oldtimer

I'm with you on this. JBJ is a great centerfield presence while Beni has made some significant LF plays against the Astros. Clearly all three are better than JDM in the outfield in range and probably break on balls. i agree that Cora is in the best position to make that decision and I will be satisfied with whatever decision he makes. I also note that the Sox have coaches meeting to preplan what they will do and they use the best ideas from very capable baseball people.

You are probably right.Cora is no fool. He will do the right thing.

I agree. This is a tough problem and potentially will be faced 3 times. Cora knows his players and I trust him to make a reasonable decision. If his first approach doesn't work out he can adjust as the series moves on. I personally don't have any suggestions to make.

Pat yourself on the back a few more times.

I saw Kiimbrel's main problem as lack of command of either of his pitches. Walks and hit batsmen have led to his troubles. When he was forced to come over the plate with a meatball, he was hit. Maybe it was lack of regular work that led to his lack of command,maybe it got into his head but in truth, he was wild and did struggle. His four seam fastball is a tough pitch to hit but he has to get it over to enduce a swing. His knuckle curve was missing in action of last. When he gets that pitch over, it is almost unhittable. If he does develop a slider that he can control then he would be even more of a force. Maybe Cora haas gained a better idea of what works for Kimbrel.

During the season, many fans that contribute to the discussion offered constructive criticisms aimed to improve the team. Polllyanna's rushed to bash anything that might be considered criticism, maybe to stroke their own ego's. The truth is we have a very good team that certainly could get better, but is under constraints that limit what could have been done this year and what can be done moving forward. What is often lost in the discussion is that while we have areas which clearly could be improved, all of our opponents do as well. The Yankees weak defense in the infield and at catcher. Their dependence on the homerun, their problems with starting pitching. The Astros are a more complete team than the Yankees, but their pitching was not as good as touted and they were held down in runs by what some in baseball considered our weakish starting and Relief pitching. Clearly, while we have some faults that could use adjustents going forward, we are still better than the two powerhouse teams we faced to date. We may well be favored in the WS as some in the media are realizing that the Sox are a really good team.

Watch out, we may be favored against either.

So, any changes for the WS roster? Is anyone injured? Do we see different needs? Has performance suggested possible changes? It is hard to see a lot of positive changes that could be made to improve things. Here are my possibles: 1. Workman based on his perfformance and lack of use. Do we have a pitcher that might be a better fit? I can't see a clear improvement. 2. Swihart never saw the light of day, but is a versatile athlete who has some hitting ability. Lin is an alternative but not really better. 3. Nunez got a lot of PT but don't know the status of his ankle, hamstring, knee issues. I assume the days off will allow him to recover. We may well just stand pat. 2.

Unbeatable one minute and losers the next. The Astros learn that the game is humbling.

Cora went to Kimbrel. Got to be good for him and his confidence to close this one out. Same could be said of Price. Cora stuck with him and it paid off. Same for Devers who came through tonight and has to be a growth experience for the kid. Lots of decisions by Cora and so many worked out.

Funny how both of JBJ's big home runs were hit to right field. Beni also doubled high off the right center field wall last night.

I think Kimbrel needs to trust his stuff and go with what he has, which is enough. He gets into trouble by trying to overthrow and then he totally loses command. The difference between 96 mph and 99 mph is not that significant, especiaqlly if it causes you to lose command.

It didn't matter who the Astro's pitched, the Sox got to them. Keep hitting like that and we keep winning. Great win and we had to overcome some weakness in Porcello and Kimbrel. Great outfield play, timely hitting, a little good fortune and it's now 3 to 1 in the series. Our BP is used up for tonight's game. We may see Hembree, Workman and E-Rod tonight if Price gets behind. We need Price to suck it up for 5 innings, and Hembree to give us a couple and hope to get something out of the others. Save our best for the return to Boston and with a day off, they should be ready.

Devers is still 21 years old and is listed at 239 pounds, which is not exactly where you would like a mobile 3rd baseman to be. If he tends to add pounds, he would probably not improve his range at 3rd. If he can learn to play 1st, it is likely where he will end up. The question is whether the team will make that move as soon as next year. If it does, then it would not make sense to hold onto 2 left handed 1st basemen so your possibility of trading Moreland is a reasonable assumption. For now, it looks like Devers will be our primary 3rd baseman for the PO's with Nunez nursing injuries.

Just as I was thinking. The defense at 3rd continues to be a weakness, and there is little to be done about it this year. The offense from 2nd base is also a weakness due to Kinsler's slump. We can play Holt there with a defensive/offensive tradeoff. Just a side comment. The Yankees have a lineup full of really large players with major power, while both the Astros and the Red Sox have a lot of really good smaller players who still can hit. Astros (Altuve, Bregman, Kemp), Red Sox (betts, Beni, JBJ, Pearce). Don't know if there is any significance to this but the Astros and Red Sox are playing in the ALCS while the Yankees are out.

Maybe Cleveland would like to know.

Nunez has looked extra shaky at 3rd and it may be partially due to his gimpy leg. Devers is no great shakes. I don't know if Holt is much of an improvement defensively. Something to address in the off season.

So who goes into game 4 at 3rd base and who at 2nd? Watching Bregman play 3rd land seeing our guys is a world apart. @nd base is more about hitting. Devedrs and Holt?

Eovaldi was great although not backed up by good 3rd base defense. Brasier also looked great tonight. Barnes with a 6 run lead walked the first batter. Why do that? Kelly did his job and E-Rod got more valuable PO experience and threw mainly strikes. Our maligned Bullpen is getting it done. On to game 4 with a Porcello who has been pitching very well. He goes in with a BP that is rested and ready. Barnes, Kelly and even Brasier can be used again as well as Price if need be.

JBJ, I will never again question your value to the team. Two games in a row you have gotten the key hit to win the game. Great win by the Sox. As others have said, this masks a weak spot of the team, which is 3rd base defense.

I agree, both nunez and now Devers letting his pitcher down.

If I read you right, you are saying that you should only pay a pitcher big money and give him an extended contract if he has consistently shown elite pitching over a long time frame. I am not trying to put words in your mouth but that is what I think you are implying. The problem with pitchers who have shown consistency over a long period is they also have a lot of innings under their belt and may be starting into decline. Perhaps Price is an example of that.

I like your humor. To be effective in multi-innning stints, Kimbrel would need more in his arsenal than a four seamer that moves and a knuckle curve. If he has trouble locating either of those, the hitters can sit on the other. The Astros as smart hitters and make Kimbrel less effective.

I'll wait for the season to play out before making further suggestions for the follow on, but I will point out that Porcello has been a quality pitcher, an inning eater, and doesn't seem to get injured. Hate to lose his presence.

Maybe if we drive out the lefty. If Kinsler doesn't hit again today, I hope Cora uses that point to keep him out of further starting assignments. Velocity is not his friend and perhaps todays starter doesn't have that velocity. I do have trust in Cora's judgment. I would have started Holt and Devers but Cora is in the best position to determine that.