Maxbialystock
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Everything posted by Maxbialystock
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Oooooohhhhh. Sometimes the simplest stats are the most enlightening ones.
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And I call a foul! You have already stated your emphatic belief that 14 pitchers is what any sensible team should want. In this case, you trust Cora because he is Kimmi fan.
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A Realistic View at 2021: Part II
Maxbialystock replied to moonslav59's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Hey, knock it off. The title of this thread is a realistic view of 2021, which is what you're trying to provide. Wrong! The real purpose of this thread is to discuss stats, acquisitions, etc. [note to moonslav: I hope you can take a joke] But I do like that line "greater than the sum of its parts" because it fits these Sox. Actually, the Sox "parts" are pretty good, but none of them have names that espn or whoever wants to tout. The Yankees and Dodgers are currently cornering that market. The Boston Red Sox are currently in the same niche as the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics. Playing good ball, but bereft of names and/or huge salaries. Borrriiinnnggg! -
I do think the Jays have the edge in starters tonight. Thornton is coming from the bullpen, ERA 2.35, but lead the Jays in starts in 2019. Richards is a frightener. As moonslav warned, the Rays are right on our tail with a 5 game winning streak after destroying the Royals last night, 14-7. They are 10-8 despite having a negative run differential. The A's have won 10 straight and are atop the AL West with Seattle at 11-7. Is Moneyball rearing its ugly/beautiful head once again?
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Actually, I think opinions matter more somewhere between sucks and excels. If the latter, don't mess with the success. If the former, changing the batting order is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
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A Realistic View at 2021: Part II
Maxbialystock replied to moonslav59's topic in Boston Red Sox Talk
Neat. Thanks. Early days, of course, but I always say that a small sample is a whole lot better than no sample. This year I think we have seen--overall, not necessarily in late and close games--that the predicted mainstays (JDM, Devers, Bogie, Vazquez) have all been pretty good. The surprise to me is all the other guys who have made a difference. As I keep saying ad nauseum, to date (18 games, 1/9th of the season) the Sox lead MLB in runs scored and OPS. There are exactly zero experts who predicted that as a possibility, even for 1/9th of the season. I look forward to your insights for the bullpen, which to me is also a big surprise. In 18 games to date the rotation has achieved just two quality starts (defined, I think, as 6 innings and giving up no more than 2 or 3 runs). The Dodgers, on the other hand, already have 12 quality starts. There is nothing sacred about "quality starts," but they can be a useful tool for comparing rotations. -
The season is like a 9 inning game, with each inning consisting of 18 games. As of today, the Sox have played 1 inning of a 9 inning season. To date, I have disagreed with one move Cora made--when he brought in Barnes to pitch the 9th when the Sox had a 4 run lead, 7-3, over the White Sox. Barnes ended up throwing 28 pitches (while giving up 1 run) the day before the Sox had a double header. As it turned out, Barnes wasn't needed on Sunday because the Sox lost both games and never had the lead in either game. Also, my guess is that Barnes warmed up on Saturday in the bottom of the 8th when the game was tied or the Sox had a 1 run lead (part of what turned out to be a 4 run rally). I admit I could have been wrong about Barnes. So my thoughts are that Cora seems to be the ideal manager for the team Chaim Bloom has so far assembled. Or maybe they are just lucky. Either way I am reluctant to assert that Cora has yet to figure out how to make up a batting order.
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I think the time to make changes is when the lineup stops being the best lineup in MLB (based on scoring the most runs and having the highest OPS) in a season when the Sox were expected to be near the bottom of the AL. So, again, why do you want to mess with success?
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Let's see if I have this right. The Sox have the best hitting in MLB--best OPS and most runs scored--and they are 12-6 in a season in which they were expected to struggle (which could still happen). But meanwhile the lineup is in desperate need of fixing? Is it also time to dump Cora for letting Kike lead off?
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Pretty flimsy "bad" news. Seriously. This was an excellent win, so I frankly don't care whether it was Duran or Renfro. Far more significant was the absence of Devers, which also was not a problem.
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I would love to remind one and all that currently our Sox lead MLB in OPS and runs scored, but in fact Ryu is tough and great pitching usually overcomes great hitting. Plus the Jays overall have the best ERA in the American League. So a great game to watch. I know it's only April, but it's an awfully good April. Also agree with moonslav about the pesky Rays.
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Cordero was probably "wrong," but that would not justify drilling him.
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Interesting. As I recall, Cora was nailed for the 2017 season with the Astros, but no one established anything against the Sox for the 2018 season. Indeed, John Henry went public and said that, after the signal thefts involving Pedroia way back when (2016?), he had put his foot down and told everyone in the Sox organization not to do it again. Speaking of stealing signals, you could almost bet the White Sox knew when Eovaldi was going to throw heat because they hit his fast ball hard. It was his slider, curve, and cut fastball that gave them fits. I don't think the White Sox were stealing signals or that Eovaldi was giving something away with his motion. Rather, I think his fastball is pretty hittable if they wait for it.
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A very good win for three reasons: stops the loss streak at 2; splits the series vs. a good White Sox team; rests the bullpen after yesterday's double-header and the Jays series starting tomorrow. To remind: the White Sox are 4th in MLB in runs scored and have just dropped below the 11th ranked ERA, 3.70, to 12th, 3.72. Both teams have played 17 games.
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Thanks. As always, I have the sound off.
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This guy Mercedes has given up a walk, a double, a single, a stolen base--and could still get a shut out inning. Or not.
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And now the single and a change of pitchers.
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Tough at bat by Anderson because Eovaldi is throwing some good pitches.
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Friedman right now is the best in MLB.
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Another infield single for the White Sox while Devers tried to find the ball in his glove.
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Nice play by Gonzalez!!!
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Gotta love Devers and Bogie, but they ain't cheap, and I'm not talking about salaries. While I love seeing good/great defensive plays, I have usually argued it's not that important. But yesterday someone commented the White Sox were getting a lot of infield hits. And I think we have all noticed that both of them seem to be slow getting rid of the ball without gaining much accuracy.
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Whoops, there goes another rubber tree plant.
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Good think Burdi didn't start for Chicago.
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On the other hand, his combo of cutter, slider, and curve looks pretty darn tough.