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Maxbialystock

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Everything posted by Maxbialystock

  1. Maxbialystock
    Me, I blame Bill James and his stranglehold on Sox game tactics: never bunt, don't steal, etc, The result of that is that the Sox don't recruit or encourage great baserunners and probably don't even practice bunting--much anyway--which is stupid when you consider not only avoidance of GIDP, but also the benefits of bunting a way from the big shifts other teams use against some of our guys (as we do against theirs). Right now the Sox are ranked 30th in dingers with 11--and the next worst team has 15, which is 36% (4/11) more than our guys. This is a serious power deficiency along with 25th in slugging percentage. Thanks to Bill James, however, the Sox have no remedies for a power outage like this one. Forget a backup generator, we don't even have flashlights or lamps--the ability to bunt and/or run the bases. What did Al Pacino say in that movie? "I'm in the dark here."
  2. Maxbialystock
    Hitting clearly is not random, but neither is pitching. The good ones bear down a little more in tight situations--men on base, etc. They might throw a little harder, and their control improves. The good/clutch/tough hitters don't need to "notch it up" as much as they need to stay focused, calm, loose. To me the acid test for clutch hitting is how often they K with RISP and/or how often they hit easy grounders for GIDP. Even a GIDP is acceptable if the ball was hit hard. I get especially mad at any hitter who doesn't bring the runner on 3B home with 1 or fewer outs--that's choking, pure and simple. Same goes for looking at 2 out of 3 strikes with 2 or more men on base and 2 men out. All that said, I also believe quite firmly that great pitching always wins out--that means the best pitchers going against the great hitters in any situation.
  3. Maxbialystock
    Good for you. I would have been a terrible choice to start, especially when I have periodically railed against Pomeranz--unfairly, I have to admit. Tonight he has a chance to be a hero. Where does Station 13 come from?
  4. Maxbialystock
    Actually, I kind of do that anyway. When the Sox have a good lead, I tune in when the other team is at bat and see how our pitching is holding up. When we are down, I tend to watch just the offense. Stupid, I admit. If it's a tie or 1 run game, then I watch both halves of every inning. I missed last night because I was at an important ceremony (to me, anyway), but am sure I would have been riveted throughout the game until the Yankees got those 2 more in the 9th. I got home just in time to watch Benintendi make the last out. Afterward, I did my share of venting, however.
  5. Maxbialystock
    Darn. Much too sensible for my typical wise-ass response. I not only agree those 6 are plus (or better) hitters, but that maybe Moreland will be too. Losing hope at 3B and C however.
  6. Maxbialystock
    Not bad, not bad at all.
  7. Maxbialystock
    You seem to think that actually scoring runs is irrelevant to any discussion about Sox hitting. I say again, the Sox right now are 26th in MLB in runs scored, which is abysmal for any Sox team. Meanwhile, the team ERA is the 4th best in MLB, which is fantastic, but the Sox are just 1 game above .500 and already 3.5 games behind the Orioles, who have the 3d best ERA in MLB and far more consistent hitting. I say again, I don't expect the current trend--26th in MLB in runs scored--to continue, but am asking whether the Sox this year will get back to the top 5 in runs scored, which historically has been a prerequisite to a successful season. One key is dingers--the Sox are ranked dead last with 11, and the 29th team has 15. I would call that a major power outage, especially for a team that has bought in completely to the Bill James approach which is predicated on no bunting and low risk base-running (at least that's my impression). Related is the absence of Ortiz. I honestly believe this lineup would be fine, but right now it is beyond question there is no stud in our lineup, none.
  8. Maxbialystock
    I think those who are arguing that the hitting will improve are missing a key point. Yes, of course, the hitting will improve because right now it is 26th in MLB in runs scored, which is abysmal. What you are missing is that these guys have to improve a lot, not a little. Meanwhile, the lousy hitting is costing us games lost which cannot be recovered. and let's not forget another key point--the sox are in the same division with the yankees and orioles, both of whom have excellent pitching and better hitting than the sox. so yes, it's early in the season, hope is not dead, etc. Meanwhile, the sox are 3.5 games out of first--despite having the 4th best ERA in MLB.
  9. Maxbialystock
    I got back in time to see the final out benintendi. It'll be a long time before I start another game thread. When the hitting is this bad--and it's really bad--to me it's impossible to blame the manager for not doing something. Eventually, if the team is under performing as shown by their W-L record, managers do get fired even if it isn't strictly their fault. That could happen to Farrell. Meanwhile, maybe we should blame the guy who assembled this team--some of it, anyway. Of course, the very same guy assembled the pitching staff which right now is ranked 5th best in MLB--not too shabby.
  10. Maxbialystock
    i started this, but probably can't finish because i have an important event tonight.
  11. Maxbialystock
    also five bats with OPS's below .700--bogaerts, hernandez, pedroia, ramirez, and leon. last two are below .600. it's 81 degrees in arlington, va. how is it up there?
  12. Maxbialystock
    5 lefty bats, anyway
  13. Maxbialystock
    sale vs. tanaka, advantage to us except for a lineup that has stopped hitting. pedroia 2b benintendi lf betts rf ramirez dh moreland 1b bogaerts ss bradley cf leon c hernandez 3b
  14. Maxbialystock
    great finish, but still a lousy game.
  15. Maxbialystock
    well done, JBJ. Just a walk, but you had to work for it. but then a little slow getting to 2b.
  16. Maxbialystock
    A little credit to Severino who has shown nasty stuff tonight.
  17. Maxbialystock
    You're joking, right? Pedroia isn't in the game.
  18. Maxbialystock
    You're right. I take it back. Porcello has only given up 3 runs, which shouldn't be counted because of all those K's. Twice tonight he has given up big hits--a dinger and what could have been a double--with RISP. Severino has had no such problems. The one time we had men on first and second and no one out, HanRam goes GIDP. The score is just 3-0, but we are being dominated.
  19. Maxbialystock
    Sox have three bare singles in 5 innings. No line drive hits, I don't think. Severino has our number.
  20. Maxbialystock
    Porcello pitches tough.
  21. Maxbialystock
    So that's now two errors by us and one very good play by the Yankees.
  22. Maxbialystock
    Tonight's game looks like a mismatch--our guy Porcello is hittable,and their guy isn't.
  23. Maxbialystock
    Sandoval and Bogaerts have the same bad habit on hard hit grounders that give them lots of time--they feel obligated to pump their arms a couple of times which seems to mess up the actual throw.
  24. Maxbialystock
    Worth pointing out that our big chance came from a soft grounder to 3b and a walk. For our guys tonight, this guy is unhittable.
  25. Maxbialystock
    Our specialty with two men on and no one out--the GIDP
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