Maxbialystock

After Pomeranz's win last night, you gotta like the Sox chances tonight. If at all possible the field crew needs to make the infield even faster for tonight, plus maybe put up a sign nearby saying "danger, fast infield, use caution."

Way back on page 1 or so I wrote we didn't have much chance last night and based it on my assumption that Pomeranz is a putz and the Orioles starter has good stuff. A throwaway game, I said. I also told my boss the same thing. We both live in N.Virginia and both get the Orioles games on a local channel. So he watched and then confronted me this morning for not knowing much about the Sox. Serves me right. \ Reading Pomeranz's postgame comments, I gather he was almost as surprised as I was.

Way back on page 1 or so I wrote we didn't have much chance last night and based it on my assumption that Pomeranz is a putz and the Orioles starter has good stuff. A throwaway game, I said. I also told my boss the same thing. We both live in N.Virginia and both get the Orioles games on a local channel. So he watched and then confronted me this morning for not knowing much about the Sox. Serves me right.

Great, great start by Pomeranz. I had this game as a throwaway and could not be happier to be wrong. Special delight in the 2 Orioles errors. After that double, the bull pen has also looked sharp. 3 runs and 3 Ks vs. Bundy.

I could be wrong because in baseball almost anything could happen, but I do see this game as a throwaway. Bundy looks to be tough, and Pomeranz to be very un-tough.

We lived in N. Virginia when my son came of age and there was no MLB team in Washington because two versions of the Senators had departed for greener pastures, the first to Minnesota and the second to Texas, so my son remains to this day an Orioles fan and I find it hard to hate them with quite the same vehemence as our illustrious moderator. Nevertheless, I do see them as an irritant, but would remind everyone that last year Baltimore lost 11 games to the Sox including all 4 of the final 4 game series, Sep 19-22, in Baltimore. This time just two quick ones at Fenway, and the first--tonight--is their Dylan Bundy vs. our Pomeranz, with a huge edge to Bundy who went 7 with 8 K's while giving up just 1 run to the Blue Jays. Bundy reportedly has great stuff and just one downside--how long will his arm last this year. The Sox, meanwhile, struggle at the plate, yesterday being only the most recent example of a team that has scored 22 runs in 6 games. The worst scoring team, Atlanta, in MLB has scored just 4 fewer--18 runs. Right now--granted, just 6 games into the season--our third highest OPS belongs to Pedroia at .613. Then Benintendi at .601, Young at .554, Sandoval .504. Bradley's at .782, but he's on the DL. Bogaerts and HanRam could both start tonight, but their hitting--very small sample--is also off.

Hand-wringing is what us older guys do best. If the Sox were 6-0 right now, we'd be saying, "yeah, fine, but watch out for the June swoon." To be honest, I'm surprised the pitching has been this good, but Pomeranz should take care of that tonight. And I'm chagrinned that the hitting hasn't been better even without HanRam, Bogaerts, et al. Both times Sale has been a joy to watch and Porcello OK. ERod and Wright also OK. Best of all might be Kimbrel who eschews a routine save and prefers to keep us on the edge to the very end.

All in all, a painful game. 3 hits normally does get you much offense, but we got help from a Detroit error. Someone else said these day games are a pain, and I agree.

If you mean his flexibility (all positions except pitcher and catcher) is crapola, I agree with you.

Did Holt mishandle the grounder or was it a legit double?

Sale is pretty amazing, especially for a Sox pitcher. He works fast, throws a lot of strikes, has good heat and a curve/slider and changeup.

Agree with the above from slasher9. I'm watching on my ipad. Hitting could be worse. Nice to get the one run.

The sweet swing, on the other hand, is looking just a tad sour. But you gotta believe in Benintendi.

Hernandez might be faking it, but he looks like a hitter to this ignorant person. He nailed that Verlander pitch.

I'll take run too. After 2 what Sale is doing to Detroit has to be unlawful in at least two states. Doesn't the 13th amendment--great flick, in case you haven't seen it--expressly forbid ownership of another person? So far Sale owns six Tigers.

Porcello gives up 11 hits and 4 runs in 6 innings on a day when we needed something better than the sigh young award winner. Plus one of those runs was because he failed to cover 1b on a grounder.

Porcello looks like the Sigh Young award winner. That second Detroit run was on him for not covering 1b. And he has thrown a lot of pitches.

Good for you, Kimmi. Upbeat. Darn flu. The pitching should have come to the rescue, especially in the Friday Tigers game. Instead they were terrible even after the great Sox comeback rally. Could be, however that some with flu bug played.

I'm glad I was wrong about no scoring this game and about Moreland. Wright wasn't great, but was OK. The Sandoval dinger was fantastic. But my gosh that bullpen. Hembree, Scott, and Kelly managed to give up 4 walks, 3 hits, and 2 runs in one rotten inning. Last season someone quoted I think Whitey Herzog: the difference between a good manager and a bad one is a great bullpen. Those three weren't great today, and, if you ain't great today, you ain't great, period. Four walks????!!!!

This was the perfect time for Wright to give up the 2 run dinger because the Sox lineup today is dead, dead, dead. Moreland is now hitless in his first three games as a Sox but he still bats right there in the middle of the lineup, 4th or 5th.

4 runs in 5 innings, plus no DH to worry about. 7 hits, 2 walks, but no dingers.

Great! I sure hope you are right and I am wrong. However he turns out, this looks like the best rotation in quite some time.

The only guy in the lineup I don't like is Moreland. Except for him, however, there is a lot to like.

After ST, I thought the Sox would be good hitting and almost as good pitching this year, but in two games the pitching has impressed me and the hitting only adequate, albeit a very good adequate with those two 3-run dingers. I'm old and still have a day job, but nevertheless didn't go to sleep until Leon won the game in the 9th. Sale looked pretty good in ST but even better last night. Bullpen scared me in ST but so far has been excellent. I don't see E-Rod and Wright doing as well as Porcello and Sale, but I think they will be good enough. I didn't like Pomeranz last year--who did?--and still don't.

Betts not playing in game 2? Is he injured?