Maxbialystock

Note to moonslav. MLB created those pauses and commercials so guys like us can get onto talksox and still watch the game--in my case, on the same computer I'm blogging on.

My bad. But you are welcome to remind me because it was lousy situational awareness on my part.

Absolutely true. Plus it raised our spirits too. All good.

Does Fister know how to get a game into the books or what? The guy is all business--when he is on, a machine.

Thanks. I didn't notice that although I did notice that Devers maybe interfered when he went up after the slide.

Note too how deliberate the Jays pitcher now is. too bad for him, Pedey goes GIDP. Bring on the 5th. I'll take a fifth of that.

I'm telling you Farrell challenging that call on Devers and thereby delaying the game in the bottom of the 4th when we had a 3-1 lead and a starter going great guns just shows how weak Farrell's situation awareness is. Challenging that call was like a Pavlovian response with no thought to it. Being wrong only made it worse. Think, man, think. Maybe I should be saying, "stop and think" before I shoot my mouth off. Oh, well.

Great dinger by JBJ! Just what the doctor ordered! Now if Farrell will just come to his senses and get us to the 5th before the rain gets worse.

Farrell wants to slow the game down now by a spurious attempt to get Devers safe? And oh, by the way, he was out anyway. Not smart.

OK, OK. You said it first.

Now that was nice. Huge triple by Bogie to the opposite, then Devers singles to the other opposite field. We need to get out of there fast, let the Jays bat, and get this game in the books.

Sox have four righties in the lineup and they have all 3 hits. Five lefties have none, but do have both K's.

Tonight so far Fister is beyond question our pro from Dover. He does not rattle when he walks someone or gives up fluky hits. His big problem right now is run support.

Now that was troublesome. All three outs--JBJ on a K, Beni, ditto, and Betts on a ground out--got very hittable fast balls near the middle of the zone. So the hitting woes are not yet behind us.

Fister in the 3d was the one we know. Two nifty throws in the 2d by Bogie and Devers--the very same guys I maligned earlier on this thread. I love that.

So far Biagini is pitcher better than Fister--more strikes, more corners. But I'm not yet worried because Fister has been so good at adjusting, and becausBiagini is not exactly owning the Sox hitters. 1-1 after 2 is fine. Oh, and Fister just got a 5 pitch K in the 3d .

Is this a NYC thing, this inability to find an apt example from history? The rest of Europe ganged up on him and beat the crap out of the French Army because they caught Napoleon cheating, like on his mistress or something? You don't think we have bunches of cheaters who got their comeuppance right here in the good old USA? We are knee deep in famous cheaters who got nailed. Besides, what's the point in going after Farrell when his ineptitude is what is putting him at risk? Or so we think on talksox, anyway. One theory is that firing Farrell now just might help the Sox, not penalize them. And don't forget the big signal from the FO--Farrell's contracts are year to year. Do you really think other MLB managers would be reacting to Farrell's firing now with, "boy, look what that cost him." On the other hand, I would be most interested in any information on how often and in what games the Sox were cheating. My impression based on what I've read is that it was a cumbersome process that maybe wasn't always timely and therefore now and then no help. The Sox ineptitude hitting this year was and is a powerful incentive to cheat, but at the same time I'm not so sure it helped. Moonslav says the Sox OPS's are not only mostly worse than last year, they are also worse in the 2d half than the 1st half of this season.

You betcha red ryder.

Is there anyone on talksox who disagrees with that?

I sure don't believe that. They are losing because they can't hit. Moonslav has documented that most everyone has a worse OPS this year than last and the second half vs. the first half of this season. I completely buy the idea that their attitude is just fine. NOAA map shows a lot of stuff on top of eastern Massachusetts (Boston included) and more coming from eastern and central NY state. 50% might be optimistic, but local weather guys are probably pretty good.

1 Nunez 2b 2 Pedroia DH 3 Benintendi LF 4 Betts RF 5 Moreland 1B 6 Bogaerts SS 7 Devers 3b 8 Leon C 9 JBJ CF Pedroia for HanRam at DH a small surprise, but I thought Pedey looked better at the plate last night. Devers, honestly, is no surprise with Pedroia at DH. He might be in a slump or struggling to make adustments, but we flat know he can hit. And we can be pretty sure that Lin, Marrero, Holt, et al, can't. (I cite those three under the assumption that Nunez is fine at 2b or 3b which would allow any of those 3 to play 2b). Devers a little problematic fielding at 3b, Nunez going back on popups ditto (but now he has JBJ and Betts backing him up). Bogie only so-so at SS. But Devers was at 3b for Fister's last, superb start. Nunez played SS and 2b. Pedey started at 2b. IF should be OK if not sterling.

Thanks. Do we know precisely which games in which the Sox were stealing signals (even though they may have been doing so earlier)? The 12 games still apply, however, except for that one great game against Gray.

This ain't the development league. Devers is 20 in his first MLB and not even his rookie year. This is September, not April. The 8 dingers are both real and significant,just as you say. But they were all in his first 20 games. In the next 16 he has 0 dingers and 2 doubles. Plus we are all watching his every at bat, which tell me that he has yet to adjust to what opposing pitchers are throwing. You make a good point that leaving Devers in the lineup, even when he isn't hitting, won't make that much difference given the rest of the lineup, but you are also forgetting that his defense ain't helping either. He has 7 errors in 34 games and a DWAR of 0. For all those reasons--pennant race, Yankees on our tail, 23 games left, struggles at the plate, age 20 in first MLB season, doubtful defense--I give Farrell on pass on whatever he does. I honestly think Devers will get back in there precisely because of that stupendous hitting talent. But I am not quite ready to throw Farrell into managerial purgatory because he is mishandling Devers.

Are we talking about the 4 games series just completed at Yankee Stadium? Or another series?

Very interesting, both of you--one saying will be fired and should be, the other this is no big deal.