Maxbialystock

OK. That 4th pitch ball was an egregiously bad call by the ump.

Runner makes it if ERod is on the mound.

Ball hit hard right to right fielder who was a tad shallow. Only Mookie maybe makes it.

That's about it. Dodgers get 3 runs on 1 hit.

He didn't choke. He just a lost a very tightly contested match that had to end sometime. You haven't watch or played enough tennis to have any insight.

Just pisses me off that this is the only game of the 3 on TV in the DC area.

Agree with respect for the game and the Yankees--also the Astros.

While I agree that a realistic view of 2019, part ii, should focus on pitching, I have a grudge to surface and don't think it's worth another thread. To me Bogie is hands down the team mvp, season to date. Yes, absolutely, Devers is having a great year and even his error rate is down, but Bogie plays SS decently well and with real focus even though he does not have great range. His OPS is .935, he is tied for 4th in MLB in rbi's and 7th in runs scored, and 17th in OPS--but his WAR is a measly 2.9 compared to Mookie's 3.6 and Devers 3.8. The culprit is of course Bogie's DWAR, currently -.8, which means he is hopelessly, irretrievably terrible. Funny, but I hadn't noticed he was quite that bad.

On another note, three big goose eggs smack dab in the middle of the Sox lineup. Batters 4, 5, and 6--JDM, Beni, and Chavez--were hitless and had 5 K's, 3 by Vazquez alone. Today, Sunday, it's Ryu on the mound for the Dodgers. Lefty vs. lefty (Price), with a big edge to the Dodgers. Oh, and as I said during the game, I no longer think of Sandy Leon as a superior defensive catcher. That plus his OPS of .542 makes him a liability, which is not good because Vazquez can't catch--I don't think--4 of 5 games. Last night was game 2 of 17 straight games without a break. In July. Actually, the above is sugar-coating it. The Sox are actually playing 34 games in 34 days--thanks to a doubleheader in 3 Aug in Yankee Stadium--in July-August. It is difficult for me to believe that the MLB schedulers did not do this with malice aforethought or that they did not receive some guidance like--"don't go easy on that Boston club because we sure don't want to see 108 more wins in 2019."

I could certainly be wrong, but my impression is that neither his slider nor his changeup breaks sharply down. The slider breaks 11 inches, which is a lot, but it's mostly in a horizontal plane--or so it looks to me. And, for whatever reason, the changeup just doesn't seem to be working this year and could also mostly be breaking left instead of left and and down. To me it only stands to reason that a pitch that breaks sharply down is going to be more effective because it makes it harder for the batter to make solid contact than a pitch that goes mostly side to side.

I was definitely one of those promoting Leon's CERA, but no more. He called for almost all inside fastballs against the guy who kept hitting them hard and finally got a 2 run double. Leon is also a fat slob who can't hit or run the bases.

You got that wrong. Sale would be throwing a no hitter if we had robots calling balls and strikes. Baseball will never be perfect unless and until we eliminate the human element in umpiring. After that, I hope we can move on to having robots replace the players.

Stripling's knuckle curve is far more effective than any pitch Sales throws. He can throw in right down the middle and the Sox still can't hit it solid.

Sale got screwed on a couple calls, but neither was egregious. His problem is he doesn't get many fly or pop outs or ground outs. Stripling meanwhile is coasting on half the pitches per inning.

Good story. Even better demonstration of the great loyalty of the Sox fan base.

Perhaps. But I suspect MLB is in a bind with all those gigantic salaries and must therefore maintain the 162 game schedule intermixed with breaks demanded by the MLBPA, still the most potent union in America, and the postseason with three rounds of games, not including the wild card playoff. Thus they must play those rain delayed games and probably can't afford to give much back to the stalwart fans. I'll be honest and say I think unions can do a lot of good for ordinary workers, but think the MLBPA, no doubt aligned with all those agents, have not helped MLB writ large.

All true. Plus let's not forget that he has slipped badly almost from the day he started getting the big bucks. He actually had one good year, 2016, before the downward slide in 2017, 2018, and 2019. In those 4 years he was/is paid $28M, $28M, $30M, and $30M.

Good OP, good thread. I too like Hernandez a lot. Losing Kinsler and then the injury to Holt forced the FO to bring up first Chavis and now Hernandez to play 2B. Kinsler got the gold glove, but I don't miss him at all, and I hope Hernandez stays in Boston for awhile. Nunez at 2b is a travesty.

Dodgers have the best record and the best run differential in MLB, but they also have a losing record on the road. They have great pitching--2d best in MLB--but only Ryu is a true ace. I think Sale, Price, and ERod can compete with the others. Congrats to all those who kept this winning streak going this long. Just what was needed after the public hanging in London. Agree with those who say the wild card race in the AL will be tough.

Not really a critic because I see the value of long threads after losses. People need to vent.

You can always tell if the Sox won by the length of the game thread. This was a fairly straightforward win even if Price only went 5 and Brasier gave up the 2 run dinger. And here we are on page 9.

What a crock. Yes, absolutely, Sandy Koufax, whom I saw pitch in person one time in Philly, had a fantastic curve and a fast ball that had plenty of tail. But he was spectacularly good, the very best of his era and was quickly elected to the HOF (after 5 years) even though the retired at age 30 because he doctor strongly recommended it. Plus he had the advantage of pitching off a higher mound.

Erod is so unprofessional. Can't be bothered to cover 1b on a grounder to the right.

Not true. Lately it seems true, but season to date we have seen many well pitched games. I think pitchers are better than ever, but MLB does everything it can to make games more high scoring. Juiced baseballs. Tighter strike zones. The shifts have hurt hitting, so now more guys are trying to hit over the shifts, hence more dingers.

The simple fact is that winning is what creates a good mental attitude and the expectation of winning the next game. And losing, especially losing more than the year before, has the opposite effect. That said, you only have to watch the games to see that the wins and losses are earned and rarely the result of some indefinable malaise. Exhibit A in this argument is Chris Sale, who I think is the most professional pitcher in Red Sox uniform I have seen recently. Yet he is having a horrible season, and I refuse to believe it's because he pitched 6 fewer innings in ST this year than last year (2018). He has changed. His control isn't as good, his fastball has lost some steam, and his changeup ain't working although his slider is. It may also be that he is more comfortable with Leon behind the plate than Vazquez. Exhibit B is Mookie Betts. He's getting $20M and is line for a huge free agent contract, and his numbers are way down from last year, especially with RISP. I would argue that opposing pitchers and especially coaches have figured some things out and know a lot more this year about how to get him out, especially with RISP. Last night was just one more example. Exhibit C includes Bogie, Devers, Vazquez, JBJ, and maybe even Chavis, all of whom are hitting better or much better than last year. Plus Devers has even gotten better defensively. No way, no how are those five not looking forward to excelling in the next game and doing what it takes to win. Exhibit D is the rotation writ large. As I have already detailed, ST did not kill them because ERod pitched the normal 15 innings this year and is pitching worse than last year and Price is pitching better than last year but pitched 6 fewer innings in ST than last year. Only Sale is a lot worse than last year and pitched 6 fewer innings in ST, but I would argue that he is worse because his fast ball has lost some zip, his control is not as good, and his changeup ain't working but was last year. My point is that our $88M/year rotation (Sale will get more than $15M next year) just maybe wasn't a good investment. Exhibit E is the bullpen, who are paid peanuts--less than $10M for the whole bunch of them. The Yankees, on the other hand, have spent on a lot less for the rest of the rest of their roster and so have not one closer but in fact, have spent $40M on Ottavino, Britton, Germain, and Chapman, all of whom have higher WAR's than the Yankee starters except for Tanaka, whose WAR is 1.8 to Ottavino's 1.5. Their bullpen is the envy of MLB and gives that a big edge in almost every game they play. DD simply could not afford to do that for the Sox bullpen. Exhibit F is that the Red Sox in the John Henry era have already demonstrated that they rarely follow a great season (win the WS) with a really good one. There is always a let down. And guess what? Last year was only the greatest season in Sox history with 108 wins in the regular season and taking 11 of 14 games in the postseason against the Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers.