6/16: Rubber match

[terrynever]

Boston has been a .500 team all season but seems better than that. So the Yankees, as good as they are, need to play well to win tonight’s 7 p.m. game on ESPN. Marcus Stroman vs. Kutter Crawford, another one of the Sox pitchers who gets people out somehow.

Watching from a distance so far this season, I have been puzzled that a .700 Yankees team could have a few question marks. Rizzo and Torres in particular. Rizzo shows signs of awakening. Gleyber is just Gleyber. Not sure why he has become a .230 hitter.

It’s still only mid-June. We’re all fans and GMs, trying to see how this team can get even better.

 

[jon abbey]

LeMahieu too, he isn't getting much flak because he was out for a while, but he has mostly been a zero offensively since his return.

 

[terrynever]

LeMahieu too, he isn't getting much flak because he was out for a while, but he has mostly been a zero offensively since his return.

Forgot him. DJ has 46 ABs so far. Give him 100 ABs to be fair. Cashman has some decisions to make.

 

[terrynever]

Boston’s first five hitters tonight have OPS of at least .775. Three are in the .800s. Pesky hitters. Hamilton is .775. Devers after a slow start is up to .933.

Glad to be living near Philly now. Don’t have to read about Sox anymore. And I get to know the Phillies better. Orioles got 8 runs off Zach Wheeler today. They’re close to being a great team.

• J Duran (L) LF
• D Hamilton (L) SS
• R Refsnyder (R) RF
• R Devers (L) 3B
• C Wong (R) C
• M Yoshida (L) DH
• E Valdez (L) 2B
• Do Smith (L) 1B
• C Rafaela (R) CF

 

[jon abbey]

Stroman has massive home/road and RHH/LHH splits so far this year:

Home: 4.12 ERA (7 starts)
Road: 1.56 ERA (7 starts)

RHH: .602 OPS allowed
LHH: .846 OPS allowed

 

[terrynever]

Stroman with 48 pitches thru 2 innings. Gives up 2 runs to bottom of lineup in second inning. Yanks have 1 hit so far. Judge with No. 26.

 

[terrynever]

Sox have 2 SBs so far. They’re maximizing their talent.

 

[terrynever]

Hamilton steals a third base and it leads to a run. Stroman struggling. Trevino struggling. Sox are the aggressors tonight. Yanks back on their heels.

Yanks’ rotation gets deeper when Cole returns. Who drops out?

 

[terrynever]

First and third, two outs in bottom of fourth. Rafaela on first. Another running situation.

 

[terrynever]

Stroman escapes. 84 pitches thru 4 innings. Yanks do need a long reliever and will get one when Cole returns.

 

[terrynever]

Stanton must lead the league in 3-pitch strikeouts.

 

[terrynever]

Yanks have 1 hit thru 5 innings.

 

[terrynever]

Stroman 102 pitches thru 5. Second tough start in his last three. Second laborious start in two nights for Yanks.

 

[terrynever]

Trevino homers leading off sixth. Two hits, two runs.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

This ump is just making up a zone for Soto. Ridiculous.

 

[Murderer's Crow]

This ump is just making up a zone for Soto. Ridiculous.

Yep. Sox got lucky with that called 2nd strike.

 

[terrynever]

Volpe creates a run with his speed. 4-3. He’s the one Yankee who can put pressure on defenses.

 

[Brand Name]

Stanton must lead the league in 3-pitch strikeouts.

Tonight was his 22nd. MLB leader is in this game but in the other dugout: Rafaela with 23.

 

[terrynever]

Tonight was his 22nd. MLB leader is in this game but in the other dugout: Rafaela with 23.

Wow.

 

[terrynever]

Clean inning for Kahnle. He needed that.

 

[Brand Name]

Well, that's one way to force Ben Rice up.

 

[Jace II]

I'm not offended by it or anything (losing Rizzo, if thats what happened, i will somehow survive) but was that a rare minorly dirty baseball play? Seemed kind of unnecessary how Bernadino bodied him. Maybe his momentum did it, not sure

 

[Ale Xander]

Tonight was his 22nd. MLB leader is in this game but in the other dugout: Rafaela with 23.

If Dalbec played every day . . .

 

[terrynever]

Well, that's one way to force Ben Rice up.

That’s how careers get started. Aging vet Rizzo injured. Rookie gets his shot.

 

[terrynever]

Gleyber turns a 3-0 count into strike 3.

 

[Brand Name]

Yankees entered today with a 28.5% O-Swing% (% of pitches swung at outside the zone/pitches outside of the zone), second best/lowest in the majors, only Milwaukee had better. You'd never guess it there!

 

[terrynever]

Zach Kelly pitches out of bases loaded, nobody out jam. He’s pretty good. Gleyber, Trevino (3 pitches) both fanned. DJ lined out hard to center.

 

[Van Everyman]

Wrong thread

 

[Jace II]

That was Gleyber's work, unfortunately. He wanted to have a good AB but couldn't 100% commit to it. Really, really rough. If he takes that pitch, Kelly is likely still off his game facing Trevino

 

[Brand Name]

Tonight is the third time this season the Yankees have had bases loaded, nobody out and failed to score: April 25 vs. Oakland (3-1 loss) and May 29 at Angels (2-1 win).

 

[terrynever]

Duran goes first to third on Refsnyder’s single to center. Judge showed no urgency in charging the ball, then threw up the line. Red Sox still running, still aggressive.

 

[terrynever]

And the Sox break it open on Wong’s triple down the RF line.

 

[jon abbey]

Well, that's one way to force Ben Rice up.

My guess is if it is IL, DJ to 1B and a Peraza/Cabrera combo for 3B. Peraza is still maybe their best defensive infielder, he will help Stroman for one.

 

[jon abbey]

View: https://twitter.com/BryanHoch/status/1802515960403755079

 

[jon abbey]

The ballsy move by NY would be to go with the hot hand to replace Rizzo in Agustin Ramirez, already on the 40 man. He has played 15 games at 1B, 30 at C, 12 at DH so far this year, and he has been destroying the Eastern League, 16 HRs and 47 RBIs in just 224 ABs, .945 OPS plus 13 SBs.

 

[terrynever]

The Martian tweaked an oblique muscle yesterday, placed on IL.

 

[terrynever]

It’s a Long Season, as Jim Brosnan wrote more than 50 years ago. Sox deserved to win this game.

 

[jon abbey]

Statement week by BOS, that's only the 4th series NY has lost all season (17-4-2).

@ TOR (1-2)
@ BAL (1-3)
vs. LAD (1-2)
@ BOS (1-2)

NY currently thankful that they only play AL East teams 13 times instead of 19 times, they are crushing everyone else.

 

[jon abbey]

View: https://twitter.com/BryanHoch/status/1802525488197279958

 

[jon abbey]

NY has thin depth in some areas currently, but they are not lacking in candidates to replace Rizzo:

=========================================

On the 40 man (age in parentheses):

Peraza (turned 24 yesterday): DJ to 1B, Peraza/Cabrera share 3B, defensive upgrade at the least.

Agustin Ramirez (22): Considered a longer-term project but destroying AA currently and they liked him enough to give him a 40 man spot.

Carlos Narvaez (25). More defensive than offensive player, NY's 3rd string catcher if Trevino or Wells gets hurt, but holding his own in AAA with a .794 OPS and has played 10 games at 1B.

Off the 40 man:

Ben Rice (25): He will have to be added after the season anyway, has calmed down a bit in AAA but still at a 1.059 OPS there in his first 11 games.

=========================================

It's a hard call, I think they will try Peraza first. The other three guys all would give NY a genuine third catcher in addition to a 1B, Peraza gives you the ability to sit Volpe occasionally and not downgrade the D in addition to being their best defensive 3B and 2B.

 

[terrynever]

I agree on Peraza. Volpe has played 73 of 74 games this season. He’s young but you can’t play him every day, especially in the coming heat wave this week.

 

[jon abbey]

And a 5th option:

View: https://twitter.com/elijfishman/status/1802528010454917182?s=46&t=0GHHaPVUX26Io0V2HIcS0g

 

[jon abbey]

@Murderer's Crow was the only one to get a win in the previous BAL series (Gil over Burnes), want to take the ball for this one?