Maxbialystock

I agree as well. Our three best starters this season are all lefties: Sale, Price, and ERod. Every time I look at the ALDS and ALCS schedules, I conclude we will actually need 4 starters. Right now I think Porcello, but need to see Wright pitch in September. This year he was pretty darn good when the knuckler was working.

Funny thing, but I happen to agree about the value of English. I know it sounds like prejudice, but it's what binds us together as a country. Since I taught it for 3 years, I also happen to think it's a pretty darn good language, which plenty of people around the globe of chosen to learn how to speak (or their parents and/or teachers browbeat them into learning) and read. I am, however, a little more tolerant of Japanese players because of the vast differences between their language and ours. But, if you are Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Honduran, Tibetan, Nepalese, Arab, or whatever, and you want to live and work in this country and maybe become a citizen, you need to learn English.

I didn't know that, but now I believe it. He is smart enough to know to focus on execution.

I pretty much buy the CERA theory even though a lot can depend on which catcher gets to catch which starter. In the case of Sandy Leon, I believe I see a smart catcher at work, and for exhibit A would refer to Price's last start, vs. the Guardians, when he threw 8 innings of shutout ball with 3 hits, 0 walks, and 7 K's. What I saw on my screen was Price relying heavily on his fastball and cut fastball. I saw very few changeups, sliders, or curves. Normally, usually, I would condemn such an approach, but that night it worked I think because Price had great command of the two pitches he used the most. I would further argue, that, if I'm right about what pitches Price threw that night--mostly fastballs and cut fastballs--only an experienced, confident, and insightful catcher would have done that. I also know that Sale is having a great year and has not refused any pitch Leon has called. I have absolutely no way of telling if Sandy is great framing pitches. In fact, I don't honestly see it--that our pitchers get more calls than opposing pitchers when Sandy is our catcher. But I do honestly feel that he has a rare intelligence and feel for pitching that makes him our best defensive catcher. If he is the best, I don't really care about his hitting. Well, not much anyway.

Meh. The good guys not only lost 3 straight at the Trop, they did so in a very convincing way in terms of not being able to hit good pitching. On top of that, since the five straight wins, Aug 10-14 vs. Orioles and Phillies, the Sox are 4-7 and now lead the Yankees by 6 with 30 games to play. One can only hope that 2011 does not repeat itself. More to the point, it sure looks as though jacksonianmarch is right and that the Sox are great at feeding on carrion, but not so great against teams at .500 or better. I do think we win the AL East, but now have doubts about the postseason unless we can play a team with a horrible pitching staff. Unfortunately, none of the teams--NYY, Cleveland, Houston, Oakland, Seattle--likely to be in the postseason have horrible pitching staffs.

While I agree the breaking stuff works against us, you must have decided not to watch this game because we can't hit this guy's fastball. In fact, in all three game it sure looked like our lineup needed their mommies to give them hugs because the Rays pitchers have been a bunch of bullies.

When the going gets tough, the tough start game threads. From now on, maybe a V device after Bellhorn04. Speaking of which, what the heck is a bell horn? Sounds like something that would fit into the Trop. I was going to start a thread on fatigue, but I'll insert it here. Our guys ain't any more tired in August than other teams. If you figure 8 everyday players per MLB team, that's 240 MLB everyday players. I use 8 per team even though optimally it would be 8.5 (difference between AL with the DH and NL without it). But I figure no team had all 8 (NL) or all 9 (AL) every day. The most anyone has played is 132 games--Freddy Galvis for the Padres. JDM has played--mostly as a DH--in 124 games, which puts him tied for 40th in most games played. Next is Beni with 123, tied for 46th most games played. Then JBJ with 1116 games, tied for 96th. Then Mookie with 111 games, tied for 125th. That's below the halfway mark of 120 players (of 240 everyday MLB players). Then Bogey and Nunez at 109 games, tied for 142d. Of course, we already know that Cora believes in rest days, so those number confirm it. Of course, it's also been an especially hot summer, what with global warming or whatever. But I would argue no warmer--any maybe cooler--than for other other teams.

I normally prefer to disagree with dustcover, but I love the OP, the preference for clean restrooms at Fenway (which is photogenic on TV but a pesthole in reality), and the reference to Bill Veeck. Well said.

Sure looks like two decisive victories for the Rays. Right now the Sox look like one of those great teams--see their record--with just two weaknesses: hitting and pitching. It would seem that lefties especially have our numbers.

Porcello has had some scary moments, but after 5 1/2 innings he is way, way, way better than the lineup which could not possibly look worse. Led by Mookie he was an easy out three straight times vs. a lefty starter. Pearce and Leon both swung on 3-0 pitches to hit easy peasy fly balls. Beni got incredibly lucky with that walk and promptly got himself picked off at 1b. Right now the Rays simply look more professional. It's that simple.

Just a miserable game so far despite the 1-0 lead which Porcello is barely protecting. It's like some combo of Tropicana and some virus running thru the lineup. Seven righty bats in the lineup is doing very little good.

Could not agree more. He is really clueless when his starter runs into trouble. It would have been so simple to just run the bullpen out there in the 2d inning. I think Farrell is available, but probably not Bobby Valentine. The great thing about talksox is the astuteness of guys like you. I live for these game threads.

I thought he was pretty darn good despite the dinger, and I try never to say that about Pom.

Yeah, he needs a lot of work. Paltry OPS of .886 before tonight's 3/4 game. The hitting coach has a lot to answer for.

I'm not seeing a tired bat, not one bit. I'm seeing Mookie swinging for the fences on almost every swing. He's definitely swinging hard and he is no longer trying to go to the opposite field. That last at bat is a perfect example. The pitch was on the outside corner and Mookie hit it down the 3b line.

What the hell is Pom's problem? I had him neatly categorized as just about worthless as a starter or a reliever. A loser thru and thru. But that was a pretty handy little 4.1 innings which saved a big part of the bullpen.

Leaving POM in has paid dividends. He's gone 3.1 and got them thru 6 at the cost of 2 runs on top of Velazquez's 8. But that doesn't mean Cora isn't the dumbest, stupidest manager in Sox history. Nosiree. I'm sure DD is taking lots of notes and maybe already looking for a replacement. This was a rookie mistake, and in a pennant race in August you should not not, you cannot tolerate them. Off with his head.

Has Pom picked up a couple mph on his 4 seam fastball?

My goodness JBJ looked foolish on that at bat. Refused two curves up in the strike zone and swung hard at a fast ball well above it. Like rookie.

I think those stupid nicknames are a perfect match for the dumb uniforms.

Neat because it alliterates the same way SPLENDIDSPLINTER does.

I don't like what happened, but for once I'm going to agree to not bailing out Velazquez before 7 runs, which is what most managers do anyway, but which almost all managers would do with a 9 game lead in late August having just come off a tough 4 game series vs. Cleveland. And who know? Maybe the offense can still win this thing. I also seriously like the manager making the starter pay for his ineptitude with a nice bump in his ERA to remind him lousy pitching has consequences. Also, and I mean this very honestly. Why the hell isn't anyone mad at Velazquez? Besides me, that is. He's the guy out there on the mound, and no way, no how is Cora or Swihart or the pitching coach encouraging him to keep throwing the ball right down the middle. Did anyone besides me notice that Pom has already given up a 2 run dinger and is back out there pitching the 5th? It seems to me obvious Cora doesn't want to waste good pitching on a game that was/is probably lost anyway.

I thought I'd call up the OP one more time because of those last 7 words, "how WAR has any basis in reality?" That to me is a stunningly ignorant statement. WAR is imperfect--it almost has to be given that it is looking at the whole player, offense and defense--but is nothing if not based on the reality that the whole player counts, not just rbi's or HR's or BA or OPS or whatever. It also has to take into account the number of games a player has played that season. Just above this are some interesting stats on the correlation between WAR and MVP voting, which argues strongly that those voters think WAR is pretty darn useful. As for the specifics of this season and Mookie vs. Trout, right now the three top AL WAR's belong to Mookie (8.5), Trout (7.9), and Ramirez (7.0). Well below them at 5.9 is JDM, who is having a fantastic year, leading MLB in rbi's and 2d in dingers with an OPS of 1.059, etc. But he is mostly a DH and loses WAR value because of it. I agree with that. I can only add that to me, if the WAR's are close--which they were way back when this thread was started and Mookie was at 3.5 to Trout's 3.7--, the voters and us fans are certainly entitled to argue who is really better--bringing in other stats or impressions or whatever--because WAR is not definitive. It is merely a very good attempt at measuring the whole player.

Pretty smart. I think you could be right about following Sale. Both are tall lefties who throw hard. Sale throws more sliders and changeups. Price more cut fastballs. But both like that four seamer. Because of his salary, you are also right about the unsung aspect of Price. I have griped as much as anyone, mostly because of the salary.

Velazquez ® vs. Castillo ®, who very likely will only go 1 or maybe 2 innings. Happ pitched 5 days ago and shut us down in Boston, so he will be the real starter and he's a lefty. So my guess is Cora will have at least five righty bats in the lineup tonight. Last Sunday it was Betts, Beni, Pearce, JDM, Bogey, Nunez, Holt (then Kinsler), Swihart, and Bradley. He might go with the same 9 tonight. Tomorrow will likely be Yarborough, another lefty, who went 5.1 and gave up 0 last Monday. Sunday probably Snell, another lefty.