Maxbialystock

Twins have 3d best ERA in MLB and it was cold out there today, 38 degrees, almost as cold as yesterday. Cold seems to favor the pitchers. No-brainer to bring Barnes out for the 7th. Forget the save. It's the win that's key, and Barnes is hot. Barnes did get lucky on Arraez. At 3-0 I was surprised Cora didn't signal for a pass with a man on 2b. But this year Cora seems to have the golden touch he had 3 years ago.

This thread approved by TylerD

Very nicely said.

Twins have the third best ERA in MLB.

Waddell actually has a good repertoire of slide, changeup, and fastball, as well as pretty good command.

Good call by the ump. Close but outside for ball 2.

Lead off double by Bogie!!! Waddell left that slider up.

JDM has hurt us in this game.

Need one bad, JDM

I disagree. For one thing, the two rotations and the two situations are completely different. The concern in 2019 was how badly Sale tailed off in 2018. He was a workhorse April thru July, but did not pitch more than 5 innings in a game for the rest of the season and postseason. A year after his truncated 2019 spring training, he needed tommy john surgery, so my guess is that they were already concerned in late 2018 and early 2019. ERod, on the other hand, had not pitched much in 2018, so he got a normal spring training, which worked. And Porcello only pitched 3 fewer innings than ERod in ST and simply stunk in 2019, which he was always fully capable of doing. Price threw the fewest ST innings in 2019, 6.2. But he had an OK April--five starts, 30 IP, 12 ER, ERA 3.60. He only pitched 17.2 innings in May and 24.2 innings in June. In July he had 6 starts, 30.1 innings, 14 walks, and 17 earned runs--and an ERA of 5. And that was it in 2019 for David Price. He pitched 2.2 innings in August and 2 innings in September. Let's ignore 2020 and note that this year Price is in the Dodgers bullpen where so far he has pitched 5.2 innings and given up 5 earned runs. So my guess is that 2019 ST and especially the 2019 regular season only reflected that Price was about washed up. He was proof positive that DD was short for dodo bird. Eovaldi also pitched few innings, 7, in 2019 ST. He was great the previous (2018) September and October with 20 and 22.1 innings respectively and ERA's of 1.35 and 1.61. But he stunk in 2019, so maybe he could have used the full 15 or so innings on the 2019 ST--which, as you point out, is what was done this year with so far excellent results. All of the above is based on a simple premise: I trust Alex Cora, who was the manager for both seasons, 2018 and 2019. Rumor has it he is back managing in the bigs this year, and I still trust him.

This thread approved by splendidsplinter.

Actually, I think it is the cold weather. He was hitless in his first three games in Boston.

No question, a lot of early and pleasant surprises: rotation, bullpen, and especially the hitting. Playing for the most part 1 less game than the others, the Sox are 3d in runs scored, 5th in total bases, and a very surprising 6th in HR's. The pitching numbers aren't nearly as good, but the game realities are that the pitching has mostly been there when needed. They gave up 9 in the last game in Baltimore, but the Sox won 14-9. That leadoff double yesterday by the Twins' Buxton put Perez into shock, defined as then giving up an HBP, a walk, two sac flies and two runs. But he recovered and the Twins never scored again thanks to Perez and the bullpen that stunk the game before when they could afford to stink. Monday's postponement probably helped. Yes, it's way, way early. But the simple fact is that a good start is so much better than a bad one. No one knows that better than Sox fans. Here on Talksox I'd say about 99.44% of us did not expect a good start. Except maybe Thunder, who didn't expect a good start, but was just happy to have a new season that is expected to go 162 games, not 60.

Actually, I think it is the cold weather. He was hitless in his first three games in Boston.

Just a reminder to everyone that bellhorn and thunder were right, and I was completely wrong.

Excellent forward thinking, as always. I guess my point was/is that the 2021 Sox right now don't exactly look like the wreck of the Hesperus. I mean, they just gave up 2 in the first inning and still won--their 7th straight--in a blizzard.

Do you believe these guys!!??? Awesome. Two Twins runs in the 1st? No problem. Errors by Bogie and Devers? No biggie. 9th batter in the lineup packing his bags for the 3-eye league? Not so fast, Dalbec. Stick around. Yesterday's porous bullpen? Gone, vanished, can't find them. Baseball in a Minnesota blizzard? Let's play two.

These 2021 Sox are gamers, no question about it. And a joy to watch (mlb.tv is working today because the Sox aren't playing the Orioles, Nationals, or Braves, none of whom play within 200 miles of where I live).

Actually, it's perfect if your protesting game conditions, which I am.

30 degrees is a big drop for 4 hours, but your point is well taken.

Heavy on the "realistic," but pretty light on the "view" of ongoing 2021. But that's fine. There are abundant other opportunities to go into great detail about what is happening game to game.

Weather today is expected to be nasty--cold and maybe wet--the exact opposite of the weather Ernie Banks had in mind when he said, "let's play two!"

Thanks.

I have never had a problem with Yankee fans. I like talking baseball with them because inevitably I know a lot about their team, plus I like being in a rivalry with the team that won 27 WS, especially now that the 86 year curse is history and the Sox are sort of at the same level. Jacksonianmarch is to me typical of the breed. I also like the different cultures of the two cities and try not to remind Yankee fans that their forebearers rolled over for the British Army (and fleet) in August 1776 five months after the Red Sox fans' forebearers drove them out of Boston. Interesting point Notin makes about the last 40 years.

Not only oldsters, but oldsters related to deceased who suffered through most of the 86 year curse without seeing the 2004 ALCS to end all ALCS's plus beating the Cardinals 4-0.