5GoldGlovesOF,75

Thanks, but we're apparently all set with one non-platoon righty bat in the daily line-up.

But... the new distance between first and second, and second and third, is only 89 feet, 7 1/2 inches!

We shall overcome (someone on the Fire Bloom thread had to say it).

Bloom's analytics produced a scatterplot of the absolute values of the 7-8-9 slots in batting orders vs. entrance velocities of starting pictographs juxtaposed over relief pictographs, producing a BABIM (batting average bats in mitts) of 0.00... since CIs don't count as ABs, even though they're Es, but increase OBP, thus OPS, the true metric of a hitter. However, as catchers have not yet retaliated with getting smacked with wooden clubs, it's still unclear whether this will result in more WAR.

With respect to this position, we finally have a poster admit he's Wong.

Lost in this sea of finger-pointing is the credit due to our never-rebuilding CBO Classics major... Imagine how tempting it must have been for Bloom to just sign heroic power hitters named Homer? Instead, thinking outside the batter's box, we have sly rally-starter Kike Hernandez -- he who waits with two strikes for a dirtball to bounce past the catcher... then fakes a swing and Ks on purpose, while sprinting safely to first base. What's next, batters going up there looking to just make good contact... with the catcher's mitt?

If the Sox don't become consistently respectable -- s00n -- not only does Bloom and his staff need to go, but the axe needs to fall on anyone and everyone in management -- including those in uniform, in board rooms, and roving the planet in search of talent. It's bad enough an entire system can't develop more than one good homegrown starting pitcher per decade, but for as far as I can remember, they can't even teach pitchers how to throw accurately to a freaking base. It's uncanny, since anyone who has ever played since childhood knows that the best Little Leaguers are always pitchers; they're also the best hitters and fielders... and athletes. So why does Boston draft, sign or taint only the ones who gag, once they wear Red Sox uniforms?

Ballclubs that don't stress run-prevention will ultimately cause fan-prevention. Think about all the Red Sox suckitude we've experienced since Bloom took over, and which areas elicit the most uproar? Batters striking out, or pitchers serving dingers? Nope, modern fans are used to those... I'd say it's close between bullpens blowing leads (by-product of not throwing strikes), and fielders making egregious errors. The first usually comes at the end of games, so at least the TV is still on. The second can cause channel-changing whenever there's a game-changing miscue by a Franchy-type playing out of position.

Bloom's shortstop debacle may be the defining issue of his ultimate failure as CBO in Boston. When it comes to the most important non-battery position on the diamond, there can be no plans A-B-C-D when they all turn out to be Fs. If he originally signed Story as an intended half-price replacement for Bogaerts, management must have known the elbow was in doubt. Maybe this was acknowledged by not trading X at the deadline, and then calling him the club's priority last fall. Also, second base looked more suitable for Story's future. But once the Sox lost both Bogie and Story -- many options of actual Major League shortstops were still available, from high-priced stars to inexpensive gloves. Instead, Bloom acquired more damaged goods in Mondesi, and now we have Kike on pace to commit 80 errors at short. Enough with getting guys who aren't ready to help (it only worked with Schwarber because his best position was in the batter's box; we're still waiting on Paxton, two years later.) As Boston fades into summer with this suspect defense, maybe the only way for Bloom to save his job will be to promote Marcelo Mayer and let him Volpe (or Casas) his way through the bigs...

Yoshida's approach in ST and the WBC seemed to include more of a line-drive all-fields swing, depending on count and pitch location. He's pressing right now and needs to revert to the hitter he can be. Masa didn't win batting titles spinning around in the box trying to launch anything close to the zone... especially in situations where just a single can turn a game around.

This is your best line of the week. My main ish with this glass-half-full is that defense is the least of baseball tools affected by slumps -- speed and arm strength are tools that can't be taught; that's why they're the first things scouts look at. With this currently average to below-average D, the Red Sox pitching will have to be lights out or at least induce weak contact for this club to do anything...

Borbon? Junior or senior? Dad was the Red in the middle of the Pete Rose-Bud Harrelson fight in the '73 NLCS. Lost his cap in the excitement, then mistakenly picked up a Mets cap and wore it. When someone pointed it out to him, he was so horrified he ate it.

If this was a night game and you looked at the scoreboard -- and there were just numbers, but no team names -- I bet you could guess which one was pitched by a Red Sox starter.

If a ball goes over Duran's head and he just stands there looking at, will Tapia back him up or circle the bases?

I'm worried again about Bloom's defense. On this board. Hopefully the Sox can hang in there until all posters regain their faculties... ... or at least have enough mental health to skip a faculty meeting.

They figured they can get away with it, since the opposing starter missed most of ST away at some tournament.

We need Duran on base, not swinging for the fences, so he can run wild like he's an Oriole playing against the Red Sox.

Splits show the logic. Arroyo and Kike are batting hundreds of points better vs. righties than Chang. Yu .071... Kike .182... Arroyo .208. Let's GO!

We might be better when injuries get better, but we'd always be better acquiring better players, instead of recruiting and waiting for damaged goods to get better.

Missed the game on the tube (at a tournament all day), but glad that Whitlock broke the five-inning start limit, and that the Sox are back to .500. How's this for optimism? Only one game out of a wild card, and their maybe best pitcher has yet to throw a pitch (we'll be watching tomorrow morning). More perspective: as bad as Boston has looked at times this month, the Red Sox are now as close to the postseason as the mighty Mariners and the LA DODGERS... and ahead of '22 World Series clubs Houston and Philly, not to mention other favorites like San Diego and St. Louis.

Did you forget the Sox' most valuable pitcher so far? A nod is a good as a wink.

He worked out all winter with a clock counting down the seconds. That's in contrast to most old-timers on forums, who intentionally avoid reminders of time running out.

The biggest worry for recent subpar Red Sox rotations is they lead to bullpen burnout. This year's rotation is already the worst in the majors, at least in longevity, since not one starting pitcher has recorded a single out past the 5th inning. But for some reason, dependable ace closers like Jansen keep piling up the saves and seldom break down. Without going crazy on stats, here are 162-game career averages of games pitched by some notable relievers of the last 20 years (maybe they're just the survivors?): Jansen 68 Kimbrel 68 Papelbon 68 Lidge 68 Hoffman 68 KRod 68 Chapman 68 Rodney 68 Barnes 68 Rivera 67

Teammates say Bleier is a jokester. On the NESN telecasts, he always looks bemused when he sucks.

6-6, the Red Sox are right back in this thing! If they tack on another 6 -- and extend the scoring to 6-6-6, the Angels will never recover. Unless you believe that good always wins over evil.