Are You Worried About the Red Sox in the Playoffs?

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

I'll feel a little better if Oakland beats the Yankees.

Even when our lefties do well against the Yankees, all those righties in that lineup really wear out our lefty starters and make for some difficult pitch counts and puts pressure on the bullpen. I know that the Yankees have plenty of their own issues and it's not like Oakland can't beat us too, but just over a five-game series those right handed mashers can really work over the starters. It's good that we have righties in the bullpen but given how shaky some of them have been, I'd much rather see a bit more efficiency against the Oakland lineup by Sale and Price and so hopefully we can limit bullpen exposure a bit.

Maybe Eovaldi and Porcello will step up. But that's my biggest concern for the first round. If we get through the first round it's all good.

 

[j44thor]

I assume you mean leading the bullpen in post-season IP, because if a reliever is leading the whole team in post-season IP, then that team is likely making a quick exit from the post-season.

Unless we're talking 2016 Indians pitching, where only Kluber pitched more post-season innings than Andrew Miller. Strikes me as more of a fluke than a good way to operate.

I'll be surprised if a starter goes more than 4 at any point. I think the game has changed to the point where in the post season starters are going to go through the lineup 2X at most and unless they are lights out it becomes a bullpen game.

First half Sale probably gets some leash but he doesn't appear to be walking through that door and Price's post-season struggles are well documented.

 

[JimD]

The Red Sox' big 3 of Sale, Price and Porcello have nowhere to go but up in the postseason. They are a combined 0-11 with a 6.18 ERA as postseason starters. Eovaldi, the likely Game 4 starter, has never pitched in the playoffs.

Those of us 35 or older will remember when Randy Johnson had the reputation of 'Great pitcher who couldn't win in the playoffs'. Then 2001's dominant run happened and he won co-MVP of the World Series with Schill. Another reminder that past performance is not always indicative of future results.

 

[brandonchristensen]

I just want to get out of the ALDS this year.

 

[FinanceAdvice]

At the beginning of the year I told a colleague that the Red Sox will win the WS. And now of course I'm worried/concerned. Every team has a flaw and for the Red Sox, it's the bullpen. I go by the adage that pitching wins in October and pitching gets you to October. That's why Im concerned. Yet the Sox could pull it off. Here I think are several keys.
1. Everyone, ESPECIALLY SALE, has to be healthy.
2. Bullpen MUST take it several notches higher. AND STOP ISSUEING SO MANY WALKS.
3...Need Power to come back in top of the lineup but overall not too concerned with top of lineup. What needs to happen is production from bottom of the lineup: Nunez, Holt, Swihart and JBJ.
4. SP has to be more consistant.

I feel they can get by Yankees but it could go the full 5 games and concerned over facing Happ and Tanaka and Severino could have stellar outing and that gives it to Yankees BUT I feel the offense will prevail.

Houston is a different monster. All year long they had the best pitching in the AL. But with HFA, a return to form Sale, a bounce back to form from Price and perhaps a mix of Porcello/Eovaldi and a ramped up bullpen of Wright, Workman, Barnes, Kimbrel , Sox could prevail.

FOOTNOTE: Whatever happens, this has a pure, magical and awesome team to watch!

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

Lester was inconsistent? Up until 2013 postseason: 100-56, 117 ERA+, 8.1 K/9. Post season overall: 2.55 ERA, 1.027 WHIP. Give me three of these “inconsistent” pitchers all day long.

Okay.... Lester was one of my favorite pitchers during his time with the Sox... but he was never quite an ace. And I don't think anyone would really debate that he didn't/doesn't belong in the upper eschelon of starters. He's close but not quite.
The year before 2013 he went 9-14 with a 3.82 ERA. The year before that was definitely better but not great with a 3.47 ERA. Even the year he turned into a playoff ace and carried the Sox to a WS win, he had a 3.75 ERA.
He was perpetually being discussed as trade bait for anyone from Santana to Halladay to the other Santana to Hamels. If I knew that 2014 version of Lester or that 2013 playoff Lester was going to show up... then yeah, I'd take him right now over Price or even Sale... since I don't know what Sale or Price is going to show up. But crap.... I don't think anyone was predicting 2013 regular season Lester to turn in the playoff performance he did... and that version, along with his FA walk year is seared in our memories. But if you just took regular season performance of Lester in 2013, regular season Lackey in 2013 (and what you knew of both of them the few prior seasons) and put those two up against regular season Sale and regular season Price... without knowledge of playoff performance..... I'd take Sale and Price 9 times out of 10.
All I was trying to say is that Rodriguez could turn into 2013 playoff Jon Lester. Or that David Price could turn into 2013 playoff John Lackey (neither very liked by the Boston fanbase or media, but now Lackey is considered a Red Sox hero).

 

[Rasputin]

Every team has strengths. Every team has weaknesses. There are some scary good teams in the American League this year. The Astros have won 100 games. The Yankees stand at 98 with three to go against a team with nothing to play for. They're both great teams that would likely be favored in the World Series.

And the Red Sox have a better record than both of them. Sure, record isn't the definitive measure of a team's quality and even if it were, the teams that are taking the field next week aren't the ones that began the season. There's a credible argument to be made that the Astros are better despite winning fewer games.

I don't really give a shit.

This team is not good. It is not very good. It is historically good. It has reached a franchise record in wins and broken the 100-win mark for the first time in most of our lifetimes. It has the probable league MVP, a credible candidate for Cy Young, and a guy who's been flirting with the triple crown all year.

Things aren't guaranteed. This is baseball. Everyone could play very well and we could lose anyway.

But we're not going to.

Chris Sale is going to pitch brilliantly. David Price is going to pitch brilliantly. Mookie's gonna Mookie. Martinez is gonna mash. Devers is gonna hit one so hard, network engineers are gonna petition MLB to allow them to mike up the baseballs just to hear them scream. The bullpen innings aren't gonna go to Joe Kelly and Heath Hembree, they're going to Craig Kimbrel, Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Steven Wright.

It's baseball. We could lose.

But we won't.

We're gonna win.