Fan_since_Boggs

There is speculation that C.Adams will get the start on Saturday against the Red Sox. Wow. Of course, the Yankees would first have to put Adams on the 40 man roster but they do have a spot. Sheffield can't go on Saturday--I believe he pitched Thursday night. In contrast, Adams is scheduled to pitch in AAA on Saturday. It is also possible that the Yankees will go with a bullpen game on Saturday. Nothing official yet, but Lynn and Cessa definitely aren't pitching on Saturday.

I'm wondering about Houck? Does he get promoted this year or next? Hmmmmm........

It'll be interesting to watch Dalbec in AA -- this is the big moment for him. Will he continue to ascend or will Double A pitchers exploit his swing and miss tendencies?

There seems to be more confusion surrounding Wright, more uncertainty with the knee--maybe he will come back, maybe he won't. I found a few recent articles: https://nesn.com/2018/08/steven-wright-injury-workload-too-much-too-soon-on-pitchers-injured-knee/ https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/baseball/news/red-soxs-steven-wright-participating-in-baseball-activities/ https://www.masslive.com/redsox/index.ssf/2018/08/steven_wright_injury_boston_re_10.html If Wright does come back, it sounds like he will probably pitch from the bullpen.

I would keep Johnson in the rotation over Pomeranz. I do think Johnson could have some value in the offseason as a trade chip. On the other hand, unless someone gives me a big offer, I'm holding on to Johnson. You always need the starting pitching depth--even if Johnson begins the 2019 season as the Red Sox 6th or 7th starter, he will probably end up getting a lot of starts due to injuries. Next year's staff: Sale Porcello Rodriguez Price ??? I would like to see the Red Sox resign Eovaldi to fill the 5th spot in the rotation. That would leave Johnson and S.Wright as the 6th and 7th starters. At least Pomeranz won't be around next year. If Johnson and Wright are the 6th and 7th starters, Mike Shawaryn should enter the mix as the Red Sox 8th starter.

The Boston Globe reported that Devers and Sale will come off the DL next week.

The news is good on Rodriguez--a bullpen session on Sunday!!

Do you have the link to that forum? Just wondering what Yankees forum you are talking about.

Good point on Johnson.

It was a gritty performance by Johnson. The thing I like about him: that curveball is an effective put away pitch. When he gets two strikes on a guy, he can finish the batter off with the curve, a plus offering. There are many bottom of the rotation starters who don't have that kind of put away pitch, which is why Johnson profiles as something better than your typical bottom of the rotation pitcher. I'm hoping Brian Johnson can develop into a David Wells, who also had an excellent curve. With that said, odds are against Johnson developing into a pitcher as good as Wells.

The last two games have been brutal for the Yankees. Luv it. Gray was so bad they had to burn Lynn on Wednesday and the Yankees burned Cessa on Thursday, leaving them with no starter for Saturday. LOL. We may watch Chase Adams debut unless the Yankees decide to go to a bullpen game, which they could do more easily if Severino gives them a big start on Friday.

Did you hear M.Kay totally insult the Red Sox bullpen at the beginning of the 6th inning when Workman came in -- I don't remember his exact words but it was something like, "the bullpen is a problem area for the Red Sox." Admittedly, the Red Sox bullpen isn't as good as the Yankees pen, but it is still an excellent bullpen. Workman went out and completely shut down the Yankees in the 6th inning. To his credit, Kay did mention Workman's impressive work in the 2013 playoffs.

Would you guys start Pearce on Friday against Severino? Moreland has been slumping. I would go with Pearce--he deserves an extra start after a 3 HR night even against a tough righty in Severino. I might not play Moreland until Sunday (Tanaka). Did I hear correctly, the Yankees will likely start Chase Adams on Saturday? Did anyone else hear this? Also, does anyone know why Swihart was pulled late in the game for Leon? Did Swihart get hurt or did they pull Swihart simply because they plan to keep starting him and wanted to give him a little rest in a blow out game? EDIT: Swihart is day to day with hamstring tightness: https://nesn.com/2018/08/blake-swihart-leaves-thursdays-game-vs-yankees-with-hamstring-injury/ My lineup for tomorrow: Betts RF Benintendi LF Pearce 1b Martinez DH Bradley CF Kinsler 2b Holt SS Nunez 3b Leon C

If the Red Sox go 2-2 against the Yankees, and Johnson and Pomeranz (will pitch against the Blue Jays next week) give the Red Sox quality starts, I would definitely wait another rotation cycle before activating Sale--give him the extra rest. The Orioles come in after the Blue Jays--don't need a pitcher like Sale to beat the Orioles. I would look to activate Sale on Aug 14th or 15th when the Red Sox play the Phillies.

But he easily could have been the problem--5 IP, 4 BB, and 2 HB usually leads to disaster and more than 2 ER. It was another terrible start, but maybe he is a little closer to where he needs to be? I suppose we will find out in subsequent starts.

If Bogaerts can't play, they may have to put him on the DL and promote Lin. Alternatively, maybe they will send down Velazquez for Lin. Moreland doesn't look healthy to me, but maybe he is just slumping. I was surprised A.Lind opted out with Moreland hitting so poorly. But maybe it is just a slump and has nothing to do with his health. My lineup for game 1 against Sabathia: Betts RF Benintendi LF Martinez DH Pearce 1b Swihart C Kinsler 2b Bradley CF Nunez 3b Lin SS

This is a great opportunity for Brian Johnson. If he has a strong start, carries the Red Sox to the win, I don't see how the Red Sox could take him out of the rotation when Sale returns. Pomeranz should be the one to go. Does anyone know Devers' timetable for returning? I would like to see him return ASAP so that I don't have to watch Nunez anymore (OPS+ 76).

A short article on Feltman from Baseball America. He is now in Salem. I wouldn't be surprised to see him promoted to Portland before the year is over. The Red Sox need to sign a bridge closer in the offseason--a pitcher who can close for one or two years until Feltman is ready to take over. I was thinking about signing Zack Britton next year and getting a compensation pick for Kimbrel. How much money is Britton going to get? Probably much less than Kimbrel, who will be looking for close to 100M. Would Britton take a pillow contract, a one year (high paying) contract that would set him up to get a long term deal after the 2019 season? I'm amazed that the Red Sox were able to get such a good prospect in the third round. I don't know why Feltman didn't get drafted sooner. https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/durbin-feltman-is-poised-to-move-quickly/

Either Velazquez or Brasier. Alternatively, if Pomeranz continues to suck, he probably goes back on the DL.

If he locks up the starting C job, which is a real possibility, who doesn't make the playoff roster--Vazquez or Leon?

Rain delay in Yankees-Orioles game, but according to the forecast it should clear up in 30 minutes or so, and then no more rain in forecast. They will get this one in.

I think Price is going to the bullpen in October. Sale, Porcello, E-Rod, and Eovaldi will be in the playoff rotation. The Yankees series will be interesting to watch in this regard. If Eovaldi pitches well, and Price does not, the Red Sox will have some of the justification to keep Eovaldi in the rotation while moving Price out in October. Also, Price has generally been a failed starter in October. He has, however, pitched well from the bullpen in October. The track record is clear.

Along with body type, Devers displays a tendency to swing at too many pitches outside of the zone, and that was a calling card of Sandoval's game. The good news: Sandoval had some good years before his career fell off the cliff. If Devers is Sandoval version 2, we might get some good years out of him before he needs to be replaced.

If the Red Sox get a split in this series, I'll be happy. No Sale, and Price is an automatic loss on Sunday. That means the Red Sox have to win 2 out of the first three to gain a split. The other problem on Sunday is Tanaka--he has been decent lately. The guy never throws strikes and constantly relies on the opposing team to swing at pitches out of the zone. The Red Sox will probably chase the splitter in the dirt and have limited offensive success against Tanaka while Price gives up 10 runs.

ESPN stinks at covering baseball, from hiring a PED guy in A-Rod to hiring a dummy like David Ross. I watched the Tuesday game on ESPN, Ross covered it along with Rick Sutcliffe. I've always liked Sutcliffe but Ross is brutal. I would definitely say he is the worst announcer that I've ever heard. He thinks he is funny, he constantly tells jokes, but he isn't funny at all. By teaming him with Sutcliffe, a good announcer, he drowns out what would otherwise be some decent commentary and insights. Ross didn't seem prepared for the game at all--he spends so much time talking about his own experiences in baseball and he never stopped talking about his time with the Cubs. In addition, how often on Tuesday night did ESPN show the announcers in the booth? It happened more than I can ever remember in a football or baseball game. It seemed like every inning ESPN would give us a shot of the announcers having fun in the booth with Ross playing the lead role of idiot. Ross has a teenager mentality--he never grew up. Some people think Ross is a future managerial candidate? I don't see it. You have to be reasonably intelligent to succeed as a manger. A.Boone never acted like a teenager in the booth. I dislike A-Rod for other reasons--the guy has no credibility. He constantly lied to the public about PEDs. He was a cheater and so his insights don't seem very convincing to my ears. He never addresses the PEDs either, just ignores the issue like it never happened. Is ESPN going to hire Ryan Braun too when he retires? Probably.