Maxbialystock

A very good point because it seems obvious that right now--the final six games of the season--are both games to win and tryouts for the postseason roster. I think the "tryouts" might have an effect on the order of the rotation. Farrell has said he plans to start Price before Porcello, but last night had to give him pause. Assuming the Sox first postseason game is Thursday, Oct 6, we can posit that Porcello can pitch as late as Saturday and still be ready to pitch game 1 on Oct 6. Games 1 and 2 of the ALDS are Oct 6 and 7, then games 3 and 4 are Oct 9 and 10. So whoever pitches this weekend, Oct 1 and 2, will have ample rest for those two games. However, neither Porcello nor Price (presumptive first two starters) will have enough rest to pitch game 3 or 4. Game 5 on Oct 12 will provide enough rest for either of the games 1 and 2 (on Oct 6 and 7) starters to pitch again. However, whoever pitches that game won't be ready for game 1 of the ALCS on October 14. or game 2 of the ALCS on Oct 15. Back to the tryouts notion. If Moncada doesn't pinch run (or play) this week or this weekend, I don't see him on the playoffs roster. Same for any of the other position players who are on the bubble for the postseason--guys like Marrero. I think Young and Holt are shoo-ins. The second catcher is probably a toss-up among Vazquez, Hanigan, and Holaday, so look to see if they play this week/weekend.

Price gave up 3 dingers??!! Not exactly peaking for the postseason.

The problem is blatantly obvious. He loves his fastball and so do opposing hitters. The 2 run dinger was on a fastball, and so were both hits by Ellsbury. He also likes his cutter--ditto the hitters. Has he thrown a changeup yet tonight? A curve or a slider? I could be wrong because I'm certainly no expert, but it sure seems to me as though Price is too predictable. He is lucky to get out of the 5th with just one more run against him.

I forgot Tazawa, who would be a good reliever in the playoffs.

Who's mad? I'm thrilled and have said so repeatedly. And, believe me, plenty of folks on this thread have wanted to bring up Wright, goodness knows why. For these playoffs, he is merely a footnote. Assuming 11 pitchers because of the days off, we can be pretty sure of the rotation: Price, ERod, Porcello, and Buchholz. Bullpen is a little harder, but Kimbrel, Uehara, Zeigler, and Kelly are pretty good bets. Pomeranz as a lefty and long reliever. For another lefty I prefer Ross over Abad. Assuming those first six are right--and they very well might not be--I have no great insight into who else. Abad would provide a third lefty. It's the 14 lineup players who have attracted most of the discussion. I think the first 13 are pretty obvious: 6 infielders (HanRam, Pedroia, Bogaerts, Shaw, Holt, and probably Hill); 4 outfielders (Betts, JBJ, Benintendi, and Young); 2 catchers (Leon and Vazquez, I think); and 1 DH (Ortiz). I like Hill despite his weak hitting so far, but won't complain if Farrell picks another infield for #6. I prefer Vazquez as the backup catcher because I think he and Leon are the two best defensively and that the bench will likely continue to call a lot of the pitches. And I've changed my mind about the 14th guy and now think it should Moncada, about whom I have complained incessantly. But Sunday I watched Pedroia trying to score from 1st on that double and saw the throw beat him by 15 feet. I think Moncada's speed, assuming he is focused and takes off at the right time, would have enabled him to beat that throw. I doubt he tries to steal base, but his speed could be valuable just one time, and that one time could win a whole game. Francona had a pinchrunner in 2004 who saved the entire season, and Farrell had one handy in 2013 but didn't need him. So those are my 25, but I will be fine with almost any picks Farrell makes. If momentum in September and overall wins and losses mean anything, this team has the potential to get to the WS.

Of course it's silly. I'm just getting tired of reading about Wright on a thread about playoff roster. If you're still mad at Farrell, there is a thread called "referendum on Farrell." Back to the playoffs. Maybe we could have used Wright in October, but that's now very unlikely. Meanwhile, without him, the Sox are making a September run for not only the ALE, but the best record in the AL. I credit most of that to a bullpen which may not be lights out, but which has been awfully good this month. I mean these days Farrell almost delights in jerking a guy for giving up a hit or a starter after 2 or 3 innings.

Impressive.

It was absolutely the right call by Farrell. With Wright out of the picture, the rotation finally got into gear. So did the bullpen. Knuckleballers are nothing but trouble.

The number to clinch ALE is now 1 thanks to the Yankees beating the Jays tonight. We are 6 up on the Jays with 6 games to go. And we are up 1.5 games on the Guardians for 2d best AL record and tied with the Rangers for the best record. Tomorrow night it's Price and the Sox at Yankee stadium vs. Cessa, a righty who gave up 3 runs in 5 innings on the 16th in Boston.

Agreed.

Interesting. Me, I want that HFA, but I have to admit that the Sox right now have the best road record in MLB, even better than the Cubs. And you are probably right that HFA is overrated in general. What about my point that the Sox are guaranteed 3 days--1 day short of an All-Star game break--between Sunday's game and the ALDS? That's just a week away and today is a day off too. And what about my point that this team in particular has thrived on back to back to back ad nauseum games? The most recent example is the 11 game win streak without a day off despite playing 4 games in Boston, 4 in Baltimore, and 3 in Tampa.

I think Moncada may have used up his chances this year when he froze between 1st and 2d with 2 outs.

3B probably is the toughest pick, I agree. I think platoon might be the best choice--Holt or Shaw against righties, Hill vs. lefties. I think Hill is the best defender of the three. Agree Moncada is a no go.

I don't see how anyone right now has a lock on 3B. If, for example, Sandoval can hit again, I would be tempted to make him the DH. But his return to form in any case is a big if. Shaw has now had two seasons to prove himself, but has struggled at the plate. Hill ain't the long term guy. Holt is best as the utility guy because he is so versatile. So I think Moncada has a shot, but only if he can hit, which includes being able to hit a curve ball. I also think he has a better shot at the infield than the outfield.

No, he was simply wrong. Thunder is the guy who early on--March--saw the 90 or more wins and the ALE. When Slasher 9 said so it was September and I did not check the date of his entry. I remain in awe of those who foresaw this outcome because I sure didn't. Had I voted, it would have been for 85-89 and then only in a wildly optimistic moment. My pessimism is derived from 53 years of fandom before the end of the 86 years of the curse. The upside is I enjoy the good moments that much more, and we are having them right now as we write.

I tend to focus primarily on observable facts. First, the catchers have had problems catching the knuckler--irrefutable. Over time this should level out, but let's not forget that Varitek almost never caught Wakefield. Second, the knuckler by its very nature is hard for any pitcher to command. Thus does Wright have that fastball (85 mph?) and that big curve which is usually outside the strike zone. Statistically for this season Wright's numbers overall look pretty good in terms of ERA, quality starts, etc. I just get irritated that those 10 unearned runs in June simply don't count in pitcher statistics but did on the scoreboard. Like everyone else, I would like to see Wright back next spring when he is a good bet to be in the rotation next season. I would not try to use him in the playoffs this year, however, for the reasons stated. If Wright was indeed our third best starter, how then explain the Sox great success in August and especially September without him? I would offer three explanations: the hitting, which is the best in MLB this year even then good pitching can shut us down; the bullpen, which blossomed in September and contributes mightily to the 11 game streak; the turnarounds by ERod and Buchholz. And, since all of the brickbats have been directed at Farrell for sending poor Wright out into no-man's land, maybe it's worth giving the manager a little credit for pulling together a team that was without benefit of this world-beating knuckleballer.

I think the Orioles get the other wild card slot, but I ain't much at predicting. I don't like the Orioles one darn bit, but I'm kind of rooting for them in this case to give the AL East bragging rights for having three teams in the playoffs. A cursory check of the Sox schedule for the season says we are 2-4 against Detroit, all games after the All-Star Break. My guess is that Toronto gets to the ALDS and will not be an easy out.

Hats off to Youk of the Nation and Slasher 9 for both predicting the Sox would do well this year and win at least the AL East. I would have made no such prediction, I'm certain. Spring training 2016 from here looks more like 6 years ago than 6 months. No way did I see the great hitting, the rotation coming around, the bullpen, etc. I could maybe see 85 wins, but only with effort. Maybe it's better that way. Low expectations add to the enjoyment of a really good season and especially the ongoing winning streak--in September, yet.

Never shot a sniper rifle, but was pretty decent out to 350M with an M1, predecessor to the M14 which was predecessor to the M16, when I shot expert over 50 years ago.

Call it idiocy or anything you like. The simple fact is that since then the Sox have flourished, which is inarguable. On August 11, not long after the disaster of losing Wright, they were 61-52. Today they are 92-64, which means they have basically gone 31-12 without Wright compared to 61-52, give or take, with Wright. All I'm saying is you can have Wright and I'll take the 31-12, the 11 game winning streak, a 5.5 game lead in the AL East and tied with the Rangers for the best record in the AL. I also continue to believe Wright is a wuss.

Actually, it might be possible to do both. Tomorrow is a day off for everyone, and right now the Sox are 5.5 up on the Jays, 1.5 up on the Guardians, and tied with the Rangers for the best record in the AL. No one in the rotation is overworked, and probably no one in the bullpen. That leaves the lineup. Betts has the most games, and Bogaerts the second most. Tuesday is Price against a Yankees starter still unnamed. It is possible to rest both in that game and go with Holt at SS and maybe Young in RF with Benintendi in LF and JBJ back in CF. I'm not sure HanRam needs more than tomorrow off, and I'm guessing that applies to Pedey as well. And let's not forget that the last regular season game is Sunday, Oct 2 and that Thursday, October 6, is the earliest the Sox will have a playoff game against the wild card, the Guardians, or the Rangers. All in all, I'm a little worried about this team getting too much rest, as crazy as that sounds. They have thrived on playing without days off and with lots of road games, including Boston one day, Cleveland, the next, and Baltimore the next after that. I think the Sox just played 2 that time in Baltimore and went on to another city.

My points aren't dead wrong, in fact they are right. They just don't conform to your version of what happened. Fact: Wright was up and down, especially if you take into account those unearned runs. You keep ignoring the 6.23 ERA in July, but it's real, and the accident happened about a week later. Fact: the Sox have done great without him, including an 11 game winning streak now ongoing. You can try all you want to ignore it but it is a fact. Fact: his injury was the result of taking too big a lead--for him--and then having to dive back to 2B, something plenty of 32 year old men and women, not playing professional baseball at any level, do with ease. Guys in the 50's and 60's run the bases and slide without injury. And what happens if Wright pitches in a NL ballpark and has to bat? He intentionally strikes out every time for fear of injuring himself? Sure, I don't mind saying Wright probably shouldn't have been sent out there to pinch run, poor baby that he is. But it sure as heck didn't hurt the team, which has only gotten better and better without him. What I was his age and on a faculty (assistant professor), I played softball, full court basketball, and flag football--for fun and with a bunch of other guys roughly the same age although a few were younger. It would seem knuckleballers are hothouse flowers with apparently no exercise regimen. At this point, one wonders if Wright runs in the outfield with the other pitchers.

Agree Vazquez had a good game today, which is good for the team as a whole. As I said earlier, I prefer Leon/Vazquez over Hanigan, Holaday, SWihart, whoever.

First, I strongly endorse your reference to his selfish fat ass. That said, I'm sure Farrell won't "give" Sandoval anything, but I don't mind the possibility that not so fat ass just might be able to contribute. Right now the Sox actually have three thirdbasemen on the current roster--Shaw, Holt, and Hill--so it's hard to believe Farrell will add a fourth or even keep three without a very good reason.

Aren't you jumping the gun just a tad or don't you think the bullpen for the 2016 playoffs--take a look at the thread title--is important?