crochet got the K anyway.

I think the Astros starter adjusted after the dinger.