moonslav59

Agreed. If you sub Houck for Kluber, thye GS numbers change by 4. Some might say Bello was always going to be in the starting 5, and that chances the numbers, a lot, but the fact is, we lost a lot of starts from Sale, Paxton, Whitlock and Houck. Kluber and Pivetta were demoted, so that should not count. Kluber's IL stint can be viewed as a blessing.

HOU has lost 3 from their rotation, almost all year: GS 0 McCullers 6 Garcia 8 Urquidy BOS has lost a ton of GS'd, but it's hard to put a number to it, because we don't know who our original 5 would have been. (Sale 12, Paxton 15, Kluber 9, Paxton 11, Whitlock 10)

All that "rest" has worked wonders!

Why? He's much better vs RHPs, so if I'm going to rest him just ione game, it would always be vs a lefty. Casas was never benched or hurt, as far as I know, so days were given off for rest, or because he was struggling. but since he never missed many games in a row, I can't see why he wasn't rested or sat down 5 games more vs LHPs and 5 games less vs RHPs. 5 games is 5 games, and we are within 2 games of SEA and TOR. I'm not saying we'd have won even one more game, but to me, playing him 5 more games vs RHPs and 5 less vs LHPs, would normally give us a better chance at scoring more runs. BTW, I think we've beaten this to several deaths by now, and I don't see this as a major issue.

It seems like Cora predetermines what days he is going to rest a player. Often, if is right before or after a scheduled day off. (One could argue about that, but I won't, here.) When you have a young player like Casas who plays 1B, I'm not sure why he needs a lot of days off, but my point is more about when Cora gives them out. Casas has a significant L-R split: .685 v L (.668 career) .872 v R (.862 career) He should not have sat 5 games vs a RHPs, unless he was hurt. I can't believe Cora could not have delayed or given a day off earlier, when we faced a LH's SP'er. (He has started 12 out of 22 games vs a LH'd SP'er. That could/should have been 7.) I'm not trying to say this is a major blunder that is going to lose the playoff slot for us. The debate came up about the Braves having a different philosophy, and I took a side. I like Cora and know he has reasons for doing things that are based on more information than I have, but I do feel I needed to say my philosophy differs, without it being an attack on Cora. In short, I can see why we sat Casas more early on. He was struggling, but I'd have sat him more vs LHPs than RHPs. Yoshida is one of our best hitters. I want to get Ref in every game vs a LH'd SP'er, and Duvall, when healthy, too. Duran and Dugo have histories of struggling v L, but Duran has improved, this year. When they rest, it should be v L. When ref and Duvall rest, it should be v R. When Yoshida plays DH, it is almost like a day off. 41 of them should count like 10-20 days off. IMO, he has sat, too often. His splits seem pretty even, so it's not the wrong hand so much with him- hust the total number of days off. (If he has been nursing an injury, then I am wrong, and maybe that's the case.) I'm fine with other points of view, and I don't have a big beef with Cora over this, but I don't agree.

I thought being hot or cold did not matter, to you. Even so, why did he start..... 81 games out of 86 vs RHPs and not 86? 12 games out of 22 vs LHPs, instead of 7 (take away the 5 games v RHPs and add days off here.) I don't recall Casas being hurt for 5 scattered games. I don't recall us facing only RHPs for 14 straight days, where he "needed" rest. I don't have to show dates. If you think he needed those 5 days off, then you show me why. BTW, Cora did the same with Ref, last year, but changed, this year. (Still not totally, though.)

My beef with the OF rest days is wrong handed days off and maybe hot streaks. At 1B, why is Casas given any days off vs RHPs while getting some v LHPs?

It's based on more than that. We are talking differing philosophies, and this started with a comp with the Braves- not as a complaint against Cora. We are not in the playoff slot, now, so maybe we'd have done better had Yoshida and other top players played more. Maybe not.

Okay, subtract 4 from 16, and maybe a couple more, too. He plays an easy position, physically and DH'd 41 times. It's a valid argument, whether you agree with our side or not.

I'm not big on their ranking system, but we did graduate a few very good players: Bello Casas Wong Murphy

We could even catch the Rays, if we ever could figure out how to beat them "head-to-head."

Maybe Yoshida should be considered a "special case" due to not being used to a 162 game schedule, but I'm sorry. 41 starts as a DH should be close to enough "rest." by itself. 16 days off, already is overkill. Just my opinion.

AUG/ JUL+AUG 9-4/26-13 SEA (10-6 since JUL 29) 9-5/24-15 HOU (10-6 since JUL 30) 8-6/22-16 TOR (8-8 since JUL 30) 7-6/22-14 BOS (7-9 since JUL 29) 7-6/15-22 TBR (9-7 since JUL 30)

Forget the challenge idea on balls and strikes. That would just further delay the game. Figure out a robo ump system that is consistent and accurate.

I'm not condoning what he did. I'm just saying, these days, some teens look like 25-29.

The Rays seem to be struggling, now, but they might have built up an insurmountable lead. The Mariners almost blew another game, last night but pulled it out in 10 innings. Despite the win, we failed to gain on any of our closest competitors. 74-46 BAL (ALE) 72-48 TEX (ALW) 63-56 MIN (ALC) Same record as Red Sox WC 72-50 TBR WC1 69-52 HOU WC2 67-54 TOR WC3 64-55 SEA -2.0 TOR/-4.0 HOU/-6.5 TBR 63-56 BOS -1.0 SEA/-3.0 TOT/ -5.0 HOU/-7.5 TBR 60-60 NYY -3.5 BOS MLB Sox are ranked 12th in winning % -0.5 from 11th (SFG) -1.0 SEA 10th -1.5 PHI/MIL 9th & 10th -3.0 TOR 8th best record in MLB

WOW! KCR just scored 3 in the bottom of the 9th to tie SEA. Canzone thrown out at 3rd. Will SEA blow 2 back-to-back games in spectacular fashion?

Fernandez blew a big WOO lead in the 9th. Drohan had his best game in AAA, tonight: 6IP, 3H, 0ER, 1BB, 10K Scott went 2-4 w HR (1.028 OPS) Will he be protected on Rule 5? Rafaela 1-5 w 3B POR won 9-6 as Gambrell struggled a bit. Yorke 2-4 w HR, BB Dearden 2-4 w HR, BB Rosier 2-4 2 2B Binelas 2-4 w 2B Bonaci 1-3 w 2BB GRE & Encarnacio got killed, but... Anthony 4-5 (1.042) Romero 0-5 in A+ debut. SAL won 6-2 Joh Garcia 1-5 w 2B Yuten 0-1 w BB in A- debut FCL and both DSL teams won Zantello 1-3 w 2B Cespedes 1-5 w 2B Ruiz 3-5 w 3B Asenccio 2-5 w 2B

...and Jansen

...and Wink

Nice AB by Tristan.

Caree PAs: 763 batting 2nd .743 429 batting 1st .761 352 batting 5th .732 330 batting 6th .723 207 batting 7th .831 167 batting 4th .814 80 batting 8th .998 48 batting 3rd 1.025 34 batting 9th .831 .761 batting 1st in 100 games (429 PAs) .771 batting in other slots in 514 games (1981 PAs)

Too bad some slots like him more. 2023: .766 1st 1.467 3rd .817 7th Career: .761 1st 1.025 3rd .998 8th .831 7th .814 4th

I see the merits from both sides of the debate, and I share the concerns about a few players like Yoshida or older players. Certainly, I want catchers resting more often. However, I do think some players can and should play 156-159 games, a year, if they are... Young & healthy Don't have major issues vs LHPs or RHPs Are a big step up from their replacement Not slumping When the team has a guy like Refsnyder, who has killed LHPs for 2 years, I'm fine with rotating the LHB OF'ers rest days. When the team has a guy like Turner, I'm fine with resting Casas v LHPs, but why is he getting days off vs RHPs, and starting some vs LHPs? Because he was "scheduled" for the day off, day or weeks ahead of time? (I disagree.) Playing Turner at 1B, also allows Yoshida to "rest" by playing DH. Yoshida has DH'd 41 times, this year. I'm not sure he needs 16 rest days by mid August. I like this debate. Some good points are being made, all around, but so far, none have changed my mind. I also agree with Bell. Cora's opinion matters more than any poster's here, including mine. I respect his opinion more than any one else's, including mine. (This will drive Red nuts.)

SPs reports on the farm's playoff picture Playoff update The Triple-A season doesn't end until September 24, but the Red Sox are 24-14 in the second half, tied with Lehigh Valley for the second-half International League lead. The two squads are 1.5 games ahead of Durham, Jacksonville and St. Paul. Portland also has more than a month left in its season and trails the Northeast Division's first-half winner, Somerset, by 2.5 games, with a 19-20 record. Binghamton is between them at two games back and would earn the playoff spot if Somerset wins the division. Greenville, which has already clinched a playoff spot by virtue of winning the first half of the South Division, sits at 20-22. The Drive's season ends September 10, and the team will then face the second-half division winner. Salem's season will conclude September 10. The Red Sox are at 18-24, nine games back in the North Division. The FCL season ends August 22 and the Red Sox are in the thick of the playoff chase. They're two games back of the Pirates and are a half-game up on the Phillies in the wild card race. The Red Sox have seven games left, including Tuesday's contest. The DSL squads, Red and Blue, have been eliminated from the division, which has been clinched by Pirates Gold. They're also eliminated from the wild card race.