5GoldGlovesOF,75

What, the Red Sox' offense isn't good enough for you? Boston has the greatest offense in the MLB that can go 2-4 on a road trip by winning two blow-outs, then only score 1 or 2 in two others, and of course, lose two more one-run games. They traded away a guy who has more homers and RBIs than anyone on the club and didn't replace him... not just his level of production, but with any established big league hitter. The Raffy savings definitely made it easier to pay Anthony, but if they are committing to youth, then the Mayer injury delayed the plan... and probably made it easier not to recall Campbell, since there may not be a need for more young quick twitch skills if the Sox aren't quite all-in this Fall...

With 40 games left, they could get eight more starts apiece. They probably won't, for all kinds of reasons, but if both Buehler and May continue to be inconsistent, the edge in the playoffs would go to the postseason hero. I'm not saying I agree with either, since I'm always one to favor talent -- like young Harrison, just a year removed from status as one of baseball's best lefty pitching prospects... but your point about not using an experimental project on a do-or-die stage makes sense (unless they experiment with him all September).

Unless Buehler is Kluber bad, he'll be getting a playoff start -- if Boston advances to a best-of-5 series. The Sox value veteran postseason experience, and are paying Walker good money to repeat what he did last October.

It's justified: they'll still have Judge to choke, but won't have Cole just standing there because he knows he can't beat Mookie in a race.

40 games left, the final quarter of the season: 20 home, 20 away. Winning half would give the Red Sox 86 wins, which was good enough for the Royals and Tigers to make the postseason a year ago. Still, 88 or 89 would be a more secure number... The Sox could maintain their .600 winning percentage at Fenway and go 12-8 at home. But can they just break even on the road, and go 10-10? Maybe... those trips include four each in the Bronx and Baltimore, and three each in Arizona and Toronto. Forget about records -- and just accept that all those series will be tough. Then there are a pair of three-game September series at the homeless A's and Rays, neither of whom may be playing for anything. That's what makes them dangerous... Better buckle up!

We keep ribbing him, but he's not ticklish.

Imagine being compared to Ted Williams and Juan Soto on the same night -- and nobody on internet forums can argue because both are based entirely on statistical facts. Anthony had four walks and a home run -- youngest Red Sox since Williams to accomplish that feat... and third-youngest ever, behind Mel Ott (who played his entire career in the Polo Grounds in Harlem, with its rightfield foul pole 258 feet away from home plate). Roman was also cited as having metrics that approach Soto's combination of low chase rate and hard contact. "And only Soto," said Merloni. Juan's lifetime stats were also compared to Ted's (at the same point in their careers) last winter, when the Sox were outbid by NY, NY, to see who could pay him three-quarters of a billion dollars. At least Boston got to pay Anthony nearly 18 percent of that...

Lowe did what no one else on any Red Sox list ever did: beat the Yankees in the Bronx in Game Seven on two days rest. It doesn't matter if Damon hit 5 homers, Lowe was better than all New York pitchers that day in that venue with the rabid ghosts of a century choking on their own saliva.

Professional evaluators named Campbell the Minor League Player of the Year after a sample size of over 100 games at three different levels in his first full pro season. Toro has sampled the minor leagues for nine years.

Every Red Sox fan I watched games with in the past decade said the same thing when JD had two strikes. And Jackie. And Trevor. And Ceddanne. I'm sure there are many more we tried to forget, but who resurface when the dream state overlaps the night maritime. The "you" is anyone who watches TV reruns, already knows what will happen, but leaves them on anyway... not expecting things will change; just getting comfy in familiarity.

Hammy can start at 2B... in Woo. New back-up catcher took his spot in Beantown (hope he can bunt).

"modern pitchers throw five different pitches in the mid-90s" Never said one specific pitcher, but if an arm can break 90 with one delivery, why can't it with another? Tolle's heater was pushing 100, and his change broke 90 yesterday, so why couldn't he alter his grip to also make it break in, out, and down? Same release point with the same arm speed is what sells a pitch, but the drag and spin are what changes. Koufax and Ryan had great curves to go with their fastballs, but if there was too much separation in speeds between those pitches they would've been less effective vs. human batters.

Not disputing either take, but if the AL is as blah as it looks, and the Sox still look playoff-bound in a month, then they owe it to the big league roster, coaching staff and especially the paying consumers (we who are so consumed by this endeavor) to assemble the best team possible and go for it. If that includes Hicks, Hammy, May, Masa and your little dog, too, then Let's GOOOOOO!

Stats? After just asking me what I think? I think Toro has one homer this summer. I'll take my chances with the kid who was named Minor League Player of the Year by people who evaluate for a living.

Four-seamer, two-seamer, splitter, cutter, sinker, slider, change-up -- 7 for sure... someone probably has a curve that hits 90, but I'm not going to say "sweeper" which is just a new nickname for any breaking ball that talking heads can't agree is a curve, slider or change.

Absolutely, if KC was swinging -- who knows, he might have even put the ball in play. Toro kept the bat on his shoulder. But he got a good look at the camera giving all of us at home a bad look at him looking.

On Sunday when the Sox had the bases loaded, no outs, and the go-ahead run at the plate -- only to strikeout three straight times -- I'm not going to say I was pining for the return of Kristian Campbell (who did blast one to the berm in Worcester earlier in the afternoon). But the last two losses, and seemingly every loss, always expose the longball power that was never replaced at the trade deadline. Toro's pinch-K looking was predictable, but two other summer stars got themselves out: Ceddanne, who reverted to a skinny, righty Raffy hacking at balls two feet above the zone, and Anthony, who probably felt like he couldn't take a 3-2 pitch on the inside corner lest a grouchy ump rookied the young whippersnapper. We knew there were going to be Ls like this, after no bats were recruited at the deadline. Campbell's bat speed, and the quickness he's shown around 1B, are signs he's ready to get back soon and contribute down the stretch. He may not surpass Toro, but which one would you bet on: a guy who's bounced around AAA for parts of six seasons, or the batter who hit better than every other player in the minor leagues in the past calendar year?

Tolle could've had a scoreless top of the 1st if Romero didn't boot an easy DP grounder. Later in the frame, Thompson made a shoestring catch in center that one ump ruled as an out, before another wrong ump overruled (clearly a catch on three TV replays). But two HRs -- the first a grand slam that was so gone none of the outfielders moved a muscle. The second homer Tolle was cool enough not to look at (mimicking his outfielders on the salami). Two hits were by guys who already made the majors... After the 1st, Tolle threw five scoreless innings.

I like this better than having Hammy strike out on foul bunts. When guys with wheels from the lefty box -- presumably a prerequisite to making the majors for lefthanded-hitting sprinters -- can't put one down in fair territory, it sure makes it easier to hate bunting.

Mayer's uncertainty to play necessitates more Romy at 2B. We all know we want Ceddanne in center for the stretch run as much as possible -- even if that causes a seven-player platoon for six spots in the batting order: LF-CF-RF-DH-2B-1B... Anthony-Duran-Rafaela-Abreu-Yoshida-Romy-Toro... puff huff poooffff. Everyone would get one day off a week -- from the starting line-up, that is. Many of them would probably be used off the bench to pinch hit later in the game, anyway.

Campbell's athletic and 6' 3. With his power potential, he could make an ideal first baseman. Maybe his rise was too quick, along with the presence of Casas, that the Red Sox didn't try KC there sooner.

Bill "Spaceman" Lee for PAPI? Granted, it was decades before he became BIG (he was only three at the time of the trade).

But if you sing it, and hear it in the woods, it's an echo.

Imagine that shifty Cora: in addition to all the obligations managing his big league team, he still found time two years ago to force Red Sox minor league evaluators to promote Anthony from low A to high A, despite a .228 batting average. I'm sure Anthony's promotion had nothing to do with Boston's analytical experts looking at Roman's pitch selection, exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barreling atom balls. It's also obvious why Cora kept batting Anthony in the top third of the order with a low batting average his first month this summer -- and it has nothing to do with his team-leading On Base Percentage (as opposed to dropping guys like Duran, Rafaela and Campbell when they slumped in their MLB call-up seasons): AC favors Italian food!

Yup, those Ks were always JD's kryptonite, but at least he admitted his plan was to always try to hit the ball in the air. He never wanted to just hit a line drive, because in his words, "Big deal, a single."