Maxbialystock

To date the Sox are 7-8 vs. the Yankees. We are 2-1 vs. Cleveland at home and 2-2 at Cleveland. I'm not seeing "so well vs. our nearest contenders."

One of the game write-ups, I think espn's, said Showalter probably didn't say anything because the Orioles were up 16-3. Heck, the umps missed it too.

Cleveland up 4 in the 7th on two dingers. If they win, they're just .5 back from the home field advantage. Not to worry. We did win 16 out of the previous 20 games. Everything will be fine.

Completely agree. Small sample sizes, including his entire season. But I would then say that's all the evidence we have and we ignore it at our peril (well, Farrell's). He's 20 (21 in Oct), first time in the Majors, in a pressure-filled pennant race, and started out like a house afire. I would argue that prudence would let him bat later if only to give him more time to size up the starter and to put less pressure on him. Look at JBJ. He's a veteran whose OWAR (which does not include his defense) this year is the 2d best on the team and 80% of his 389 at bats have been in the 6th thru 9th slots. His lowest OPS? The 61 at bats while in the 5th slot--.480. Is that a decent sample size? Heck, I've already said I'm not sure I'm right. It's entirely possible opposing pitchers have figured him out or the pressure of a pennant race is getting to him or this is just part of a normal up and down cycle for any player. But at least I'm offering some evidence that maybe he would be helped by moving down in the order. And, by the way, the later you are in the season, the more important mini-trends can be in determining any moves you might to make as a manager. Devers has had 2 hits and no rbi's in the last 7 games. In the 8 games before that he had 13 hits and 9 rbi's. Did I forget to mention that throughout August, which has gone well overall, Farrell has not hesitated to shift almost everyone around in the batting order?

Agree 21-1 not sustainable, but they lost all four games to the Sox. I'm assuming that the 9 days didn't affect their hitting so much, but there is no way it didn't affect their starters. In their 7 NLDS/NLCS games, they gave up a total 16 runs. In the four Sox games they gave up 31 runs, including 13 in game 1. We had the home field advantage, but so did the two NL teams, Philly and Arizona.

Guardians are hitless in 4 innings, but the score is 0-0 in the top of the 5th. Clevenger got out a bases loaded jump in the 4th, but got the first 2 men out in the top of the 5th. 77 pitches.

I second that.

What gray area? The Sox have had a great run in August, but these last 3 games deserve a little more attention than you want to give them. Sale, FYI, gave up 7 runs in his last start and 4 in the one before. Porcello is up and down like a yo-yo, but mostly down. ERod gets hammered early. Fister is looking a lot better, but still. Pomeranz alone seems steady ever since he griped publicly about Farrell taking him out early several games ago. August turned this season around--a combination of solid pitching and, finally, solid hitting. As you said, 16 wins against 4 losses against some pretty good teams like the Guardians, Yankees, and Cardinals. No one, least of all me, is saying this is the end of life as we know it. I think you are glossing over a very troubling trend--short-lived as we hope it will be--at the wrong time in the season. I know I'm repeating myself, but I think the facts are on my side. Please present some of your own, which I know you are very good at.

Whoops. It's now August 26, the Sox have looked awful for three straight games, the Yankees are just 3.5 back, and the Guardians, at home against KC, can get it down to .5 games with a win tonight. Yea, verily, it is written that momentum boils down to your next starter, and right now our rotation seems to be disintegrating. Our last three starters were Sale, Porcello, and ERod (who gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings vastly outpitched both Sale and Porcello). Next up, Fister. Like you, I'm counting, but right now the countdown is a downer.

I remember that like it was yesterday and believe that the Rockies cooled off waiting for the Sox to finished their 7 game ALCS series. The year was 2007, and the Rockies waited 9 days, Oct 15-24, between the NLCS and the WS.

Actually, you should be delighted with my commentary because I have hammered Farrell--your favorite whipping boy--repeatedly on two specific points. He has allowed--not just today but throughout the season--ERod to stick to fastballs in the early innings and to stay away from his very effective changeup. I call that dumb because he could have fixed it earlier. The other, of which I'm less sure, is insisting on batting Devers 5th when that--in this very short season he has had--is clearly his worst slot. Before today his OPS batting fifth has been .718 in 56 at bats including today. All other at bats (batting 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th) total 42 and have a cumulative OPS north of 1.100.

My, my. 7-0. Bullpen is doing their share in this debacle of a weekend.

You're right of course. 3 games is a really small sample. But you can't ignore all the downsides in these three games, especially the rotation, nor the fact that Yankees have now made up a game and are 3.5 games out, nor that the Guardians are at home vs. the Royals, whom they beat last night and against whom they have the pitching edge tonight again. If they win, they will be .5 games back to get that home field advantage in the ALDS. Once again the Sox have a losing record against the Orioles, but fortunately I think we only play them 3 more times, including tomorrow. This pennant race is getting tighter here in late August. It is note too early to indulge in a little worrying. Humor me.

I should add that my impression of this Sox pitching staff is that overall they like to throw fast balls way more than pitches that break down although Pomeranz does like his knuckle curve. Not throwing more breaking balls somewhat negates the effect of those shifts the Sox and other teams employ so often.

ERod went 6.2 innings and threw 117 pitches. His arm seems fine. Maybe the pitching coach should use some of that arm strength to get a useful bullpen session before the game, including demonstrated command of his changeup so he can use it early and often and not wait until the game is out of hand. I say again: killed in the first two innings when he threw almost all fastballs and no changeups; great success the next 4.2 innings when he finally throws changeups to set up his other pitches.

Now four straight smooth innings, all because he finally started throwing changeups. It's his best pitch and he won't use it early in the game. Just as bad, his manager and pitching coach haven't tried to change that pattern. ERod has given up 5 runs in 6 innings and totally outclassed Sale's last start and Porcello's last start. The world turned upside down. The lineup meanwhile has 2 weak singles in 6 innings and 0 runs.

Make that three in a row, and don't forget to mention the how: terrible pitching, weak hitting, and so-so defense including 5 errors in the second game. ERod gave up 5 in the first 2 innings, but guess what? He has outpitched Sale and Porcello in this three game streak.

Maybe players weekend means you get to play and not have to worry about the nasty grind of competing and trying to win.

I get it. It's players weekend. My question is when are the Boston players going to show up? In both games so far their pitching is terrible, but so are the fielding and hitting. Young just hit a GIDP (but beat out the relay) on a 94 mph fastball in the heart of the strike zone.

Is anyone else watching this game? ERod gets clobbered in the 1st and 2d innings throwing an overabundance of fast balls and I think no changeups. He starts using changeups big time in the 3d inning and has now had 3 very effective innings. What the heck is wrong with Farrell and the pitching coach that they allow ERod to do this?

Read my first post on this thread, the one with the lineup. In there I say that Devers' least effective batting order position is 5th, season to date. Batting 5th his OPS is like 400 points below 6th, 7th, and 9th combined.

Good memory.

My memory of the great Josh Beckett is that he loved his fast ball in 2006 almost as much as AL hitters did. Part of the problem I think was that he had some weird skin condition that created blisters or something when he threw breaking balls. Finally a Sox doctor or a consultant got him taking some kind of medicine that cured that condition. When he was pretty sure he was good to go, he started out the first inning throwing breaking balls to satisfy himself he was cured. The Sox need to do that with ERod. For the first two innings, only 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 fastballs. Reverse Nuc Laloosh's dictum of establishing the fastball. Instead, establish the breaking stuff, especially the changeup, which I'm beginning to think might be the best changeup on the Sox.

Wow. That changeup is really working. Three more easy outs, and the single was a poorly hit roller Nunez was slow to get to and throw.

Splitters plus a 98 mph fast ball. ERod is totally outclassed today.