Maxbialystock

Suddenly Kelly looks like an ordinary reliever again. Two bad outings in a row.

Not it's his cutter--cut fastball--which hitters love almost as much as he does. Also, he seems to hate to throw anything low in the zone.

Let's fact it. Our rotation ain't up to par these days. Pom to be expected, but Sale and now Price?

Classic Natick to NC. I hope YOTN is keeping a trophy case of some of these brilliant insights you have.

Look up the word "fan," and see if you can find anything about calm and rational in there. It's actually a shortened form of fanatic. I agree losing two games isn't the end of the world or the season, but most of us saw this series vs. the Astros as an indicator of how this year's Sox might fare in the postseason. I was not that upset with the first game loss because with Pom starting I saw that game as a throwaway. But I expected better from Sale last night. In the first inning he needed 34 pitches, one of which was a WP that was costly. Pom can do the same thing except he takes a lot longer between pitches. As soon as the Sox scored a run to show this game could be competitive, Sale gave up 2 more runs and that to me was the ball game. So, yes, just two games lost, but at the same time a clear sign the rotation isn't quite what we expected or need, especially with Mookie on the DL. Two games to go in Houston with Price and then Porcello on the mound, but for me the goal now is to avoid being swept. And this. The Yankees caught the Sox on May 8/9, but since then the Sox have held them off and came into this series leading the AL East with the best won-lost record in MLB. Now we're second in the AL East, and could easily fall to 2 or 3 behind the Yankees who are playing the Orioles.

This loss is entirely on Sale and no one else.

Great 2d by Sale!!!! 2-1 after 2, so maybe I'll calm down a little on try to enjoy the game.

Come on. He's having a great year but before tonight the Sox were 6-3 with Mookie on the bench. Mookie was in the lineup when the Sox got that no-hitter thrown at them.

What I really love is that he swung on a 3-1 pitch because he was looking for a fastball down the middle. Last year's Holt would have taken any and all 3-1 pitches thanks to the Bill James rule: a walk is as good as a hit, which it most certainly is not.

Not to speak ill of the dead, but, if Hanley had been a 1b, he would have paused going to 2d and been out at the plate. Nunez hustled his ass off.

Wow. Way to go, Holt!!!!!!

Hilarious. Devers fights to get another chance so he can show his ass on two consecutive balls in the dirt.

It sure looked as though he was expecting a different location or a fastball instead of a slider. He waved at it.

Sox absolutely showing their ass in Houston. Two stinking games in a row.

It sure does. Nothing unfair about that.

30 pitch first inning so far.

Remember the espn article on how Trout is better than Mookie and talksox has an entire thread condemning that thought, especially because it's based on WAR? One thing WAR does is give credit for actual games played. Trout plays every day. Mookie doesn't. He has downright gaudy stats, especially OPS, but Beni has already passed in rbi's.

Sale ain't got his good stuff/command. Could be a bumpy night.

Swihart had 16 passed balls in 2015, 2d most in MLB and most per game.

Red Sox trends to me means team trends, not so much individual trends. So my three trends are: best record in MLB; 2d best offense/OPS in MLB; 8th best ERA in MLB (and 2d best in AL). I think the pitching will improve, but won't be as good as the Astros. Hitting should stay in the top 2.

I don't know about time's up because I'm fine with whatever Cora decides. But, as far as I am concerned, the one thing Pom has done this season is prove himself. He has always relied way too much on his below average fastball and knuckle curve, and he must be the only lefty starter in MLB who basically does not have a changeup. What we have seen this year--in my opinion, anyway--is the real Pomeranz. Even on a good day when he is really on, he has to nibble, nibble, nibble and consequently rarely goes beyond 6 innings. Last year he started 32 games and pitched 173.2 innings--a tad over 5.1 innings per start.

Great start to the game thread, which YOTN will hopefully move over to the game thread area on talksox.

I believe that was the conviction held by most or all Sox pitchers after the 2015 season.

This was a throwaway game the instant Pom took the mound. It was possible to win, but the odds were against us. Mookie not playing made it a little worse. Agree moonslav should start tonight's game thread. Good idea.

Like I said, Beni needs to be aggressive on the basepaths.