Maxbialystock

Semi-miraculous 4th for Porcello because he threw a whole bunch of fat pitches, but only one, the leadoff double, was hit hard. Longoria swung at a first pitch slider in the heart of the strike zone and popped u.

Love the baserunning talk. Me, I like it aggressive because it's fun to watch. I love to emphasize the importance of hitting and pitching because they are the meat and potatoes of winning games. But to a discriminating palate the menu needs to do better than meat and potatoes especially when hitting and pitching lead to all those interminable kabuki dances between any real action. A pitching duel can be excellent baseball and sometimes I can get really wrapped up in one. But lots of action and baserunning are usually better food for the eyes. Consequently, I am more tolerant when the chef (Farrell) doesn't quite hit the mark or when a sous-chef like Beni botches a side dish.

Exactly--in fact, that's the worst part of those sliders.

Agree it's too early to be sure about his defense. But his offense, despite the very, very small sample, was predicted based on what he did in the minors. Moreover, he will be 21 in October, and I'll bet his numbers so far are the best of any other Sox in at least 20 years at the same age. They're definitely better than Betts's at the same age and better than Beni last year when he was a year older than Devers is now. They're better than Yaz's first year when he was a year older (but was playing a full season). Ted Williams was a lot better at the same age, also his first year, and he too played a full season. But, heck, he was one of the greatest hitters of all time. Machado was actually a year younger when he had his first intro to MLB, and his numbers in 51 games were appreciably lower than Devers. Ditto the next year, his first full year. I completely agree it is wrong to project greatness for a 20 year old (until Oct) with just 40 games. But, if we are going to get silly over one guy, he's the right guy to do it over.

Nicely said. HanRam is exactly that, which tells me that's why he gets so much attention, perhaps more than he deserves in terms of the real effect those baserunning gaffes have on wins and losses. To me the far more important stat is that he leads the team in dingers but is 6th in rbi's and only 2 ahead of Bogaerts in 7th place. Pedroia with 15 fewer dingers and 30 fewer games has more rbi's than HanRam. Last year his OPS of .866 was 100 points higher and he had 111 rbi's to 55 right now with 20 games left. This year HanRam's OPs with no one on base is .863. With runners on, with RISP, and with the bases loaded, his OPS's are all of a piece--in the low .600's. That is where he is killing us. To me the baserunning gaffes are painful but nevertheless a sideshow to the very real failure of HanRam this season--especially in our first year without Ortiz.

Me too.

I thought that was Kimmi's point--that aggressive baserunning has been a net plus. She didn't say that? Also, consider last night's game. Nunez and Betts were 2/2 stealing bases, with Betts going to 3b on a bad throw. But what got everybody excited? HanRam running into another out (at a time when the game was completely out of reach of the Rays). In other words, we generally prefer to focus on the blunders because they reveal our presumed soft underbelly-- "bad fundamentals."

Honestly, I think blunders are in the eye of the beholder. As for the study, you seem best positioned--you tape games, you study them. To make your task easier, consider just looking at 1 run losses, certainly not more than 2 run losses. In 142 games so far, the Sox have 21 losses by 1 or 2 runs--piece of cake. Based on Kimmi's numbers about Sox baserunning and how overall it is a plus, consider throwing out all of those blunders. That leaves errors, of which the Sox have a bunch, and those become more interesting when you compare the Sox to the Guardians, who have committed the fewest in the AL this year, 66. We've made 91. Bogie has the most with 16, but the next most is 7, which tells me Bogie has hurt us, but that is not a surprise. The Guardians have given up 31 unearned runs and the Sox 53--pretty significant in my eyes. Here's a couple more numbers that frankly stunned me. The Sox and Guardians have the two best ERA's in the AL--good for us. However, the Sox pitching (and defense) have given up 584 runs and the Guardians pitching and defense 513 runs. That's a big difference. Indeed, the Yankees are right up there with us despite a decent ERA. The Guardians vaunted hitting this year actually ranks 4th in the AL in runs scored behind Houston, NY, and Texas. Those 513 runs against, on the other hand, are not only the best in the AL but buy a big margin--our 584 is actually second lowest (second best) in the AL. To me the inescapable conclusion is that the Guardians have far and away the best overall defense--pitching and fielding--in the AL. Left out, of course, are the mental errors or blunders that don't get into the box scores, and I think those loom large in your view of things. This is especially true because you have said some errors, maybe most of them, are inevitable. Still, I've just boiled this down to 21 games, which is not a bad place to start.

Lousy year for Betts: his OPS has plummeted from .897 in 2016 to .780 this year, a near catastrophe. Can't hit the slider away. With 20 games to go he leads the team in rbi's, runs, total bases, doubles, and stolen bases. Some people think he's not too shabby in RF either.

GIDP started by Holt, not too shabby.

Ump calling a whole bunch more strikes on the corners and even outside/inside. He wants this game over too.

Sorry, but I like it when anybody beats those huge shifts by going the other way. I think they demand a rules change--2 infielders must be on each side of 2b.

6 shutout innings, but SAle needed 97 pitches. The new approach--lots of breaking balls, lots of them low in the zone--seems to be working. Leon called an excellent game. Not sure Sale would have willingly sat for the 6th. Way too competitive (I think) to submit to that. Farrell of course makes the decision, but that's why I think he left Sale in. So right now 4 of 5 starters have pitched well in the same rotation--except for Porcello, and he gets his chance tomorrow. 12 hits by 8 different hitters, always a good sign. Pedey (2), Beni (3), and Moreland (3) with the rbi's. Still 3 innings to go at 9:30, so a brief thanks to HanRam for running into an out with the score 9-0. Shortening the game was/is a worthwhile endeavor.

After 23 pitches in the 1st, Sale has 10 in the 2d and 10 in the 3d.

The three guys in the NESN booth remind a little of the three who used to call Redskins game on the radio--Sonny Jurgensen, Sam Huff and the announcer. Very compatible.

Yankees need to go back to MLB and claim sign stealing again. Won't fly, of course, but they need to try it because what we are seeing right now is bad news for them.

Devers is hot! If there is a change, it might be he ss happy with just hitting the ball squarely and not whether it's a dinger. I'm not at all sure of that. Just an idle thought.

Wrong! He stayed with a heavy diet of breaking balls and needed just 10 pitches. This could not be better.

3 run lead. Sale might be a tad more aggressive in the 2d if only to get his pitch count down.

Mookie is so fast. 3 in the first, just like last night.

OK, if I'm a Yankee fan, I'm getting nervous because my guys can't catch the Sox alone. They need help from the guys they are chasing, and that should mean continued weak hitting except this is now two straight games when the Sox have scored early. Then a blast, caught, by Beni and a hard single by Mookie. Plus now the bulls are running.

OK, ump off--definite strike on that andriese ball.

Great steal, thereby proving it didn't need to stretch that single. Late and hard slide by Nunez showed determination, hopefully not to much.

New rules, it seems. Do not try to stretch singles off the wall. Let's see if Nunez goes.

I think the ump only took away one strike--a biggie-granted--but it was also right on the lline and not inside that rectangle. Sale has done exactly what Dr Max would have prescribed--mixed his pitches, plenty of changeups and sliders, lots of them low in the zone. But so far the Rays aint nibbling much and to me they are seeing the ball way too well. Thus 23 pitches and a walk and a single. Passed ball by Leon an irritant, but Sale sure didn't show it.