moonslav59

The analytics guys back then, told him not to.

Game by Game Breakdown (Updated after 4/30) Starters IP/ER vs Relievers IP/ER SP- RP L 5.0/3 - 5.0/1 (2 ghost runs allowed) L 5.2/4 - 2.1/0 W 3.1/3 - 5.2/1 L 4.1/1 - 3.2/2 W 4.1/3 - 4.2/0 W 5.0/2 - 4.0/5 L 2.0/5 - 7.0/4 W 5.2/0 - 3.1/0 W 5.0/0 - 4.0/1 L 4.2/4 - 4.1/4 W 4.2/1 - 4.1/1 L 4.0/5 - 5.0/1 L 5.0/2 - 4.0/1 W 5.0/2- 4.0/0 L 4.0/0- 5.2/3 L 4.0/ 0- 4.0/5 L 7.0/2- 1.0/4 L 4.2/2- 5.0/3 (plus 1 ghost runner) W 6.0/1- 3.0/0 L 3.0/0- 5.0/0 W 4.0/0- 5.0/1 L 7.0/0- 2.0+/1 (+ ghost runner scored) L 4.1/3- 3.2/6 W 5.2/0- 3.2/0 L 5.0/2- 5.0/7 L 5.0/0- 4.0/8 L 5.0/3- 4.0/1 L 6.0/0-4.0/2 L 2.2/3- 6.1/0 The pen has done better in 12 games. The starters have done better in 14. They did about the same in 3 games. The pen as done okay to well in 18 games. The starters have done okay to well in 19 games.

The pen has actually done better than the starter in a lot of games, just not so much recently.

We just picked up Carlos Martinez, and he started, today: 0.2 IP 4 H 5 ER 2 BB 0 K DHern is relief: 3 IP 0 h 1 ER 3 BB 4 K Fitzy his his 8th and Casas his 6th. Duran went 0-4 & Downs 0-2 w a BB. The Sea Dogs lost, too. Santos: 4 IP 7 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K Koss with a 3-run HR. Granberg 1-2 w 2 BBs & Hamilton 1-4. Greenville won 10-3 without Northcut even getting a hit. Yorke 2-5 Espin & Erro 3-4 Binelas 1-3 w BB Jimenez 1-4 w 2 runs Drohan 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K Salem lost the first game of 2. Ugueto & Lopez went 2-3 w a BB Kavadas & Jordan 1-3 Lopez has a dinger in game 2.

I'd put Fitzy ahead of Granberg.

The shift is definitely analytics related. Taking pitchers out earlier based on the 3rd time through data is related to analytics, for sure, but managers have always used data, match-up and things like pitch count, baater v pitcher data, which is also analytics- though maybe cruder- for many many years. When I look at teh data, I see guys like Wacha and Hill have done better than Eovaldi and Pivettta the third time through a line-up, yet Cora chooses the opposite as the analytics I see.

It seems like Cora makes a lot of "gut choices," but maybe something is telling him to do them. Managers have always looked at match-ups and splits to make many choices. Sure, they do it more, now and use more stats and metrics, but I'm not sure it's changes all that much.

Yes, I certainly think we'd have a better chance with Whitlock or Houck closing. I think they misused Houck by piggybacking him, and I always felt Whitlock's profile was batter than Houck as a starter and both would be good to great closers. The more I watch Houck pitch, the more convinced I am he'd be a better closer ( 1 or 2 innings) than starter. I think Whitlock would do great in any role.

Nice throw by Arroyo! Reminded me of the Damon throw that Manny cut off about 30-40 feet away.

Name them and who should be starting, instead.

I don't disagree, except it's 5, not 6 games. We were tied in one of those games, and with this offense, counting on them scoring is a stretch. Also, Whiltock does not have a 0.00 ERA, so expecting him to be that in those 6 games is a stretch, too. You do remember, he blew his first save opportunity and game of the season. Also, looking at his 3 starts, yes, we lost all three, but not because he did poorly in any of them. He put us in a position to win, but we happened to lose. It's easy to look back and say those were wasted innings, but only because we lost all 3. I'm not disagreeing with those who want or wanted Whitlock closing, either as a 1 inning guy or a 1-2 inning guy, but if we look at how Houck and Whitlock have pitched, so far and go only by that, which is what you seem to be doing with Whitlock, Houck has done well in his first innings pitched, and it seems, if that is transferable, he'd have done very well as a closer, and Whitlock might have won some of those starts he made, and he'd have had more starts than just 3 It's all conjecture, of course.

It took years to build up the Rays system, and it relied and still relies a lot on the farm. I think expecting Bloom to rebuild the farm in such a short time, where it would be instantly providing ML talent, might be a little unrealistic. The finding of the "gems in the rough" aspect of the Rays' Way has been pretty hit or miss, so far for Bloom, since joining the Sox, but he did have a few nice hits, including Whitlock (rule 5), Wacha, Hill, Strahm, Schwarber, Iggy, Shaw I, Kike ('21) and a few other that have done okay. The list of misses is just as long, if not longer, including some higher paid misses like Richards, Perez (twice), Stroy (so far), Marwin, Andriese & Diekman. I think Bloom will be given until 2023, at the earliest to build a highly competitive team. By then, some of the farm help will be making an impact, too.

Like Bogey and Sale (with some cash) to the Dodgers? Like Betts & Price.

It's a snake bite season, for sure.

Why didn't they think it was a scam, last year? On paper, the teams were of pretty similar value on opening day. (Remember, we added Scwarber, Iggy, Shaw and Robles, last summer.)

Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark.

Isn't saying had Whitlock been the closer... also "playing the what if game?" One could what if Houck as the closer, too, and it would negate all his games where he let up crooked numbers after 2-3 IP, as well as providing shut out 1 inning outings many times... in theory. We're all "whit iffing," at this point. Certianly had we used Whitlock as the closer, instead of what we did use him as, we might have a few more wins, but none of us really know how any of our what ifs would have worked out, except to say, "We could not have done much worse."

Time to try Houck as the closer. (I know: broken record, here.)

Maybe we can bring Feltman up. Hart pitched a no hitter for 6 innings, then Gillies let up 3, and Feltman blew the save letting up 2. Potts went 3 for 3 and is heating up. As mentioned before, Murphy's nice outing was ruined by an error by Wilson, and the pen imploding. Greenville lost, too, despite Northcuts granny and 2 walks by Binelas & Lugo. Salem completed the clean sweep of all 5 Sox teams, today. Kavadas went 2 for 3 with 2 BBs to raise his OPS to 1.004.

Can't disagree, but we could try Houck as the closer, so that could be on Cora not Bloom, assuming it would have worked.

Why not try Houck and end this piggy back cah-cah?

They come out of the woodwork in times like these, then you never see them, when we win. The problem is, we can't win, so we're stuck with the troll clown brigade.

Brutal.

There are other situations you bring someone in to try and get it right, but this is not one. Not that we have anyone better to bring in, since Houck is locked into piggy backing Hill.

Bringing in Barnes in the 10th is not really a new way to lose, though.