Maxbialystock

Gotta give Leon credit for blocking those pitches in the dirt.

Cleveland tomorrow night.

A blind man could see the Yankees have a much better bullpen than we do, especially since the ASG. Everyone blaming Farrell for game 1 of the series conveniently ignores how bad not just one but two, Reed and Kelly, normally good relievers stunk it up.

Look how far ahead off the runner Sale was on the grounder to ramirez. No other Sox pitcher does as good a job covering 1b.

The lineup tonight, hitting and defense, ain't helping Sale at all. Two terrible throws by Leon and Betts couldn't hang onto that fly.

Perhaps. But he had a 3 run lead and ended up using three relievers in the 8th inning. Two of them, Reed and Kelly, are supposed to be pretty good, but between them they gave up 5 hits (including the 2 run dinger off Reed right after the HBP) 2 walks, and 5 runs while getting just 2 outs on a K by Kelly and a sac fly NY was happy to get. In retrospect, Kimbrel might have been the better choice, but when do you starting warming him up? I would argue not before the 2 run homerun and maybe not until after the following single, which is when Kelly started warming up. As it turned out, I think Kelly wasn't fully warmed when he went in, and Kimbrel might not have been either. So please tell me how you would have used the bullpen in the 8th. And, while we are on the subject of managers, I notice that Girardi let his closer walk the bases full and left him in there--a gamble, I would argue, but it worked. That sac fly by Moreland, even if Nunez stays at 2b, bought Chapman something psychological breathing space. Third base was now open, and the dregs of the Sox lineup last night coming to bat. The Red Sox bullpen last night pitched 2 innings and gave up 5 runs on 5 hits, 3 walks (1 by Barnes), and 1 HBP. The Yankees bullpen pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 1 run on 1 hit and 3 walks. Isn't it possible that the biggest problem last night was that our bullpen didn't have it and the Yankee's bullpen did?

OK. I finally get it. You are a storehouse of even-handed stats and insights and are entitled to say what you want about Farrell.

Perhaps. But Chapman did throw strikes to Moreland. I think the odds are equally good that with one man out and runners on 1st and 2d and so-so Sox batters coming up (hitless Young, hitless Bogaerts, and lefty bat Devers), Chapman would have easily settled down and gotten two more outs.

Sorry, but I disagree. The sac fly made one out. If Nunez stays on second the next two batters are Young and Bogaerts who are both hitless in the game and against a very good closer. Were you not aware that no Sox player got a hit off Chapman? An almost perfect throw barely beat Nunez who, by the way, is a very experienced baserunner. Had he been safe, all Moreland had to do was get another fly ball--which he in fact did--to tie the game. I think his attempt was reasonable and absolutely not the result of weak fundamentals. Weak fundamentals is when JBJ with one out goes all the way to 3b on a fly to left that is deep, but easily caught. .

Moreland's better defensively, the Sox were leading 3-0 when he went in (the 7th inning), and the bullpen has been lights out over the last six games and most of the season. If Nunez is safe at 3b, Moreland theoretically drives in the tying runs with a sac fly.

Still no one out. There is a tendency among all of our pitchers to over-rely on the fast ball. And, as I have said several times, only Sale actually has a good slider and a pretty good changeup, and those make his fast ball that much more effective. So too Kimbrel needs that knuckle curve. I have just watched two straight Yankee batters pull fast balls for hits on 99 and 100 mph fastballs by Kelly. Hah, Kelly just threw a slider slightly above the middle of the zone, leading to a sac fly. Back to the obese rule. This ump can't bend over enough to be able to accurately see a low strike, That slider by Kelly was well inside the strike zone. One thing Giradi does consistently that Farrell doesn't do that much is to have options warming up in the bullpen. Kelly didn't start warming up until Reed had given up a home run and a single and a HBP. So Kelly comes in, probably not warm, with men on first and second, no one out, and the score 3-2. So, while the primary fault lies with Reed especially and Kelly, Farrell might have managed the 8th a little better.

I have the distinct impression that Yankee pitchers have gotten more strikes outside the strike zone than has ERod. Also, MLB needs to have an obese umpire policy. Not overweight, obese.

No, I don't like Farrell that much and have said so when they are losing regularly, but tend to suspend judgment when the team is stomping thru the AL as they currently are. In this very game I jumped on Erod after the first inning, but came back an inning or two later and gave him credit for settling down. Now he's gone 6 scoreless innings and deserves a ton of credit. But maybe Farrell and the pitching coach get a tiny bit of credit for letting him go thru that first inning throwing almost exclusively fast balls because maybe that's what he needs to do these days. But you are right that I have been annoying. A year ago I did that a lot more.

I agree on that and have said so. My complaint is about the timing. I tend to gripe loudest when the team is losing, but quite down when they are playing well, which I perhaps inaccurately think is whenever they are winning lots of games. Indeed, I believe the ultimate measure of a manager is the won-lost record combined with the FO judgment on whether the team under or over performed.

There he goes again. Farrell got lucky when ERod got out of the 5th scoreless.

Three weeks until September. How many others remember the disaster of September of 2011 after which Francona's contract was not renewed? Maybe we should start a thread right now--based on the simple fact, not surmise--that Farrell is a terrible manager and that no way, no how can this team continue to win. If you have lousy fundamentals and a manager who doesn't know diddly about lineups or handling his pitchers, a collapse is inevitable. Of course there's always that comment attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte that he would rather have a lucky general than a brilliant one. Me, I'm starting to think Nappy maybe had a point. Farrell may be incompetent, but he sure is lucky.

Exactly. Heck the field commentator just pointed out to Farrell that ERod is throwing 75% fastballs--a travesty. Farrell is clueless. Who cares that ERod has now pitched 4 shutout innings? Form is way more important than results. Like you, I don't care how long this winning streak goes. After the next loss, Farrell needs to go because winning is not nearly as important as looking like a winner (when you are losing). I am being facetious of course, but continue to be astounded at these attacks on Farrell when his team has the second best record in the AL, has won 8 in a row, including just now 2 at Tampa, and are currently leading the Yankess 3-0 at Yankee stadium. You and moonslav could well be right. Heck, I've complained about fundamentals. But your timing is just the tiniest bit off.

Could not agree more and have already said Devers had no business trying to get to 2b on a blocked pitch, nor did Betts getting from 1st to 3d on a hard hit single to CF. DD needs to talk to Farrell right after this game. Who the hell cares if the Sox win? The important thing is not to make any mistakes.

The Sox have been lucky tonight because that Yankee lefty has way better stuff and command than ERod. His tough luck that he threw an inside fast ball belt high that HanRam looked like he was waiting for. Or just maybe the Yankees hitting isn't what it was earlier in the year.

I swear our infielders look clueless on popups. First JBJ, now Betts have had to come practically onto the infield dirt to catch flies the infield should have had. N

Looked like a good pitch to hit, but not for Bogie.

Some would say that was good, aggressive baserunning, but I say it was sheer foolishness. You don't go from 1st to 3d on a grounder to CF, and you also don't try to advance when the ball is coming into the infield. Farrell has the guys way, way too pumped up. One base at a time, that's the ticket.

On the other hand, that was a pretty nice 2d inning. I think ERod might have done this in his last start--bad first inning, then got his control.

Against a predominantly righty lineup, he finally threw his first changeup on pitch 27. Before that I think he threw mostly 4 seam and some 2 seam fastballs. Never a curve or a slider. Yankees are hitless, but that first inning took, what, 30 pitches?

I thought you didn't want Beni batting against lefties.