Maxbialystock

This just in. Sox played 3 at home vs. probably the best team in MLB right now, and, it has to be said, the Sox did not impress. Except in one area, the bullpen, which actually did pretty darn well, especially in comparison to the rotation. Porcello did pitch well in game 1--2 runs in 7 innings. The bullpen gave up 0 earned runs in 2 innings. In game 2 Velazquez gave up 5 runs in .1 inning, the bullpen 2 in 8.2. In game 3 the not so great Chris Sale gave up 3 runs in 5.1 innings, the bullpen 0 runs in 3.2 innings. The lineup meanwhile just rolled over in the first two games and in the 3d game finally came thru--against Wade Miley. But just barely. Big defensive edge to the Astros in this series. Same goes for baserunning. I don't know which was worse in game 3, Devers getting picked off by a mile or Pearce not taking a good lead on a popup that sent the firstbaseman out into RF. Both players were simply brain dead.

Third game in a row in which the Astros look like contenders and the look like second division. Sale is off, and Bazquez should have caught that wild pitch. Devers so dumb, but also the coaching staff.

Agree our guys didn’t compete, but you are dead wrong about that great defensive outfield. I agree they are much better with JBJ and not JDM, but what difference did it make in game outcome? We lost both games because the Astros hitting and pitching was better. Actually, their defense was also better in both games. I have no objection to JBJ in centerfield, but his defense is a game changer only now and then.

I saw Velazquez stint the same way.

Pitching was poor tonight, but so was the defense and hitting. Sox being completely outclassed.

I gotta wonder if this was another instance of Cora not trusting his bullpen. Plus he brought in Brewer, not, say, Weber. There were better choices than those two.

The Sox have been hitting, but the Astros also have good pitching. Thus the 1 run last night. This game could be agonizing.

You misunderstand. Three catchers isn’t about catching or the bullpen. It’s about getting Vazquez’s .881 OPS in the lineup more often by letting him DH sometimes.

I said the same thing on the game thread last night. I was furious. This morning I was a little more forgiving. Porcello was going great guns thru 7th, and had thrown I think 91 pitches, so why not send him out for the 8th? The tell-tale was the first hitter hit the ball hard for the Astros first extra base hit in the game. That's when Brasier needed to come, but did not. In the game before, the 10 inning win over the Rockies, Cora left ERod pitch the 7th and didn't pull him until he had loaded the bases with no on out. In comes Barnes, who had pitched 2 innings the night before, who promptly gave up a 2 run single and later a ground ball for 1 more run to tie the score. So I'm concerned too but am not sure there is enough evidence to be sure of the distrust. In both instances, the starters--ERod and Porcello--were pitching especially well, particularly in the inning just prior to blowing up.

Barnes isn't perfect, but he has some very good pitches and I think has been a good closer. I don't miss that prima donna Kimbrel one bit. Brasier is struggling, true, but he too has good pitches. All three W's--Workman, Walden, and Weber--have been effective. Hembree is better than last year. I think that leaves Brewer and Thornberg--2 question marks out of 8 total relievers. All things considered, the rotation is a much bigger issue than the bullpen. They all started badly. Once they got into a groove, first Eovaldi and then Price went on the DL, which put extra strain on the bullpen.

Actually, we have so few really active threads right now they are almost interchangeable.

Here's a weird thought. Last year Cora kept three catchers even though Swihart wasn't allowed to start a game as a catcher until one of the other two went on the IL. At the first sign of trouble with the rotation this year, he was DFA'd and Leon, DFA's earlier but kept because no one else wanted him, was brought up--to almost universal applause on talksox. Leon has been good for the pitching staff. But, lo and behold, Vazquez, perhaps because of his offseason work on his hitting, now has an OPS of .881, which is insanely good for a catcher. In fact--here comes the weird part--too good for a catcher. That's right, Vazquez right now should start in at least 4 out of every 5 games if not 9 out of every 10 games, but he can't catch 4 of 5 or 9 of 10. Despite his earlier experience at 2B, the most logical slot for Vazquez in games he isn't catching is DH, which sends JDM to the outfield, keeps JBJ on the bench for those games, but also Nunez and Pearce, neither of whom is hitting well (and both have OPS more than 100 points below Leon). The problem, of course, is that with just two catchers and one being used as the DH, the Sox really need that third catcher they had last year.

The morning after suggests to me that I was a little harsh on Cora. Keeping Porcello in for the 8th was merited from the standpoint that Porcello had pitched extremely well for the first 7 innings and glided thru the 7th. I will say that that leadoff double was hit very hard and might have told Cora it was time to pull his starter. Houston has 6 hits in the game, 2 of them for extra bases, both off Porcello in the 8th. I also think it's a good bet that Brasier, despite struggles this year, would have been more effective against the same two hitters--Marisnick and Springer-- because he has better stuff. Less forgivable are the unearned run in the 9th thanks to Vazquez's passed ball and the combo of Moreland, Devers, and Chavis going 0 for 12 with 6 K's and leaving 10 baserunners stranded. Thus it's no surprise that the Sox were 1 for 11 with RISP. Back to Cora. Against a righty, he went with 6 righty bats, which on the surface seemed not so smart. But those 6 righty bats got 8 of the 9 Sox hits. The 3 lefty bats got 6 of the 12 K's and had nothing to do with the 1 run scored. And, despite my angst--and the causes of it--last night, I now think this was a hard fought game that ended with a very hard hit ball by Betts with 2 on and 2 out.

And besides, the great one got his dinger. And the Astros really deserved this win. All’s right with the world.

Yes, good pitching beats good hitting. That also irrelevant to whether JBJ had played tonight because he could not have prevented the dinger and he sure as heck going to get a hit. The three lefty bats for the Sox tonight, all far better than JBJ, went 1 for 11 with 6 K’s. I have ranted about JBJ’s hitting, but probably would have played him tonight, nevertheless it’s clear to me he would not have changed the outcome.

JBJ does not prevent the 2 run dinger. The 3d run scored primarily because Vazquez moved the runner along with the passed ball. JDM actually has a decent arm which he used not long ago when he played RF and nailed the runner going home with a perfect throw from deeper than the throw tonight. Our problem tonight was our anemic offense. Plus I think Cora should have pulled Porcello after the double.

JDM didn’t give up the passed ball that advanced the runner. Nor the 2 run dinger.

Besides, stick around to to see Springer get another dinger.

Back to back games in which Cora has made a rotten decision on when to pull his starter. Clear evidence he does not trust his bullpen.

Current WAR ratings-- Betts 2.0 Bogie 1.8 Devers 1.4 JDM 1.2 Chavis 1.0 (22 games vs. 41-43 games by the top four OPS's.) Vazquez .9 Beni .9 Moreland .8 Leon .2 Nunez -.6 Pearce -.6 JBJ -1.1 Nunez, Pearce, and JBJ would seem to be liabilities, but I don't think they are. I would continue to start JBJ, at least against righties. Nunez has stolen 4/5 bases and has the occasional hit. Pearce is telegraphing his swings, so the pitchers know exactly what to throw by him. Once the coaches fix that, he'll be fine.

Stunning. Really.

Tyler D's comment up above reminds me that these days I pretty much think any Sox game, even a loss, is preferable to no game at all. And a tough series like this one is better still. This hitting, beyond question, is coming around. Since the losses (2-1 and 5-2) on April 27-28, the Sox scored 1 or 0 runs once, a 4-1 loss at Baltimore. During those same 15 games (29 April to the present), the Sox are 12-3. Rotation is coming around, but still can be scary--thus ERod's 7th Wed night, Porcello's 1st May 11. Bullpen has had 3 days off in the last 10 days and should be rested. In Fenway and against right Cole, I would play JBJ and, of course, Leon. The Sox have won the last 5 games Porcello has started with Leon behind the plate. Before that, Porcello had 3 straight losses with Vazquez and Swihart (1 game) behind the plate. CERA fans, take note.

Well put.

Like clint eastwood and amy adams?