vegasbob

Wink gets out with no runs which I guess is the measure of success here.

Winckowski needs to show something tonight. let's see if he can hold it at 3.

That was the time to bust one on Houston but Urias got a little under it, then kneeled in the batter's box for a while.

I give Houck much credit for his comeback from a painful injury and delivers a full 5, maybe into the 6th. Sale and Paxton struggle with that mark.

Verlander just toying with most of the lineup . Welcome to MLB , Abreu. Verdugo continues to wipe out any value he may have in the trade market, but I do bet he is gone this winter.

There's no one coach designated for fielding but I know Febles works with the infielders, and Kyle Hudson with OF'ers

I'll be the one to say that Houck first tried to cover the play , then just watched it unfold with no awareness the runner was going. Devers did break actually just in front of the runner , but was in no position to make a play. Maybe another infielder could have yelled at Houck to cover home.

It was a stretch but when someone noticed the guy running all the way around Houck or Devers should have picked up home earlier

Yes, Pete Fatse, and he even has an ass't !

Turner can opt out on his own, if he thinks he might get a 2 year deal elsewhere . He's not under team control

Yes, Blind Lou's stab at the the ball in the sunfield cut off the possibility of several runs.

So far, Devers has 3 foul balls that if he could hit correctly would be long HR's. Instead he chalks up his 2nd K.

Very good inning for Houck, perhaps can get 4 now. He is working against an approximate 75 pitch limit

Nettles caught Yaz's foul out pop-up in the '78 playoff game. Gossage's gas overcame Carl's bat . Worst game I ever watched. Mike Torrez vs Bucky Dent, almost impossible

Plus the 4 and 5 out innings eventually forces the BP to have to come on earlier. Houck may only get 3 innings even if he becomes settled down.

i assume Devers considers it redeeming to cutoff the SS at every opportunity and then be indecisive as to where to throw it. Lucky he got the force at 2B

Houck totally frazzled. That ball 4 had no chance, he quit about halfway through the delivery

F'ing Devers putting Tanner Houck, and every other Sox pitcher, on the pressure to not allow a ball to be hit towards him , plus Verlander played Raffy like a violin for a K

I will start the Devers commentary. He is a f***up with a glove

Well, Houck did get an out before giving up the 2 run shot

Turner masy be the only guy on this team that I would say that I respect his game and effort. The others generally are just playing without a lot of thought going into it.

Red and Moon, it should be clear to all that Alex Cora and Chaim Bloom, and as a result JH, have very different perspectives on the purpose of operating an MLB operation. Henry needs to preserve and enhance the overall value of the franchise for him, his partners and the Fenway Sports Group. The Red Sox are a near monopoly business especially in New England with a substantial national following. In the click bait age, it is more important to keep the team relevant and talked about . Relatively small fluctuations in attendance and NESN viewership are not the biggest deals to JH . He and Lerner do not pay their bills from Red Sox revenues, but I would wager that the business now has positive cash flow with the reduced payroll. Chaim Bloom has a far longer outlook and career aspirations, so he is taking the 5 year outlook, executing JH's broad directives and not wanting to make a mistake . I doubt he has ever be3en told, better win it all this year or your done. I honetly don't know his true baseball acumen or the strengths of anyone below him. Despite being intelligent, I don't see him as a real leader, more of a committee consensus guy . There are arguments that this approach makes everyone feel ok until the business folds, but that isn't going to happen. Until Chaim is pressured to win , he will tread a steady Eddy, middle road , cost efficient path. His time in Tampa tells him that it can work , so he is staying with what he knows. AC, on the other hand, gets paid for and retained as manager for winning now , while having been extended through 2024 giving him some financial security. Cora come with an extensive baseball field knowledge from years of working his way up. Personally, I do not think he and Bloom could be more opposite personalities or experiences. I suspect the rumors occasionally of some friction are real . Given his own history, Cora probably does not want to be disruptive and cause an organizational showdown . But he probably hates some of the situations he has been put in this year by the roster moves . The judgement on Cora should be limited to how much production and wins he can get out of a team with many injuries, a marginal starting rotation and streaky hitters. The defensive miscues are almost inexplicable and not sure how AC can improve that except for clearly playing guys out of position. So 3 protagonists , all with different motives and means to affect the outcomes. If it were my call, I'd keep Cora more than Bloom , but he would have splaining to do.

Houck vs Verlander Welcoming Tanner back, though low expectations for his return in a tough matchup. Maybe he will look better than Paxton, who showed that he can't be effective on 4 days rest , but only if his defense shows up. ______ should have been __________ at the _____________. Somewhat of another make or break game if the Sox are going to (re)gain any ground on Houston/Jays/Mariners . Looks like Duran's toejam for his ill advised wall jump in NY may be a problem. Let's get a bounceback after last night's bummer.

Outscored 9-1 after Duvall's shot, offering no resistance since then on offense, defense or the mound.

More distracted defense from the Keystone Kops with 2 outs , followed by a hit, followed by the 3rd out, thankfully