Random tiny sample sizes are hugely predictive but the trick is that you need to account for the day/night splits AKA "The Varitek"
Maybe the Red Sox are good?
- Thread starter PrometheusWakefield
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I get that it's just that Hernandez, Bogaerts, and Devers are all slumping deeply at the same time, but it is hard not to feel as though this losing streak in Houston is a sign we remain a step behind the real top teams in the AL.
Then again, Richards and Pivetta held up more than respectably against a very deep, powerful Houston lineup in a hitter's park, so there's cause for optimism, too.
Then again, Richards and Pivetta held up more than respectably against a very deep, powerful Houston lineup in a hitter's park, so there's cause for optimism, too.
I’m super pissed at the last three days too but if they can salvage the last game and play well against the MFY, I think we’ll feel a lot better as they head back home to take on Houston in a rematch.
Certainly 1/3 of a season is still in many ways a SSS. But I think there was one cause for apprehension going into the season: that none of the position players Bloom added had any history of being productive offensive players (aside from some anomalous seasons from Santana and Gonzalez). A concern about their productivity remained, even as the team was leading the league in runs for a while, as they were being carried by Martinez, Bogaerts, and Devers putting up unsustainable all-world numbers.
The question in the first couple months was - when those core guys inevitably cool down, will any of the support guys heat up? The answer, aside from Renfroe, has been no. Dalbec, Hernandez, Gonzalez, and Cordero have all been terrible. Santana had a couple of big blasts, but he seems to have the same penchant for swings and misses. Hernandez has no business being an everyday lead-off hitter, much less an everyday player. ALL of these guys are good bench players, though pretty redundant.
The surprise of the year, so far, for me, is how well Richards, Pivetta, and Perez have pitched. Their stuff looks good to the eye test, so maybe they can sustain it. But the team, despite its fantastic middle of the order, actually needs more offensive weapons. Maybe Duran will be one of those needed additions ... maybe a Santana/Dalbec platoon at first will do the trick over time, as Dalbec's splits are pretty extreme ... but the team could stand getting something out of first base ...
The question in the first couple months was - when those core guys inevitably cool down, will any of the support guys heat up? The answer, aside from Renfroe, has been no. Dalbec, Hernandez, Gonzalez, and Cordero have all been terrible. Santana had a couple of big blasts, but he seems to have the same penchant for swings and misses. Hernandez has no business being an everyday lead-off hitter, much less an everyday player. ALL of these guys are good bench players, though pretty redundant.
The surprise of the year, so far, for me, is how well Richards, Pivetta, and Perez have pitched. Their stuff looks good to the eye test, so maybe they can sustain it. But the team, despite its fantastic middle of the order, actually needs more offensive weapons. Maybe Duran will be one of those needed additions ... maybe a Santana/Dalbec platoon at first will do the trick over time, as Dalbec's splits are pretty extreme ... but the team could stand getting something out of first base ...
A 162-game season is REALLY long. Every team, no matter how good or bad, will go through stretches when they play well and everything looks good, and stretches when they play poorly and everything looks bad. Right now, they're in one of the latter stretches. It happens.
I would be more worried long term if the pitching is what was failing us but that’s not the case. All of our best hitters are scuffling at the same time and it’s a shit time for it, but it happens. The offense will be fine and hopefully they get it together soon enough for us to make a more respectable showing against the stiffer competition we’re looking at right now.
Outside of the "core" (Verdugo, Devers, X, and JDM), I'm getting pretty disappointed in Vazquez. He really, other than the first week of the season, has been incredibly subpar at the dish... and again, like in past seasons, if his offense isn't above average, I'm not sure if his defense provides carrying him. Renfroe picking it up lately has definitely helped... but need at least one more positional player to be productive.
I'm at the point they they test Verdugo out as the leadoff. We're not seeing Duran until at least August... and I don't have any expectations that he'll be able to jump right in and be better than Kiké.... he's more likely to start off like Pedroia did.
It's clear to me that Renfroe! cares and nobody else does. Except maybe Devers. As long as it's not a fastball.
Big picture, I don't think much was necessarily expected from any of these guys and Chaim didn't marry any of them. Two of Santana, Gonzalez, Arroyo, Santana, and Hernandez will be gone if/when Downs and Durran are ready. None of them have separated themselves so far which would make the choices easier. Enrique is paid the most but hasn't been used well and hasn't been productive against lefties yet like he has a track record of. If he's dropped way down in the order and picks it up against southpaws, you can live with him.
I'd like to see if Arroyo can play elsewhere since he may be more useful than Kike or Gonzalez if/when Downs and Durran are up.
Renfroe was a very solid get. Perfect defensive profile for Fenway and a guy you can play match ups with without having to pay much.
Yes, agree with your assessment. These were placeholder acquisitions (bridge acquisitions so to speak). I think the happy conundrum Bloom and the organization finds themselves in is that the team is contending a year ahead of schedule. They don't seem quite good enough to win it all, so doesn't make sense to break the bank to GFIN ... and yet ... do you do something to improve the team's chances given that post season play is a possibility? If you do, reducing the number of black holes in the line up seems an obvious place to start.
