Maxbialystock

Congrats to Station 13 for the first two wins. Velazquez is scary, but Fiers, despite going 6 (with no runs) against us a month ago, is up and down. Thus an ERA of 7. Velazquez ERA is 3.86, but walked 2 of 2 batters two days ago and gave up 3 in 3.1 innings to Detroit a week ago. He has yet to pitch more than 3.1 innings, so the bullpen needs to be ready. Beni LF Betts RF JDM DH Devers 3B Chavis 2B Moreland 1B Vazquez C JBJ CF Lin SS So Bogie gets a rest and Cora goes with five lefty bats, 2 of which are very suspect. Devers and Chavis are hitting 4th and 5th. A month ago when Fiers shut the Sox down, same lineup except Lin for Bogie and Chavis for Holt.

For all you defenders of great defense, consider these simple numbers. So far JBJ has played in 25 games and has 75 at bats and 50 total chances in the field. So it sure looks as though his fielding prowess really comes into play even though he is only one of nine on the field as well as one of nine in the batting order. But consider. His fielding percentage is .980, which is pretty normal for any outfielder. In other words, most of the time almost any middle of the pack centerfielder could handle that position because the plays are pretty routine, hence the high fielding percentage. My guess--only that--is that so far he has had at the most 5 opportunities to do something spectacular--or not. It's those 5 chances--assuming I'm right--that make him worth $8.5M this year. Actually that's $1.57M because the Sox have only played 30/162 so far this season. Thus my claim that he has already blown two of those opportunities gains in significance, and I haven't even counted the error he made. Interestingly, on the hitting side nobody bats .980. Nosiree. Thus the valid comment by Kevin Costner in Bull Durham when he says that the difference between hitting .250 and .300 is one hit per week. So in fact hits are far more precious than catches because they are so much harder to come by. And don't forget my other comment on this thread that the real key to a solid defense is a solid pitching staff. All of which gets me back to JBJ. Statistically, I just don't see his immense value to this team even though I am in fact more comfortable when he is out there and do enjoy those occasions when he does something spectacular.

Fine. Forget his hitting. Now please tell me what games he has helped win because of great plays he made in the field. And don't forget to subtract the games when he let runs in by not making great plays.

Actually, my animus comes from two sources. Only one is his hitting. The other is I don't think he is giving it his all in the field the way he once did. There was that infamous very catchable fly that dropped in for a double earlier in the season. More recently, in Sale's latest start, he didn't get to a catchable triple in CF because he jumped too soon and too far away from the wall. This from a guy who has been playing there since 2013 and as a starter since 2014. I think he has a strong arm, but not an accurate one. So, frankly, I just don't think he's quite the one of a kind CF his supporters say he is. I think he's closer to the middle of the pack than one of the defensive leaders. And this. We all agree the pitching--mostly the rotation, but sometimes the bullpen too--has stunk this year. But the JBJ supporters have said repeatedly in the past that a great centerfielder makes a huge difference to the defense. And I'm saying categorically that a great centerfielder can sometimes make a difference, but most of the time the defense begins and ends with that guy on the mound. In other words, JBJ hasn't helped very much--and may have hurt if my examples are valid--with our pitching problem. Also in other words, he needs to start hitting to justify being in the lineup. Of course, right now JBJ benefits from a dearth of available outfielders, mostly because Holt is on the DL and Cora is reluctant to use JDM out there too often.

Nothing irrational about my displeasure with JBJ these days. On that other website someone started a thread that compared JBJ to Ellsbury (I think) every single day to show that it actually turned out to be a very smart move to let Ellsbury (a Sox fan favorite when he was healthy) go to the Yankees. I was supportive of that thread and reveled in JBJ's day to day successes. And, like anyone with any sense, I was hugely supportive of JBJ in by far his best season of 2016 when he hit well and fielded very well. Finally, finally, it seemed, he was over the humoungous "good field, no hit" hump. But over time that hump keeps reappearing, so much so that the manager has to keep dropping him down in the lineup. At the same time, and especially this year, it seems to me that JBJ isn't working as many fielding miracles as he did earlier. So, me, I'm just getting a little tired of all JBJ's supporters assuring me everything is fine with our superstar centerfielder who, for example, was the key to taking three at Tampa this very month. Offense vs. defense. I love great defense because it is the poetry of baseball, far more so than dingers. On the other hand, I also believe that the key to great defense is that guy on the mound, not the 8 other guys on the field with him. This is especially true when you realize that most MLB players are decent on defense. To me what makes baseball so unique is that its central act is the confrontation between pitcher and batter, and that is basically where owners and GM's invest--hit hitting and pitching.

Hey, one of the ESPN announcers said earlier in the game that JBJ told him that he could throw the ball 400 feet and it's that just wonderful? No requirement that he throw it accurately or get anyone out. Heck, no requirement that he even throw the durn thing 400 feet. But he can do it. That was a perfect rally in the 3d vs. Oakland. Sox brought in 6 runs and the inning began and ended on outs by the one and only superstar, JBJ himself. But can throw the ball 400 feet. My goodness isnt't he great?

I didn't watch when will feel back by 4, but did check the box and came back with 2 on and 1 out and stuck around.

Don't forget we coughed up Iglesias to the Tigers--a horrible, horrible loss. Not.

My thoughts right now-- ST is clearly the culprit and a text book on how not to prepare to defend your title. Despite that, I think this team has shown they now have the rotation, bullpen, and lineup (all except JBJ and Leon) to win some games. Fielding, not so much, Baserunning, ditto. Sadly, I am not the optimist Kimmi or moonslav is, but right now I don't see why they can't win more than they are.

Two of Sales 4 runs were unearned thanks to Devers and, I believe, the lackluster effort by JBJ to catch that triple. Also, some credit to the Ray pitching, which is actually pretty good this year. Bottom line: these guys have forgotten how--what it takes--to win games. ST was a textbook on how not to prepare to defend your title. Chavis to me is a great fix at 2b because he can actually hit which last year's stalwart Kinsler could not do. I don't care about Nunez, Pedey or Lin and do not see them bringing much to the table. I'm also thoroughly disgusted with Devers and JBJ. Devers still isn't hitting the way he should/could and has become a buffoon at 3b and on the basepaths. JBJ is a buffoon at the plate and not nearly the stellar CF he has been in the past. I have no problems with the two catchers even though Leon can't hit. The rotation looks almost decent. The bullpen is up and down, maybe because they were used so much when the rotation couldn't get past the 3d or 4th inning. And I see these 7 decent bats: Beni, Betts, Moreland, JDM, Bogie, Chavis, and Vazquez--with the real possibility that Devers will finally see the light.

What the heck happened to the Devers thread? Hijacked? Gotta say the Tampa series was not good--a costly error in the field and a completely inexcusable and just stupid baserunning error getting picked off. And where is the hitting we expected? On the other thread I picked on JBJ a lot, but I now also have issues with Devers, who last year I supported no matter what. It's time for the kid to grow up.

Speaking of JBJ's incomparable ability in CF at Fenway, did everyone see the miserable job he made of a catchable fly to CF vs. Tampa just now? If Beni or Betts had been out there, there would have been a chorus of JBJ fans saying he catches that baby with ease. Fact is, he had plenty of time and simply jumped too soon (with space between him and the wall). There are, I might add, a good bunch of JBJ fans who will tell you repeatedly that pitchers love him in CF because he saves them runs. That rule doesn't seem to apply when JBJ is in one of his funks.

Meh. He was so dreadful as the opening day starting CF in 2014 that he ended up at Pawtucket. He did indeed come back with a vengeance in August 2015 which lead to a seasonal WAR of 2.2. 2016 was even better, 5.5. Then 3.0 in 2017, 2.1 last year, and currently -1.0 See the trend? I am fine with whatever Cora and DD decide about JBJ, which so far is to play him because he is still pretty good (but not as good as before) in CF. But I do not apologize for criticizing him for being a bonafide liability at bat. And why is there this clamor to defend JBJ because, poor baby, he bats 8th or 9th? He bats down there because so far this season he stinks and he stinks worse than other guys who are also struggling.

He’s played maybe 10 MLB games. JBJ has played how many?

Rays have good pitching, simple as that. Yes, Lin screwed up, but so did his silent and unalert first base coach. Lin's huge mistake was to assume the ball would be caught and to stop watching it. Apparently, so did the 1b coach. But to me the booby prize belongs to our over-rated and borderline imbecilic centerfielder who can't hit spit, but still elected to swing at 2 pitches outside of the strike zone, either of which would have walked home the tying run.

All the JBJ fans need to look at his imbecilic K with the bases loaded, the Sox down 1 with 2 outs in the 8th inning tonight. He swung at 2 pitches out of the strike zone. And tell me again how he singlehandedly swept all three games at Tampa. JBJ right now is a liability.

JBJ is just plain useless at the plate when he swings at 2 pitches out of the zone, either one of which would have given him a walk and brought the tying run home with 2 outs in the 8th. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of his defenders assuring us that he was great back in 2016 and could be great again. He's 29 years old and refuses to learn how to swing a bat at this level--to say nothing of knowing the strike zone.

Ahem. Go to the JBJ thread and learn we swept the Rays entirely because of JBJ.

New lineup with JDM scratched for back spasms-- Beni LF Betts RF Moreland 1b Bogie SS Devers 3b Chavis 2b Pearce DH JBJ CF Vazquez

Same lineup for today's game at 4, except that Price is pitching for the Sox--a big plus. If no one objects, I will just continue this game thread.

Game postponed and rescheduled for June.

Hopefully, this thread won't use a whole page, but as of 4:15 the game hasn't been postponed. Morton (R, ERA 3.38) vs. Josh Smith (R, age 31, 1st MLB start) Pretty close to the same lineup that scored 5 off Morton last Saturday except Chavis for Lin and Vazquez for Leon: Beni LF Betts RF Moreland 1b JDM DH Bogie SS Devers 3b Chavis 2b JBJ CF Vazquez

It worked out best for the Sox because letting Iggy go turned out to be genius. His cumulative WAR, 2014-18, is 7 and Bogie's is twice that for the same period. And I was a huge Iggy fan because of defense.

In which case a rain dance today is in order. Spahn and Sain and all that stuff.

Rain tonight doesn't help much if the Sox have another day-night double header tomorrow. If the missed game is later, then we skip the "mystery" starter planned for tonight and go with Price tomorrow, then Sale, etc.