Maxbialystock

Check-the-check is almost as old as MLB. The difference is that MLB agreed homeplate umpires did not have the best view of batters' swings, so it was moved to the 1b and 3b umpires--except when the homeplate umpire is confident he saw a swing. And what I like about the current version is that there is no appeal. Most of the time they signal it was not a swing. No MLB pitcher in MLB is capable of 5 different pitches in the 90's. But it is true that the mix of pitches is crucial to pitching success. In 2013 Koji Uehara was hugely successful as a closer even though he threw just 2 pitches--a slow fastball that peaked at 89 mpg and a nasty splitter. Plus excellent control. Swinging at first pitches takes cojones in this modern era of scientific hitting (sabermetrics). I mean the entire movie Moneyball was about how Billy Beane went after hitters with good OBP's. Pitching didn't matter. Hitting dingers sure didn't. Fielding was in the back seat. So was stealing bases. Near the end of the movie John Henry offers him the highest GM (now CBO) salary in MLB. But guess what? John Henry was not the least bit interested in going cheap as Billy Beane did. He wanted good hitters and good pitchers, whatever the cost. When the curse ended in 2004 the Sox payroll was the 2d biggest in MLB--behind the Yankees of course.

Makes me think of the ABMC.

Amen!

One thing that kind of amazed me about the Padres pitching last night is how many of them liked throwing changeups. Almost no one on the Sox is a changeup artist. Bello comes the closest.

Of course not. When your OPS is as low as Hamilton's, you are obligated to practice your bunting.

A trick he later repeated with Rafaela. It seems it's ok to semi-push a baserunner off the bag.

Despite the loss, still a heckuva game. Hamilton is a clown. Can't steal 2b and can't bunt. That was a double play ball hit to Bregman except it bounced over his head/glove/arm.

Heckuva ballgame. On the West Coast against a pretty good Padres team.

😄

Now that is a deep freaking lineup. Anthony with a gigantic double after Rafaela steals 2b and Wong K's. Please note I crapped all over Anthony earlier on this game thread.

Too bad Hamilton was out, but the Padres bullpen remains omnipotent. Toro and Abreu both K.

Somewhere today I opined the Sox have a deep lineup, but tonight Bregman and Duran have 5 of the Sox 6 hits. Leadoff man Anthony is 0/4 with 2 K's.

With 6 walks maybe Giolito stayed in too long, but you know Cora and his pitching coach want to get as many outs from him as possible. Padres bullpen, as already noted, is better than the Sox. Anthony 0/4 with 2 K's. Bregman 3/3. Those batter timeouts by the Red Sox sure are effective. They're basically a white flag.

Especially their bullpen.

Three K's in the top of the 6th.

And Matt is?

Agree. Great skills but dirty to the core.

He was indeed.

Yep

Two at bats in a row in which Anthony takes good pitches and swings at bad ones.

Boy, does he. Smart baserunning which helped bring 2 more Sox runs in. And, by the way, he should love being on this team and seeing the difference he makes. He is already wealthy beyond the dreams of avarice. Time to borrow from Ernie Banks who said, "let's play two."

Bregman didn't look all that slow and careful on the double. My gosh, that guy can hit.

Nicely said.

Good guy who played on two Sox WS teams.

Ditto Anthony, who has way too much discipline and K's badly on a changeup he's seen several of.