oldtimer

Man on second, no one out. Hit a fly ball or hit behind the runner. Never attempt third with a ball hit in front. Trying to take 2nd with a view of the play ahead. Three misplayed rolled into one. What is going on with Sox coaching?

Hamilton made an error again today. No hits today after a good showing yesterday, We do need the O to do better and some of our vets have to lead the way.

If you can't hit you don't belong in the majors, no matter how well you can defend and his defense was shaky. Give the kid a break so that he can hone his talents before bringing him back. He will be a good one after a little more time in the minors.

I think Brez is more likely to take action than his predecessors. Perhaps he has been given more leeway to fix the team. Certainly Bregman, Chapman, Crochet have been notable gets. Stealing a formidable defensive catcher who may be one reason the pitching is looking better and the guy can hit too looks smart. Brez is not afraid to make moves, some controversial. Early on I thought we should bring up our top prospects and give them a shot. He has done that, if belatedly. I was ambivalent about Devers. Paying the big bucks for a DH, especially on a long term basis didn't appear to be a winning strategy. After Devers difficulties with management, Brez and ownership decided to take action. Sure, there is risk but it may prove to be a good decision. I was for getting Yoshida off our books but his contract and injury status made that impossible. Now lets see if Brez can pull another rabbit out of the hat and sign a capable first baseman. It's no longer unrealistic to see the Sox as a wild card team.

Yes, we have to look at the positives and negatives. On the positive side, Devers is currently a very productive hitter who has great hand-eye coordination. But as a DH that's what he brings and I don't believe he has ever been a leader in the clubhouse. On the negative side, he is getting $30 mil/year to be a DH. He is on a long term contract and he swings at a lot of balls out of the zone. My question is what happens when his natural talents are eroded with age. Clearly there has been friction between Devers and the front office. Has that become a distraction in the clubhouse? I am surprised by the trade but not shocked by it. The Sox appear to be rebuilding around some really talented players, some already in the majors and some knocking on the door. Perhaps Devers didn't fit well enough on a long term basis.

The Sox won last night although I only watched the game sharing time with another program. While I watched, Devers ran into an out at home and Looked bad at the plate, Rafaela launched a throw to home instead of the cutoff man and there were other poor plays but not errors. The Sox need to play clean baseball.

Interesting sidebar. Betts was a gold glover in right field but now I understand he is the Dodgers SS. Rafaela has a similar multi-positional flexibility and his move would make room for Anthony, but the Sox haven't made that move even though the season is going down the tube. I have no understanding of what makes the Sox management tick. It's time to make management changes.

Breslow gives the excuse of the day for not bringing up Anthony. If they sound contrived, they probably are just BS. The real reason for not bringing up Anthony is less palatable so we get lies instead. The real reason is probably to do with money and years of control, but Breslow doesn't want to admit it. Meanwhile, we keep the #1 prospect in all of baseball, who is there mainly due to his hitting, stay in the minors when the team continues to struggle to win games. Anthony may not be the solution to the Red Sox issues by himself, but that move is certainly worth a try now.

By the way, the Yankees were down 10 to nothing in the 2nd inning against the Dodgers. I didn't waste my time watching any more.

Last time I looked, even excellent starting pitching won't result in wins if a team is chronically scoring poorly. Sox management is playing with the fan base but not taking the obvious step or steps to improve the offense. My view is take the easy steps when they are obvious.

You seem to be advocating the status quo. It isn't working so move toward the team of the future. Anthony is the No.1 prospect in baseball, so get him up now. If Rafaela needs to move, so be it. He wasn't a hitting force last year and isn't this year either.

It's particularly frustrating when we have a potentially solid power hitter sequestered in the minors while we play guys who have proven to be weak. This team needs a shakeup but the collective management has been unwilling to go in that direction. I agree, Crochet deserves better. Ownership spent serious money yet we are still mired in mediocracy. Time to ask if it is management that is holding the team back.

I agree. Too many 1 run games to not improve the offense. Duran is Heating up, Abreau is valuable. Rafaela is flexible. We have far too many underperformers with the bat and should have made a move at the first of May.

The team needs to score more runs. Instead of making available changes to possibly do that, management sits tight and the season drifts along in limbo. We will have 1/3 or the season over soon. How much evidence does management need? Fire Cora and put Moon in charge. At least we would see some action.

At least you would take action and try some alternatives. Cora is not doing that and may not until the season is history. At my age, I don't have a lot of years to await the Sox return to playoff contention. I want action now.

There is a general miasma surrounding the team. The fans feel it and the results show it. Critical errors in the field and on the bases, relief pitchers who refuse to throw strikes, batters who whiff over and over and especially with men on base. If there is a thing called momentum, the Sox have it in a negative direction. There is significant talent on this team but all, except for a few, (Bregman, Crochet and Chapman per example) are playing below their capabilities. What causes it? A couple of thoughts are the Devers situation causing negative vibes and Cora himself with his placid take on what is happening. Some players may be sensitive to the negativism, Duran for instance. What I have recommended is a shakeup to put a spark and some energy back into the play. Bench or trade some players, bring up Anthony and Mayer. The upside is they provide energy and pull the team out of a funk and the downside is the team is no better but our future stars gain experience. I'm at a point where I think we need a change of style at manager. I would recommend replacing Cora to get a more aggressive manager in place but doubt the Sox will do it.

If we are reduced to hope instead of action, then we will remain in this funk. We need a spark and players have to realize their positions on the team are based on performance. That goes for the manager as well. Too many are recommending doing nothing and hoping for a different result. Shaking things up is at least worth trying. An example might be to move Story to first and bringing Mayer up at short. Maybe Story gets the message. Cora doesn't seem to like that kind of approach, then maybe it's time for him to go.

Is it better to keep using guys who have a low success rate and who have played from opening day or to try rookies who are decent in the field and are lighting it up at the plate? It's kind of the old story, continuing to do the same thing while expecting different results. I am for shaking things up with both the players and possibly the manager. It isn't working.

He seems to refuse to throw strikes. To me it appears he can throw strikes but chooses to nibble off the plate. Batters keep taking those until he gets into serious trouble. Then he finds the middle of the plate and disaster. Listen to Pedro.

Maybe it's time to ask the question about Cora. He is in his 6th year of managing the team. For many of his years, the Sox refrained from investing in the players. This year is different. Despite the investment the results aren't there. I also feel the strong prospects are being held back and that they might just provide a spark needed to get us into a winning culture. Do we need a driven manager? I'm not thinking of a Billy Martin type, but one that generates that fire in the players that seems so lacking at times.

We spent the money and have the prospects but don't seem to be able to put it together. Is it leadership?

I've recommended bringing up the prospects from day 1. With Casas having a bad start and now gone for the year, playing Campbell at first makes more sense than trading away our prospects for an existing first baseman.

The Sox have now blown 10 save opportunities. All least we are leading the majors in some category. It was just another painful example. We score 9 and that should be enough. And what's with Duran taking 3 called strikes with men at the corners and 2 outs. Swing, damn it, all three were obvious strikes.

Devers has demonstrated over the long term that he is one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league. He is a gifted but erratic hitter who often lacks plate discipline; He appears unhappy at DH and doesn't want to play 1st, where we now have an urgent need. As our highest paid player and one who has a long contract, I would think trading him now would be a reasonable move, provided we could get something of com parable value. I don't think Sox management has been smart though so I don't expect them to make the best move for the team. If Devers is this much trouble now, think what he will be when well past his prime. How many 1 run games do we have to lose. Bring up our top prospects and replace those that aren't performing. Let's not fritter the season away.

I perceive Raffy as a gifted but somewhat undisciplined hitter who has never been a good fielding third baseman. As he ages, some of his hitting gifts may diminish and you're left with a less gifted undisciplined hitter. I'm leaning to that take on his performance, not pouting. How many games does Boston have to lose before they look to a spark from their prospects?