Maxbialystock

Minor, lefty, vs. ERod, lefty Minor hasn't lost a start since May and his ERA in June was 2.08. ERod was terrific last time out vs. the Nats, but the Sox own the NL. If ERod has his changeup working (and maybe his slider), the Sox have a shot, but our lineup has struggled against lefties. So here's hoping the good guys can finally pull off a win. Fenway fans need to really get into the game tonight, and a big crowd would sure help.

7 innings by Porcello and 3 runs. Outstanding. I know it's just the Royals, but neither Price nor our ace Sale did that this weekend. Gritty performance because the Royals did get 9 hits.

Are you watching the 6th? When Porcello keeps the ball down, he is effective.

Not when he is throwing well.

Porcello gets impatient and throws a ball up in the zone, and the Royals nail it. That was a changeup, which is usually effective.

"To give up that lead the way I gave it up today, not to be able to get through five innings, that's tough. But my teammates really picked me up tonight, and that's huge."

Good post.

A valid point, especially when I think Sandy might not be up to catching 4 out of every 5 games. That said, there's a 4 day ASG break just ahead, which will help, and generally I am inclined to think this is Swihart's shot and might not hurt the team. If Cora and DD decide otherwise and get help, I will be OK with that too.

Something, anyway. I like his enthusiasm, but in this case think it was at the wrong time--gratuitous, in fact. The Sox did not need that stolen base last night and they do need two reliable catchers. Mookie understands the value of mitigating the risk of head first slides.

Thunder appears to include me in that group and he is dead wrong. The pessimistic OP's on now six straight game threads were intended as reverse mojo. I'm particularly proud of the latest one, 7/8, because it seems that the gloomier I get, the better the outcome. We'll see. But you better believe I'm rooting for the Sox and overall very happy with both the team and the manager. In this very game thread I've even tried to be upbeat about Price because I think he does want to pitch well if only because he loves being on a winning team. Last night he praised the lineup for bailing him out.

Something, anyway. I like his enthusiasm, but in this case think it was at the wrong time--gratuitous, in fact. The Sox did not need that stolen base last night and they do need two reliable catchers. Mookie understands the value of mitigating the risk of head first slides.

Porcello, righty, vs. Junis, righty. Start time is 2:15. Day game after night game. Vazquez on DL (broken pinky sliding into 2b for an unneeded SB). Swihart gets a shot. Appalling. Swihart might even catch Porcello today, so fasten your seat belts, ladies and gents, this could be a bumpy flight. I might watch parts of this game, and then again I might not. Our lineup is probably exhausted from running around the bases for 4 hours last night. Thank goodness for the 2 game lead over the Yankees.

Price seems to still have a decent fastball, but his other pitches don't break sharply and, worse, tend to be up in the zone because he does not have good control. He had three HBP's in the 5th before Cora pulled him. I am pretty sure that KC solo dinger was off of a changeup up in the zone. Like everyone else, I get mad seeing a $30M salary wasted. On the other hand, I also think Price can still contribute if he will work on his command of pitches and especially not over-rely on the fastball. And keep the ball low, please? And I say that because the hitting, which all of us except maybe moonslav have whined about for most of the season, is doing pretty good despite the following list of gripes. The bottom of the order is worthless. Beni is in a slump. We only have 4 good bats or 3 or 2 or whatever. Moreland will wear out. Sox can't hit lefties. Dump JBJ. Dump Vazquez and Leon with him. What's wrong with Nunez? Why can't Bogey hit more dingers? Why won't Cora use Swihart more now replaced by why is Swihart on the roster? Right now the Sox lead MLB in runs by 12 (and the Astros have played one more game)--and have scored 38 more runs than the Yankees. Yes, the Yankees who have been playing mostly on home turf so far. The Sox also have the highest OPS, most hits, second most dingers, most doubles, and, believe it or not, the 3d most stolen bases. And don't forget Pearce--so far an absolutely brilliant acquisition. The offense explains why Cora is willing to be patient about bringing Wright back and will certainly find ways to keep sending Price out there. Relatedly, during ERod's last start someone else commented that, when he is on, ERod is a pleasure to watch because he does have a good repertoire. Ditto Wright: when he is on, it's just that one pitch, but it is deadly. And Porcello this year is much closer to 2016 than to 2017, thank goodness. The point is this rotation can still be very good even if Price is the 3d or 4th or 5th best starter. And let's not forget Johnson and Velazquez, neither of whom has great stuff, but both of whom know how to pitch--and to start. To me last night was a demonstration of the awesome potential of this team. Price struggled again, but this time wasn't killed, and the bullpen was terrific. Meanwhile the offense took apart a rookie starter who had been untouchable for about six weeks and then destroyed what was left of the Royals bullpen. Yes, I know the Royals are having a rotten season, but every team loves to be a spoiler, and last night was a great opportunity, especially when they drew first blood and took a 3-0 lead which actually lasted through 4 innings. Then came the deluge.

If the Sox hang on, one amazing win and 5 straight, which has to have Yankees asking, “who are those guys?”

Imagine if the Sox led MLB in runs scored and OPS. Wait. They do.

Betts RF Benintendi LF JD Martinez DH Moreland 1B Bogaerts SS Holt 2B Devers 3B Vazquez C JBJ CF 5 lefty bats.

Let's see now. I count 6 eggs in this basket. That's six chickens, which will each produce at least 20 more eggs, which means 120 eggs which will of course become 120 chickens, and each of them . . . . Right now it's enough for me to know the Sox have 160 wins, and the Yankees and Mariners both have 156 wins. Where's jacksonianmarch when you need him?

One of the few plays I did see last night. Stunning. Sale is both a great athlete and a focused one. As soon as the ball is released he is getting ready to play defense--more so than any other Sox pitcher. One of my favorite plays--ultimately an unsuccessful one-- occurred maybe 2 weeks ago when somebody laid down a beautiful drag bunt between the pitcher and first base--a sure hit if Sale didn't get it. So what does Sale do? He dives for the darn thing and almost gets it. He did not then do as Wright or Pom or a couple of others would have done--laid there in the grass begging for sympathy, three medics, the trainer, and maybe an orthopedic surgeon or two. Nope. He jumped back up and was ready to make the next play. I do not remember any other Sox pitcher with the focus and athleticism of Chris Sale. And in fact he is one of the reasons why I continue to be dismissive of Pomeranz who is the exact opposite. ERod sometimes too.

We can be. I myself have been, but I also enjoy coming back later at pointing to a bad call I made, especially with starting pitchers. Last night Sale gave up 1 run in 6 innings, and the bullpen gave up 4 runs in 3 innings. Not a lot to cheer about there, but absolutely perfect timing--be lousy with a big lead as long as you keep the lead, which they did.

Meh. I live in Fairfax County and occasionally will be on the road when a game is on and end up listening to I think WEEI in Boston. One of the announcers lost weight on a program and regularly touts it during play by play. Used to be commercials were between half innings and the rest of the radio air time was about the game and baseball. It is off-putting to have those plugs intrude. NESN is I believe owned by the Sox, John Henry.

I watched almost none of last night's game because three of our kids were here and it was great to talk to them. However, I did keep the mlb app tuned in to the game and realized after 2 innings it was in the bag. A quick check revealed the Yankees were going down at Toronto--giving the Sox a 2 game lead. The Yankees now have the same number of wins, 56, as the Mariners. I wonder how jacksonianmarch is taking that. I note too that Cora is unlikely to bring Wright back before the All-Star Game and said again he thinks his policy of resting guys is working. About Pomeranz he said he has another AAA start coming up, hopefully for 4 innings, "and we'll go from there." Pretty noncommittal, which he should be. The real point is that the current rotation is pretty good, especially if Price gets his head out of his ass. Johnson is a typical 5th guy except that he has pitched pretty darn well if not a lot of innings.

Price, lefty, vs. Keller, righty I apologize for misplacing the game thread yesterday and must confess that this morning I looked for it in vain until I discovered it in the talk sox forum. Hopefully, at some point YOTN will move it over here. As for tonight, it sure looks a mismatch. On the surface the $30M arm should make mincemeat of the rookie starting for team with 25 wins vs. a team with 60 wins. But the harsh reality is that Price gave up five dingers in his last start (at Yankee Stadium) and Keller has been sensational since being called up in late May. Thus it's nice to have a two game lead what with Severino going for the Yankees tonight.

Good stuff. Thanks.

Back to the present and 'a realistic view of 2018." The hitting seems to be holding up pretty well. The bullpen ain't lights out but is decent. The rotation had some rough spots in June/July--Wright on the DL, Price and ERod tanking, etc. But ERod looked darn good against the Nats, and Price says he will turn things around and Wright can't stay on the DL too much longer. Thornburg a nice addition to the bullpen--we hope. Best of all are the most wins and highest winning percentage in MLB while being tied for most games played and having played more away than home games at just past the mid-point of the season. Realistically, at this point it's OK to smile.

Meh. Manny was pretty key in 2004 and 2007--just ask Ortiz. Manny was WS MVP in 2004 and Mike Lowell in 2007. Plus don't forget the pitchers both years. In 2013 Big Papi was finally the WS MVP, but the pitching was important there too. Great, however, that Pedro was pushing management to get Ortiz because he absolutely was a steal and thrived in Boston where many don't.