moonslav59

Spending 15-20% of your budget on one pitcher may have the same affect and for a long time, too. I think the Price signing soured me, although I thought it was needed, at the time. He was about as solid a gamble as there could possibly be, and he did not come through for us, much at all. Maybe we still have Betts had we not signed him.

We are currently 7th in MLB winning %, having just passed PIT. The concern is that two teams that look better than us on paper are behind us (NYY -2.5 and HOU -3.0 GB.) I think we can catch TOR and BAL and maybe MIN and TEX, but they are not WC teams, right now.

It's a good point, but I think some context is needed: 1. 13 man staffs have changed that dynamic, a lot. 2. Our starters have not really been yanked early that often. We are 20th in SP IP at 180.1 IP, but #15 is at 184.1 IP, so we are just 3 IP from the midpoint. #10 is 189 IP. 3. We have a number of pitchers who are used to going 2-3 IP, and when add paxton and get Crawford & Whitlock back, we may have multiple long guys of high quality. 4. Our starters are improving, already, and have been going deeper, of late. 5. Our key RP'ers have not been overworked, except maybe Schreiber, a bit: 10.2 IP Jansen (11 gms) 10.0 IP Martin (10) 16.2 Schreiber (17) (Wink has 23 IP in 13 games, but that is about what many starters have with 5-6 GS.)

Ho about "The Bluffers?"

FA signings are swings and misses, to often, of they end up being big drains later in the deal. I know we've had great fortune with trades for aces, so maybe I'm biased, but I think that is the best chance at success. I'd hate to lose Mayer and more. I doubt we get an ace for Casas, Rafaela and Mata. (Remember when people bashed me for even suggesting we trade Casas?)

4/20>>> 3.68 Bello 3.86 Kluber 4.67 Sale 5.40 Pivetta 11.25 Whitlock 4/30>>> 2.92 Sale 3.60 Bello 4.50 Pivetta 5.23 Kluber 6.94 Houck

Good sign: fWAR Rankings for team SP'er: Since April 20th: 13. Boston 1.2 fWAR (5.05 ERA) Since April 30th: 6. Boston 0.9 fWAR (3.62 ERA) Season 24. DET 0.9 25. BAL 0.8 26. BOS 0.8 27. COL 0.6 28. KCR 0.6 29. NYM -0.9 30. OAK -1.4

It's usually pretty nice at night- low humidity. Call them the Las Vegas Strippers or just "The Mob." No, seriously, maybe the Cowboys, the Aces, or a nice singular word: "Neon."

As much as I love our farm improvement, I still think trading for an ace or solid #2 is the way to go. Get a guy approaching or in early prime- not some expensive FA already past his better days.

Exactly! Why many of us prefer a top 10 or 12 rotation, and think it is the major factor in improving a team's chances at winning a ring, it is not essential, if the rest of the team can take up the slack. Having two major weaknesses- the rotation and defense, makes me think we should not win the division or a ring, this year, but stranger things have happened. Our D may greatly improve with the return of Story and Mondesi, especially if Kike wins back the CF job. Maybe Paxton improves the rotation, but it could just be 2-3 of the guys already there that just start pitching like their norm that does the trick.

Do you see Luis de la Rosa or Guerrero as a possible surprise? I'm assuming you see Mata and Walter as future pen arms. Wikelman is never mentioned, anymore.

Maybe Mata and Walter can end up as top RP'ers, too.

Pitchers OPS Against (18+ PAs) .336 Drohan (5-0 0.62 ERA/ 0.69 WHIP/ 30K & 6BB) .425 Ramirez (0.83 WHIP) .533 Van Belle (0.86 WHIP) .545 de la Rosa (Beni trade) .664 Liu (Just pitched no-hitter)

Top Sox OPS on the Farm (50+ ABs) .996 Mayer (15 XBHs) .991 Hickey (.402 OBP) .955 Hamilton (Renfroe trade/ 13 XBHs/ .398 OBP/ 20 SB) .954 Meidroth (.495 OBP/ 21 BB & 20Ks)) .919 Yorke (.419 OBP) .882 Alfaro (12 XBHs) .876 Abreu (Vaz trade/ .402 OBP) .867 Fitzy (.500 SLG) .861 Rosier (Groome trade/.368 OBP/15 SB) .850 Jordan (.500 SLG) .849 Dalbec (.374 OBP) Interesting numbers: Ferguson: .371 OBP/ 15 SB but .224 BA Goodrum .466 OBO/ 34 BB & 24 K Kavadas .421 OBP Coffey 20 BB & 20 Ks Bleis, Rafaela & Paulino all near .650

I've always felt Houck would be better in the pen, but I'm fine giving him a shot at the rotation- a real shot. I think Cora is trying to build him up to be a 7 IP guy, but he has to earn it. With Whitlock's injuries, I'm rethinking his future role and may flip my positions on Houck and Whitlock. I'd love for 5 other starters to win slots, and they both be in the pen, but the way things are going, finding 3 solid starters might be a tough. Sale Bello Kluber Paxton Crawford

It's not irony. Cora has left Houck in for the third time through more this year than his first 3 combined. He has been trying to progress Houck to more and more innings, despite him getting killed, often. He finally took him out before getting killed, perhaps to try and boost his confidence for the next time allowing even more batters faced. We will never know, if it was "just in time" or not. Certainly taking him out had merit. He's been struggling in these situations for a long time and struggles vs LHBs, while Schwarber kills RHPs. It was the "book move." That doesn't mean it was surely the right choice. You have to weigh what you expected from Bleier, too. My only beef with your position is that you are saying leaving him in was the obvious choice, and I don't think it was obvious, at all.

Clear backpacks so we can see if they are bring guns or knives to school.

We have 2 days off in 4 days, so that really messes with rotation. I wish the days were spread out better. The order should be: Pivetta (+1 day rest) ATL Bello (+1) ATL Off Sale (+2) STL Kluber (+2) STL Houck (+2) STL Paxton is supposed to pitch, soon. We could bump Sale up to Bello's slot, if we did not want to give him any extra rest.

Max, I've actually said Houck should be given a chance to up his sample size the 3rd time through, and that I would not have complained, if Cora left him in, until he let a baserunner on by walk or hard hit ball. My argument was you said the choice was "obvious" or something like that, because he was pitching very well up to yank time. I showed how in just about every other game this year, Houck was pitching well or very well until he got to the end of the 2nd time through or the 3rd time, and then the wheels came off. How are we or Cora to know this time would have been different? Houck has great numbers the first time through- by definition, that means he almost always looks good early. He looks to be cruising. He slips a little the second time through, but usually looks steady enough to leave in. He normally implodes on a major scale- time after time. We'll never know, if this time would have been different. At some point, he will need to be given a chance to prove that 60 PA sample size was not who he really is. That game was close, and Cora chose not to let him go any farther. I thought it was the right move, but with such weak 6th inning pitchers to choose from, I'd have been okay leaving him in. I know you can't go totally by numbers, but these are hard to ignore: OPS Against: .374 1st time is off the charts amazing! .883 2nd time is frightening .967 3rd time is DFA material, if his overall numbers. 33 PAs 3rd time through shows Cora is letting him try to overcome this, but with little success. Maybe he yanked him to help him feel he is improving in this area. Here is an interesting fact: Houck has faced more batters the 3rd time, this year, than all his others combined, and it is early May. Career: 63 PAs and .992 OPS Against 3rd time. Other data: .374 Pitch 1-125 .520 26-50 1.050 51-75 Career .448 (1-25) .646 (26-50) .851 (51-76) Let me add that Cora has often sent him out to face the 3rd timers. This was not the first time. I think he wants him to get over this hump or "blindspot," but he has a quick hook, and IMO, for good reason. He looked sharp in this game, but he looked sharp or even sharper in other before- only to get shelled in the 4th (.988) or 5th (1.150) innings. It was an understandable choice made. He could have gone the other way, too.

True nuff.

Baseball Probable Pitchers | MLB.com WWW.MLB.COM The official probable pitchers page of Major League Baseball including up to the minute stats, preview and ticket information. TUE: Pivetta v Charlie Morton WED: Bello v TBD THU: Off FRI: TBD v TBD (maybe Paxton)

Any word on Joely, who has been pitching in AAA? We could use another LHP in the pen.

I did say by mid summer. I did not expect it so quickly, but the kid is on fire.

We were 15th, a few days ago, behind TOR who we had passed by then.

Joely Rodriguez is pitching in AAA and should be ready, at some point.