Maxbialystock

Then I agree with you completely. If you leave ERod out, I'm definitely in. Heck, forget the sarcasm. I like the 3 guys you named, and Pivetta and Perez have stood tall in this series. Even including ERod, the Sox rotation is a ton better this year than we had an right to expect.

Well done, Bogie! First two rbi's by the Sox "big four" (Verdugo, JDM, Bogie, and Devers) in this 4 game series. 5-0 has a much nicer sound than 3-0.

Let's see if Bogie goes for the walk again.

Terrible call by the ump. Altuve should sue. Where's his manager and why isn't he complaining? Perez did not deserve a K against a good hitter like Altuve.

I love it when the ump calls lots of strikes. It keeps the game moving along. One of the big lines in Moneyball is that a walk is as good as a hit, and I'm sure that is true. The problem is that it's also very boring baseball.

Meh. Plawecki was dead meat the moment he came to bat--totally disinterested in swinging the bat. Probably saving himself for catching duties in 4 more innings, which is fine by me.

Perez a tad slow getting to 1b, but an excellent play by Dalbec.

Meh. He's been giving both pitchers breaks.

This game is a long way from over. That 3 run dinger by Arroyo is now looking borderline miraculous after what we just saw in the top of the 5th.

If ERod is the best #5 starter in the AL, I will be astounded. His WAR is -.1. I think it is enough to say the first four Sox starters are way better than we expected.

Finally, finally, the big four erupt with their first back to back hits in this 4 game series.

No K's by Perez yet. Bench him.

Arroyo almost lost it. Still a good grab.

I still like him, and he seems to get a good jump on the ball in CF.

Agree on all points, especially the headfirst slide. But that's Devers.

Get rid of Perez, who has utterly failed to execute the accepted Sox pitching guidance, "do not pitch to contact." This nut case doesn't have a single walk and has only thrown 25 pitches in 3 innings.

That's at least two drag bunts by the Astros that went straight back to the pitcher for easy outs. This is a set back because I was going to suggest the Sox bunt for hits more often than every three months.

Not that far off.

Double steal--my goodness. Too bad they nailed Devers going home. Astounding 3 run dinger by Arroyo. Game changer, I hope. Season changer, possibly.

But it was a fastball he smacked for a long double.

Completely agree with any and all tweaks to the lineup. I think the Astros have our guys buffaloed, but that could mean any change is better than no change.

Absolutely not. Those four are the heart of the Sox offense. Thus it is all the more dismaying they can't hit Astros pitching--at least, not yet. Odorizzi has a high ERA, 6.75, but looked pretty good his last time out against the Padres.

Actually, the problem may be that he loves Verdugo, JDM, Bogie, and Devers, who have stunk against Houston pitching.

Agree completely, but would remind that, most times, good pitching beats good hitting. In the first three games, the Sox four best hitters--Verdugo, JDM, Bogie, and Devers--are 6 (all singles) for 43. Verdugo got their (the BIG FOUR) only rbi, in game 1.

Exactly right. Cora does what he does, but that should never inhibit discussion and proposed fixes--despite my earlier comment. In today's game thread, moonslav proposes a new and to me not very radical lineup which I think is an improvement. That said, the hitting this year has been better than I expected even though the bottom of the order--and the very top--have been problematical. My favorite whipping boy is Dalbec, who, however, has 5 dingers and 22 rbi's, including 3 that won a game. His OPS of .554, however, is execrable and he has the 2d most K's (55) on the team. However, his OPS last year (23 games) was .959 and he hit well at the AAA level. On the other hand, he hurts the club on defense. We are all frustrated with the hitting in Houston, but should also note that our four best--JDM, Bogie, Devers, and Verdugo--are 6 (all singles) for 43 so far in this series. So, by all means, cry out for a better lineup and even propose your own. But the numbers say that, at least against Houston, the real problem is their excellent pitching (so far).