oldtimer

Be glad that we didn't go after him.

I would consider replacing Hanley for next season if we can get out of his contract somewhat cheaply. I warrant, that he has done a decent to good job defensively at first base, but having a middle of the lineup power hitter that is inconsistent at bat and who is ageing, is not what will make the club a pennant contender. I note that the Yankees have been getting rid of their older non-productive players and even trading some of their pitching assets to get solid young players. All of a sudden they are winning and may surprise a lot of people and catch the Red Sox in the standings. You noted some of our young assets who may compete for the 3 positions where we need a boost. If we can fill two of those from within, we can possibly find a DH from within. Thinking Young and Swihart. I agree that our pitching needs the most work.

Onlu lasted a little over 4 innings tonight and giving up 3 earned runs in those innings. He has looked good in relief but his start highlighted Buchholz problems.

Tonight's lineup featured Pedey leading off with Bogaerts and Betts following. As good as they are, it was the bottom of the lineup that did the most damage with Leon, Holt in LF and Benintendi giving Bradley a rest in CF. The more Leon plays the more confident I am that we are not seeing a flash in the pan, but instead a solid offensive force. Good news that Holt contributed and Benintendi also hit well.Having Benintendi does give us three interchangeable outfielders and any of them can play all three positions. Good insurance going forward.

Hanley's hitting has been an enigma. As you say, he goes off here and there but in between looks weak and turns into a rally killer. What is the difference when he hit? Is it a weak opponent pitcher? Is it that he gets angry or focused? His body of work hasn't been very good for a first baseman and is likely to get worse as he ages. When you pay a guy $22 million a year, you should expect a very effective hitter and decent field player. We have gotten better play at first then his experiment in the outfield but his hitting remains in question.

And Kimbrel the night before that. Really difficult to understand.

Our offensive juggernaut has morphed into a naut while our relief pitching is anything but. Who is to blame? The players? The general attitude in the locker room? I find some of these failings hard to put on JF's shoulders, but at seasons end, he will be a target. The manager is easier to change than the players. Maybe someone else could do better is the idea. It appears we will slide out of the playoffs soon and if that happens, young players should be brought up to replace the older and under performing guys. Be good to get a decent look at those we think of as having a future in September.

I agree that Hanley is as you put killing us as he hasn't been hitting much at all. I am not sure why you say Ortiz is killing us and maybe I misinterpret your words here. Ortiz has been hitting the ball hard and in bad luck. Last night he walked 3 times and gave the likes of Hanley opportunities to do something. Nothing happened there. Hill and Shaw platooning against lefties/righties seems to make sense except Hill hasn't been hitting of late and Shaw does have more pop when he makes contact. We do have some good hitters in the lineup, with Betts, Pedey, Ortiz, JBJ, Bogaerts (needs to make adjustments), Leon and Benintendi. To me, Hanley is the black hole and rally killer. None of our lineup will matter unless we get better pitching.

I wouldn't say he sucks. He only gave up 1 run while in although he did through a lot of pitches. I think both Price and Pomeranz suffer from not having a put away pitch so wind up in long battles getting guys out.

Last night's Yankee game turned into a disaster for the relief pitching. Giving up a 5 run 7th inning with a succession of pitchers unable to get outs. That's after Kimbrel couldn't find the plate the night before. Can't blame JF for any of that. The outlook can't be considered positive with a breakdown in a key area as we witnessed last night. Funny thing is Abad had good stuff but would use part of the at bat, it only to give up fat pitches instead of staying with his best. The lineup looked interesting with Betts batting third and most of the guys looking good with the exception of Hanley and the 3rd base combo. Hanley is 0 for 9 against the Yankees after coming back from a poor road trip. Shaw was suspect against lefties but Hill was no better so that move didn't work. With so many base runners last night,one hit from that duo would have produced runs. Maybe some move could be made to stop the rally killing there. With Ortiz getting a contusion on his shin, Bogaerts getting plunked on the elbow with a fast ball and Betts having a sore calf muscle the woes continued. Hard game to watch! No championship quality ball.

The latest news about the pitching staff sounds bad for the club. Wright was scratched from his start Thursday night as he is suffering from a sore shoulder.

The management made the decision on Beni and it appears that it was justified although it is too early. I didn't have to look hard to find one reference to thinking playing Holt instead of Benintendi would be fine. See DOJJI on 8/6, which reads: "Since returning from his concussion Holt has a slash line of .284/.354/.446/.800 -- perfectly adequate. I'm not in a hurry to play Benintendi at the expense of Holt right now, the chance that he'll improve on a .800 OPS line at this stage in his career is substantially less than the chance of Holt continuing to play adequately." We need to remember how the discussion went on the Benintendi call up when the next in line comes up. To me DD is doing the job quite well.

I know your not a big fan of Hanley (neither am I) and would trade him if we could find any reasonable deal. I too see Holt as possible trade bait with Hernandez waiting in the wings but I would keep Hill as a utility infielder. Swihart will undergo ankle surgery so his recovery may take some time next season. I would err on the side of caution with Encarnacion. Long term contracts for high $$$ rarely work out for guys late in their careers. I would not bat Moncada as a designated hitter. The kid has enormous potential and needs to find a home in the field. If it be at 3rd, so much the better. One scenario is to generate a DH from utility field players existing within our team framework. The concept of moving Pedey down in the lineup somewhat is a good one. He still is a productive hitting and field player but his bat may be better placed around the 6th spot.

I don't think we all saw it coming with this kid. Many on the sight wanted to wait for him getting 100 ab's in AAA and were fine letting the team play Holt and Brentz in left field until Beni was READY. I am pleased that DD, the managers and coaches were smart enough to bring him up. Even earlier would have suited me since we definitely needed help in the outfield.

The Orioles and Blue Jays both lost yesterday so we move a game closer. There is hope in Mudville.

All truth passes through 3 stages. First it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self evident. "Schooenhauer"

Yes, that is true. Why don't you give us your thoughts on why that is the case? What remedial moves would you make to enliven the offense? Yes, and comparing WAR ratings of players doesn't give much insight when teams go into a protracted slump.

He did put two good starts together just before his last which was not good. In one of his good starts, JF should have done a better job and it could have been a win, in the other good start, the offense was non-existent. Can't fault Price for all of the losses. He has to doubt himself at this point and maybe he is trying too hard to be on the corners with all his pitches and just missing, which is pushing his walk total higher. He still is a viable starter, although not an ace.

I too would like to see speed in the lead off spot and Benintendi and Moncada both have that although they have a lot to prove regarding OB percentage. Still, it would be a big plus if they could. Moncada is a switch hitter as well but maybe his power would better translate to down in the order. Bogey hitting in second is also a good thought as his OBP is very good and his power average. Betts is good at 3rd or 4th. I don't expect Ortiz back as he was sore just after one try at 1st base. DH is an interesting topic. We have a great hitter in Ortiz who is beyond playing in the field. There are a few others who use a player that is primarily confined to only DH but another view is to have players who are position capable. Then the DH can be rotated to take advantage or R/L matchups or subbed around to rest field players. We may be in that situation next season. I would rather do that than to take on a long term contract for an ageing player.It does give more flexibility on a 25 man roster. My lineup for next year, based on hope that both Benintendi and Moncada make the jump into the majors is as follows: 1. Benintendi 2. Bogaerts 3. Moncada 4. Betts 5. Bradley 6. Pedroia/Hill 7. Shaw/Holt 8. Leon/Vazquez 9. Young/Swihart (DH) That lineup assumes Hanley is gone and that we don't go out and get a long term free agent DH. That provides for 5 outfielders, 6 infielders, 2 catchers and a super utility man to play infield or outfield and Swihart who could be a backup catcher in a pinch. The guy I left out is Hernandez who could be called up to play short if Bogaerts got injured for an extended period. The lineup provides speed up front, power in the 3, 4 and 5 slots, left/right alternating to make pitching moves difficult and solid hitting throughout. Of course wishing Benintendi and Moncada can make the grade is only hopeful, but wouldn't it be a blast.

Step back and take a couple of deep breaths. Price had a bad outing after a couple of good ones where there was little support. I never like long and expensive deals for older players and our history of late and really that of the Yankees shows the folly of them. Still, it is what it is and we will need to live with Price and he should give us some good games along the way. Meanwhile we need to get our offense going. Betts, Bogey, Bradley, Pedey, Ortiz still are stalwarts for this year and need to be energized. Shaw is not so bad and has some upside and Beni is promising. Leon has helped us a lot as well and the pitching is fairly sound for this year. Hill has been a decent sub as well as Holt. All is not lost, but our road trip was not a good one and maybe home cooking will get us straightened out and some good wins. If you are thinking of next year, with Ortiz gone we still have many elements of a good team. Moncada should be available late this season and get a chance to show his worth. The hope is that Vasquez or Swihart can handle the second catcher role which leaves us with the need for a DH and additional pitching. Encarnacion is tempting but again he is an older player who will demand a high dollar long term contract. I am not sold on Hanley doing the job so maybe we can find a less vaunted player who can do the job and also play in the field if necessary. Possibly we will develop a SP and/or RP's internally leaving us with some trade bait to fill positions where our hopes don't turn into realities.

The Sox brought Beni up because there was a weakness in left field and really no effective substitute should our CF or RF was injured. In addition, the Sox are slumping at the plate and could use another bat and some enthusiasm. Beni is a legitimate outfielder and management thought he could hit as well or better than others we have. So far his use has been spotty and mainly against righties. The kid is doing well with his second multi-hit game already plus two RBIs and a stolen base. Of course it is too early to form an opinion about his abilities, but so far they look promising. If he can morph into that early in the order guy with good bat control and speed for next year then we have found a gem and an answer to allow Mookie to hit down into a power spot.

Is the offense in a funk? If you look at batting averages of key players, they have been dropping now for some time. Perhaps they were too high and were not sustainable, but Ortiz and Bogaerts to name two have not looked as good recently, while Betts has maintained his pace. Key players off their game have a major impact on the offense. Can this be attributable to facing much better pitching or being unlucky with balls hit in play not finding holes? There are 5 other possibilities that I see as causes: 1. Players sustain nagging injuries that don’t put them out of games but impact their level of play. Sore feet, being hit by pitches, pulled or stained muscles. There are many opportunities for these players to sustain these kinds of injuries. Not much can be done about this as all teams have to play through these sorts of injuries. 2. Near exhaustion with games daily and travel in any off days plus playing in the heat of the summer have to wear on even well conditioned athletes. JF does try to rest his players at times. The schedule is tough and that rest is at least somewhat beneficial. 3. It has to be a mental strain to remain positive and interested when playing daily, when away from family, when games get lost due to errors and miscalculations. I would guess there can be friction among the players and between players and coaches/managers. All that has to be a greater issue on the road. I know these guys are pros but even people working regular jobs get bored or sick and tired of things and need time to refresh. A positive point of view and toughness of some guys such as Ortiz and Pedey can help and JF can help. Is it happening? 4. The technology of the game has increased to where opposing coaches and technologists are continually looking for any weaknesses in a player’s offense. When they think they’ve found something they exploit it with pitching type and location and with defensive shifts. It is up to our players and coaches to look for and implement adjustments. All teams face this problem today and with young players it has to be even more of a problem learning to adjust. 5. Lineup displacements due to DL injuries lead to weakened lineups. Even when players get his hits, they wind up left on base as the weaker lineup has holes in it. Also having a threatening hitter coming up behind a player means he is likely to see better pitches in his at bat. JF has control of lineup decision making. Fans don’t have all the details that coaches do but putting your best available players on the field hitting in the right order and making adjustments during the game are in his purview. As fans we can second guess the decisions, but it is only through a full season of results we can get a fairly clear picture of the effectiveness of managerial decision making. Let’s hope the return home and of players from the DL will help enough to get the offense rolling again.

Normally I agree with your point of view but I don't agree that DD has made poor trades. I think he got the best available to fill in voids created by injuries and by some lack of performance and he had done that without giving away many of our best prospects. Getting Sale would have been nice, but the reality is that we couldn't get that deal done without an extremely high price. Neither could other teams who need a starting pitcher. Looking over the past number of games, an ace would not have won us many or possible none of those games as our offense has gone into a funk. Our pitching is decent, we have offensive pieces, now we have to get them to play up to their potential. Seems that is what has been lacking of late.

Pitching has been good on the road trip, however, the team has had difficulty with the offense. An ace starting pitcher will not help much when there are so few runs being scored. No suggestions although I hope someone can energize the guys before we slip too far.

Equally important is that he caught Wright last night, showing that Hannigan's one plus area as the only catcher for Wright seems to be undermined.