moonslav59

Last 10: 10-0 TBR 8-2 NYY 7-3 BOS It's not like the Sox are choking.

Speaking of line-ups, and I don't want my opinion to come across as being critical of Cora, I'm wondering about trying to maximize the efficiency of our line-up with just 4 solid hitters that are separated by a wide gulf between them and the rest. The modern line-up theory goes like this: Best overall hitter second (Bogey) Next best 4th (JD) or 5th (Devers). 4th best, if he has a decent OB% is is not super slow goes 1st (Verdugo). Your 5th best hitter goes 4th (Kike or Renfroe or Dalbecvs LHPs) Best line-up? 1. Verdugo 2. Bogey 3. Kike v R/ Dalbec v L 4. JD 5. Devers 6. Santana v R/ Renfroe v L 7. Vaz v R/ Kike or Santana v L 8. Arroyo v R/ Arroyo, Kike or Santana v L 9. Marwin/Arroyo/Santana/Kike v R Vaz v L

Bazardo is ahead of Brennan, and when Brasier is ready, so will he. If Brennan is next on the pecking order, then yes, he has a better chance than Workman. Also, when is Seabold going to pitch again?

I still think Workman has a better chance of seeing time with BOS than Brennan.

fanraphs showed .363.

It has to be wrong date mojo, but it was worth a try. Max has given us 9 and 3 game winning streaks. He doesn't deserve any complaints.

Even his K/BB% has changed dramatically from April to May: 20.9% April (led all Sox starters) 16.2% May LD% 25.0% April 30.4% May Hard Hit% 27.1% April 29.1% May BAbip .363 April .461 May

It would likely show a lot of teams tied at 3, 4 or 5 runs. We've had 24 games where we scored 4 or less runs and 24 scoring 5 or more runs. The next game will determine if our median is 4 or 5. (28 games played) Our median for runs allowed is 4. (22 at 0-3, 8 at 4 and 18 at 5 or more.) So maybe our median game score is 5-4. Rays Scoring 4 (20 games at 0-3, 7 at 4 and 21 at 5 or more.) Allowed: 3 (17 at 0-3, 10 at 3 and 21 at 4 or more. The Rays median game score is 4-3. Yanks (47 games): Scoring: 3 (15 games at 0-2 runs, 9 at 3 and 23 at 4+) Allowed: 3 (17 at 0-2, 8 and 3, and 22 at 4+) The Yanks median game score 3-3. Jays (45 games) Scoring: 4 (16 at 0-3, 7 at 4, and 22 at 5+) Allowed: 4 (19 at 0-3, 7 at 4 and 19 at 5+) Jays median score: 4-4 I'm not sure this tells a very different story, except that we are one low-scoring game away from a median 4-4 score, while the Rays have a solid 4-3 median score.

Last time he got the date wrong, we won 9 straight! Ease up on Max!

You mean Workman? Yes.

They are good because they were better than good over his first few starts. His peripherals have not been good over his last 4 starts. First 4 starts: 26 K 2 BB 18 H in 23.0 IP Last 4 starts 23 K 8 BB 30 H in 20.0 IP He's not the same pitcher.

I think we have to plan as though Sale gives us nothing, and whatever he gives will be icing on the cake. I think there's a good chance Duran gives us plus play, this summer, perhaps even as early as June. Other than Houck, Bazardo & Brasier, I'm not sure we can count on anything else from the system.

Maybe it's not obvious to him, and he's a competitor that has probably pitched when tired or hurt before. Yes, if he is feeling serious affects, he should say something, but a manager needs to notice things, too. I think giving him 4 extra days rest due to the two days off, this week may help, but maybe he needs even longer. The best plan might be to let him pitch with 4 extra days rest then skip a start, and see how he looks afterwards. Maybe he needs an IL stint, right now. It's hard to know.

I don't think the fact that he allowed those 4 runs in the first inning not the 4th shows he can't be wore out or weakened by the COVID experience. The is a lot of anecdotal evidence that people go from feeling strong to felling weak and tired off and on over long periods of time. I'm not sure anyone can ever know what is causing ERod to look "off." It could just be not pitching for a year plus. Maybe he just needs a little more time. Maybe the more he pitches, the more he gets tired and gets worse and worse. Maybe he'll be fine his next start going forward. maybe he needs a start or two off or even more. With Houck out and Whitlock not stretched out enough, who could start? Gossett has looked good, but he's not on the 40. Neither is Weber or Winckowski

The 3 best records are in the ALE. The 3 best NL records are in the NL West. Has that ever happened?

Let's hope that's all it is. There is also some evidence of long term COVID affects on the heart, nervous system, lungs and more.

We are still first in runs scored: 249 BOS 248 CWS 243 LAD 235 TBR 233 ATL 8. TOR 222 20. NYY 189 We are first in OPS .774 BOS .761 HOU .758 ATL .757 LAD .756 CIN 7. TOR .741 11. TBR .723 18. NYY .701 ERA- 67 SDP 76 NYY 80 LAD 81 CWS 8. TBR 89 10. BOS 90 11. TOR 93 The Rays being 4th in runs scored but 11th in team OPS suggests some luck, but this is no smoke and mirrors team. They are 21st in BAbip at .281. Their pitching and defense is better than ours. BTW, why is there no OPSbip stat? BAbip seems so out-dated.

The Olympic tournament is something I did not know about. It could be the reason Duran has not been called up, or maybe Sox brass still does not think he's ML ready. I trust they know what they are doing, and when he's called up, he'll be "ready." This give Chavis a little more time to "prove he belongs," but even 2 more weeks is not really enough time. He's has about 600 PAs at the ML level, spread out over 3 seasons. His career .732 mark is not bad for a player's first 600 PAs. It is not a reason to give up on him. I realize sometimes the baseball gods are not kind or fair, and if Duran looks ML ready, it might come at Chavis's expense. so be it. Ther promise Chavis brings to the table does not seem to match Duran's promise. We won't go to 12 pitchers. We won't trade or DFA Marwin. The only 2 options are Chavis or Santana.

...and just because they are better than Cordero's after 7 weeks, does not mean the trade was bad. Cordero may still prove to be worth something. He still has 2 more years of control to one more for Beni. Winckowski had looked very promising. The money saved got us Renfroe or Sawamura, plus whatever we save, next year- Beni's last arb year. The 3 PTBNLs may end up being the best part of the deal, but even if none do anything, the trade still looks decent to good, as of now.

If we waited a year, the team getting him gets one year not two. I think our timing was just right.

Nice!

They were only "the best" for the first game, but you guys are red hot, especially Torres and your SP'ers.

Yes, it wasn't you, and 7 HRs is very impressive to start a season. My point is that once Cordero goes down for Arroyo, the guys Duran might replace have looked pretty good, too. Chavis had 7 HRs in 21 games at AAA, last year and has 24 Hrs in 571 career PAs in the bigs. The bigs- not AAA. He has an .806 OPS, this year. Dalbec is one of our hottest hitters (1.149 in last 8 games). Santana has homered in both of his first 2 games. He had 3 HRs in 8 games on the farm, this year, too. Surely, he deserves a longer look, especially since he's already proven he can have a great ML season. He did it twice. Marwin has hit under .560 in April and May, but he's Cora's guy and plays several positions well enough to be useful/ There's nobody else. I realize Chavis draws the shortest straw, but I just think he deserves a longer look.

Dalbec is not "becoming an offensive liability." He's one of our hottest hitters. I agree he struggles vs RHP, so a platoon might be best. Duran and Arroyo won't help with that. Dalbec has 3 2Bs & 3 HRs (some huge ones) in his last 8 games. His OPS over that time is 1.149 (10 RBI). Chavis only has had 3 looks- one during COVID season.This look, he has done pretty good in just 31 PAs (4 2B & 1 HR) with an .806 OPS. He has a career .732 OPS in 571 PAs with 24 HRs. That's a good enough start to a career to get another or longer look. I'm not against bringing up Duran. His bat certainly looks ML ready, and maybe if his glove isn't, it might still be worth it. Bringing him up sure looks like it makes sense. If he can play CF FT, we can use Hernandez or Santana to platoon in LF when Verdugo plays RF vs RHPs and Renfroe sist vs righties. Kike can play 2B with Arroyo. Santana can platoon with Dalbec at 1B. That does leave Chavis as a 3rd stringer at 1B and 2B, so I can see why he would be the choice for Duran, but I think he deserves a longer look. Keeping Duran down so Chavis gets a longer look sounds dumb, I agree, and he'll likely get another chance at some point due to an injury, so when Duran is deemed ready by Bloom & Co., I'd have no issue with Chavis being sent down. There really is no other option barring a trade of Santana or Marwin, which I seriously doubt is even being considered. Santana won't be sent down, soon.

Today on the farm: Worchester 4-0 (5 SBs) Gossett 6 IP 0 ER 4H, 2 BB, 5K Workman 1 IP 0 ER 1H, 0 BB, 0 K Duran 0-5 Arroyo 1-5 w 2B Munoz 1-4 Downs 2 for 3 BB Portland 7-2 Winckowski 5.2 IP 2 ER 7H, 2BB, 4K (ERA now 1.80) Casas 2-5 HR 3RBI Meneses 2-5 HR 3 RBI Greenville 12-13 Reed 2-4 HR (his 6th) Salem 14-8 Jimenez 1-6 HR Team Records: 11-7 Worcester 11-7 Portland 8-10 Greenville 11-7 Salem