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Maxbialystock

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Everything posted by Maxbialystock

  1. Maxbialystock
    I'm not so sure the team needs "to improve significantly in other areas." If you mean the bullpen, perhaps. But right now the Sox rank #2 in MLB in runs scored and 6th in ERA and 2d in quality starts. Defense is a little shaky, but adequate. Bullpen hurt last night and clearly needs Kelly back.
  2. Maxbialystock
    Last night Yankees starter Montgomery went 1 inning, after which their bullpen went 8 and held Houston scoreless. Verlander was brilliant for the Astros, going 8 and giving up 0 runs with 14 K's. But the Astros bullpen--Giles- gave up 4 to the Yankees in the 9th including a 3 run dinger by Sanchez. Our lineup is doing OK. So is our rotation except for Pom, who could still come around. But our bullpen and possibly our defense ain't helping much.
  3. Maxbialystock
    Sale went 7 innings last night and gave up 1 earned run. The bullpen went 6 innings and have up 5 earned runs and absolutely killed us. I wonder if using Leon more would help. Regardless, Johnson has to go I think.
  4. Maxbialystock
    True.
  5. Maxbialystock
    Let me go on to say I endorse moonslav's perspective that a big payout to Kimbrel jeopardizes keeping other players.
  6. Maxbialystock
    I agree with everyone who says Kimbrel is pretty darn good, but also think it's possible to overpay for a good thing, a reliable closer. The Sox won the WS in 2004, 2007, and 2013 with three different closers: Foulke, Papelbon, and Uehara. We had Kimbrel in 2016 and 2017 and couldn't get out of the ALDS with him. Absolutely not his fault, of course, but tells me that a great closer isn't the key guy.
  7. Maxbialystock
    I don't like Nunez at all, but he hit the game-tying dinger in the 12th and was in the game for his bat.
  8. Maxbialystock
    Terrific throw by JD, but of course that doesn't count because he's a terrible leftfielder.
  9. Maxbialystock
    That is way, way over the top. But I happen to agree.
  10. Maxbialystock
    Fantastic if the hammie is OK.
  11. Maxbialystock
    But Nunez made all those wins possible with his glove and bat. Who needs Pedroia?
  12. Maxbialystock
    Sox have the best record in MLB despite going 4-5 in the last 9 games. 2d best hitting (runs scored) in MLB and 5th best ERA. Rotation now tied for 2d in quality starts with 19 (out of 28): Porcello 5 of 6, Sale 4 of 6, ERod 3 of 5, Price 2 of 6, Pomeranz 0 of 2. Velazquez terrific over 22 innings, 7 games, ERA 2.02. Sox are tied for fewest errors, 8, in MLB. Oh, and Bogaerts has played just 12 of 28 games, Mookie 24 of 28. Moonslav says the Sox are one of four very tough AL teams, and I agree. Two--us and the Yankees--are in the same division of course. Nunez has been fantastic with the glove so far, plus pretty darn good with the bat, but has earned a rest for tonight. With Sale on the mound, the Sox have a shot with this lineup: Beni, HanRam, JD, Moreland, Bogie, Devers, JBJ, Vazquez, and Lin vs. righty Junis. Oh, best April ever for the Sox.
  13. Maxbialystock
    Absolutely.
  14. Maxbialystock
    I would have been disappointed, but not heart broken. We've seen fly balls misjudged out there before. My goodness, we've already learned to live with the errors by Devers because we like his bat. As for JBJ, who knows? He was the heir apparent in 2014 with Ellsbury gone and promptly demonstrated that you can actually be so bad at the plate it doesn't matter how good you are in CF. Since 2016, his OPS has dropped steadily.
  15. Maxbialystock
    Last guy I want is Castillo. I'm just saying JD is OK in LF now and then. He wasn't all that bad in RF about a week ago when he made a good grab in deep right center.
  16. Maxbialystock
    Time to alert the media. The 2018 Sox have completely thrown caution to the winds and allowed a very solid hitter but not so good outfielder to play left field. Wasn't it Jimmy Piersall who once said he should get twice the salary because he had to cover LF as well as CF? Yesterday's lineup worked because Betts was out and Cora wanted Moreland as the fill-in bat. You wanted Swihart in LF? Devers plays 3b for the same reason JD goes to LF now and then--optimizing the offense while taking a risk on defense.
  17. Maxbialystock
    Are you seriously unaware that his OPS as a left fielder is .377 higher than his OPS as a DH? And in this particular case Betts was out, so Beni went to CF and JBJ to RF. Are you also unaware that Devers has 5 errors compared to the entire rest of the team which as 3?
  18. Maxbialystock
    Amazing, difficult win. Porcello is the ace on this squad, which I never thought I'd say. Devers left 7 on today and Moreland 4. JD had 4 of our 7 hits, scored 1 of our runs and batted in 2 others, so I frankly didn't give a s*** if he misjudged (waited too long to go back) a shot to LF. It's possible Leon is a better defensive catcher than Vazquez.
  19. Maxbialystock
    OK, Porcello is the man so far this season and that is beyond question. Better than Sale and better than Price. I'm pretty sure I said early in the season there was no way, no how he could be effective this year. The 2 run dinger today was off a decent changeup that was low in the zone, but not low enough. The rbi single was off a great pitch, outside and low vs. a lefty bat.
  20. Maxbialystock
    Yup. He left 6 guys on so far.
  21. Maxbialystock
    Porcello is know as a sinker ball pitcher, but that only works if you go low in the zone, which today he seems to have a problem doing.
  22. Maxbialystock
    Another no doubt simplistic generalization. Sox pitchers, at least for the last few years, have never been as comfortable pitching low in the zone as other teams pitchers have been--or so it seems to me. Today Andriese has thrown the majority of his pitches either low in the zone or below the zone and still had no problem with walks.
  23. Maxbialystock
    It's bad both ways. Porcello just gave up that 2 run dinger, but is easily the best starter we've had in this series unless the wheels come off. Meanwhile, the Rays pitchers are having no problem getting outs when they need them.
  24. Maxbialystock
    I'm not sure it's all about rest. Part of his plan seems to be to keep all 13 position players involved vs. the norm of having the same 9 guys every day with maybe one platoon guy. The only guy he hasn't been able to do that for is Swihart because he clearly doesn't trust him--or maybe the pitchers don't--at catcher, and he already has plenty of choices for LF and 3B and 1B. I believe Swihart's one start is as a DH. Weird. Is it worth noting that playing 13 guys hasn't helped the pinch-hitting? I believe the Sox so far this season have 0 pinch hits.
  25. Maxbialystock
    Like Kimmi, I'm fine with almost all managerial decisions and believe managerial accountability is all about wins and losses, with the one caveat that the FO can always choose to boot a winning manager who they think should have won more. Occasionally, too, they will keep a losing manager--see Farrell, who won it all in 2013 and finished at the bottom of the AL East in 2014 and 2015 and stayed 2 more years. As for Cora, I give him credit for that 17-2 opening run and now await what he and the team do after going 2-5. Completely unfair to say this, but he is managing the highest paid team in MLB.
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