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5GoldGlovesOF,75

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Everything posted by 5GoldGlovesOF,75

  1. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    But what's more high leverage: the "set-up" man retiring the 4-5-6 batters with the bases loaded in the 8th or the "closer" then facing 7-8-9 in a clean inning in the 9th? If it's the latter, isn't that more mental than physical?
  2. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    This has been my point all day. No take signs, no two-strike adjustments, not even no "swing away at the first one you like, but if you miss, then we're putting on the safety squeeze to win this thing". Big leaguers may be the best batters on the planet -- and guys like JD, Dalbec or Verdugo (with his bat speed) can launch a pitch 400+ feet sometimes, but if your job title is "manager" or "coach", it's ok to ask them and have them be ready to modify at bats in certain situations.
  3. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Francona remembered when he was coming up, before Automatic Eck in the 9th started a trend and then Rivera set a longevity standard that no one else could ever match -- but every team always had to try and contrive. Before the 1980s, the best relievers always threw multiple innings and came in a lot sooner rather later. Sparky Lyle, AL saves leader in '76, entered an elimination game the next year in the 4th inning and pitched the final 5.1 for the win. Also, recall Cora tried this the first half of '19 - calling on Barnes in only high leverage match-ups, usually before the 9th. It worked for awhile, then Barnes got burnt out, possibly from overstressing his arm and his brain.
  4. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Uh.... they Sox are not specifically using the dreaded C-word, but it sure sounds like it (from Speier's column today): “I don’t know there needs to be a structure to it. We don’t have to name anybody to certain roles,” said Bush. Speier notes that not one world champ from the past 11 seasons had the final ring-clinching out recorded via a pitch by its opening day closer... and over half of those title teams changed closers by the end of the season. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/25/sports/red-sox-have-late-inning-bullpen-problem-how-do-they-fix-it/
  5. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Ted Williams said the most important thing is to "get a good pitch to hit."
  6. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    This is one of the reasons the manager of the Olympic team says Casas will be a star for a long time. Hopefully, the Red Sox don't try to turn him into a typical all-or-nothing big leaguer.
  7. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    I heard the plan is to trade Devers and Bogaerts to New York for Odor and Velasquez. With that new left side, it's obvious the Red Sox will never lose again.
  8. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Failing to make contact is unfortunately acceptable by most standards in modern MLB. What's unacceptable is batters not adjusting swings with two strikes in late and close game situations and men on base. That's on the organization, including the scouting staff for not recognizing it, the front office for not mandating fundamental philosophies, and the coaching staff for not instructing and enforcing it. Call time out, remind the batter to choke up and cut down his swing, start the at-bat with a take sign or heaven help us, a safety squeeze -- whatever it takes to push across the winning run. And show a little respect to the fans who invest money and time to watch and root for this club by benching or fining players who keep making mental mistakes (like not running hard on contact with two outs) that lose games in a playoff race. Stop insulting us with: "We have to be better"... anyone still watching already knows that.
  9. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    "Chased that slider out of the zone"; Burks sounds surprised. He obviously hasn't watched as many Sox games this season as we have...
  10. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Ramiro Mendoza was a double secret agent in 2003.
  11. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    One big change since then, besides technical strategies like launch-angle swings, has been the actual playing surfaces. That era, circa 1980, was the peak of the artificial turf stadiums, where extremely fast outfielders were required to run down gappers that bounced like superballs all over the field. Such running speed was also weaponized on the bases, where rain or grounds crews with pregame hoses couldn't muddy the paths to slow down teams like the Go-Go White Sox or Dodgers back in the days of Luis Aparicio and Maury Wills.
  12. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    He needs to re-establish his curveball. Right now he can't hit the side of himself with it. MLB batters all made it to the top level because they can hit fastballs. Barnes knows that, obviously, and is walking guys because every time he challenges someone, his gas gets vaporized.
  13. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    My logic with the phantom IL is that it could get Barnsie a couple "rehab" stints in Wooster to hopefully right his world. The IL spares the humiliation of an official demotion, and lets him work on regaining his confidence -- instead of just sitting and watching in the big league bullpen every night before he finally gets back on the mound in center of diamond attention.
  14. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Robles threw 21 straight pitches maybe as hard as any human in history... while Taylor tossed one pitch and was credited with the win.
  15. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    I wouldn't be surprised if there's a big trade for a good starter under control, and a subsequent signing of a quality free agent infielder. But I also can't see both Whitlock and Houck in the rotation; having a lockdown two-inning reliever -- even if he only throws every four or five days -- is just too valuable for modern, overused and thus unreliable bullpens.
  16. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    How close is a return by Brasier? Didn't Cora appoint him closer the first month of '19?
  17. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Hard to type after pulling out all my fingernails last night. Not only can't Barnes close anymore, right now he can't pitch. The Wild Card Sox just can't afford to use him in any leverage -- fastballs in the strike zone are bat-finders, and the last time he threw a curve that didn't bounce was before they banned the sticky stuff. August is annually the worst month of his eight-year career, with by far his highest batting average and OPS against, highest WHIP, highest ERA... with twice as many HRs allowed than any other month. If the Sox don't IL Barnes with some phantom injury so he can "rehab", maybe they should use him as an opener in Houck's next game? Hopefully, he's not actually injured. But it's disconcerting to see a closer talking so much in the dugout after getting pulled lately. In westerns, the wordy nervous guys always seem to get gunned down by the cool silent gunslingers who let their bullets speak.
  18. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    "to be squeezed" is often the infinitive followed by appositives like "before the ball arrives", "right out of the webbing," or (referring to wailing wearer) "by a consoling relative, after a deflection beans the fielder"... or are those considered ah-negatives?
  19. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Duran may already have one lined up in Worcester from his time there earlier in the season. Dalbec would have to be introduced to the local action by new teammates who may not want to share at bats.
  20. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Three batters just swung at strike three curves in the dirt and reached when the ball bounced to the backstop; now it's 21.
  21. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Ever since tee-ball, the most important piece of equipment on the diamond is the first baseman's glove -- the place where automatic outs go to be squeezed. I stand by this statement as a parent who is required to stand there on the sidelines until the "game" is declared complete... or called because of dark thoughts. They should actually change the name of the position: the first baseman should really be called the catcher. On the other glove hand, at least through high school these days, catchers should now be called blockers.
  22. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    You just made my head explode. Five posters just ran to bb-ref season splits yelling -- no, repeating -- "clutch!" and "choke!"
  23. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    ... or 6 AAA players...
  24. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    Can anecdotes can be antidotes? Remember when Joe Torre batted Alex Rodriguez, the AL's reigning MVP, 8th in the batting order during the '06 playoffs? This wasn't a poster supporting opinion with stats researched from fangraphs, but a Hall of Fame manager. Maybe he was wrong, because as Big Papi likes to say: thaaaaa Yankees... lost.
  25. 5GoldGlovesOF,75
    You mean, after Robles comes in up by 12, and then Davis comes in up by 10... and with Perez warming up.
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