moonslav59

So now maybe our rotation ain't the 2d best in the majors. A weeks or so ago the Sox had the third best ERA in MLB, and now they are 7th. The good news is they are still 3d best in the AL behind the Yankees and Astros. And they are #1 in MLB in runs scored. ERA- (or ERA+) is a much better tool on judging or ranking team pitching success. Leaving Wright in so long yesterday knocked us down a notch, but we are still 4th in MLB in ERA- 71 Astros 80 Cubs 81 Yankees 82 Red Sox 84 Brewers 87 Nats On offense, we've scored 15 more runs than the Yanks but have played 4 more games. They still edge us in runs scored per game.

I hate tiny sample sizes, but I have to throw this out there.... Last 2 games bottom 7-9 batting slots' OPS numbers: Yankees 1 for 19 Red Sox 11 for 28 The tide is turning.

Yes, what a bummer for JBJ, Maybe, we keep it going tomorrow.

Nice to see Devers get back over .700. Moreland's back over .900. Here's the updated numbers: 1.116 Betts (went down despite getting on base in 3 of 6 PAs tonight!) 1.037 JMart .919 Moreland .915 Beni .843 Bogey .796 Holt .708 Devers .631 Nunez .630 Leon .570 JBJ .550 Vazquez .393 Swihart

Well, with all the criticism of our 7-9 hitters and the dooming of them for the rest of the season might finally be exposed as Yankee wishful thinking. Our 7-9 hitters are 11 for their last 28 (.393). Tiny sample size? Yes, but there were signs of a little life over the past few weeks, especially when compared the first 4-6 weeks of the season.

20 hits, including 6 from our 7-9 hitters. NICE!

Hard to bitch at Mitch 3 Hits on the night

J "freakin' D for president!

Is that the first time Blake got a useful hit for us this year?

I just about never bitch about in game calls, but that was horrible.

The Yanks put these guys in a funk. Time for us to keep them there.

I've seen quite a few die-hard, drunk Sox fans singing along with gusto.

I'm not saying JBJ is going to have a hot streak, but it only takes a few days or weeks to add over 100 points to an OPS. JBJ in 2017 .537 May 14 .644 May 25 .765 June 1 .850 June 25 Yes, he has more PAs at this point, so the OPS does not go up or down as quickly, but I still think it's possible JBJ ends up over .700. 2016 .586 April 23 .805 May 3 .906 May 11 1.001 May 14 The guy went 15 for 25 from May 8th to May 13th. One stretch like that soon, and JBJ's numbers would not be an issue. 2015 .426 August 8 (24th game) .559 August 9 .658 August 14 .840 August 15 .951 September 4th (46th game) 1.016 Sept 7 He had mini streaks of 13 for 17 with 3 HRs and 6 2B+3Bs and 15 for 26 with 2 HRs and 6 2b+3Bs. Three years in a row, JBJ has had some red hot (but short) streaks. He looked pretty bad most of the other time. I'm not sure this year will be any different.

Plus, Fulmer sucks.

Cracklin' Rosie

Is Tanaka going to continue as he has over 11 weeks? That was my point. It seems you only think Yankee players will return to their norm but not Sox players.

I find it funny you explain away Tanaka's troubles as "rough spot every year", but you fail to recognize JBJ's history as being very similar in those terms.

I expected to see Nunez and Holt in the OF more this year, even with Pedey on the bench. I guess trying to make JD happier is a big factor, and with Nunez's knee making him look hobbled, our hands are tied to some extent. JBJ looks to be the everyday CF'er- sink or swim. If we traded Swihart and brought up Lin, maybe we could use Holt in the OF more often, but I'm not sue if that is a net gain, unless Lin mashes at 2B. How likely is that? 2018 Innings in the OF 623 Beni 572 JBJ 478 Betts (was on DL) 257 JMart 69 Swihart 53 Holt 9 Travis 2B innings: 470 Nunez 175 Holt (should be more) 27 Pedey 15 Lin

I agree. I seriously doubt we go large anywhere. Last year, it was Fister (off waivers), Reed, Nunez and R Davis. I expect something similar to that this year, but it might just be one or two players depending on the salary costs.

ERA- is a better stat than just plain old ERA. We edge the Yanks in ERA-, but our starters have been much better.

It's our weak spot, so Jacko attacks it. I get that, but the disrespect shown towards our SP'ers is not logical. He assumes our weak hitters will continue to be weak all season, but I guess he does not assume the Yankees' starting pitchers will continue to not be anywhere near how our starters have done and presumably should continue to do by his criteria of judging our weak hitters. Here's a look at SP'er ERA- (adjusted ERA): AL Ranking: 1. Wright (10) 5. Severino (54) 9. Sale (64) 19. Sabathia (79) 21. Porcello (80) 23. ERod (81) 27. Montgomery (27) 30. Price (89) Yes, we have 5 starters in the top 30 with all being at 89 or lower. 53. Tanaka (110) 60. Gray (117) 65. German (122) 77. Pom (150) I don't see Pom starting for us in the playoffs. I do think Gray and/or Tanaka are expected to be playoff starters. Team numbers: 73 Astros 80 Guardians 83 Red Sox 90 Yankees 95 Angels 96 Twins To be fair, the Yankee pen looks mightier: 68 Astros (1.05 WHIP) 68 Yankees (1.10 WHIP) 75 Red Sox (1.21 WHIP) Overall: 71 Astros 80 Red Sox 82 Yankees

many RP'er have stretches of greatness. Not that many are consistently good like Hand. GMs know this.

I doubt anyone clicks the links. None of your words suggested the larger picture. You made your point based on 2018. I'm not doubting my offer might have been light, but Treinen will not come close to the haul of Hand, unless the money becomes a factor.

Your lineup is being carried by 1, 3, 4, 5. Your 2 slot is hitting well enough, but not compared to peers. That being said, the guy occupying it with regularity now has an OPS over .900. No moves to be made. 1-5, you have guys in your lineup OPS'ing at least .849 or higher, with 4 of those guys above .900. The 6 spot at 4th in the AL is more an indictment on the rest of the AL. 7-9 is a ghost town. You might be right about our 6 slot ranking, but although our 7-9 slots rank poorly, just how far are they from the mean or average OPS by slot? 7th slot: .603 AL mean: .672 AL avg: .680 8th slot: .562 AL mean: .611 AL avg: .657 9th slot: .671 AL mean: .617 AL avg: .620 6th slot: .756 AL mean: .711 AL avg: .711 I'm not defending a .597 OPS from our 7-9 slots, but I seriously doubt they hit near that over the rest of the season. It would be a serious dip from everyone's career numbers and last 2-3 year numbers. .597 vs this... 2016-2018: .749 JBJ .732 Nunez (with BOS) .718 Leon .682 Holt .645 Vaz None were even close to .597. .597 vs career OPS .723 Nunez .709 JBJ .697 Holt .658 Leon .639 Vaz I'm sorry, but I'm going with larger sample sizes as a predictor over a 10 week sample size. I'm not cherry-picking. I've always looked at the longer picture.

JBJ has looked lost at times, often long stretches, every season. Maybe he never gets hot. Maybe he does. Vaz and Leon are middle of the pack over-all catchers. They are below average hitters, but they get the most out of the staff. They are not weak links. 2B has looked bad, and who knows if Nunez is hurt or just sucking. Holt has buffed up over the winter, so maybe he won't fade this year. We may make a trade to beef up the bottom 3, but we may not need to. I brought up the Yankee players who are struggling to make a point. I notice you did not answer. Of course you expect the players I listed to do better-- just as I expect our strugglers to turn things around- at least some of them.