Maxbialystock

I know you don't visit the Realistic thread all that often, so allow me to inform you that only occasionally is it about a Realistic View of 2019, Part I and Part II. More often, it's about almost anything related or even not related to the Boston Red Sox. Realistically, the 2019 playoffs train seems to have left the station without the Sox, but then I remember Lori Petty and Geena Davis actually running to catch a train that would in fact take them to the AAGPBL and conclude the Sox right now are only mostly dead. Besides, as I've said before, I am still happy to root for the lineup players (except Owings of course) and even the bullpen. I reserve my enmity for the rotation (less ERod who at 26 seems headed for his best season). Lately I've also thought a lot about the new semi-seamless baseball and it's dramatic effect on hitting and pitching in MLB. It would appear that other teams, especially their rotations, have adjusted more easily than ours.

Exactly. To me it's OK to be furious with the rotation who are paid a ton of money and have not delivered, but at the same time to root like crazy for the Sox to win. I'm still irritated that Owings is on the roster, but otherwise am fine with it. And I notice these days Cora is more than willing to pull a starter early and well before what used to be the "7 run rule." Plus someone else said even losing teams should try to win in order to be fair to all the teams that are still in the hunt.

I'm in favor of rest days because frankly I think it is impossible to stay on your game playing on average 6 games per week for 26 straight weeks and including huge amounts of tedium during each game while the batter adjusts his gloves, checks his helmet, checks his bat, digs in at the plate, --and the pitcher wanders around the mound, shakes his head at a sign from the catcher, variously short time outs, etc. When they replay an entire game without all that stuff, but still include every pitch, every hit, every play, it takes less than 20 minutes to show a 3 1/2 hour game. And yet during that more than 3 hours when literally nothing is happening, each player on the defense especially has to stay focused and alert to game situations, situational trends for each batter, etc. Also, almost every team has 13 position players, which basically means 4 subs. If the 9 best all play 162 games, what at the subs for, especially in the AL where you don't have to pinch-hit for the pitcher? Since this is the countdown to the playoffs thread, a thought on that. I'm with Kimmi and the other cock-eyed optimists who are still rooting for the Sox to get into the playoffs--even though I fully recognize how sensible moonslav and others' pessimism is. I mean, it's just this simple: the rotation stinks because it stunk all year long. Not every game, of course, but way too often. Nevertheless, the Sox have just won 5 straight games even though three of the starters starters were ineligible for a win because they didn't pitch 5 innings or just stunk up the game or both.

All season long Cora and DD stuck with 13 pitchers on the roster, but now there are 12, apparently because of a compelling need for Owings, the same guy who pretty much ensured the Sox lost the one game he started at 2b. Can anyone explain this?

Good for tylerD

August 11, 2019 will go down in infamy as the day Cora started Owings at 2d base, leading off. Marco was at Pawtucket.

Smart pitch. Irresistible.

That’s a cheap shot with which I entirely agree. Batting him lead off was about as stupid.

Meh. The problem isn’t with Barnes, but with this execrable rotation. The bullpen entered in the 2 d inning and that dinger in the 8th was the first run off them. Cashner was the only bad pitcher in this game, and he was awful.

I’ll take Workman’s arm over any of the starters, this year, anyway.

True. But when he leaves the game, there is a bad odor left by that ERA of 5.67.

Seriously. What was Cora thinking?

Prophetic. Owings has no business wearing a MLB uniform, with the possible exception of bat boy. Sadly, the Angels knew this before Cora did.

Perhaps. I think the primary fault is with the rotation, which has been awful, top to bottom, whereas last year they were solid until late in the season. That said, just about everyone on talksox scoffed at how last year the Rays used their bullpen so much. Sometimes a reliever would start, and so on. Well, last night Johnson, who has started before, was pulled in the 3d inning and the Sox behind 3-0. In came Walden to finish the 3d and pitch the 4th and 5th, followed by Eovaldi for 2 more innings and giving up the 4th run, which by then was almost meaningless although they GIDP sure came in handy. Then there's the Yankees rotation, which is almost as bad as ours, but they have an excellent bullpen which makes a real difference. Cora compensates slightly for his mediocre bullpen by carrying 13 pitchers vs. last year when he carried 12-- and 11 in the postseason. We all know that decades ago starters often pitched complete games, but now it's a rarity. Let's not forget that in the interim MLB lowered the mound and this year the seams on the baseball, both with the express purpose of generating more offense under the assumption that's what brings the fans to games. The point is that the lines between starters and relievers are increasingly blurred. Last year the large investment in the rotation, including the addition of Eovaldi, seemed justified. This year, not--but the investment was already made. Thus, I think DD did it about right even though I agree the bullpen hasn't been so hot. By not adding bullpen help on 31 July, he was telling our high-price rotation to earn their pay, which they certainly have not done this year.

Home plate ump gave those 3 runs to LA when he called a clear strike 3 ball 4. I apologize for commenting on the game.

I don't see it. In the last 6 seasons, 2014 thru 2019, Sale has pitched against LAA exactly 3 times--this year, superb, 2017, pretty darn good (6 innings, 0 runs), and 2014, not so hot (7 innings 5 runs, 4 earned). 3 games is a miniscule sample vs the 24 games he started this year alone. He had one other great game this year, June, against the KC, when he pitched a shutout. June overall was a good month, ERA 2.79. But July and August have been pretty awful until last night. Also, FWIW, this year's Angels are 12th in MLB in runs scored. 2 years ago when he shut the Angels out for 6 innings, they were 22d in runs scored. The only think I will grant Jung is that Sale has been so bad this year, it's really hard to claim this one game is proof he has turned things around. So of course we have to see some more. If he has turned it around, I can only add it couldn't happen to a better guy.

I did watch the game--a dazzling, vintage Sale performance with lots of fastballs, 13 K's, 2 hits, 0 runs in 8 innings and 93 pitches, all of which suggest that maybe his problem was telegraphing his pitches. He did have his changeup and slider working, but I think 2/3 of his pitches were fast balls. I've advocating he learn how to throw a curve--which shows how much I know about what works for Chris Sale. Also a modicum of redemption for Sandy Leon--also good because the Sox need two viable MLB catchers. Sox are 5 games above .500, still have a losing record at Fenway, and are 5.5 back of the Rays and 5 back of the A's for the second wild card slot. So, in the immortal words of Billy Crystal in the Princess Bride, the Sox are only mostly dead. Still too soon to look for loose change in their pockets.

Yup

Best player in MLB may or may not have opportunities to shine. I'm fine with watching the game, at least for awhile. I'll repeat something I said on the other thread. I think a big part of this year's Sox pitching problem is that they have not adjusted to the semi-seamless baseball. In addition, Sale has lost steam on his fast ball.

Really? Last year started with a hot streak that barely let up--thus 108 wins. This year started with a terrible road trip, after which the Sox struggled to get above .500. My guess, only that, is that fans are going to games this year partly because of the 108 and the WS last year. Plus the hitting is good. Plus some people like to watch train wrecks. The Sox have now played 58 games at home with 23 to go, so there is still time for attendance to drop below last year's. However-- 2012, losing season, attendance 37,567 per game 2013, WS win, attendance 34,979 per game. 2014, a losing season, it was 36,494. 2015, another losing season, 35,564. 2016, an ALDS season, 36,486. 2017, also ALDS, 36,020. 2018, greatest Sox season ever, 35,747 2019, disappointing season, so far 36,074.

Attendance this year is higher than last year. I don't know about NESN viewership of course.

Ahem. Consider your source. The simple reality is that Sale, Price, ERod, Eovaldi, and even sometimes Porcello have thrown a lot of fastballs throughout their careers. I think that fixation on the fastball is exacerbated by the seams being smoother--which makes breaking balls less effective--and by the fact that three of them are lefties who apparently never mastered the curve ball which breaks toward righty batters. Also, there can be no question that Sale's fastball has lost something. I think he has a great slider, but it breaks in on righties. I do agree the pitching staff has not adjusted to the semi-seamless baseball this year. Both the rotation and the bullpen.

A recent article on the downfall of Tanaka says the new smoother seams on baseballs have affected his splitter. This current Sox team has easily the worst ERA in the John Henry era, 4.82. Last year with basically the same pitching staff the team ERA was 3.75. For those pining for Kimbrel, his ERA this year is 5.68. Kelly's is 4.97. I am exonerating no one, but would say that some pitchers have clearly adjusted to the new ball better than others. I think it is also reasonable to assume that the Sox pitching coach hasn't helped much. Sox lineup meanwhile is scoring even more runs than last year when they led MLB in scoring.

AGon was great in 2011, which however ended disastrously. So sending him to LA in 2012 made sense. JD Drew never made sense to me because, while he seemed to be the proverbial five tool player, he spent too much time on the DL and never came close to his career year of 2004. Very good defender and on the WS winners in 2007. JDM made a huge difference last year. Like Ortiz, he made the whole lineup better. Plus I kind of like that he is more than willing to play LF or RF when needed. Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval, on the other hand, were bad acquisitions.

I think deer in the headlights can happen to almost any pitcher because the demands are so great: you have to be able to throw the ball pretty hard, hopefully put some spin on it, and hit your spots. Most pitchers can throw strikes 2/3 of the time, but it's hard to keep hitting spots while getting strikes 2/3 of the time. Barnes has a pretty good fastball and curve--and other pitches--but his command comes and goes. Last year Kelly was the embodiment of a pitcher whose command was suspect and he drove most of us nuts during the regular season, but in the postseason he was terrific. ERod is an even better example. See especially his last start against the Yankees. He didn't have it in the 1st inning, gave up 2 walks and a hit, and then, with the pressure on, threw a fat pitch that became a grand slam. He then pitched 6 innings of shut out baseball despite giving up 4 more walks.