Maxbialystock

I think Cora has a lot more flexibility—depth—with the rotation than Farrell did last year. Sale is still the ace, but not so indispensable as last year.

Agree with "serviceable" with regard to JDM in the outfield. Beni, JBJ, and Betts make him look a tad slow because they are so quick out there, but he handles himself well in LF or even RF. Interesting that he played LF last night so Travis could be the DH (against a lefty starter). Buster Olney has an article on espn about how managers over the past 10 years have used fewer "small ball" tactics--pitchouts, SB's , bunts, hit and run, etc because of statistics/sabermetrics. Perhaps the movie Moneyball was prophetic. Last year the Sox were dead last or close to it in home runs in MLB. This year they are 2d with 92. NYY have 98. Guardians have 89. Benintendi is getting virtually no notice outside of Boston, but now (age 23--24 next month) has an OPS of .922 and is 4th in the AL in RBI's and 6th in runs scored and 2d in triples. jacksonianmarch will love this: Judge has more dingers, 17 to 10, and a higher OPS, .967, but otherwise Benintendi is pretty close or better in rbi's, runs, doubles, average, etc. and has half as many K's. Judge is two years older than Benintendi.

Looks like another nice win--4 straight--this time with ERod going 5.2 and 1 run. These days Cora seems to have the magic touch with the pen, both bringing guys in and leaving them in. I missed the first part because of an event had to attend, but got the game via my cell and the mlb.com app and picking up WEEI on my car radio via blue tooth. This time I was very happy with the announcing. Plus the first 4 run rally had just begun when I tuned in. assuming the win, this team will shortly be 10-4 in games Mookie either didn't play in or only had 1 at bat and was removed. The Sox currently have easily the 2d best offense in MLB and it is virtually unnoticed. The rotation, now with Sale, Price, Porcello, ERod, and Wright may not be all aces, but has to be close to the best rotation in MLB except for maybe the Astros. And of course the best record in MLB--also pretty much unnoticed except by Sox and Yankees fans. So I have to wonder out loud--yet again--why so many talksoxers are clamoring to get Swihart into the lineup, more at bats, etc, etc. Seriously, it seems to me that one of the reasons--certainly not the most important one--why the Sox have done so well this season is that they have used Swihart sparingly, and this especially applies to the catcher position. Anyway, congratulations to SoxHop for a four game winning streak. Yankees are keeping up however with a 3 ran rally in the 13th for a likely win.

Beni, Bogie, JD, Moreland, Nunez, Travis, Devers, Vazquez, JBJ

The Swihart bit was facetiousness run amuck. Sorry. All else was sincere, but you did it better.

Don't forget what a great catcher Swihart is as well. Hard to believe Cora keeps using Leon and Vazquez who are both too short, too slow, too whatever to be MLB quality. Swihart is also a great DH, corner outfielder and corner infielder. He can do it all. 50 lousy plate appearances is just criminal.

My realistic view on June 6 (74 years after D-Day) is that, after last night's bravura start by Wright and great catching by Vazquez, the rotation and overall pitching are in pretty good shape--team ERA 3.56, which should get better. And the hitting is better than it should be with Mookie out. Guys are rising to the occasion. If Wright had started game 1 at Houston instead of worthless Pom, the Sox take 3 of 4. Without Mookie. I'm a big Pedroia fan, but he isn't missed--yet. Especially with lefty/righty Holt/Nunez available. Best of all, Swihart is still on the roster. What a gem they picked way back in 2011. This guy can do everything--catcher, infielder, outfielder, you name it. Cora just needs to play him regularly.

New format is fine if lengthy (for the bucks of course). To remind: a .600 team has had a great season, winning 97 games. A .500 team has had a so-so to lousy season and won just 81 games and would finish 16 games--think of that, 16 games!!!!--behind the .600 team. But guess what? In a 7 game series that difference of 10% (.600 vs. .500) doesn't mean much. It's more about matchups, rotations (first three starters, really), etc. Somewhere in the movie Bull Durham, the Kevin Costner character talks about The Show and what it takes to stay there. He says the difference between a .300 hitter, who will definitely stay, and a .250 hitter, who might not, is just 1 hit a week. And he cites examples: a grounder with eyes, a little pop or flare, etc. Just one more of those each week and your life changes magically. My point is the MLB season is incredibly long and magnifies small differences and especially differences in winning percentages. So to me there is nothing wrong with a team that won 100 games facing a team that won 80 games because in reality they probably aren't that far apart. And that difference grows even smaller if the 80 win team actually has just two very good starters and maybe three good arms in the bullpen. Something like that did in fact happen to the Sox in 2013 when the Sox ERA was 2.59 in the postseason and our team OPS was, wait for it, .664. Lester had five starts with an ERA of 1.56, and Lackey had four with an ERA of 2.77. Buchholz and Peavy started 7 games between them with 1 quality start. Uehara pitched 13.2 innings and had 7 saves with an ERA of .66. Of course, that Sox team actually won 97 games in the regular season, not 80, but the point is there I think. In the postseason good pitching can make a huge difference.

If you would bother to read just this thread, you would have ample evidence of the Swihart fan club, which did in fact attempt to take over a thread about Wright. The beauty of last night's game to me is that it put a huge crimp in the "Swihart should, Swihart must" be our catcher because--I'm speculating here--he's taller and looks nicer than Vazquez/Leon and in 2015 was our starting catcher for half the season and showed tremendous potential as a catcher and as a hitter. Now, the story goes, he is getting the short end of the stick because of our idiotic manager/GM/President. Wright was indeed great last night and hopefully is a permanent replacement for Pomeranz who has stunk this year. And part of that success was the short, dumpy, not so pretty Vazquez, who gave up no passed balls and no wild pitches in 7 innings of catching Wright, whose knuckler was definitely jumping. I say again, Vazquez was masterful doing something Swihart is incapable of doing--see his 16 passed balls while catching Wright in 2015--just as Swihart isn't as good a rightfielder/hitter as Betts, a leftfielder/hitter as Beni, etc, etc.

I too am surprised at how rabid the Swihart fan club is and how angry they are at the FO and, indirectly, at Cora for not playing Swihart more. It's like we're back in the 1930's and the WPA and just finding people work--on a MLB club that only has the best record in MLB. Seriously, folks, what's going on with the Swihart adulation? Keep in mind that the Sox are now 9-4 in games Mookie Betts has missed. That's huge--and a little lucky. And it completely overshadows the trials and tribulations of little orphan Swihartie.

SoxHop going for new record in starting next game thread--good. Three straight wins--even better. ERod looked very good his last time out. He has good stuff and excels when his command is also good.

With just the right catcher of course.

I’m close to,that category and was sure he would not come back. Very happy to be wrong. Finally, with a skilled catcher, he looked pretty darn good tonight with the bonus effect of sending Pom to the outhouse.

Sox now 9-4 without Mookie (including one game when he left after 1 at bat).

It seems to these tired old eyes that Vazquez's catching tonight was pretty close to perfect. Not even a wild pitch, let alone a passed ball. And a shut out so far. Can we, at least for awhile, put to the bed the notion that Swihart should be catching in his place? I mention Swihart because he never could get the hang of catching Wright. I know Swihart is younger, taller, and prettier than Vazquez, but I just don't see him as a regular catcher for this team unless and until Leon or Vazquez is injured.

Context? You want context? How's this for context? Vazquez is twice the defensive catcher Swihart will ever be and you can see it tonight if you bother to watch the game.

Who needs DWAR when we have available to us the collective judgment of the Sox FO, two managers, and two MLB coaching stats, and the Pawtucket coaching staff? All of them appear to have concluded Swihart hasn't got the right skills to be a starting catcher in MLB, which is why he hasn't caught a single game this year despite the hitting struggles of both Leon and Vazquez.

Pax. No one--almost no one--wants to DFA Swihart. I objected to the notion that 2015 demonstrated Swihart was an above average catcher even as a rookie, which does not comport with what we have seen since, especially this year. I thought having him catch Wright, which is a pain, was a good idea.

NESN website says Vazquez is catching tonight and Holt is in RF. No Swihart. Devers at 3B and JBJ in CF.

I got this from nesn-- Beni LF Bogie SS JDM DH Moreland 1B Nunez 2B Holt RF Devers 3B Vazquez C JBJ CF

Doug Mirabelli did a pretty good job catching Wakefield's knuckler, which also was no fun to catch.

That's no good. Nothing left to argue about. Go back to saying he's a great defensive catcher. He caught over 80 games in 2015 and I didn't think he was that bad, especially not for a rookie. But I don't know what the pitchers or the manager thought. One thing is sure right now. With Hanley gone, Swihart is getting a lot more at bats. With Mookie out, he's playing RF too. With Wright pitching, Cora's even letting him catch. I don't know about refining his catching skills, but do know his hitting is very much on display.

I am fine with our current rotation, including Wright but not Pom, for now and for the postseason. Sale, Price, Pom, ERod, and Wright are all capable of shutting down even good lineups, but probably not for 8 or 9 (or maybe 7) innings.

Here's what you either don't understand or refuse to acknowledge. The judgment about catching skills is being made and has been made by the Sox. I am no expert. I did see him struggle with the knucklers in 2015 and appreciated that he did it. What you and MVP78 and other seem to be ignoring is that the front office and the coaching staffs in Boston and at Pawtucket apparently agree he is not a great fit for catcher. At the same time they recognize, as do we, that he is a good athlete and probably a good hitter although that is not a sure thing. Thus he is on the big club and has been the whole season. At the same time, however, he hasn't caught a single game, nor did he in spring training. So why are you mad at me for saying just maybe he ain't that good behind the plate? Thus the cleverness of letting him catch Wright tonight for as long as Wright lasts. he's caught him before. Cora is reluctant to let him catch any of the other starters. He could certainly use the at bats and he just might get a hit or two. And Leon and Vazquez are both probably happy they don't have to catch Wright--the same way Varitek didn't like catching Wakefield. Oh, and Cora gets to see Swihart work behind the plate. At the same time, however, it is hard for any objective observer to say the Sox are grooming Swihart to become a regular catcher. If tonight goes well, I see Swihart catching Wright regularly but otherwise filling in in the outfield or as DH. He also hasn't started at a corner infielder slot.

I'm not the only one misremembering. Two managers, two coaching staffs, and the entire FO have also forgotten what a sterling catcher Swihart is. He has now been in the Sox system for almost 7 years, and they can't see what a gem he is--a sure .900 OPS hitter and one of the best defensive catchers the Sox have ever had if not the best. I mean that 5.9 DWAR says it all. None so blind as those who refuse to see.