Maxbialystock

How could Farrell be so dumb not to have the whole damn bullpen warming up because one fan thinks he is unprepared to manage?

Are you serious? You really think he isn't prepared or, better still, that you know more about how to use this bullpen than he does? Lotsa luck with that, chum.

Peacock vs. Fister, both righties. Time to win one. Astros have outpitched and outhit the Sox to a fare thee well in October. In the lineup I see Devers at 3b, Vazquez catching, Moreland at 1b, Pedey at 2b, the regular outfield (all B's), and HanRam at DH. However, maybe a shakeup in the top 3--or not. Assuming the Sox win today--Farrell's choice tomorrow is Porcello or ERod because there is no compelling reason to bring Sale back on short rest. When he is on, Fister can hit corners, mix up his pitches, keep the ball low, etc. In his last start, Sep 29, Fister went 5.1 against the Astros, giving up 3. Price, Reed, and Kimbrel pitched the last 3.2 innings scoreless.

We could be surprised and find him to be effective,which he can be when he has command of his pitches. I believe I was the only one who said I thought Fister would be a starter in the postseason, especially after his last postseason start. I based that on just one thing. To me Fister is a pitcher first and a thrower second, but not so Sale, Pom, ERod, or Porcello. To me the best definition of a pitcher is someone who has command of his pitches and is particularly good at using breaking balls--including cut fastballs--and working the lower part of the plate.

Guardians tie it, 2-2, in the bottom of the 1st with a reached on an error, a walk, an HBP, and a single. As Mel Allen used to say, how about that, sports fans.

I was one who did not see it. Last year we had exactly the same W-L--93-69--with the big bopper as we had this year without him. The additions of Sale and Pom certainly helped with the rotation, especially with the collapse of Porcello and the DL time by Price. Right now I'm not so sure one big bopper will turn things around in 2018, especially with respect to the postseason. This is two years in a row when the rotation has deserted us in the first two games. Last year it was Price and Porcello, this year Sale and Pomeranz. And look at that Astros lineup--it's not just one guy, it's a bunch of them. 8 dingers in two games vs. our 0 dingers in two games. If Ortiz were back and hitting as well as ever, I doubt that he could hit 8 dingers in 2 games. I have been a Farrell supporter for most of the season and for most game situations, but I have always said that the manager is accountable for wins and losses. In this case, the regular season is definitely in his favor. But the postseason is completely against him this year and last year even though I think the complaints about who is in the lineup are puerile whining. Thus you will not see me complaining if DD makes a change, which is a heckuva lot easier than changing the entire lineup and pitching staff.

Love the knuckle curve, but not up in the zone and not two straight up in the zone. Either Vazquez is calling a bad game or Pom can't control where his pitches go.

Funny how so many networks, including MLB.TV, have a piece of the postseason pie.

Hmm. Keuchel seems to have the HP ump's favor so far in this game. That last strike wasn't that close to the strike zone.

Don't know about Marrero against lefties in September, but do know his OPS in September was 100 points higher than Devers's. One thing I will say about Devers is that to me he seems to have a good eye for breaking balls but lately not so good against fast balls. So it is possible he would have fared well today.

Keuchel still getting away with a lot of cut fastballs that are producing K's.

His fielding is a season long phenomenon. In the playoffs one day samples mean more than they do in the regular season. Marrero just K'd however.

I don't think so, so Vazquez gets partial credit.

Not lately, not in September.

Lo and behold, a leadoff double by the much-maligned Young! I'm one of the maligners.

Too many fastballs by Pom to the same hitter--and that last one was right in the heart of the zone. This might define how the Sox in 2017 differ from other good teams. Their starters are good at not throwing fat pitches. On top of that, other team's hitters are much better at taking advantage of fat pitches than are ours. A month or two ago I started clamoring for our guys to swing at more first pitches on the assumption they were usually down the middle because of our reputation for taking first pitches. I stopped doing that after I saw how really lousy are hitters are at actually hitting a first pitch of any kind solidly. We simply can't. In the top of the first we saw our hitters struggle against a starter who throw nothing but cut fastballs. We got the one walk and the weak double, but that was it. So another weakness is the inability to adjust to what the pitcher is doing.

Devers hitless yesterday with 2 K’s plus he is a liability at third. Marrero OPS vs lefties is .940, so me, I think you are the one toget fired for trotting out that weak stuff.

HanRam not the guy with 2 outs and men on 2d and 3d. Was he ever?

Sale gave up two dingers in the first inning after nine days rest and a short September because he was exhausted? Give me a break. You might as well say Kelly gave up the two run single and threw two curves that bounced in front of the plate with the bases because he was tired. Ditto Maddox when he gave up the leadoff dinger. Or just maybe, preposterous as this must sound, the Astros got those 4 dingers and 8 runs because they are a very good hitting ball club.

Back to Kelly's tired arm. Anybody else notice those two horrible curves that bounced in front of the plate with the bases loaded yet? Only a tired arm can do that. Farrell is one of the most abusive, senseless managers these tired old eyes have ever seen. Pitchers, especially sensitive, skinny guys like Sale, need to handled very, very carefully. Kelly has been so mistreated he's stopped shaving--a sure sign of a resentful player.

Whoops. Leadoff dinger off of Maddox. Must be a another tired arm. Hell, Kelly looked a little tired on the 2 run single he gave up. Farrell needs to manage these guys innings better because no way, no how can the Astros hit this well. Farrell and Farrell alone is responsible for those 4 dingers and 8 runs.

He's coming off 9 days rest and he pitched a short September and he gave up 2 dingers in the very first inning. To me the case for a tired arm is a weak one. I think he just went up against some good hitters who had no trouble reading his pitches and especially hitting the fat ones--which he threw earlier in the season and got away with. Sale threw 214 innings this year, 226 last year and 208 in 2015 and 214 in 2014.

A perfect match--Sale clobbered and I can't watch the game live. Back to the grindstone for me.

Check the actual roster, big guy. I got everyone right except I had Barnes and Farrell with with Carson, which is fine with me.

The real ALDS slide was started by a Yankees fan. Good to see your name.