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Mimi The concern for the starting five was only part of the issue. Another potentially bigger concern is the other end of the season. And even then, even if all the starters start every game from here on out, it doesn't mean having depth was a bad idea that was overblown. If your house doesn't burn down, was your need for homeowners insurance "overblown"?

So 8 games into the season and we know starter depth was overblown? I'm not sure if people get the idea of what depth is...

Are you actually arguing the manager does not know how to handle pitchers because he left the starter in for too long while he had an EIGHT RUN LEAD IN THE EIGHTH INNING?!?!!?

Exactly. But the gist of this thread seems to be just to unload him.

Not to mention, Blackmon has a career .971 OPS in Coors and a .750 OPS everywhere else. So unless the Sox move to Denver, how much of an improvement is Blackmon over Bradley and his career .723 OPS?

You make it sound like his defense is so easily replaced. Benintendi is nowhere near the same level of defense. Really, it would have to be someone from the outside if you want to improve the position. How do you suppose the Sox acquire that player? Internally? There isn't much. Rusney Castillo has shown himself to be a talented defender, but his offense has been sporadic in limited tries in MLB. But more important, he has also shown to be a reckless defender with a tendency to injure himself. And beyond him, the Sox don't have much else in the way of capable outfield depth, especially if your primary concern is offense. According to Fangraphs, from 2015 to 2017, only 7 centerfielders played better defense than Bradley and his 19.3 dWAR. Of those 7, only Lorenzo Cain provided more oWAR. AJ Pollock did provide slightly less defense and a significantly larger offensive contribution, but both players also tallied exactly the same 9.4 fWAR. (While Pollock did so in 300 fewer plate appearances, the margin for improvement might still not be as much as people think.) Now the Sox did pass on the chance to trade Bradley and his .467 OPS to the Dodgers for Yasiel Puig and his .476 OPS. Would THAT deal have made everyone happy? Are we .009 OPS points away from being satisfied? It's not broken. Ride out his slump and realize that even if Bradley was posting an OPS over 1.400, the Sox would not be much better than 7-1 right now....

He still contributes when he isn't at the plate. And, yes, I think his defense does make up for even his worst offensive stretches. I know it's easy to take his play in CF for granted and assume it doesn't make up for an 0 for 4. But that also could mean you're overestimating the importance of 4 plate appearances against being on thr field for 30-35 plays...

Are these banned substances so common players ingest them every time they eat a Big Mac or drink Country Time lemonade? Maybe I'm wrong but I have to think most if not all are isolated enough that any ingestion is intentional...

No but he can sand a canoe with his bacne...

So much for my assumption that he was trade bait. ..

31 pages dedicated to getting rid of the ninth spot hitter because he hasn't been hitting for 7 games?

Trade him for what? Just to run him out of town? At least name a position you'd want to fill if you cant think of a player. The Sox turned down offers for Encarnacion and Puig for him over the winter.

Melancon had two save chances in Boston. I don't think that qualifies him as a "failed closer." He had one season in Boston with some injuries and an overall awful year (possibly due to the injuries?) But he's not much for validating the argument...

Is it hindsight if he does it and it works? I think it's a little silly to call out the manager for sitting players sometimes. Unlike us, Cora talks to these guys and knows how they feel each and every day. And we've all watched enough baseball to know giving a player a day off before an off day is very common as it gives him multiple days to heal up the bumps and bruises of day to day games. Sure Betts had to be used last night, but then it's not like Cora knew the game would go to extra innings. This team is 5-1 in all road games, and yet everyone seems to find reasons to question Cora largely based on him making decisions they wouldn't make. At what point does the big picture matter?

1. Not so sure Barnes' walks of Anderson and Bout were as intentional as you imply. 2. Throwing strikes right down the middle to Justin Bour is a very quick way to end the game, but not with the result we all wanted. 3. Cameron Maybin is the Marlins' best hitter? Hottest, maybe. But not their best or even close. 4. If not for one bad inning on opening day, would this thread even exist?

So as of now, the Sox starting pitching has not given up more than 1 earned run in any game for 6 games in a row. That's absolutely insane...

No mention of the Yankee Stadium nachos?

Rather he sat Benintendi or Martinez? The guys who produced the Sox only run in the first nine?

I'm sure thats happened before. Or are you saying you're positive he made this decision without talking to Betts? It looks like sitting Betts was the right move. If Cora sat Martinez or Benintendi, the Sox likely would have lost this game in nine...

Hey crazy thought. Maybe Cora actually talked to Betts and Mookie thought he needed the day off. Managers do have the chance to do that. ..

That's another possibility. Just a less likely one...

Supplying data as support isn't the same as simply countering with opinions. Countering with observations and supporting logic is another matter. ..

That's a very flawed counterargument. "It hasn't been proven so therefore it's bogus." It's not like traditional lineup construction has been proven. If Cora had been drawing lineups out of a hat, would the Sox be sco ring more, less or the same? While personally I do think lineups matter, I'm willing to bet the standard style lineup construction we all learned growing up isn't nearly as optimized as we think. The logic behind it appears very flawed in many cases...

Yes. Swihart should be a much bigger addition than JD Martinez. ..

Wow. It didn't take long at all to get to the " we're winning but not by enough" complaints. What happens if the changes don't work in the first game?