5GoldGlovesOF,75

Arias got pulled from the line-up in the middle of Saturday's game for a non-injury related issue that his new skipper called "Manager's decision." May want to let the 20-year old ferment for awhile.

I know you're setting me up for this line: this offense has been doing a lot of whacking... except for bat barrels on pitches. If we're all really honest with ourselves, the entire starting line-up was suspicious going into the season except for three guys: Contreras, Abreu and Anthony. With Willson, we had no reason to think he wouldn't at least match his average offensive seasons. Abreu and Anthony were young enough to expect improvement, but all of us expected they'd be at least as good as last year. One is better, the other injured (really have to wonder how long that's affected his poor ABs). Durbin was the guy we knew nothing about except that he was a finalist for Rookie of the Year. Sophomore slumps are no surprise, but downgrading from AP courses and still failing remedials to being on the verge of dropping out entirely before you're even an upperclassmen is...

I totally expect our high-priced DH to get as hot as the high-priced DH in Philadelphia. Then we'll see how fast the Red Sox rise under their new manager. Don't laugh just because Schwarber has 20 home runs and Yoshida has ZERO. At least he has 20 hits this year.

We're fans and want our team to always try to improve. Isn't that a definition of fans -- nobody wants their favorites to be less competitive. But the clubs who refuse to invest or at least -- Brez help us -- complete the starting line-up with quality big leaguers and balance the roster... those whose ownership won't allow such loyalty to their fanbase will wind up instead trading for replacements who can't hit the ball out of the infield. And who really knows how an offense with Bregman, Marte and Alonso would work if all those guys surrounded Anthony in the heart of the order. Would the Sox be better off without Suarez and Gray and instead have veteran bats supporting a rotation of a Crochet, Tolle and Early? Put it this way: it can't get much worse than these first two months.

Bupt could pthey pronounce silenpt pees?

Bird weren't dinosaurs -- though they've been around since then, sent to Earth to monitor all the native species. Birds are also how we can tell that people are aliens. too. Notice birds in nature, how they hop around branches and on the ground amongst indigenous neighbors like squirrels and rabbits. But when a person gets too near, they always fly away. Unless it's a Red Sox player with a bat in his hand.

All the dinosaurs died except for snapping turtles.

I am hung up on things the Red Sox do badly that have less to do with God-given physical talent and more to do with thought processes that can be improved. I read somewhere -- maybe here this week -- the Sox players had above-average sprint speed. But we all know how hard it is for them to reach base this year. And last night, in another one-run game, we had baserunners picked off or caught stealing at 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Uncanny.

Sogard started the first two games in the Wild Card series and hit .333 in the playoffs. How could you mock a guy whose name is chanted three times in every game before the bottom of the 8th inning by the entire Fenway Park crowd.

That's why I was in favor of upping Tracy, a young manager the young players are already familiar playing for. It's not his fault they're just not that good. But there are certain policy changes his bosses need to let him make immediately: 1. since it's a fact they can't hit, everybody better learn how to bunt again, and do it in every inning there's a ghost runner on second the rest of the season; 2. since it's a fact they don't know the strike zone, the entire offense should be banned from challenging any strike calls the rest of the season. Save them for our catchers for close, late games.

Today. Story on the IL. Sogard up. We've got our starting second baseman back from our last playoff team.

Dombro didn't look for a young yes-man who'd be thankful for the opportunity and do whatever he's told. Instead, he went right after ex-big league managers with experience handling veteran players. But here's the real contrast we all notice: Schwarber and Harper 30 home runs, Boston Red Sox 32.

Just don't trade pitchers to the Brewers. Or the Braves. Or the Yankees. Or the Cardinals. Basically, any team that will face the Red Sox.

Might as well; Red Sox batters can't reach it in the air.

It has to be because the offense lost the tutelage of Bregman. And I know I may be repeating myself to infinity, but thankfully that can be quantified: 3.141592653589793, At least, that's what a NASA engineer states online he uses "for JPL's highest accuracy calculations, which are for interplanetary navigation..." ... or for pieholes as inept as me trying to navigate the Red Sox' otherworldly batting stats on fangraphs (I could just round it off to 3.14 -- hey, that's their runs scored per week!)

I personally never thought the Red Sox were just "a" bat short. Not to go deep in October. They lost two stars in the batting order from a year ago, not to mention several other specialists who contributed. People forget Romy was their lone .300 hitter or that only half a dozen teammates had more plate appearances. Even if you counted on Anthony to replace Devers -- I didn't -- they were two different hitters: a classic masher who opponents feared (especially in New York), and a more discerning batter who was an On Base machine... Losing Bregman, though, compounds the gaping Raffy hole in the lineup. I'm talking specifically about talent (not this season's stats), because even if Durbin repeats his rookie year, he's a downgrade. The Duran and Story wipeouts suck, but no diehard Sox fan is really shocked. It's more of a surprise that Abreu looks like a legitimate All-Star. Contreras replaced last year's Opening Day first baseman and clean-up man -- Casas -- and Will is what we always hoped Tris could be at the plate, and ten times better at 1B. But Boston never filled -- and is still missing -- two quality bats smackdab in the heart of the order.

Yes! Your best line -- Tolle batted clean-up and hit homers in college. Just don't bat him leadoff in Boston, like the Dodgers do with their two-way superduperstar.

Best defense and Suarez firing blanks: exactly what Breslow said the plan would be for Boston's strengths... ... and exactly why he should be fired. But before he leaves, fans should serve him a nice sirloin steak dinner -- without utensils. And then award him a brand new car -- only it's missing the back tires. It's ok, Brez, our plan was to prevent heart disease and reckless driving. You'll go hungry and won't get anywhere, but it's working.

Embareassed.

They hated each other, constantly contradicting, ignoring, interrupting... Nap and Gabby.

If the Red Sox were kept in Czech, they might be able to get a hit off the plumber or the gynecologist who pitched in the WBC.

Houston will demand Durbin? They might demand he's not in the package... But your two pitching prospects are a fair offer for Paredes. And of course the Astros will ask every team for their top 3 overall prospects first for Alvarez. But this isn't Juan Soto at age 25, when the Yankees got him and Trent Grisham for five guys, including two top pitching prospects... ... which is what I'm offering, along with a new monster-sized hitting prospect, for Yordan, who next month will be 29. But people can forget about Houston getting a haul like Washington did when Soto was 24.

I never played on grass, but had a beer sometimes in between games of a hot doubleheader. But I've been sober all day, and would give up a package of just about any Red Sox for Yordan. He could be one of the few gamechangers in his absolute prime that puts this group back into contention. Paredes or another guy like him just won't be enough to save this offense. If you don't want to waste what may be the last Crochet-Chapman year, gotta go big. For the current and future core, I have to keep Abreu, Anthony and Arias; sorry, the infield is just too unstable going forward -- maybe only Mayer is a key guy going forward. Otherwise, how would Houston feel about this trio for Alvarez: Eyanson, their choice of Tolle or Early, and Justin Gonzales? They'd get this year's breakout minor league pitcher, another MLB rookie starter, and a future Yordan who just made the Top 100 Prospects list...

Temps would have to be sub-zero to make them colder than they already are. But if they made contact and didn't break in half, Sox could have a few frozen ropes.

Then go hard after Yordan Alvarez. If he's even remotely available, there's no one else in baseball like him to help solve what ails Boston. Keep our own A's: Anthony, Abreu, Arias -- not to be unreasonable, but because Red Sox position players throughout the system are either not that good or at least overrated in New England. Houston needs pitching to reboot, and that's Boston's strength. Come on, Brez -- you drafted 89 D1 arms for this moment.