Maxbialystock

I see absolutely no need for a full time 1b when the biggest need is pitching. Toro/Gonzalez have been a godsend replacing Casas, who stunk for 29 games. For that matter, I'm also against dumping Wong. His hitting stinks, but his defense is good, he knows this pitching staff, and he only plays in 1/3 of the games.

I think both Cora and Breslow want Anthony to play every day. If Ref/Yoshida own DH and Rafaela owns CF, that means Duran or Abreu drops out. In just 28 games Anthony's WAR is already +1.1.

Pretty much what you've said all along. I say trade Duran, not Abreu, but am happy to let Breslow figure it out. Abreu is 3 yrs younger, a better outfielder, and a better hitter. Duran's speed and daring make him more fun to watch. To date the Sox have surprisingly (to me) hit lefties better than righties, OPS .797 vs. .748. But they have 2323 AB's vs righties and just 964 vs lefties. All 4 Rays starters this week are righties and the Sox individual OPS's vs righties are: Yoshida 2.333, Bregman .915, Duran .849, Abreu .849, Anthony .831, Toro .816, Mayer .770, Rafaela .761, Narvaez .748, Gonzalez .713, Story .681, Refsnyder .650, Wong .334. We know Rafaela is an everyday player, so it's interesting that Duran, Abreu, and Anthony have very similar OPS's vs righties. Yoshida's one game OPS makes it even trickier. Last night the Sox 4 hits were: 1 by Anthony, 1 by Mayer, and 2 by Rafaela.

No doubt. They've been like that for a long time. Moneyball was about the A's because Billy Beane's use of sabermetrics was understandable. The Rays system is far more complex and successful.

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4 dead on accurate points.

Small crowd, just over 31K. A shame because this was a terrific game. Remember all those earlier 1 run losses? Maybe this team has changed. It's just one game, but it's the right game. Next up, Rasmussen and his 2.82 ERA vs Dobbins and his 4.10. Yoshida might be in the lineup. 12 terrific, tough games ahead and we ain't even in August yet.

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Too true. But that money's spent even if his arm falls off. So for now he's ours and I'd like a 5th starter who can pitch a quality start now and then.

The big guy does it again!!!!! Terrific win, amazing comeback. Youth is served.

The Rays market is the lowest of the low. Boy was he a bust.

Absolutely great to see. I pretty much condemned on page 1 tonight. The guy does have talent and a bigger repertoire than most relievers. The best relievers, however, usually only need two pitches plus good command.

By all means defend him. He deserves it. This is a tough game and he folded like a cheap tent--lefty bat vs righty pitcher. Those doubles and triples will be good points when the Sox trade him this month. On the other hand, the Sox might keep him because he has great fan appeal and would be a useful 4th outfielder. Time for the big guy to earn that $10M.

Did not take me long to go pessimistic. For 6.5 innings I was certain the sky was falling and that our guys can't hit good pitching. But then they put the hammer to the bullpen. If Whitlock and Chapman can close this out, it will be a terrific win. All 4 rbi's by short term rookies and Rafaela, the king of swinging at bad pitches.

Words of wisdom.

My wife was great with puns, but not so many now at 85. She only said them in conversation. yours are pretty good, I have to say.

Both rbi's thanks to rookies, neither of whom played before 24 May. Whoa, Nellie! The horrible, terrible, completely undisciplined Rafaela just drove in 2 more runs. I read it right here on talksox that all he wants to do is swing and miss at balls outside the strike zone. Duran is a putz.

Agreed. But how often does your 5th starter get a quality start? 2 on, none out with Mayer at the plate.

That was a quality start for Buehler. Tonight the problem is with the miserable hitting. Maybe Cora should have started Anthony in RF and Yoshida as DH.

Not the problem at all. Yesterday they realized his grasp of the English language is not what it should be.

You seriously think Bregman isn't an improvement over Mayer at 3b on the very first day he's back? As for Dobbins, he's a pitcher and just had a good outing at AA Portland. Yoshida hadn't had a single AB this season and didn't look too bad yesterday.

As I keep saying--much too often--tonight is the first of 13 games which are like a mini-season because the opponents all have winning records. The Rays are the weakest at 50-43, and the other three--Cubs, Phillies, and Dodgers--all lead their divisions. At the same time--as everyone has noticed--the Sox hitting seems to be better plus Yoshida is just back and Bregman is about to be back. See MVP 78's stats above. Right now you have to like at least 3 starters--Crochet, Bello, and Giolito. Buehler, up tonight, is the worst, but it's clear he's determined to right his foundering ship. We'll see. The bullpen seems to be the weak point and that's a big deal because the Sox have 8 relievers and Chapman seems to be the only reliable one. The other big weakness of course is the manager Alex Cora, who has utterly failed to school his players in the fundamentals. I mean, they're fundamental, right? Plus he is clueless about lineups, which relievers to use and when to use them, and how long to leave his starters in a game.

Late August is almost too far away to imagine. But I looked it up and the Sox play the likes of Miami, Baltimore, Yankees, Baltimore again, and Pittsburgh. The next 13 games are tougher: Rays, @ Cubs, @ Phillies, and the Dodgers at Fenway.

It has to be said again. In the 20 games since Devers left and Bregman has remained on the IL, the Sox have averaged over 6 runs a game. Losing Devers has been about as painless as it can be. When Bregman returns, the Sox will have a lineup that can hit like the dickens and play good defense. Plus a good rotation rotation seems to be shaping up. The bullpen, however, is still a problem Were I Breslow I would try to make a deal for one or more relievers unless a good one can be made for a starter. Even then, quality relievers would help. I would not displace Wong, Yes, his hitting stinks, but he only plays in 1/3 of the games, and his defense and familiarity with the pitching staff will be invaluable. All that said, I also think the next 12 games against the Rays, @ Cubs, @ Phillies, and back at Fenway vs the Dodgers will tell us a lot more about this team. So tune in tomorrow for the first of a dozen exciting games.

Can't disagree.