Maxbialystock

Stupid thread title--really stupid. This is a player vs. media issue, about which I have to say the Boston sportswriters appetite for going after ballplayers ain't no secret. You get the big bucks, and you know you will get scrutiny and commentary--see Ted Williams. So I think Price needs to just cool his jets. But I want to say one more thing about Price. Now that he's healthy again and can throw 95-96 mph fastball after fastball, he needs to get smart and stop over-relying on it. Sale had the exactly same problem this season, and it culminated on May 30, when he gave up 6 runs and went just 5 innings in Chicago and then gave up 3 more in the first inning of his next start, June 4, at Baltimore. Sale loved his fastball, and opposing teams loved it almost as much. But a funny thing happened. In the 2d inning at Baltimore, Sales started throwing curves, changeups, etc, and then went five scoreless innings--I'm guessing the longest scoreless inning run since back in April. A good fastball, I would argue, is never enough for a starter. Heck, I'm not even sure it's enough for a reliever. Which leads me to this question: why are the idiot pitching coach and Farrell allowing--maybe even encouraging--this stupid approach to pitching--you know, showing them your heat (Nuke Laloosh). My goodness, even Kimbrel needs that knuckle curve, which he can throw for strikes, to keep the hitter off balance. MLB hitters can in fact hit 100 mph fastballs if they know that's what's coming. Nava did it early in his career against Verlander--got a clean opposite field hard hit single against a 100 mph fastball. Last night I kept saying in the game thread that Price was throwing way too many fastballs and cut fastballs. Now just maybe he couldn't throw his breaking stuff--primarily a changeup and a knuckle curve--with any authority or accuracy. That's possible. But I didn't even see him try until after he'd given up 4 runs. So, yes, Price is screwing up, but he ain't alone. The pitching coach and the manager aren't helping one bit. When Price pitches his side or whatever it's called between starts, he needs to work on his breaking pitches. As soon as he starts mixing up his pitches and just maybe keeping his pitches a little lower in the strike zone--that three run dinger last night was off a changeup dead center in the strike zone--Price can be Price again. Sale has already demonstrated he can use the breaking stuff effectively, and Price needs to follow his example.

In retrospect, we were darn lucky to win game 1.

That slider Pineda throws is nasty, and he doesn't mind using it.

Do I know our players or what? HanRam is worthless.

Everyone with confidence in HanRam in this next at bat, please raise your hand. I don't see any hands.

great bunt by moreland!

Pineda is pitching well, and Price isn't. It's that simple.

Correction. He just threw one and it produced a weak grounder foul. So of course he won't do that again.

Did I forget to say he can't even throw a slider or curve to a lefty batter?

How in the hell could DD shell out $200M for a pitcher with no repertoire? Fast ball, cut fast ball, the fast ball again. Or a changeup in the middle of the zone with no movement.

What do you to bet the pitching coach just told Price, "hey, don't be afraid to throw fastballs."

I get it now. He can't throw a changeup--one that's any good, anyway. The same must be true for the curve and slider. So the Yankees are going to get a steady diet of fastballs and cut fastballs. Nice work if you can get it.

Isn't this fun? Now Farrell comes out to complain Price is being squeezed. If he is, it's no more than Pineda.

Price did throw the one changeup, but I don't believe we've seen a curve or a slider for that matter. Whoops, there goes another walk, so now men on 1st and 2d and no one out.

I seriously don't like the way this game is going. Price seems once again to have fallen in love with his fast ball. Occasionally he throws a cut fastball, and I did see one changeup for a called strike, which must be why he stopped throwing--can't have that. Pineda meanwhile is really mixing up it up and getting K's or weakly hit balls, including one of our two hits. So Price is having to work harder and harder to get outs--he's already at 47 pitches with 0 outs in the 3d inning--and Pineda is finding it easier and easier to get outs, the second time thru the Sox lineup yet. This, sports fans, is the Price of last year. Mindless.

Winning this series would bring the Sox back to 1 behind the Yankees and ensure a winning 10 game road trip. The Sox kind of stole game 1 by jumping on Tanaka's mistakes with dingers--3 I think. Game 2 the Yankees jumped on Porcello in the 4th while Sabathia shut us down. Tonight I think Price will pitch well, but I also would like to see the rest of the team play tough--good defense, smart baserunning, timely hitting.

Actually, brainless might be advantageous. I think some pitchers tend to overthink and second guess the catcher.

Another excellent start by Price would sure hit the spot. Betts Beni Bogie Moreland HanRam JBJ Rutledge Pablo Vazquez Four lefty bats alternating--2d, 4th, 6h, 8th--which I like.

Super. Thanks, JBay. Hopefully, Youk will kill my thread. In any case, I will post here.

I too thought Barnes could get one more out, but the real point is that there was more than one good move available, and the one Farrell took worked. If it had not, if Kimbrel had given up a 2 run dinger to tie the game, I would still have said it was a good move.

You're right. A very balanced game--all the bad stuff in one package.

S5Dewey is dead right. Kimbrel's primary value is to secure wins. I would have kept Barnes in for that third out, but I think I would have been wrong. Plus this was a Yankees game and right now we are chasing them, and this was a chance to win one in their park.

A balanced game. Sox weren't hitting and Porcello wasn't pitching, so we did not waste a great pitching performance nor a good night at bat. 8-0 says it all. But of course we will have those who say, "wrong. Farrell lost this one with that terrible lineup.

Well, not most nights, but certainly too many nights. I think that's the direct result of no Ortiz, whose presence in the lineup appears to have made other hitters better. Tanaka is having an awful season, but back in April he threw a shutout against the Sox--9 innings worth.

Are you serious? Those five guys, awful as you think they are, have 4 of our 5 hits tonight. On top of that Pedroia is on the DL, Marrero is way better than Pablo on defense and Pablo doesn't hit lefties well. Travis hits lefties way better than Moreland. Vazquez would no doubt have hit better than Leon, but my guess is Leon got the nod because he's a better defensive catcher. So my question back to you is, what the hell are Betts, HanRam, and JBJ doing out there? No hits among them plus JBJ looked awful running into Betts who was the right guy to make the play on the single to right center.