Maxbialystock

Gotta consider that of course. He sure looked bad in the top of the first--0 for 3 with a K.

Plus Ramirez at 1B against a righty. Plus Holaday catching. Plus a move last night from Oakland to San diego. Plenty to worry about today.

He's perfect for this bullpen--inconsistent. Strangely enough, I am willing to overlook yesterday, not because he was compelled to pitch when a save was not at stake, but because I thought the Sox were never going to score. Kimbrel limited the torture to 9 innings and thereby saved the rest of the bullpen from a fruitless attempt to win.

Meh. I put him average. I think most managers are held accountable for the success or failure of the bullpen because that's where most of the hairy decisions are made. Maddon right now looks like a genius because he has great pitching and good hitting. Farrell has great hitting and so-so pitching. Strangely, I agree that managers should be evaluated by what they get out of their clubs, and by that I specifically mean wins and losses. They should keep or lose their jobs based on the front office's determination of whether or not the team performed to its potential. Based on the hitting overall, Farrell is underperforming. Based on the pitching, especially the bullpen, he is doing OK. I hope you remember I would have have been fine with firing him a couple of times this year. I vehemently disagree he is "clueless," but I do expect this team, no matter how bad the bullpen, to make it to the playoffs. To me this team has very good hitting, an above average rotation, decent fielding and baserunning, and an inconsistent bullpen that can be better. You think the X factor is Farrell, but I think it's the youth of the lineup. This is crunch time, and only Pedroia and Ortiz have really been here before. Interestingly, Francona lost his job precisely because the 2011 team was historically terrible in crunch time.

Atrocious base-stealing? The Sox steal % is 79%, 4th best in MLB. Best is 81%. Bad fundamentals? Fielding percentage is 8th best in MLB with a pretty young ball club and a first baseman playing there for the first time and a first baseman by trade playing 3B. Also a somewhat inexperienced catching crew who have real problems catching Wright's knuckler, but, then, Varitek never even bothered to try to catch Wakefield's knuckler. However, this crew is pretty good at throwing out baserunners. Especially Leon. I will however grant you the other baserunning errors which don't show up in the stats, especially going for the extra base which isn't there. Too many guys have been nailed at home with no hope--probably Butterfield's fault, but he works for Farrell. Ditto getting picked off between bases when the throw doesn't go home or even sometimes when it does--not good. My guess is that Farrell likes aggressive baserunning. To be honest, I like it when Betts, Bogaerts, Pedroia, and even Ramirez are aggressive. Holt and Bradley tend not to be aggressive,which is fine. Shaw and Leon should not be aggressive but sometimes are. Young is smart on the basepaths. Ortiz has slowed down a lot, but still finds enough, sometimes, when it means getting home.

Of course managers count in the dugout. Someone has to be in charge, make the decisions, listen to the coaches, encourage players, etc. But it's only 25 players, and in most games only about half of them get to play, and in fact the lineup and the rotation work best when they are steady--the same 9 and the same 5--especially in the American League. For most of this year, however, Farrell has tended to platoon in LF and, lately, at 3B, but even those decisions are pretty straightforward. He used Ortiz less at 1B in NL parks than usual, but that made sense. He has varied the rotation only when injuries occurred to ERod and Wright, plus he used Pomeranz when he arrived. Now it's pretty steady except for #5, which goes back and forth between Buchholz and Wright. Indeed, as the season has gone on, the rotation has only improved with or without Wright. The tricky part, as always, is with the bullpen--when and who to bring in. This is a lot easier with a good hitting ball club that gets good leads and less so in close games when the bullpen is unreliable. That's where you and I enter the fray. I think most reliever decisions by any manager are rational and defensible because they are a matter of stats, trends, experience, advice from two coaches, and time to make them in. But, when the relievers are consistently unreliable, every rational, defensible decision (my words) becomes, in your words, a clear indication of "clueless." You believe the bullpen fails because they were used too soon or too late or the wrong guy was used. I think they fail mostly because they are what they are.

Yes, I do see the difference, but I think you have to agree that "clueless" is a fairly definitive statement about this manager. It's also indefensible.

If you reread the above, you can see you already believe Farrell is clueless: "like Farrell sucks when it comes to making a pitching change." If anyone is putting words in your mouth, it's you. As for yesterday, you're right. You said nothing about Farrell, which is the biggest clue he did everything right. I notice however you were sparing in your criticism of the lineup, Kimbrel, and Holt. I'm pretty sure Farrell said publicly that Wright must learn how to pitch in hot and/or wet weather. Whitey not using that line when negotiating his contract doesn't make it irrelevant. Joe Torre was a loser before managing the Yankees and Mariano Rivera. As I said previously, Joe Maddon is highly regarded and has the best W-L record and best ERA in MLB with the Cubs this year, but Epstein still wanted to shore up the bullpen with the Yankees ace closer. Bullpens do make a difference. And ours is unreliable. That said, I too hope that now and then Farrell can pull a rabbit from a hat and bring in someone, anyone, who is actually effective when it counts. You are right to defend Kimbrel, but Kimmi is also right that this ain't the Kimbrel of yesteryear. Nor is Uehara. As for Ziegler, the report is he ain't great against lefty bats. And so on. I had hoped to find an article saying we have the worst or among the worst five bullpens in MLB, but could not. So our bullpen is merely "unreliable." This gives me room to complain about the pitchers and you room to complain about the manager's decisions. In 2013 with the same manager but a very different team, neither of us had much to complain about.

Smoltz didn't have a splitter. I think the difference between a so-so Tazawa and a good Tazawa is that forkball of his. When it is on, it makes his fastball a ton more effective. Same as Kimbrel and that knuckle curve. Or Andrew Miller combining that very good fastball with a devastating slider that is almost as fast. But I'm not building my hopes up. I just want Farrell to try Uehara a couple of times and it doesn't even need to be in pressure situations.

I think Pedroia got a great deal for several reasons. First and foremost, the MVP award was anomalous--earned, but it occurred at just the right moment when the competition was less that normal. Second, he is a small guy, which to me means diminishing strength, speed, reflexes over time. Right now, 2016, he is 33 and having almost a career year--a huge bargain for the Sox--but he gets paid through 2021, when he will be 38, and those years, 2017 thru 2021, are the higher paid years of his contract. Most of all, I think Pedroia and his wife like it in Boston and figured out, as few ballplayers seem to do these days, that making an average of $14M/year over 8 years is a king's ransom and more than enough to live very comfortably for the rest of their lives. Plus Pedroia loves to play the game, which is something players usually don't figure out until they are near the end of their careers. Too many players don't realize that they are actually playing for their agents, who are the real beneficiaries of these inflated salaries. As for Jon Lester, I think he just got the going rate, one, it turns out, the Sox could afford, especially when Price is getting $5M/season more and for one extra year. I think he would have stayed if the Sox first offer had been better. I also think he was lost forever when the Sox let him go during the 2014 season.

Rely might be the wrong word for Uehara, but maybe try fits. He's 41, but has never relied on strength. He throws two pitches, an 86-89 mpg "fastball" and, when it is on, a devastating splitter because it starts out looking like that fastball. He also has excellent control and a ton of guts to even throw that fastball. The point is, Farrell needs to try him out and see what's working. If the control and the splitter are working, he could maybe be the set up man. As I understand this bullpen, right now Kimbrel is the closer and the 7th and 8th are up for grabs with Ziegler the best choice for the 8th and Ross or Barnes for the 7th. But I've read Farrell doesn't like Ziegler against lefty bats and maybe Ross against righties and Barnes against lefties. Or put it this way. If Uehara is on, this bullpen could sure use some help.

Kimmi makes some very good points about Kimbrel's downturn this year, but he is still the best closer when he has his best stuff, which basically means command of two pitches, the fast ball and the knuckle curve. Together they can obliterate the best hitters, but he needs to command both. When he loses control of the knuckle curve, hitters can and will sit on his fast ball and hit it hard. When he loses both, he walks guys, sometimes lots of them. I also like moonslav's point about ERod, that just maybe he has come into his own and might even be better than last year. This game underscored what can kill the Sox. Even after swamping the A's in the first two games, they couldn't score a run yesterday and had to depend on a bullpen which has proven time and again to be undependable.

I can't argue with any of that and was unaware of that 1200 AB concept, which makes sense for most players. Moncada isn't most players, but he also has had a whole lot less professional time than most players. Plus, as you say, the Cuban "suddenly I'm rich" thing.

What venting? I just took your position--that it's the manager's job (and, by inference, not the player's job) to ensure a player excels--to an extreme. I think I've already agreed that pinch-running with Wright was ill-advised, but had to throw in the fact that Wright also doesn't want to pitch in damp weather or in very hot weather even though other pitchers are expected to because it's part of the game. I kind of liked that new rule for Farrell: to treat Wright they same way he would treat his own mother. Right out of A League of Their Own, and I chose it because to me Wright looks a tad girly even though women actually play pretty good fast pitch softball. As I said when he was injured, he's 32 years old and acts like he's 50. If he were in the NL, his complaint that he couldn't possibly score from 2B on a single would be laughable. If he were to start in the WS, he might be the only pitcher ever to be walked intentionally--just so the other team could laugh at his timidity in refusing to take any lead at all off 1B. The real issue between us is your inclination to blame the manager first and the player second, and mine is the exact opposite. As I have said countless times, all managers make relatively rational decisions because they are reinforced by stats, experience, close-at-hand advisers (bench coach, pitching coach), and ample time to make key decisions. So to me the deciding factor in virtually all games is some combination of the players in the game. Thus Whitey Herzog makes sense when he says the difference between good managers and bad managers is a good bullpen. Yesterday we saw ERod pitch his heart out, and then saw the Sox bullpen and the lineup which couldn't score a run piss it away. The entire lineup was put in a position, in your words, to excel, but could not. Our high-priced closer Kimbrel was too, and he walked a guy and then gave up a game-winning double off the wall which Holt didn't field all that cleanly. To be honest, Kimbrel's ineptitude may have been merciful because that game was going to continue until the Athletics--and certainly not the moribund Sox--scored the winning run.

Interesting how people leap to Moncada's defense. Look, I know he is the #1 rated prospect in MLB. My point is that he is also a rookie and a raw rookie at that. If there is a rationale for the minors, including AAA, it is for young players to learn and work on their weaknesses before they get to the Show. As I pointed out, Sox Prospects talks at length about his speed, strong arm, swing, etc. But it also says he tends to lose focus, and we are already seeing that in spades. Bogaerts, I hasten to add, was completely focused from the day he got here. As talented as he is, determination may be his strongest suit. And Betts is in the same category--talented and determined. My guess would be that the Orioles Machado was the same way when he came up. Let's hope the determination part rubs off on Moncada, but it won't be easy because he already has some big money and a lot of adulation from the press.

A very pretty point you make. Based on what we've seen, we might also include among Farrell's bad in game tactics-- Letting Benintendi get into a game situation where he would have to avoid a tag and do injury to himself. For that matter, he should have been told beforehand not to make that spectacular catch the game before because that too would risk injury. Good managers don't let those things happen, especially to rookies. Forcing Moncada to play 3B and thereby putting him in position to misplay a routine grounder, to say nothing of allowing him to take to big a lead off 1B thereby getting him picked off by a mile. Very poor management there and certainly not in the spirit of putting his players in a position to excel. Not just forcing poor Wright to pinch run, but also making him pitch in adverse conditions--too hot, too wet, etc. How was that putting Wright in the best position to succeed? A simple rule should suffice: Farrell should treat Wright the same way he would treat his own mother. Last year expecting Sandoval to play 3B when he was clearly not in shape to play. I'm surprised the MLBPA didn't come down on him for that one. Terrible judgment. Keeping players in the lineup when they are in slumps. Many's the time we've read on Talksox that Bogaerts or JBJ or whoever should be rested because they weren't hitting. If a manager can't nurture the delicate psyches of his players, what good is he? Bringing any relief pitcher in when men are already on base. Every reliever deserves a clean inning, preferably against the bottom part of the order. Speaking of which, a closer should close, period. None of this pitching in late and close games when the score is tied or the Sox are down one. In addition, on the off chance the closer has lost his control, the manager alone is responsible for stopping the bleeding by selecting precisely the right reliever to come in and save the day. In no way should a closer be expected to perform as a professional baseball player. He is to be coddled and nurtured so that he can give his best in the least trying of circumstances. Making a starter keep pitching at the first sign of trouble. How can that be interpreted as bringing out the best in him? Mr. Wright could cite chapter and verse on this topic. Not playing Shaw when he has a hot bat. For that matter, not playing Moncada when he is clearly the greatest Sox rookie ever. Playing Young against a righty starter or reliever. Madness. Making poor Buchholz bounce back and forth between starting and relieving. This is a highly paid professional who deserves every consideration and, clearly, a full-time position in the rotation. Or as the closer. Or as the setup man. Or something.

Ziegler and Ross were warming up in case ERod had a problem in the 8th, pure and simple.

No. The bottom line is that everyone in the bullpen is a gamble and in this particular game the lineup stank to high heaven. It is a safe bet they were never going to score a run if the game when 20 innings.

This loss is on Kimbrel, pure and simple. He doesn't do anything best anymore. He has control issues at the worst times with and without a lead. And let's not forget that lineup had 9 innings and failed to get even a double, let alone a run scored. And you want to blame this on the manager?

It's a tie game in the 9th and Kimbrel is the best in the bullpen right now. That he gave up a walk and a dinger is simple confirmation that the bullpen stinks.

Maybe Moncada needs to wise up. First a bad error, then picked off 1B by a mile. Talent ain't enough if you don't pay attention.

Sox paid a lot of money for two bonehead plays in about 10 minutes--blew an easy grounder right to him and then got picked off at 1B and it wasn't even close. He's clearly a great athlete with real talent, but the write up in Sox Prospects says he has a problem focusing.

It's not even pessimism. It's realism. Baseball can be like that if a pitcher is on and/or another is off. Toronto just lost 2 straight to the Rays in the Trop. s*** happens.

Agree with all points about the game, especially the Rays runner slowing down to give Betts a shot at preventing that score by going to 2B quickly. A pretty good bet he won't forget that bonehead play anytime soon.

Actually, you have a point. The hindsight accusation was incorrect. You were just explaining how Kimbrel could have been available in the 8th. To that issue--Farrell said in the postgame he used Kimbrel the night before because he hadn't pitched in six days and needed the work. One could fairly argue that Kimbrel was so effective yesterday in the 9th precisely because he had pitched the night before and not gone 7 days between stints. I also believe in retrospect--another word for hindsight--that Tazawa wasn't that bad a choice. When he went in, I was mad. But, as I said, he threw strikes and should have gotten that first guy out. I also think that appearance might have good consequences down the road because his fork ball was working better than it has in awhile. His fast ball will only work if the forkball is also working, and by that I don't mean a forkball that bounces in front of the plate and is no threat to the hitter.