Maxbialystock

Oh, you're good.

Interesting. Peter Angelos probably skimped on those.

The NOAA map says that's optimistic, so I sure hope you're right.

Interesting. However, I would argue that Valdez on the bench is more valuable to the Sox than Dalbec when he is in the lineup. His WAR is -1.1 and he actually makes the Sox worse when he comes to bat or plays 1B. His lousy hitting makes him a rally-killer, and his lousy defense keeps opposing teams rallies alive.

Right again.

Agree completely. Being a fan is no longer enough on blog sites. You gotta be a GM and/or President of Baseball Operations. It's not about winning and losing as much as it is making a deal--and not a DD deal, but a smart deal that lowers the total salary of the Sox. So, even though the Sox have the best winning percentage and the most wins in MLB, Talksox is replete with discussions about preparing for the worst, dumping good players deemed no long affordable, etc. So far this year the Sox hitting is the best in MLB, the rotation is almost decent, and the bullpen is bringing up the rear. A "save" these days has a bad odor, but this year Barnes has saved the Sox ass repeatedly. JD Martinez's OPS is 1.127 with 10 dingers and 31 rbis. His War is 2.0. Barnes's WAR is .9, tied for highest on the Sox pitching staff. So to me it's so simple. Plan on keeping Barnes because he's doing a great job and actually helping to win games. I will admit an age bias on this point. I frankly am less interested in the 2022 season or, heaven forbid, the ones after. About Barnes. I think the key to his success is relying on just two pitches, a terrific knuckle curve and a decent fast (95 mph) fastball. He doesn't need any other pitches because those two together keep hitters off balance and he can focus on hitting his spots. Uehara did exactly the same thing with the slowest fastball in the history of organized baseball, a devilish splitter, the control of a knife thrower you only see in movies, and the guts of a high-wire artist. The only difference is that Uehara actually had a personality.

Not that it's relevant, but last night I took a peak at some numbers. As of now, the Sox lead MLB in winning percentage and total wins, also runs scored and team OPS. So, yes, Dalbec, Cordero, and one or two others are a drag on the economy, but the Sox offense can hardly be termed depressed. MLB offense may be depressed, but not the Sox. The Sox team ERA is 15th--vs. not long ago when it was 9th. So that's the issue as Detroit made very apparent. Based on what I've seen in the games and what moonslav59 has reported, the bigger problem appears to be in the bullpen. The rotation probably averages about 5 innings per start, maybe less, but none of them regularly bombs and must be pulled early. So that means the bullpen needs to pitch on average 4 innings per game. The above seems to me to make an ironclad case for the Sox to have at least 14 pitchers on their active roster.

Messy, but still a very needed win. Ottavino's slider/curve looks pretty good to me. On to Baltimore, but a warning. In 1814 the British navy and army romped and stomped in Alexandria and DC and burnt the Capitol and the White House, but the Baltimore militia stopped them cold, plus a local yokel wrote some pretty good lyrics. WEEI announcers talked a lot about Willie Mays today, and I have to admit I agree with what I think Willie said when he was inducted into the HOF: "I have to be honest and say I never saw anyone play the game better." He was beyond a five tool player and did it all with joy and enthusiasm. Mike Trout is doing a lot of the same things except the baserunning.

One of the least and most memorable games of the season. If Ottavino can hang in there, a much needed win and series win combined with Yankees loss.

A walk, a balk, a grounder to advance runner to 3b, and a 2 out single.

In Dalbec's defense, the Sox management have kind of taken a young, inexperienced kid and thrown him into lion's den. He's just 25 years old, and they expect him to be able to hit fastballs over 93 mph. He's a thirdbaseman, and they're making him play first base, a far more difficult position.

Let's not forget "cooler" Dalbec is versatile. What his batting can't do, his defense takes care of. He's the worst defensive firstbaseman in MLB.

What was the name of that Bill Macy/Alec Baldwin movie? The Cooler. That's what Bobby Dalbec is: the Red Sox very own cooler.

Can't help picking on him again. This rally is courtesy of Bobby Dalbec, who has remained in the dugout throughout and is currently the fourth batter away from wrecking it.

And the heart of the order delivers!!!!

Nice at bat by Bogie.

We simply might differ. I think overall the rotation has been better than expected--today being a notable exception--and that the bullpen is where the leakage is. Where we no doubt agree is that you gotta have both working.

Bogie missed a fat pitch by a mile.

Nice poke off that slider, the same one he missed on pitch 1.

Oh, stop it. Well said.

Sox on 1st and 2b, no outs, and the heart of the order coming up: JDM, Bogie, Devers. Time to right the ship and make that idiot Maxbialystock shut up.

6 of the 7 Tiger runs today are charged to Eovaldi.

Oh, that is good.

Finally, a decent play in the OF.

Why does Renfroe keep throwing to 3b when he has no hope of throwing the runner out?