Alex Cora-- what do we have here? Perhaps the best manager in baseball.

[The Gray Eagle]

But in this situation why was he left in after allowing the single? That was the obvious point there to pull him.... the reasonable posters on this board have been saying Cora should have started the inning with him and pulled him at the first sign of trouble. Not just bring him in to start the inning and then sit on your hands while he gets clobbered.

Because it takes time to warm up a reliever.
And if you start the inning with a reliever already warming up and getting ready to come in, and you don't end up using him, you've taxed him for nothing and he's likely to be ineffective if he has to do it all over again later. Teams don't like to have relievers warm up and get focused on pitching, but then not come into the game. They try to avoid that if possible, and it makes sense over the course of the long season.
People are already saying the bullpen looks burnt out or overtaxed-- having relievers warming up more often and not coming into the game would just make that worse.

Baseball has seemingly cracked down on some of the delaying and stalling tactics that teams used to use to deal with this issue. Which is good for the game overall. But it makes it harder to pull a pitcher after one hit or even 2.

 

[Max Power]

Sorry - genuinely not following that.

The shortest IL stint is 10 days. Putting Schwarber on the IL yesterday because you needed a bat that night means he can't be back on the team for an additional 9 days. If he just had tightness for a day or two and he's ready to go this weekend, having put him on the IL would have been a terrible idea.

 

[cantor44]

The bullpen wasn't taxed. There was a day off Monday preceeded by an easy Orioles series. Everyone had between 2 and 5 days rest. They just stunk.

Well, they didn't used to stunk so their current stunk is maybe a result of previous over-usage that may require being conservative with them for more than a couple days, stealing innings from effective starters when you can.

 

[Rovin Romine]

The shortest IL stint is 10 days. Putting Schwarber on the IL yesterday because you needed a bat that night means he can't be back on the team for an additional 9 days. If he just had tightness for a day or two and he's ready to go this weekend, having put him on the IL would have been a terrible idea.

True. But if he can't DH in back to back games, or isn't available to PH in a must-win-division rivalry game, I'm not sure that bodes well for his recovery.

Assuming Cora just didn't decide to use him, that is.

 

[Stanley Steamer]

I'm late to the discussion but since RR paged me, I would say this much:
The Sox are slumping terribly, and it's frustrating to watch. They aren't hitting well, and their solid bullpen is breaking down a bit. I think we all realize that some regression to the mean was always going to happen to this team, it's just that it took a long time, and has been dramatic. Cora deserves some of the blame, for not being able to manage his team through/out of this slump quickly. As an in-game manager, he appears only average to me. But I still like him a lot, and would give him lots of rope. Everybody must take some responsibility for this, from Bloom to Cora to the players themselves. I only hope that this collapse doesn't hang over into next season and beyond. And of course, there's still baseball to be played this season.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Baserunning: https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/AL/2021-baserunning-batting.shtml

We suck at everything except first to third on hits. Again, perhaps a Fenway artifact.

We were a bad base running team in terms of ours on the base paths in 2018 too. One of the only things that team did poorly.

It’s a Cora artifact.

The point above about Cora being extremely hands off is a telling sign that he’s probably not the right manager here. We saw this in 2019 and we’re seeing it now. He won’t make changes or take charge of things when the team is struggling. He simply sits back and assumes the slumps will end. He’s the Herbert Hoover of managers. In crisis times he’s incapable of stopping the bleeding.

 

[FisksFinger]

We were a bad base running team in terms of ours on the base paths in 2018 too. One of the only things that team did poorly.

It’s a Cora artifact.

The point above about Cora being extremely hands off is a telling sign that he’s probably not the right manager here. We saw this in 2019 and we’re seeing it now. He won’t make changes or take charge of things when the team is struggling. He simply sits back and assumes the slumps will end. He’s the Herbert Hoover of managers. In crisis times he’s incapable of stopping the bleeding.

I believe his consistency and laid back attitude are positives over the course of a long season. The team needs that steadiness most of the time. However when things are going south for an extended period of time, he needs to be able to adapt and institute change, even experiment.

Try an opener, try having the hitters take more pitches, try being a defense first team (if you’re not hitting might as well do what you can to decrease the chances of the opponent scoring).

So far, he’s not showing that he’s capable of coloring outside the lines until things get straightened out. That’s frustrating.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Is the "third time through" a function of hitters having seen 8 to12 live pitches from the guy already? Or is it simply pitcher fatigue? In either case, there's a relationship to pitch count. I just have a hard time thinking modern major league pitchers can't muscle their way through 27 at-bats without losing effectiveness. I suspect, however, that it's true.

 

[Rovin Romine]

Because it takes time to warm up a reliever.

While this is true, the assumption is a reliever will be needed sooner or later. So one is getting warm. If Houck gets an additional 1-3 outs, pushing back your reliever, who is coming in at some point anyway, for X number of pitches, I don't see why you woudn't do that.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I believe his consistency and laid back attitude are positives over the course of a long season. The team needs that steadiness most of the time. However when things are going south for an extended period of time, he needs to be able to adapt and institute change, even experiment.

Try an opener, try having the hitters take more pitches, try being a defense first team (if you’re not hitting might as well do what you can to decrease the chances of the opponent scoring).

So far, he’s not showing that he’s capable of coloring outside the lines until things get straightened out. That’s frustrating.

Agreed 100%.

Do you wanna know who this team really needs right now? Buck Showalter. I personally despise him and think he's a pompous, fussy ass, but he's exactly the type of manager the Sox need right now. He won't put up with mistakes or lack of effort, he will tinker mercilessly to get the right combination of players on the field no matter the situation, and he will always press the players for more production at all times. He's exhausting, and the moment the team looks to be righted I'd boot him, but he's the anti-Cora: he's intense and hands on and relentless, which is great for a team like this that is stepping on its collective dick every damn day. Buck wouldn't tolerate some of the stupid mistakes and pitch chasing going on right now. And then just when the players get sick of his intensity, I'd boot him and bring back Cora, who is the perfect guy for a team that is playing well and jut needs to be left alone.

Cora is pretty much the worst manager possible for the current situation.

 

[curly2]

Is the "third time through" a function of hitters having seen 8 to12 live pitches from the guy already? Or is it simply pitcher fatigue? In either case, there's a relationship to pitch count. I just have a hard time thinking modern major league pitchers can't muscle their way through 27 at-bats without losing effectiveness. I suspect, however, that it's true.

For Houck, it seems to be the lack of a third pitch. The slider is rarely in the strike zone, and by the third time through the order guys have seen it enough that it's easier to lay off, so that he either has to throw it in the strike zone or throw a fastball that guys will sit on.

Even an average changeup or splitter would help him greatly, but he hasn't been able to develop one.

 

[Rovin Romine]

For Houck, it seems to be the lack of a third pitch. The slider is rarely in the strike zone, and by the third time through the order guys have seen it enough that it's easier to lay off, so that he either has to throw it in the strike zone or throw a fastball that guys will sit on.

Even an average changeup or splitter would help him greatly, but he hasn't been able to develop one.

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/tanner-houck-656557?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb

He does have a splitter. In his last two starts he's thrown it more. Pretty effectively too.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

While this is true, the assumption is a reliever will be needed sooner or later. So one is getting warm. If Houck gets an additional 1-3 outs, pushing back your reliever, who is coming in at some point anyway, for X number of pitches, I don't see why you woudn't do that.

What if the reliever you're "pushing back" is not the guy you want coming in to face the hitters due up the next inning?

Taking Tuesday's game as the example, Whitlock was the choice for LeMahieu/Gardner/Judge, then Taylor was brought in for Gallo and Odor (lefties). If Houck gets those first three in order to get through the fifth, are you going to Whitlock or Taylor for the sixth? Let's assume you go Taylor for the lefty-lefty matchup. Did you have Whitlock up at all in the fifth? Or was Taylor the only one warming in case Houck had trouble? And if that was the case, and Houck puts LeMahieu and/or Gardner on, Taylor comes in for Judge? Seems suboptimal.

Someone made the point upthread that we're looking at this backwards. It wasn't about Houck not being effective third time through. It was about maximizing the match-ups for the relievers you want for the final 9 outs. Whitlock for the two righties due up in the fifth, Taylor for the lefties that followed, then, ideally, Barnes or Ottavino to close it out against the bottom of the order. The pitchers fucked it up.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

I think all of this musing about 3rd time through does not apply to Houck's last start. Cora sought to lock down the Game 1 win with his best bullpen guys, and his goal of making sure of collecting at least 1 win on the day totally blew up.

This seems like another inflexible point though. If that’s the case… then it’s a good strategy but Houck was cruising. Bringing him back out with a quick hook wouldn’t have destroyed that plan…. Just provide more options if he could go another inning or two with Houck.
Your position is putting all your eggs in one basket by saying he either needs to stay in the whole inning or after 3,4 batters OR by not going back out with him. It's a good strategy (somewhat) but he still didn't adapt to the game situation

 

[curly2]

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/tanner-houck-656557?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb

He does have a splitter. In his last two starts he's thrown it more. Pretty effectively too.

That's very encouraging. With the last two being day games, I didn't see much of either. If the first two pitches are very good, even an OK third one can make a difference.

 

[Rovin Romine]

What if the reliever you're "pushing back" is not the guy you want coming in to face the hitters due up the next inning?

Taking Tuesday's game as the example, Whitlock was the choice for LeMahieu/Gardner/Judge, then Taylor was brought in for Gallo and Odor (lefties). If Houck gets those first three in order to get through the fifth, are you going to Whitlock or Taylor for the sixth? Let's assume you go Taylor for the lefty-lefty matchup. Did you have Whitlock up at all in the fifth? Or was Taylor the only one warming in case Houck had trouble? And if that was the case, and Houck puts LeMahieu and/or Gardner on, Taylor comes in for Judge? Seems suboptimal.

Someone made the point upthread that we're looking at this backwards. It wasn't about Houck not being effective third time through. It was about maximizing the match-ups for the relievers you want for the final 9 outs. Whitlock for the two righties due up in the fifth, Taylor for the lefties that followed, then, ideally, Barnes or Ottavino to close it out against the bottom of the order. The pitchers fucked it up.

Good points. Lefties hit Houck slightly better than Righties, but neither hit him well. (Just like Whitlock.)

Assume Houck starts the fifth, with RRRLL due.
Assume there's no way he's starting the 6th.
Assume only Whitlock and Taylor as the best rested arms or whatnot, but you're planning on using them both. Whitlock since has a split that favors him pitching to RHH, while still being moderately tough on LHH, while Taylor is a LHH killer and should avoid RHH.

There are too many possibilities to easily type out, but I think that you tell W and T to be ready to be ready, as it were. If Houck gets in trouble in the 5th, one or more righty batters will be on, and one or more will be up, and perhaps one might be out. (The worst outcome for pitcher selection would be two on, no one out.) But then you just use W and let him pitch against the LHHs.

But if Houck puts away two and walks the third you can use Taylor for the LHHs for the last out, the first batter of the 6th inning, and bring in Whitlock for the subsequent batters.

The overall point is Houck shitting the bed for RRRLL is pretty much the same as Whitlock doing so. The only real difference is flexibility (per the 3 batter rule) in just when you can bring in Taylor.

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

I think a big part of the problem with the starters going so few innings is that you are trying to piece together a lot of innings with a bunch of different relievers. When you are trying to play matchups for four or more innings, and the first or second reliever gets in trouble, you are in a lot of trouble with less options. The more relievers you use the more likely you are going to bring in one that doesn’t have it that day. Made worse when you only have 3-4 guys you trust and one is the closer and the other can’t go back to back.

Seems like the potential solutions are having starters go longer or finding more relievers you can trust. I personally think Houck to the pen is the best way to save the season, and it’s probably the role he’d have in the playoffs (!) anyways.

 

[FisksFinger]

Agreed 100%.

Do you wanna know who this team really needs right now? Buck Showalter. I personally despise him and think he's a pompous, fussy ass, but he's exactly the type of manager the Sox need right now. He won't put up with mistakes or lack of effort, he will tinker mercilessly to get the right combination of players on the field no matter the situation, and he will always press the players for more production at all times. He's exhausting, and the moment the team looks to be righted I'd boot him, but he's the anti-Cora: he's intense and hands on and relentless, which is great for a team like this that is stepping on its collective dick every damn day. Buck wouldn't tolerate some of the stupid mistakes and pitch chasing going on right now. And then just when the players get sick of his intensity, I'd boot him and bring back Cora, who is the perfect guy for a team that is playing well and jut needs to be left alone.

Cora is pretty much the worst manager possible for the current situation.

Interesting to think about management bringing in a mentor or two for Alex. People that bring a different perspective and experience to help Cora when he's struggling with a situation (which he clearly is now). Another adjustment they should consider for next year is someone on the staff who's like Showalter, someone to play bad cop when needed.

It's impossible for us to know what's going on in the clubhouse / organization, but without visible signs of change / tension / fire, it sure feels like they're being complacent.

 

[lexrageorge]

Agreed 100%.

Do you wanna know who this team really needs right now? Buck Showalter. I personally despise him and think he's a pompous, fussy ass, but he's exactly the type of manager the Sox need right now. He won't put up with mistakes or lack of effort, he will tinker mercilessly to get the right combination of players on the field no matter the situation, and he will always press the players for more production at all times. He's exhausting, and the moment the team looks to be righted I'd boot him, but he's the anti-Cora: he's intense and hands on and relentless, which is great for a team like this that is stepping on its collective dick every damn day. Buck wouldn't tolerate some of the stupid mistakes and pitch chasing going on right now. And then just when the players get sick of his intensity, I'd boot him and bring back Cora, who is the perfect guy for a team that is playing well and jut needs to be left alone.

Cora is pretty much the worst manager possible for the current situation.

An innovative approach: a losing streak manager, and a winning streak manager. Both are assigned the role by Bloom as the team's fortunes rise and fall. What would CHB/Shank think of it?

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

Buck Showalter’s name being mentioned here as a “good” idea has me questioning everything I’ve ever believed…

 

[Rovin Romine]

I was looking up splits today, trying to figure out the lineup, and I just noticed the game usage for players. Cora was and is billed as a "marathon," "rotate and rest" guy.

Games 123

Devers 117 as a starter. (3B 114, DH 3)
Xander 114 as a starter. (SS 108, DH 6) (note - hand bruising.)
JD 113 as a starter (90 DH, 19 LF, 4 RF - whoot!)

Verdugo 106 as a starter, 5 as a sub. (LF 68, CF 28, RF 12, DH 1, PH 2) (note - parental leave.)
Renfroe: 108 as a starter, 3 as a sub. (CF 3, RF 104, DH 1, PH 1)

It's interesting that the Big 3 play, but they generally don't come into games on their off days.

DH usage overall:
J.D. Martinez 90
Xander Bogaerts 6
Kyle Schwarber 4
Rafael Devers 3

Hunter Renfroe 1
Alex Verdugo 1

Christian Vazquez 3
Kevin Plawecki 5

Danny Santana 2
Christian Arroyo 2
Franchy Cordero 1

Interesting to think about management bringing in a mentor or two for Alex.

I can make my cat available later next week.

 

[barbed wire Bob]

I can make my cat available later next week.

. I’m sure your cat will be a hell of a lot better than LaRussa.

 

[soxhop411]

View: https://twitter.com/BillKoch25/status/1430648408876924931

Alex Cora just pledged $94,536 to the @WEEI/@NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon.

That's $1,313 for each of the 72 #RedSox victories to date. Cora wore No. 13 in Boston from 2005-08.

Cora will also donate $1,313 for each additional victory by his club in 2021. Fantastic gesture.

View: https://twitter.com/GeorgeBalekji/status/1430651569545093129

Red Sox manager Alex Cora with one of the best gestures of the day: Wore a Jerry Remy Fight Club shirt in honor of Remy currently battling cancer again. Then pledged $1,313 to the Jimmy Fund for every win the Red Sox earn this year. That number currently sits at $94,536

 

[brandonchristensen]

View: https://twitter.com/BillKoch25/status/1430648408876924931

While a nice gesture, explains some of the decisions he's made lately.

 

[Mugsy's Jock]

While a nice gesture, explains some of the decisions he's made lately.

Yes, if Cora were Belichick, the league would already be investigating his essentially betting against his own team. [They more they win, the more he has to pay.]

 

[YTF]

I think the numbers given may have been a bit inflated, perhaps that's why the tweet was taken down. It was just mentioned on NESN that Cora was donating $113.13 for each win, putting him currently at $8,145.36. Either way it's an incredible gesture.

 

[Rovin Romine]

Yes, if Cora were Belichick, the league would already be investigating his essentially betting against his own team. [They more they win, the more he has to pay.]

This is about as close as you want to come to finances and game outcomes. Cora should be nowhere near close to this line.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

Two more hideous, inexcusable base running errors tonight. This is becoming the hallmark of a Cora managed team. I’m not in the clubhouse but it certainly appears no player gets held accountable for this crap, because it keeps happening night after night.

I understand that complaining about fundamentals gives middle aged mediocre white dudes like me a little flutter down below, but honestly it’s getting ridiculous at this point. They’re killing themselves with this stuff and it’s all mental.

 

[cantor44]

Two more hideous, inexcusable base running errors tonight. This is becoming the hallmark of a Cora managed team. I’m not in the clubhouse but it certainly appears no player gets held accountable for this crap, because it keeps happening night after night.

I understand that complaining about fundamentals gives middle aged mediocre white dudes like me a little flutter down below, but honestly it’s getting ridiculous at this point. They’re killing themselves with this stuff and it’s all mental.

I totally second this. If you've got a talented team that routinely plays stupid, making unforced error after unforced error, who rarely play situational baseball, the buck has to stop with the coaching at some point ...

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Current bench is Plawecki, Dalbec, and Arroyo. I’d like to see him make some examples of folks and shuffle the lineup, but not a lot of options with a bench that limited.

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

I realize Vazquez has started hitting a little but a lot of his hits seem BABiP luck hits…. He looks mentally out of the game. His blunder last night cost a run that could have put Shwarber’s HR as a walk-off victory.
He really needs to be benches for 3 or so gamers straight.

 

[joe dokes]

I understand that complaining about fundamentals gives middle aged mediocre white dudes like me a little flutter down below, but honestly it’s getting ridiculous at this point. They’re killing themselves with this stuff and it’s all mental.

Maybe they're stupid. I'll flog this horse for as long as I live, but why do we assume that the so-called "mental" side of the game is any different than the physical side? IOW, making Verdugo or Vazquez a "smarter" player is no different than trying to make JDMartinez play shortstop. Some guys are slow; some guys are weak at defense; some guys are stupid.

 

[Rovin Romine]

Maybe they're stupid. I'll flog this horse for as long as I live, but why do we assume that the so-called "mental" side of the game is any different than the physical side? IOW, making Verdugo or Vazquez a "smarter" player is no different than trying to make JDMartinez play shortstop. Some guys are slow; some guys are weak at defense; some guys are stupid.

Sure. But these kind of performance errors aren't evenly distributed throughout all their careers.

When there's a rash of mental errors, they're either a random clustering, or attributable to something else. I suspect with some of them it's mental/physical exhaustion. Others may have off-field distractions. It's the job of the coaching staff and the manager to mitigate and address these sorts of things. Vaz clearly needs to get his head together. Cora should do what it takes to make that happen.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I am absolutely convinced something is going on with Vazquez off the field. He looks completely out of it. For a catcher, whose entire job is to be acutely aware of the game situation on every pitch, to forget the number of outs is essentially unforgivable.

I'd bench him for a week to clear his head. His idiocy likely cost them the game last night.

Dokes is right in that some players may just be game stupid. But it's the manager's job to work on that, to have them cut down on these unforced errors and to concentrate on the damn game situation. Cora hasn't been able to do that.

 

[joe dokes]

Dokes is right in that some players may just be game stupid. But it's the manager's job to work on that, to have them cut down on these unforced errors and to concentrate on the damn game situation. Cora hasn't been able to do that.

To the extent it's possible, I agree. I just dont know much much stupid can be fixed.
I've always felt that Vazquez - even when going generally well -- went through stretches where he played like he was stoned. He should be sent off to a corner where he can put on headphones and listen to some Mahavishnu Orchestra until he comes down.

Romine's mentally burnt suggestion may be onto something as well. Maybe this is the fallout from going with 14 pitchers? (at the same time as having Multi-tool Marwin be such an epic fail.)

 

[Sandy Leon Trotsky]

I love Devers but his mental errors are also beyond frustrating. His range, footwork and hands appear to be solid.

 

[E5 Yaz]

Who is the veteran leader on this team? Who is the guy who sets the example so that it always doesn't have to fall on Cora or the coaches to get teammates to get their shit in order?

 

[Petagine in a Bottle]

Bogaerts and JD called the players only meeting the other day, those two and Sale spoke.

 

[Rovin Romine]

Bogaerts and JD called the players only meeting the other day, those two and Sale spoke.

Those are the two I'd pick - mature everyday players with a track-record on the team.

There's also Vazquez. Except for that whole Vazquez thing.

 

[Zincman]

I never underestimate the effect of stupidity, but non-accountability can afflict even "smart" players when the culture allows. Standing and watching the ball you hit that might or might not go out is endemic to the culture of baseball. It's as if it were performance art and it seems to take precedence over the outcome. Contrived celebrations, macho posing, and half-speed effort are now part of the decadent baseball culture and it is aided and abetted by an adoring media (that's you ESPN) thats sees these behaviors as "marketable entertainment". I don't know if Verdugo is stupid or smart but it doesn't really matter because this is how they play the game today. It really makes you miss guys like Pedroia. There are others but they have become more rare with each passing year.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

Although this is true for every team across every board, we just don't know what's going on with some of these players' personal lives (nor should we). Vazquez was just on the bereavement list. Who died and how long was that going on? Devers has a 1-year old and Rafael's not much older. Verdugo's girlfriend just had a baby. Is everything OK?

This is not an excuse, but a recognition that these are real (young) people and not everything to do with their mental lack of performance is attributable to the coaching staff.

Perhaps they're un-coachable. Perhaps they just get caught up on the moment and lack mental discipline. I'd like to blame the manager and coaches, but who the hell knows.

 

[cantor44]

Although this is true for every team across every board, we just don't know what's going on with some of these players' personal lives (nor should we). Vazquez was just on the bereavement list. Who died and how long was that going on? Devers has a 1-year old and Rafael's not much older. Verdugo's girlfriend just had a baby. Is everything OK?

This is not an excuse, but a recognition that these are real (young) people and not everything to do with their mental lack of performance is attributable to the coaching staff.

Perhaps they're un-coachable. Perhaps they just get caught up on the moment and lack mental discipline. I'd like to blame the manager and coaches, but who the hell knows.

I think this is certainly a consideration when any player is underperforming. Sometimes a player has an off season in the middle of the their career, and you find out after the fact they were going through a terrible divorce or something.

But, with this current team, these mistakes are endemic, repeated, across the board. They seem far too copious to be attributable to the personal lives of the players ...

 

[YTF]

I understand that Vazquez recently suffered some sort of loss, but it's time to sit him down for a while and let Plawecki handle the lion's share of the catching detail until Vaz can pull his head out or Plawecki loses the job. This has been a season long thing with this club and the current roster, Vazquez is the biggest offender and for some time now he's not been a very good DEfender behind the plate. He and Plaw are both RH hitting and throwing and Plawecki's splits vs both RH and LH pitchers are slightly better. I also think it's high time for Cora to get an earful about this from Bloom if he hasn't already. By my eye, shitty baserunning by an Alex Cora lead time is not exclusive to this season. In his time here, Adam Benintendi seemed to have been a terrible base runner, running into way too many outs. If IIRC that 2019 team was not great on the base paths. Until this past week Cora's defense was, "we're going to be aggressive on the base paths. Can't you be both aggressive and smart? It's hard to watch this shit on a regular basis, yes there will be occasional lapses in judgement. It happens, but we're seeing this 2,3, 4 times a week and in some instances we're seeing it multiple times in the same game. I suggested a few weeks ago that Cora skips BP for a night or two and make these guys do base running drills in front of the fans who came to watch BP. And before anyone offers that this would be embarrassing or humiliating, I don't want to hear it. These fuckers are embarrassing and humiliating themselves while running the bases on a near nightly basis.

 

[Smiling Joe Hesketh]

I have been extremely hard on Cora in the second half but credit where credit is due: moving Richards to the bullpen and using him in a multi-inning role has worked out spendidly and gives the team a huge weapon for getting through games. That is a credit to Cora, he made a change and it worked out for the better.

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

I have been extremely hard on Cora in the second half but credit where credit is due: moving Richards to the bullpen and using him in a multi-inning role has worked out spendidly and gives the team a huge weapon for getting through games. That is a credit to Cora, he made a change and it worked out for the better.

To evaluate the whole picture, I think you have to include the fact that he also tried doing this with Perez, and that hasn't worked at all. But now that Richards seems to have reinvented himself on the fly as a relief ace, I do like Cora's use of him in high leverage situations. Honestly, I think it will be fascinating to see how he manages the bullpen once everyone is back from CV.

 

[Rovin Romine]

I have been extremely hard on Cora in the second half but credit where credit is due: moving Richards to the bullpen and using him in a multi-inning role has worked out spendidly and gives the team a huge weapon for getting through games. That is a credit to Cora, he made a change and it worked out for the better.

I wouldn't go that far.

Seriously though, there are only 5 starters, and while they didn't have to call up Sale/Houck, it's the blindingly obvious thing to do. Also, they didn't have to DFA Richards when they could DFA/option the most marginal bullpen guys. You pretty much have to see if he works out in the pen before you cut him (and his affordably priced starter's option for next year.) So - no brainers.

I will, however, give Cora full credit and kudos for using only Richards for 3 innings last night.

Richards was brought in with men on base, so he had already warmed up and logged an inning's worth of pitches. So even though they were up by 4 runs, there's no clear call to put in a scrubish guy, then maybe have to go to a third relief pitcher (Whitlock?) to clean up a mess and eek out a win. (If they were up 5 or 6, maybe you do it and so take Richards out after 10ish pitches.)

But, leaving Ricards in gave a day off for the rest of the pen, and secured a victory against a division rival. The trade-off is not having a good bullpen piece available for a couple of days. But that's worth it. There's also the psychological impact - Richards really delivered here, and I have to think that might be a good motivator for him in his new role. (Eck speculated on that a bit.)

While this isn't an example of creative brilliance, it's solid bullpen management, and that's not to be dismissed.

 

[Rovin Romine]

I understand that Vazquez recently suffered some sort of loss. . .

If this is something that's fit for public discussion, I'd like to hear it. If not, would you PM me with a link or a search-term or something?

 

[Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat]

If this is something that's fit for public discussion, I'd like to hear it. If not, would you PM me with a link or a search-term or something?

He was on bereavement leave. I never saw any additional information on the situation.

 

[Average Reds]

He was on bereavement leave. I never saw any additional information on the situation.

Was going to say the same thing. No details have been released as far as I know.

 

[tims4wins]

Richards in the pen:

7 g, 13.1 IP, 16K : 4 BB, 8 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0.90 WHIP, 0.71 ERA

He's not going to be prime Eck / Koji forever, but as alluded to upthread, add this to Houck in the pen, add in a better Barnes, and the Sox have something there.