Maxbialystock

We, even moonslav, are all worried about this year. I've re-watched that insider from last night at least 10 times and just don't see it the same way you do. Yes, Holt, was less than ideal in RF, but Pesky's pole/corner is tough for anyone because of how it is shaped. I have seen our outfielders in LF and CF misplay flies that near the wall which were more catchable than this one. So Holt's miss was not egregious. After that, fate took a hand. The carom went to a perfect spot and settled near the wall at the 380' mark--too far for Mookie to do anything useful and apparently not visible to Holt, who might even have thought it went into the stands. To me it was more freakish than worthy of condemnation, especially when our biggest problem last night was the pitching, I think the problem now is confidence, especially with the pitchers. Four good starters (without Eovaldi) should be enough, but Porcello and ERod have been too inconsistent and they are the two starters who pitched the most innings 12 and 15, respectively, in spring training. So this puts extra pressure on the bullpen, who have definitely had some good games this year, but ain't looking so hot lately. And this. The real heart breaker was Monday night when Beni got the 2 run dinger in the 1st and Sale went 7, giving up 1 run (unearned thanks to boneheaded plays by Leon). The bullpen lost that one, but the lineup only scored 1 run in 10 innings after the 1st and butchered the 9th when the first two batters got on. As unhappy as I am with this team so far this year, I do believe a turnaround is possible because that's the nature of MLB. And Thunder is a good choice to get that started.

Sadly, I agree with slasher9, this is pretty good stuff. While I agree Cora could have managed the lineup better last night, I in no way think a better lineup--like Beni in LF, JBJ in CF, and Mookie in RF-- would have won that game. Our pitching stunk.

Agree. Almost all MLB teams go with 13 lineup players and 12 pitchers on the roster. This has been true of the Red Sox as well, and last year I think they had 11 pitchers for the playoffs. But the Sox have kept 13 pitchers for almost every game this year simply because of that long road trip with no break to start the season--which was then exacerbated by the starters getting bombed early. There have actually been some runs--consecutive games--in which the bullpen has bailed the Sox (and the starter) out, but this will never be a top line bullpen. These days, top line bullpens are pricey. The Yankees top four relievers get $40M this year. The Sox top five relievers get $5.5M. But the real issue--your issue-- is that the Sox needed the rotation to come thru, and they haven't--except for Sale and Price, and they also struggled early in the season. And the hitting is nowhere near as good as last year.

To date the Sox have played 68 games. Of those--in order of total bases they have accumulated--Bogie has played in 65, Devers 66, JDM 59, Betts 67, Beni 60, Moreland 47, Vazquez 55, Chavis 47, and JBJ 60. The Sox won all 3 games Bogie missed. Clearly, Bogie needs to benched a lot more. They lost both games (Houston, 4-3, and TB, 6-1) Devers missed. Clearly, Devers should play every game and maybe every inning. No rests for him. They were 4-5 in 9 games JDM missed, which is not far from the Sox losing % to date. The real problem is the back is affecting JDM's hitting. They won the only game Betts missed, so he should rest a lot more. They lost 7 of 8 games Benintendi missed, so he should not be allowed to miss any more games this year or next for that matter. This guy is a gamer, unlike that piker Betts, who wasn't even missed. They went 12-9 in the games Moreland missed, so Cora need be in no hurry to get him off the DL. They went 3-5 without JBJ, so he needs to play every day for the rest of the year. They went 11-2 in the games Vazquez did not play. Leon needs to play more.

I disagree, especially about last night when the Sox lost 9-5 without JBJ. The problem was the pitching far more than the hitting or defense. The night before the Sox lost with Beni, Brad, and Betts all in their appointed places. And, sure enough, in the very first inning Mookie got on and Beni homered to give the Sox a 2-0 lead with Sale at his best going 7 innings and giving up 1 unearned run, the result of our great defensive catcher getting a passed ball and a throwing error. But after that dinger in the 1st, the lineup scored just 1 run in 10 innings, and the bullpen gave up 3 runs to blow the game up. Last night we lost because our pitching stunk. Working backward from this current series, we lost 3 of 4 to the Rays because they have better pitching, period, not because JBJ may or may not have started. We took 3 of 3 from KC because they stink. We lost 2 of 3 to the Yankees because they pitched better and have better hitting despite tons of good hitters on their IL. We lost 2 of 3 to Cleveland because our pitching stunk to high heaven. Then there's the Astros series, May 24-26, in Houston, when the Sox lost 2 of 3 but overall played well. More on JBJ. Since his reputed turnaround starting May 27, he has missed exactly one game. But--and you will love this--he did not play in four of the games from May 3 thru May 26. Those were because he wasn't hitting. And the Sox won 3 of 4 of those games.

Guys, it was a freak play--diabolically so. First of all, it was lazy opposite field pop fly in Pesky's corner where the outcome is almost always a great grab or a dinger. it did not help that Holt rarely plays RF. I frankly thought the ball had gone in the stands and somehow caromed back onto the field. But the most freakish thing is that the ball rolled into the almost perfect spot--closer to Holt than anyone else, but Holt couldn't see it-- to enable the hitter to get all the way around the bases regardless of what Holt or Betts or anyone else did. The baserunner on 2b was going to score no matter what, and the hitter was guaranteed 3 bases even if Holt reacted perfectly. The next guy up singled. So the Rangers were sure of 9 runs. Might I add that both Holt and Betts are normally, usually in the charlie hustle mode when they are in the field and that Mookie is a gold glover? The problem last night wasn't that dinger or a less than optimum outfield defense. It was the Sox pitching and hitting, have looked good only intermittently since the Sox were 4 games over .500 on May 27.

Of course he was racist. He was born in Georgia in 1886 and was no doubt raised on all manner of racist things. it's possible he realized his error after he retired, but I seriously doubt he was a nice guy during his playing days. I'd put him in the top 5 of hitters/fielders. Still too early to anoint Trout, but he has been astonishingly consistent at a high level. My GOAT has always been Willie Mays because he was a bonafide five tool player and a great centerfielder with 660 dingers--and served in the Army.

I'm amazed anyone would argue that outfield defense is the key to winning when pitching and hitting are far more important and currently in disarray.

What happened to get Cora ejected? Beni too I think.

We just saw one huge difference between Texas and the Sox. The Texas batter had a 2-0 count after the previous two batters walked and did not hesitate to go after that fast ball. All of the good Sox hitters would have take that pitch. Nunez would have swung and hit into a double play.

Agree. For a while, the Sox were hitting well and up near the top in team OPS and runs scored. But not against good pitching.

Given the specific nature of last night's loss, one of the very worst of the year given Sale's splendid start, you gotta like the chutzpah of someone who wants to go back for more while breaking a board rule. I might add with a Double A rookie on the mound tonight.

Agree. The Sox total runs scored are 5th or 6th best this year, but nowhere near that against good teams. RISP is a special problem bad enough that Cora is talking about it. Last night, for example, Mookie and Beni led off the 9th with a walk and a single only to have Devers hit into a GIDP.

The only omen worth considering is starting a rookie straight up from AA and being backed up by a bullpen that gave up 3 runs last night after Sale went 7 and gave up 1 unearned run. JBJ is vastly better in CF, but doesn't often get to demonstrate it. And right now the bigger issue is getting the right bats in the lineup. Beni hit that 2 run dinger in the 1st last night, and the Sox scored 1 run in the next 10 innings and were 1 for 8 with RISP.

Yup. I call it a lack of confidence. More and more I believe that winning builds confidence and losing undermines it. This season started with lots of losses, the polar opposite of last year with almost all the same guys returning. I also think the loss of confidence mostly infects the pitching and hitting because in both cases the margin of error is small. Thus last night Texas capitalized on Barnes weakness and the Sox did not--to the degree that they should have--capitalize on Kelley giving up 4 hits in the 9th. Also worth noting: Minor gave up that 2 run dinger in the 1st, but ended up going 1 more inning than Sale and giving up no more runs. He threw 109 pitches to Sale's 99.

Last night vs. the Rangers was another nightmare which is becoming endemic to the 2019 Sox--despite Sale throwing a gem--7 innings, 1 unearned run--and Beni providing the early 2 run lead/ Yes, absolutely, Barnes is the chief culprit, but I think he had help. Leon's passed ball and the bad throw to 2b led to that unearned run. Leon calling for nothing but fastballs to the first three Rangers hitters in the 9th added fuel to the fire. Then he kept calling for curve balls and never actually mixed the pitches up. These days--and Kimbrel was no exception to this rule--a great closer must not only have two good pitches, he must use them. And of course, the Sox went 1 for 8 with RISP. After that 2 run dinger in the 1st, the Sox were held to 1 run in the next 10 innings. In the bottom of the 9th with 2 on and no one out, Devers hit that towering drive foul down the right field line and apparently made up his mind he could win the game with one swing. So get got a breaking ball on the low outside corner, tried to pull it, and hit into an easy DP made a little harder by Bogie avoiding the first tag. The box score once again shows a marginal RISP--1 for 8.

I belong to the school that says a panic button is irrelevant this year because DD should stick with what he has, which is pretty close to the team that won everything last year. I love when moonslav trots out stats that argue the Sox aren't really doing that badly, but me, I'm worried because I don't think our rotation is all that good, which then puts pressure on the bullpen and the lineup.

Minor, a lefty, is 3-2, ERA 2.08, in his last 8 starts. Cora still going with four lefty bats, however--Beni and Devers, of course, but JBJ has been heating up, and Leon's OPS is over .650 plus he and Sale were great together last time. I see this as a tough win.

Fearless prediction.

I think his isn't the only head case. I think the whole team right now lacks confidence--and this all started with the horrible starts at the beginning of the season that put the Sox in a hole. Now when the starter gives up early runs, the lineup is saying, "oh, no, not again," instead of, "no sweat, we got this." When the Sox lose this year, it's a much bigger deal than when they lost last year.

It sure has. I think he has a good array of pitches (especially his changeup), but lacks command--and could use a curve ball.

All due respect, but you and I are watching different games. What I see is a lineup that can hit so-so pitching and can't hit good pitching and a rotation that has basically two good starters--Sale and Price. In this last series vs the Rays, their 3 good starters went 8 innings (Chironos) with 0 runs, 7.2 innings (Yarborough) with 1 earned run, and 6 innings (Snell) with 1 earned run. Price started on Saturday and won because he pitched well. Not so Erod, Porcello, and Smith. None of the above has anything to do with resting lineup players--which I am fine with and, more importantly, hardly see it as the grave mistake you do. And, FWIW, the Sox have played 66 games to date; our three best players(with no injuries) are Betts, Devers, and Bogaerts, and they have played 65, 64, and 63 games. JDM has played 56 because of his back, Beni 58 for various reasons, Moreland 47 (time on IL), etc. Speaking of injuries, the Yankees have had far more to their best lineup players and it hasn't bothered them. I happen to think the hitting is fine, but not against excellent pitching, which, by the way, the Sox don't have. It's that simple and absolutely not about rearranging the deck chairs.

Price sure looks good. Lineup not so good.

It's a gorgeous afternoon for baseball, and Fenway looks packed. I wonder if any of the fans have picked up on the foul odor coming from the lineup/dugout. Fenway doesn't have very good sight lines, but it one of the most photogenic ballparks anywhere, especially when filled with fans. But the Sox themselves are just a bad show.

The three run dinger is on Leon. Otherwise the score would be 1 all. Smith is a try out, not a regular member of the rotation, so I cut him a little slack. But the lineup is filled with veterans--except Chavis--who so far stink just like they did last night.