Maxbialystock

Read my gamethread lead for tonight. I now think the pitching is ahead of the hitting, which just might be feeling the pressure. The rotation has been solid for a month now, and the new arms in the bullpen might even make them reliable. But the hitting continues to struggle.

OK, I'll take the plunge at this late hour (7:55). Clemens is the name. Pitching is once again our problem, only now it's the opposing pitching. Throw strikes and mix in breaking balls and you can break our bats. It does not help that this is a NL park, which means no Ortiz, and that Clemens is a righty. Tonight we have 5 righties, 3 lefties, and Buchholz, almost certainly a non-hitter: Pedey, Bogie, Mookie, Hanley, Sandy, Jackie, Chris Y, Yoan M, and Clay. This is the testing month. Yes, the wins and losses of previous months count just as much as these, but now everyone is supposed to be peaking and playing their best ball. We are 1 back of the Jays and 1 ahead of the Tigers and Orioles with Houston 2 back of them. Another 1.5 back are the Yankees, 2 back the Royals, and 3 back are the Seattle. I'd say that's 7 teams still in the hunt--not including the Guardians and Rangers who seem likely to win their Divisions. Ted Williams said hitting a round ball squarely--the operative word--with a round bat is the most difficult skill in all sports. I think Kimmi and others have presented solid evidence that clutch hitting is more myth than reality, but I also think that unrelenting pressure, game after game, can get to hitters. I defy anyone to look at ours and say they are loose, relaxed, or confident. If I'm right, I place the blame on the manager because it's his job to keep them loose and confident, especially with a young team like this one. I make no predictions for this game because I truly believe every game now is a test of what this year's team really is. The first 137 games--or maybe just the 133 games through 31 August--are history. Now comes the denouement, and anything can happen.

All wins and losses are equal. Indeed, more than one team has won a division by beating up on weak teams and breaking even against good ones. As for these two losses, the worry is that the Sox consistently lose 1 run games and especially games in which they score 4 or fewer runs. Even more to the point, I think the pitching, even the bullpen, could be coming around, but the hitting is suspect. Now ain't that a punch in the kidney?

Hard to believe two straight losses like this. Also hard to blame Thunder. The pinch hitters Young and Hill had a home run and a double. The regulars--Pedroia, Holt/Leon, Bogaerts, Betts, Ramirez, Bradley, Moncada, Holaday, and the pitcher had I think 5 singles in 9 innings. HanRam had 3 singles but struck out on 3 pitches with men on first and second. Pedey, Bogie, and Betts had no hits of any kind.

Fair enough. That's clearly not an option.

So Farrell pinch hits for Holaday and Ross and gets a dinger and a double, but the top part of the order--Holt batting 2d but replaced by righty Leon against the lefty reliever--craps in their pants with a ground out and 2 K's. Too many choke artists on this team.

Now a double by Hill, also pinch-hitting and with the wisdom not to go for 3. San Diego reportedly has a lousy bullpen. Can theirs be worse than ours?

What the hell was that!!?? A dinger by Young pinch-hitting for Holaday.

I don't follow. Yes, Kimbrel couldn't get a save yesterday, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't have pitched.

Sox have 4 hits, all singles, in 7 innings. Moncada K's with a man on 3B to end the top of the 7th. So, yes, Holaday can't hit. But there are 7 other guys in the lineup who aren't exactly making a difference. And let's not forget getting shutting out at Oakland yesterday with Ortiz, Leon, et al, in the lineup.

Bradley GIDP. Not even hard it--a two hopper.

OK. Betts gets a lead off single. A hit from HanRAm would be nice, but I just hope for no GIDP. All right! HanRam single!

The complaints about the pitching and/or defense in this game are laughable. This is two straight with 0 runs scored--and heading into the 7th.

You are by yourself thinking Kimbrel shouldn't have pitched the 9th yesterday.

Not feeble at all. Those bunts are not easy to do--no one on this Sox team could do anything remotely like it.

But Jankowski didn't score a run despite the two bunt singles, both of which were excellent.

Holaday ain't the problem and you know it. Besides, he's caught Pomeranz before and Vazquez hasn't. Nor Hanigan. Nor Swihart. HanRam was the guy who struck out on 3 pitches with men on 1st and 2d.

What ready? It was a great bunt. The only way to stop it is to bring the infield in.

Bunt didn't hurt, but the single and dinger did, to say nothing of HanRam striking out on 3 pitches with men on 1st and 2d.

Sox have 1 hit in 3 innings, and San Diego has 3. Sox now going thru lineup for 2d look at SD pitcher.

That was a perfect drag bunt by San Diego--a guaranteed single.

Bottom 1/3 of the order just struck out.

Gotta admit Farrell blew that one and should have had JBJ bunting to prevent the GIDP. Smart managers use the bunt a lot.

Whoops. Farrell blew it again. Whiffed looking at a 3d strike. No fault on Betts of course.

Apparently, the successful bunt was enabled by Pomeranz falling the other way on his delivery. I guess Farrell needs to get him to fall the other way, which of course would enable bunts to the other side. Or we can just say, "good bunt." Pomeranz, without any guidance from anyone, picked the same guy off 1B.