moonslav59

Some thought he might start the year in AA. I don't disagree with a thing you said, here, but my point is that he appears to have played like he deserved being protected. Not being the first one called up only means others are more MLB ready.

Indeed. The question is, how long do we stick with a SP'er who is sucking, before we move to the next option? It makes it harder when most of the SP'ers who are sucking have shown glimmers of competency or better, although for some, those times have been brief and only in maybe 2 games. Several of our SP'ers are coming back from time off, including Sale who had a LONG time off. How much of their struggles can be chalked up to "regaining their groove," or deciding they just don't have it anymore? Kluber has looked good in 2 of his 5 starts and okay in another (where 2 IRs were allowed to score.) IMO, he deserves at least 3-4 more starts, unless he is totally drilled every time. IMO, Sale deserves a longer look, too. Whitlock might have the best stuff of all our starters. He looked great in one start and shaky the others. No way I give up on him, quickly, as a starter. Pivetta has earned a permanent slot. If we can keep him in the 5 slot, we'd be fine. Needing him to be our #2 is asking for trouble. My thoughts are changing on Houck. I think he needs to stay starting until 5 others prove they can do better. That may never happen. I think Bello wins a slot, later this year. He missed almost all of ST'ing and may just be rusty. I still think he is good enough to stick. Crawford might deserve a few more chance. Paxton is someone I will never count on, but let him make his way to getting a chance.

True, and maybe that's all Bello will amount to, but I see this as Spring Training II for Bello.

Paxton made $6M in 2022 and will make $4M in 2023. I'm sure the plan was never to rehab and release, but if he never shows he has regained his stuff, it could happen. (My guess is they give him a chance.)

The minors are often used for other things than a "proving ground." It is also a place players go to rehab or get back into a groove, after missing time on the field.

Bello pitched once in ST'ing. It wasn't about him and other "sucking" come out of ST'ing: it was about Bello having virtually no ST'ing at all.

First, the huge jump in the offseason rankings, and then this. He's certainly got more to prove, but WOW! 26K: 4BB in 23 IP Only 13 hits (0 HRs) 0.74 WHIP .374 OPS Against 0.78 ERA

We had our chances but couldn't get the big hit with men on, late in the game.

I don't see more time in AAA as trying to get better by facing lesser batters, but as a sort of spring training he all but missed, totally. There is no way our SP'ers will all stay healthy, and even if they do, my guess is one will continue sucking enough to be replaced by Bello. Since Bello was never going to be allowed to pitch over 160 innings, anyway, what's the hurry? Let's find out which of the other starters doesn't belong or gets hurt, first.

It's nice having multiple options, when some are not doing well, but trial and error can get us too far behind, if it takes us too long to find the "right 5," if there even are 5 that can do well enough to bring our rotation near the middle of the pack. We can probably make the playoffs with a rotation that ends up 15th to 18th.

Portland won and is now 12-5. Drohan is looking like our top pitching prospect, right now. 6 IP, 2H, 1ER, 1BB, 7K (0.78 ERA) Diaz with his 2nd HR S Scott 4-4 Rafaela 3-5 Yorke 2-4 w 2B & BB Kavadas 1-4 w BB Binelas 1-5 w 2B and 2 RBI

Maybe they see Crawford as the better option, if a start is needed in the next 10 days.

They probably felt he was worth $140M/5, and 5 might be all we get, if we are lucky.

(McGuire) Almost!

Hope Wong can get us to Dugo.

You haven't been watching many Sox comeback games.

It's a half game now, baby!

Comparing these two is like apples to oranges. Franchy has played in parts of 7 MLB seasons: Duran in 3, including just 9 games, this year.

They might have been afraid Hamilton would be taken Rule 5, and his hot start is showing maybe they might be right about protecting him, but we should know more about him in a couple months. His trade value might have risen over the first month, but I doubt many GMs are swayed over small sample sizes, like many of us are.

I totally agree, and he didn't have to go expensive at middle IF. I will say, he seems to have done a good to very good job filling these high need, off season slots: Closer: Jansen Set-Up: Martin (TBD a bit) CF: Duvall (until hurt, but Duran is filling in nicely) LF: Yoshida DH Turner Our OF went from near worst to near best, overnight. Our pen went from bottom 8 to top 8. Trusting in Bello and Casas is looking questionable, early in the season, but trusting in Duran as OF depth and Wink/Crawford as long men has looked good, so far.

I think the hope was McGuire for 3 SP'ers and Wong for 2. (Maybe 4-1)

He already had better OPSA with more RP'ers than Wong, but Crawford is the only SP'er with better numbers with McGuire. That could change with just one bad inning with Wong.

We are 7-5 in games Ort has pitched. (Take note, Bell.) We are 2-3 in games he has allowed a run. Of the 3 losses, only one would (could) have been won had he not allowed a run- game 1 vs BAL. That being said, we are tempting fate everytime we bring him in. 1.805 WHIP .960 OPS Against is MVP material- for a batter!

You're killing me!

As bad as his 6.75 ERA looks, he's actually had 2 good starts, and a third one was looking pretty good until the 5th inning- the one where Bleier allowed 2 inherited runners to score. vs PIT 5 IP, 3H, 1ER 1BB, 2K vs TBR 4.2 IP, 4H, 1BB, 7K (2 IR scored) vs BAL 6 IP, 5H, 1ER, 0BB, 3K He's basically been okay to good, every other start: Bad-good-ok-bad-good