Maxbialystock

Good chance now for a game 6. 4 errors yesterday looked awful yesterday, but the central issues were two 3 run dingers by the Astros and their good pitching.

Verlander has no command. Every thing is up in the zone while other Astros pitchers have kept the ball low. I don’t care how good you are, without command you are nothing. I’m rooting for the Astros, but I kind of like seeing this comeuppance.

Disregard. I just found the ALCS thread.

Makes sense to me.

Blogging is as close as I get to OCD, but I too am a long time bridge player and loved all sports until about 40 when it boiled down to PT and golf. I only played one wonderful summer of Babe Ruth league, after which it was basketball, tennis, volleyball, softball, pool, ping pong, racquetball, squash, etc.

Or so the reporting says. I might add that jacksonianmarch ain’t like that. As for the ALCS, it sure looks as though only one team has good hitting and good pitching. I thought Tanaka was brilliant in game 1. Then came sayonara to that. Astros are just all around good.

Given current realities, this is a pretty good thread. While I appreciate the commentary on the Trop--probably the worst park in MLB--I still like the Rays story, but this does not mean I don't respect any and all other favorites. The Rays had the play-in game, but their overall approach to pitching means it probably cost them less than other wild card teams. Whatever the reason, the score in game 1 with the Astros is 0-0 after 3 1/2.

I sort of rooted for the A's because of Moneyball, but am more than fine with the Rays win. Well deserved. I usually tune out if the Sox aren't in the postseason, but not this year. I live in N.Virginia so was happy with the Nationals winning. Yes, the winning run was a fluke, but tying the game off that clean single to RF was not a fluke. With two outs, the runner on 2b went with the crack of the bat and was not going to be thrown out at home. without the error, there would have been runners on 1st and 3d with 2 outs and the Nats would still have had an opportunity to get the go ahead run in the 8th. Also, the Brewers rightfielder was a 22 year old August 1 call up. The Nationals are in the NLDS, but start tonight in Chavez Ravine against a pretty good Dodgers team. Houston won 107 games this year and now play the Rays. The Dodgers won 106. I preferred the old 4 teams format with no play-in game, but this year I think the "new" 5 team playoff format has been fair--and interesting. And I will root for both the Nats and the Rays.

This was a tough season, and I say that with chagrin because the glow of 2018 should still be with us. Instead, it made our expectations higher because basically the same team returned with what is still a very good lineup. This time, however, the pitching never was there, which is demonstrated by the Sox having a losing record at Fenway and a winning record on the road.

LeVangie is the first non-pitcher pitching coach for the Sox since 1994 and the personal choice of Alex Cora. I would defend the truncated ST this year were it not for the additional problem of the new "seamless" baseball, which clearly has taken some getting used to and has led to a resurgence of the offense throughout MLB. Earlier this season I tried to argue that ST made no difference, but here in September it is clear that ERod, the one guy who had a "full" 15 innings in ST this year (and had none last year when he was on the IL), is having by far the best season. The one tiny caveat to dumping on LeVangie is that Porcello pitched 12 innings in ST vs. his usual 16, but is in fact having the worst season of his career with his contract up for a renewal. I just find it hard to believe that 4 more innings in ST would have made that much of a difference. In fact, his April ERA was a decent 4.76, and his May ERA was an excellent (for him) 3.34. Then came the bad months of June 6.46 and July 7.94, followed by a decent August 4.00. Eovaldi was on the IL for ST, so that leaves us with exhibits 1 and 2 for the prosecution--Sale and Price. I honestly think those two would be least affected by the "seamless" baseball because neither throws a curve and both rely on fastballs, sliders, and changeups, which this year seem to me to be about the same as in prior years. However, both Sale and Price have had elbow/arm issues this year, which begs the question: is that because of too little ST to prepare for the season or because those issues were inevitable for both of them? In fact, Sale has tailed off badly the past two seasons after having great April/May/Junes. Price is 34 and has thrown 2029 innings.

I hate to say it, but, despite all those walks, this was a pretty good game. Also interesting that the Sox outscored the Twins in the series overall, 13-10, but of course lost in games, 2-1. The Sox now have a losing record at Fenway this year. About those 9 walks by the Sox staff, I think part of that was dinger-avoidance.

I guess my point is that just maybe the smart guy is John Henry himself. Now he is the one who has to decide on whether to stay with DD. I have left out any discussion on the overall profitability of the Sox of the effects of the luxury tax, both of which are key factors.

Interesting, as always, discussion on DD, which to me means upper management and with it John Henry, arguably (with four WS wins) the best owner in MLB today. I find it interesting that JH, while perfectly willing to spend big bucks to bring in high quality player talent, has until DD relied on developing front office talent like Epstein and Cherington--both of whom are currently GM's with the Cubs and Jays respectively. Critics of the movie Moneyball point out that the very successful 2002 Oakland A's relied heavily on young talent developed by the very scouts pilloried in early scenes in the movie. Before DD showed up, the Sox were pretty good at developing young talent like Beni, JBJ, Betts, Bogie, Devers, Chavis, ERod, etc. Now, not so much. The Sox under DD seem to be following a trail blazed by the estimable NY Yankees, the wealthiest MLB franchise, who have historically not hesitated to spend big bucks for overpriced talent. That is exactly how I would characterize our current rotation. Thus I'm inclined to agree with moonslav59, our own talksox GM/owner, who says it's time to go back to an earlier formula of developing young talent while also acquiring some key "outside" talent. DD has never shown any ability or patience in developing talent.

While I am of course torqued at Porcello for the final dinger, I completely agree with the decision to leave him in until he gave up that final dinger to make the score 6-0 after 4 1/2 innings. Yes, absolutely, the bullpen did a heckuva job shutting down the Twins for 5 innings, but that was as hard to predict as that 4 run rally in the bottom of the 5th. I don't have much faith in Porcello this year, but before last night he had a very good August and earlier had pitched well against the Twins. Too many of the Sox starters are crappy at keeping the ball low in the strike zone, and Porcello is the worst of them all. Ironically, that pitch Devers hit out was a great slider, low and inside.

I honestly could care less about late-season lineup bolstering when the lineup overall has been good this year and the real problem is with the rotation. That is also why I started a thread on Owings because I still do not understand why, with such a terrible rotation, DD and Cora went with 12 pitchers instead of the 13 they had been using all year--and added Owings to the roster instead. When Sale, Price, Porcello, Eovaldi, and--oh, yes--Cashner have been this awful, to me the bullpen becomes more important by far than fringe moves with guys like Owings. As for JBJ, I'm sort of on the fence but right now would tend to play him, at least until the Sox are clearly out of the wild card, which could happen during this present 7 game string vs the Twins and Yankees. I'm not sure he's worth all of that $8M he's getting, but he is still a good centerfielder who now and then can hit and has an OPS of .731.

Last night was a classic game in terms of this season. The lineup wasn't great, but did score 5 runs including dingers by Devers and Benintendi. But Porcello was determined to keep those pitches up and hittable with the inevitable result--6 runs in 4 innings. DD invested heavily in the rotation--over $90M this year (and not including Sale's new contract starting next year)--and it has come a cropper (except for ERod, who is having his best year).

Great start to a game thread.

He has indeed. Only May, ERA 3.34, was better than August, ERA 4.00. But then June was 6.42. So we'll just have to see.

25 games to go, of which 13 are at Fenway, where the Sox, thanks to weak pitching, are .500 (and 9 games above .500 on the road). The Sox are 5.5 behind the Guardians and 6 behind the Rays for one of the two wild card slots. The next 7 games are all against the two best hitting teams--Twins and Yankees--in MLB who will hit against a patch-together rotation with one good guy, ERod, and the rest (Porcello, Price, Eovaldi, and TBD) problematical. I am not at all saying the Twins and Yankees will smoke the Sox, but am saying that's more likely than the reverse.

13 of the 25 games left are at Fenway, where the Sox to date are .500. And 9 games over .500 on the road. I'm no doubt wrong, but have the impression that Fenway is tough on weak pitchers, which the Sox have had in abundance this season. Also three tough series--3 vs. the Twins, 4 vs. the Yankees, and 4 vs. the Rays--for a total of 11 games in those 25. The Sox are battling three pretty good teams--Rays, Guardians, and A's--for the two wild card slots and are 5.5 and 6 games behind the Rays and Guardians. The pitching remains problematical and the next 7 games are against two of the best hitting teams--Twins and Yankees--in MLB. Not impossible, of course, but almost.

Not sure, but I think ERod is starting tonight, Tuesday, Sep 3.

Pen help is bound to be a crapshoot unless you spend big, which DD can't afford this year.

You could be right, but I don't see it that way. For one thing, the wild card is still possible. For another, the lineup is still pretty good--those to execrable losses to the Phillies notwithstanding-- and lately so is the bullpen. The problem all season long has been the rotation, the overpaid guys who to a man have stunk--except of course for ERod. The rotation is why I have a lot of sympathy for moonslav59's turn toward pessimism.

Funny you should bring that up because I started a thread about Owings I was so darn mad. I still don't understand why he is with the big club, and I do see a need for another reliever (given that our starters are in such disarray). I don't think I agree with oldtimer that "youngsters" from the farm should be brought up before September, which is now 10 days away.

Horrible game so far. No excuse for the lineup getting just two measly runs. Stupid play by Vazquez. And once again Porcello shows his inability to go low in the strike zone, thus a hanging slider. Porcello is fine throwing the ball into the dirt.