Maxbialystock

Nut case HanRam advances when it wasn't possible, so Rajai goes GIDP. Just like that. Castro got himself into trouble, but that darn sinker fast ball extricated him.

Not a meatball. Low in the zone and a very fast sinker, one of all whole bunch. The three that missed and were called balls weren't that much different. I say again, Betts has been our best guy with RISP, he doesn't K much, and he's a good hitter with double earlier in the game. Do I need to add that the same guy, Castro, is pitching the 7th and has walked the first two batters, HanRam and Moreland? He just made a great pitch which could easily have been ball 4 instead, tying the game.

Fister today was just what the doctor ordered. If Price comes back, a tough choice. Honestly, you can't drop Porcello with his contract, ditto Sale of course. Pomeranz is now our #2. That leaves ERod, who hasn't been so good, but could be if he could just start a game the way he finishes them. But he will be the one to go.

Not sure I agree that at bat was so terrible. Every single pitch was a very fast sinking fast ball, and all of them were low--including three balls. To me that's just great pitching because Betts is a good hitter, does not strike out much, and has an OPS over 1.000 with RISP. Credit too to Showalter who used 4 pitchers in the 6th to hang onto that lead.

Another high and tight fastball by Givens. Clearly, this is Showalters doing. Nunez K's on a fastball on the outside (but in the zone). Dead simple. Pitchers used to that a lot.

Nunez looks awful, but I love those fastballs. He'll either hit one good or K. No GIDP.

Bogie and Devers leading a comeback. Now men on 1st and 2d with Nunez coming to bat.

moonslav, Kimmi, and all you people who think you know how to slot hitters, listen up. I have argued endlessly for like 5 games that Devers should be dropped down in the order. Yesterday he got a double batting 7th I think, and today 2 doubles batting 8th. I'm just like Bo Jackson. I don't know diddly, but I do know baseball.

Givens has a good fastball, changeup, and slider and he is hitting his spots, mostly, including the high and tight fastball that almost hit Rajai.

High and tight ball set up a fastball in the middle of the strike zone--an easy called strike followed by two swinging strikes, both fastballs.

Credit to Bogie on the leadoff double off a high and almost outside fastball he made solid contact with. 8 pitches ended Miley's stint with 101 total. Now righty Givens, ERA 2.42, against Devers. My bad, I jumped the gun. It's Rajai.

He has pitched well this month, and to me it's clear why. He mixes his pitches and gets our guys to hit his pitch, especially with men on base. Plus of course he could count on HanRam to screw the pooch with men on 2d and 3d with one out. It is not accidental that the Sox are 0 for 6 with RISP--Miley has had something to do with that. Plus he got a big break on that called 3d strike on a 3-2 count that was clearly outside and called a ball three pitches before in the same spot.

Good mix by Miley and his catcher, a low curve for a ball followed by a very tempting fastball right and up which Young got under. Too many pitchers, especially young ones, don't understand you can be very successful when the other team actually makes contact with the ball--provided it's a pitch you want them to swing at. Sox now have 2 doubles and 4 singles to the Orioles 2 doubles and 2 singles. We have left 13 on base, and the Orioles 5.

Bases loaded, Young to the plate. I'm hopeful.

Fastball a foot inside for a swinging strike. Make that two even though the second one was a strike.

Now 0 for 5 with RISP. Can HanRam be the man?

Noted. But I have to say Price would be starting instead of Fister, which means Sale, Porcello, and Erod would still have stunk things up. Price's last start was over a month ago, and since his departure overall the Sox have prospered. In his 4 starts since Price went on the DL, Fister has had 4 quality starts. So I honestly don't think Price would have made much of a difference. Today is his 5th start and has the markings of another QS. Similarly, I love Pedroia too, but Nunez, his replacement, was one of the reasons for the great run in August.

Nice K on the cutter by Fister. He's a pitcher. Easily the best start in four games.

I've defended Farrell endlessly, but entirely agree losing managers are under the gun and should be.

Close game after 4 with 3 key events--Orioles timely hits in 1st inning, HanRam K with men on 2d and 3d and one out in the 1st inning, and Miley gift K in the 3d when a BB would have loaded the bases--curve was not only outside, but was in the same place as an earlier curve that was called a ball. So Miley and the Orioles caught a break, but they earned those 2 early runs in the same inning our clean up guy killed us.

It occurs to me that, if you are an Orioles lefty starter, it's smart to keep the ball inside and low--let them hit it to Machado.

Miley has been effective this whole month--a steady diet of breaking balls and some fastballs. Devers double was on a 93 mph fast ball. I'm not sure what Betts hit. Clearly, guy like Bogaerts have been problems with breaking stuff. I did not see HanRam's at bat, but suspect he too fanned on a breaking ball. HanRam has done little over the last 10 games and is hitless in the last 3 during which he has 7 K's and no walks. His OPS for August--our best month of the season--is .648, but he does have 9 rbi's. His OPS's for the other four months were all higher. Not the right guy to put in the middle of the order in a serious pennant race in late August, but Farrell doesn't really have a lot of good choices. Moreland struggles against lefties. Devers is better batting lower in the order. Leon is Leon. Davis is untested in Boston. Bogie sure ain't the guy. So HanRam gets a nice single, pulling an inside slider. Good.

That's Devers first double in quite awhile and done while batting 8th. Never doubt that the nose knows.

All due respect, Kimmi, but you and moonslav are making mountains out of molehills. Neither mental mistake penalized the Sox or affected the outcome of either game. The rule book is endlessly complex about all kinds of situations, but we expect managers to think of that first and not what he wants to do in the pressure of the moment? As for the players mental mistakes, they are result of the intensity of baserunning vs. the unending and dreary reality of staying alert during 3 1/2 hours of pitchers and hitters and coaches and managers doing their little dances. In JBJ's case, it was egregious, no denying that, but we have seen other teams do similar things. My one serious complaint on this score is the way some of our pitchers are slow to cover 1b on grounders to the right. Sale never does that, but several of our guys have. ERod is one of the worst offenders. So, yeah, that's on the coaches and Farrell, but let's not forget ERod himself. He is the guy who needs to maintain his focus and game awareness, and that is a huge difference between the way he conducts himself on the mound and the way Sale does. Similarly HanRam, a veteran of over ten years in MLB, is definitely flaky running the bases, which is exacerbated by Farrell's willingness to allow his players be aggressive. Betts, with far less MLB experience, is the opposite of flaky--almost certainly the result of his make-up and of course speed. Betts has a real gift for quickly sensing what he can do vs. the risks. Benintendi has the speed, but not yet the the intuition Betts has. He might never have it. About the aggressive baserunning. When you are near the bottom of MLB in dingers, aggressive baserunning makes sense. Even Sandy Leon, who is incredibly slow, has been aggressive to very good effect. It was risky, but his amazing slide made it work.

Disagree. A good cautionary note, of course, but, given the right circumstances, it is absolutely the right move. If the winning run is on 2b or 3b with 2 outs, 1b is open, and a great hitter is coming to bat but the on deck guy is terrible, walk him. I suspect, however, that managers overuse the IBB because it makes them look like they are in charge. We lost a game to the Yankees when we had guys on 2d and 3d in the 9th, and Girardi went to the mound for a lengthy discussion with his pitcher. Then he issued the IBB, and our guy made an easy out to end the game.