Maybe the Red Sox are good?

EllisTheRimMan

EllisTheRimMan

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 6, 2007
4,560
Csmbridge
jacklamabe65 said:
On the evening of June 15, 1967, nearly 17,000 fans turned out at Fenway to see them battle the first-place White Sox. At the time, Boston was in third place, five games behind Chicago. Earlier that day, I had graduated from sixth grade and was now officially on vacation. my father wanted to “break out the summer” by having the two of us take in some baseball at Fenway.

When we sat in our assigned seats in Section 27, we noticed that the crowd was more boisterous than previous games that we had been present at in the past. In centerfield, a homemade sign had been draped on the back wall with a large picture of the team's insignia with the accompanying words – “The Little Engine That Could!”

For nine innings, we watched from our seats along the third-base line as two improbable hurlers, Red Sox rookie pitcher Gary Waslewski and veteran journeyman Bruce Howard battled each other to a scoreless duel. Hard-throwing reliever Johnny Wyatt came out of the Boston bullpen in the tenth and shut the Chisox down. Hoyt Wilhelm and John Buzhardt did the same for Chicago. As the two squads walked off the field to conclude the tenth frame, Dad turned to me and beamed, “Now this is a National League kind of game!”

In the top of the eleventh inning, Walt “No Neck” Williams led off the inning with a scorching double into the leftfield corner. After monitoring the flight of the ball, my father quickly surmised, “The White Sox's manager, Eddie Stanky, will have Don Buford bunt. Remember, Eddie once played for the Braves!”

As George Scott and Joe Foy crept in to cover the anticipated bunt, the Chicago batter suddenly left his squared-off position in the batter's box and lashed at a John Wyatt fastball toward right field. First baseman Scott desperately lunged for the ball, caught it on a wicked hop, and beat a stunned Williams to the bag. My father fiercely applauded as he shouted through the din, “Gil Hodges himself could not have gotten to that ball!”

After the second out, however, light-hitting Ken Berry dribbled a single to right with Williams hustling in from third. I slumped into my seat as Tony C. lobbed the ball back to Mike Andrews at second. Dad tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Don't worry, son - the big boys are coming up for us.”

However, when Yaz popped to first baseman Tommy McCraw and George Scott broke his bat on a soft liner to third baseman Dick Kenworthy, all hope seemed lost. “We're staying for the final out,” Dad said emphatically as I remained seated, watching Joe Foy tiptoe towards home plate. The Red Sox third baseman took a deep breath, fingered his bat, and promptly grounded a single between short and third.

As fan-favorite Tony Conigliaro slowly walked up to the plate, everyone at the Fens began to stand. Having led the American League in home runs two seasons before, Tony C. was now mired in a prolonged slump. A recent two-week stint at Camp Drum as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard had left him in a hitting stupor. Aware of Conig's hitting funk, pitcher John Buzhardt promptly threw a pair of unforgiving curves; the kid from East Boston grunted each time as he missed by a foot. Like an airless shroud, an eerie stillness settled over Fenway.

With the count 0-2, Conigliaro settled into his familiar stance, his bat cocked, his coffee eyes staring out assertively at the White Sox hurler. Another curveball was tossed by Buzhardt, but the sphere seemed to deflate by the time it approached home plate. In less than a second, the streaking ball disappeared into the left field net above the scoreboard as the Red Sox team swirled around Tony C. as he gleefully approached home.

“Never, ever count this team out!” Dad shouted as we joined in the hosannas that swelled around us. Minutes later, we headed home on Route 9, drained and elated; as we listened on WHDH, Red Sox announcer Ned Martin concluded the post-game show be exclaiming, “The Cardiac Kids have come through once again!"

“This is the most fun I've had in baseball since the '48 Braves!” Dad cried out as we entered our darkened driveway in Wellesley.
Click to expand...
This is why I come back to SOSH.
 
MuzzyField

MuzzyField

Well-Known Member
Gold Supporter
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
7,411
Jacksonville, FL via Waterbury, CT
jacklamabe65 said:
On the evening of June 15, 1967, nearly 17,000 fans turned out at Fenway to see them battle the first-place White Sox. At the time, Boston was in third place, five games behind Chicago. Earlier that day, I had graduated from sixth grade and was now officially on vacation. my father wanted to “break out the summer” by having the two of us take in some baseball at Fenway....
Click to expand...
Fantastic story.

Thanks for taking us all along for a great ride on the Impossible Dream train..
 
reggiecleveland

reggiecleveland

sublime
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
28,554
Saskatoon Canada
chrisfont9 said:
Right, when you see Papi or Yaz you're probably thinking, I'd rather walk him than risk anything middle middle. With Brandon Phillips, the ATL pitcher was like "imma just groove a fastball and see what happens." Your point about the grand slams fits: the one time you can't just accept possibly walking Teddy.
Click to expand...
Nobody notice the acronym I used to describe Ted?
 
brandonchristensen

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
SoSH Member
Feb 4, 2012
39,387
jacklamabe65 said:
On the evening of June 15, 1967, nearly 17,000 fans turned out at Fenway to see them battle the first-place White Sox. At the time, Boston was in third place, five games behind Chicago. Earlier that day, I had graduated from sixth grade and was now officially on vacation. my father wanted to “break out the summer” by having the two of us take in some baseball at Fenway.

When we sat in our assigned seats in Section 27, we noticed that the crowd was more boisterous than previous games that we had been present at in the past. In centerfield, a homemade sign had been draped on the back wall with a large picture of the team's insignia with the accompanying words – “The Little Engine That Could!”

For nine innings, we watched from our seats along the third-base line as two improbable hurlers, Red Sox rookie pitcher Gary Waslewski and veteran journeyman Bruce Howard battled each other to a scoreless duel. Hard-throwing reliever Johnny Wyatt came out of the Boston bullpen in the tenth and shut the Chisox down. Hoyt Wilhelm and John Buzhardt did the same for Chicago. As the two squads walked off the field to conclude the tenth frame, Dad turned to me and beamed, “Now this is a National League kind of game!”

In the top of the eleventh inning, Walt “No Neck” Williams led off the inning with a scorching double into the leftfield corner. After monitoring the flight of the ball, my father quickly surmised, “The White Sox's manager, Eddie Stanky, will have Don Buford bunt. Remember, Eddie once played for the Braves!”

As George Scott and Joe Foy crept in to cover the anticipated bunt, the Chicago batter suddenly left his squared-off position in the batter's box and lashed at a John Wyatt fastball toward right field. First baseman Scott desperately lunged for the ball, caught it on a wicked hop, and beat a stunned Williams to the bag. My father fiercely applauded as he shouted through the din, “Gil Hodges himself could not have gotten to that ball!”

After the second out, however, light-hitting Ken Berry dribbled a single to right with Williams hustling in from third. I slumped into my seat as Tony C. lobbed the ball back to Mike Andrews at second. Dad tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Don't worry, son - the big boys are coming up for us.”

However, when Yaz popped to first baseman Tommy McCraw and George Scott broke his bat on a soft liner to third baseman Dick Kenworthy, all hope seemed lost. “We're staying for the final out,” Dad said emphatically as I remained seated, watching Joe Foy tiptoe towards home plate. The Red Sox third baseman took a deep breath, fingered his bat, and promptly grounded a single between short and third.

As fan-favorite Tony Conigliaro slowly walked up to the plate, everyone at the Fens began to stand. Having led the American League in home runs two seasons before, Tony C. was now mired in a prolonged slump. A recent two-week stint at Camp Drum as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard had left him in a hitting stupor. Aware of Conig's hitting funk, pitcher John Buzhardt promptly threw a pair of unforgiving curves; the kid from East Boston grunted each time as he missed by a foot. Like an airless shroud, an eerie stillness settled over Fenway.

With the count 0-2, Conigliaro settled into his familiar stance, his bat cocked, his coffee eyes staring out assertively at the White Sox hurler. Another curveball was tossed by Buzhardt, but the sphere seemed to deflate by the time it approached home plate. In less than a second, the streaking ball disappeared into the left field net above the scoreboard as the Red Sox team swirled around Tony C. as he gleefully approached home.

“Never, ever count this team out!” Dad shouted as we joined in the hosannas that swelled around us. Minutes later, we headed home on Route 9, drained and elated; as we listened on WHDH, Red Sox announcer Ned Martin concluded the post-game show be exclaiming, “The Cardiac Kids have come through once again!"

“This is the most fun I've had in baseball since the '48 Braves!” Dad cried out as we entered our darkened driveway in Wellesley.
Click to expand...
That’s a lovely story!
 
Al Zarilla

Al Zarilla

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 8, 2005
61,104
San Andreas Fault
jacklamabe65 said:
On the evening of June 15, 1967, nearly 17,000 fans turned out at Fenway to see them battle the first-place White Sox. At the time, Boston was in third place, five games behind Chicago. Earlier that day, I had graduated from sixth grade and was now officially on vacation. my father wanted to “break out the summer” by having the two of us take in some baseball at Fenway.

When we sat in our assigned seats in Section 27, we noticed that the crowd was more boisterous than previous games that we had been present at in the past. In centerfield, a homemade sign had been draped on the back wall with a large picture of the team's insignia with the accompanying words – “The Little Engine That Could!”

For nine innings, we watched from our seats along the third-base line as two improbable hurlers, Red Sox rookie pitcher Gary Waslewski and veteran journeyman Bruce Howard battled each other to a scoreless duel. Hard-throwing reliever Johnny Wyatt came out of the Boston bullpen in the tenth and shut the Chisox down. Hoyt Wilhelm and John Buzhardt did the same for Chicago. As the two squads walked off the field to conclude the tenth frame, Dad turned to me and beamed, “Now this is a National League kind of game!”

In the top of the eleventh inning, Walt “No Neck” Williams led off the inning with a scorching double into the leftfield corner. After monitoring the flight of the ball, my father quickly surmised, “The White Sox's manager, Eddie Stanky, will have Don Buford bunt. Remember, Eddie once played for the Braves!”

As George Scott and Joe Foy crept in to cover the anticipated bunt, the Chicago batter suddenly left his squared-off position in the batter's box and lashed at a John Wyatt fastball toward right field. First baseman Scott desperately lunged for the ball, caught it on a wicked hop, and beat a stunned Williams to the bag. My father fiercely applauded as he shouted through the din, “Gil Hodges himself could not have gotten to that ball!”

After the second out, however, light-hitting Ken Berry dribbled a single to right with Williams hustling in from third. I slumped into my seat as Tony C. lobbed the ball back to Mike Andrews at second. Dad tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Don't worry, son - the big boys are coming up for us.”

However, when Yaz popped to first baseman Tommy McCraw and George Scott broke his bat on a soft liner to third baseman Dick Kenworthy, all hope seemed lost. “We're staying for the final out,” Dad said emphatically as I remained seated, watching Joe Foy tiptoe towards home plate. The Red Sox third baseman took a deep breath, fingered his bat, and promptly grounded a single between short and third.

As fan-favorite Tony Conigliaro slowly walked up to the plate, everyone at the Fens began to stand. Having led the American League in home runs two seasons before, Tony C. was now mired in a prolonged slump. A recent two-week stint at Camp Drum as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard had left him in a hitting stupor. Aware of Conig's hitting funk, pitcher John Buzhardt promptly threw a pair of unforgiving curves; the kid from East Boston grunted each time as he missed by a foot. Like an airless shroud, an eerie stillness settled over Fenway.

With the count 0-2, Conigliaro settled into his familiar stance, his bat cocked, his coffee eyes staring out assertively at the White Sox hurler. Another curveball was tossed by Buzhardt, but the sphere seemed to deflate by the time it approached home plate. In less than a second, the streaking ball disappeared into the left field net above the scoreboard as the Red Sox team swirled around Tony C. as he gleefully approached home.

“Never, ever count this team out!” Dad shouted as we joined in the hosannas that swelled around us. Minutes later, we headed home on Route 9, drained and elated; as we listened on WHDH, Red Sox announcer Ned Martin concluded the post-game show be exclaiming, “The Cardiac Kids have come through once again!"

“This is the most fun I've had in baseball since the '48 Braves!” Dad cried out as we entered our darkened driveway in Wellesley.
Click to expand...
Tony C batting after Joe Foy! Dick Williams was a genius too, knowing they'd need a big bat right then!

Great story, Jack.
 
Mugsy's Jock

Mugsy's Jock

Eli apologist
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Dec 28, 2000
15,697
UWS, NYC
Rovin Romine

Rovin Romine

Johnny Rico
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Jul 14, 2005
25,961
Miami (oh, Miami!)
DeadlySplitter said:
Red Sox
@RedSox
·
3m


The #RedSox today selected INF/OF Danny Santana to the active major league roster from Triple-A Worcester. To make room for Santana on the 40-man roster, the Red Sox designated RHP Austin Brice for assignment.
Click to expand...
Brice is no big loss. But I'm surprised Franchy is still with the team. Perhaps they're worried about a Santana relapse, but Franchy is still dead-weight on the team. Any word as to why?
 
Red(s)HawksFan

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
22,558
Maine
Rovin Romine said:
Brice is no big loss. But I'm surprised Franchy is still with the team. Perhaps they're worried about a Santana relapse, but Franchy is still dead-weight on the team. Any word as to why?
Click to expand...
Not continuing to go with a short bench? The Brice for Santana move makes a ton of sense given the team was carrying 14 pitchers and not really needing them all. Plus they needed a 40-man spot for Santana and a Brice DFA is simpler than optioning Cordero and DFAing someone else.

Arroyo is on a rehab assignment now. I expect Cordero might be the guy swapped for him when he's ready, even if Chavis is the more obvious one for one move.
 
Lose Remerswaal

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2002
55,086
Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills
Red(s)HawksFan said:
Not continuing to go with a short bench? The Brice for Santana move makes a ton of sense given the team was carrying 14 pitchers and not really needing them all. Plus they needed a 40-man spot for Santana and a Brice DFA is simpler than optioning Cordero and DFAing someone else.

Arroyo is on a rehab assignment now. I expect Cordero might be the guy swapped for him when he's ready, even if Chavis is the more obvious one for one move.
Click to expand...
Agreed. With Monday and Thursday off, no need for the extra pitcher. And Arroyo back soon, an injury or Franchy might be the next move
 
YTF

YTF

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 24, 2007
25,222
The northwest corner of the Commonwealth
It really seems like he HAS to be the next move doesn't it? Duran's waiting in the wings, but the Sox don't seem ready to bring him up just yet and that's OK if Santana is able to fill the role he's been brought in to fill. ATM there's no real need for Cordero and if there's any hope in seeing if he's going to contribute to this team he needs to see regular ABs in Wooster to try to get his shit together.
 
Cesar Crespo

Cesar Crespo

79
SoSH Member
Dec 22, 2002
21,588
YTF said:
It really seems like he HAS to be the next move doesn't it? Duran's waiting in the wings, but the Sox don't seem ready to bring him up just yet and that's OK if Santana is able to fill the role he's been brought in to fill. ATM there's no real need for Cordero and if there's any hope in seeing if he's going to contribute to this team he needs to see regular ABs in Wooster to try to get his shit together.
Click to expand...
Duran is sorta forcing the issue. 4/4 today, hit his 6th and 7th HR.
 
soxhop411

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
48,177
some more stats
Danny Santana is the fifth player to homer in each of their first 2 games played with the Red Sox, joining Darnell McDonald (2010), Sam Horn (1987), Lee Thomas (1964), and Jake Jones (1947).
Click to expand...
View: https://twitter.com/SoxNotes/status/1396272059467149312

View: https://twitter.com/SoxNotes/status/1396276409300029443

Longest homerless streaks to begin a season, Red Sox pitchers in the last 25 years (1997-2021): 1. Derek Lowe (2002) – 88.1 IP T2. Nathan Eovaldi (2021) – 55.0 IP T2. Pedro Martinez (2001) – 55.0 IP (h/t
@EliasSports
Click to expand...
Xander Bogaerts – 10 HR, 14 doubles Rafael Devers – 12 HR, 14 doubles J.D. Martinez – 12 HR, 10 doubles This is the first Red Sox trio ever to record at least 10 HR and 10 doubles each in the team’s first 50 games.
Click to expand...
View: https://twitter.com/SoxNotes/status/1396276967431938048
 
soxhop411

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
48,177
santadevil said:
But we're not 50 games in yet...
Click to expand...
perhaps they forgot within?

bosockboy said:
Yep Duran in CF, Santana in LF really cleans up the holes. Gives you a bench of Gonzalez/Renfroe/Plawecki/Arroyo.
Click to expand...
I still dont think he will be up till sometime next month:

See
View: https://twitter.com/redsoxstats/status/1396231638636503041

Coming into today Duran's average had dropped to .242 and his contact rate was down to a scary 63%. His highlights are eye-opening, but there is plenty to smooth out still with no need to rush right now with Verdugo/ Hernandez/ Renfroe/ Santana.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
Sox Puppet

Sox Puppet

Member
SoSH Member
Dec 7, 2016
776
Incredibly, we seem to have the highest OPS in baseball despite carrying the offensive dead weight of Cordero, Renfroe, Dalbec, Gonzalez, and (to a lesser degree) K. Hernandez. I still can't wrap my mind around it, but I'll take it.
 
reggiecleveland

reggiecleveland

sublime
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Mar 5, 2004
28,554
Saskatoon Canada
Sox Puppet said:
Incredibly, we seem to have the highest OPS in baseball despite carrying the offensive dead weight of Cordero, Renfroe, Dalbec, Gonzalez, and (to a lesser degree) K. Hernandez. I still can't wrap my mind around it, but I'll take it.
Click to expand...
YOu may have noticed it is not as easy to hit this year. For comparison Johnny Damon's .750 in 2003 was a ops+ of 94 while Dalbec's .690 is ops+ of 88. Arroyos .710 is ops+ of 97. In 2003 Manny.s ops of 1.014 was an OPS+ of 160 while JD's almost indentical ops of 1.015 is ops+ of 177.

But you are right about Franchy who has 90 PS and a ops+ of 29. Looking thorough back to 2010 of guy with around a 100pa and ops+ near Franchy's

Steve Pearce 2019 89pa 32ops+ (never played in MLB again)
Allen Craig 2015 88pa ops+ 21 (never played in MLB again)
Allen Craig 2014 107pa ops+ 21 (guy was consistent)
Daniel Nava 2015 78pa ops+ 22 (that 2015 was fun remember!) had a pretty good 4of year in 2017
Mike Cameran 2011 105pa ops+28
Jacoby Ellsbury 2010 84ps ops+30

So we see 3 the three most recent times was by guys who were done. Another, Cameron had a pretty good year after being traded but was done, another who scraped around the minors before 200 decent at bats two years later, then was done, and another guy who was trying to play hurt and was shut down the rest of the year.

Lets note that this putrid level of hitting always, always costs guys their job. So They can't keep running him out there, right?
 
BornToRun

BornToRun

Member
SoSH Member
Jun 4, 2011
18,058
Weren’t we also just talking about how Bobby has come on as of late? Kinda feels unfair to lump him in with “dead weight” when he’s started to hit a little bit recently.
 
Jerry’s Curl

Jerry’s Curl

New Member
Feb 6, 2018
2,518
Florida
They are going to need Sale to come back and contribute later in the season if they are going to make a playoff run. Erod doesn’t look anything like a front-end starter right now.
 
brandonchristensen

brandonchristensen

Loves Aaron Judge
SoSH Member
Feb 4, 2012
39,387
They are good. But the Rays and Yankees are also good. Even slow starts don’t matter when you’re ripping off 9 game win streaks.

Going to be a batter. Us and the NL WEST.
 
Heating up in the bullpen

Heating up in the bullpen

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,302
Pittsboro NC
I think they're good, and I like the team a lot. But they're not great.
I think the offense will be fine. Even if the top four (Verdugo, JD, Xander, Rafi) to regress downward, seems like there's room for the bottom three (Renfroe, Dalbec, Franchy) to regress upward.
But as Jerry's Curl says above, ERod doesn't look right. And the bullpen is an adventure.
And more big picture, they don't seem to have a killer instinct. In May they've had three chances to complete a sweep.
On the 10th they could've swept four against the Os but came out flat, only managing four hits and one run in 5.2 innings against a guy with an ERA over 5. Martin Perez pitched well (5 IP, 1 R) but Andriese gave up 3 and the Sox didn't get another hit.
On the 16th, they could've swept three from the Angels, but lost 6-5 on the Ohtani homer off Barnes. But it seems like it shouldn't have come to that. Going against Jose Quintana and his 8+ ERA, they went 3-up, 3-down in the first and second. In the third, after an Arauz double plated a run and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs, they failed to score again, including a Devers K and a JD popup. In the fourth they went down in order again. In the fifth they finally got to Quintana, with a Plawecki one-out solo homer followed by an Arauz single. Reliever Slegers gave up a single to Chavis, a three-run Johnson to Devers (to give the Sox a 5-4 lead) and another single to JD. The next reliever got Xander to GIDP to get out of the inning. After that the bats disappeared in innings 6-8, but for a Chavis 2-out double in the seventh. And in the 9th, after Ohtani gave the Angels the lead, the Sox worked two walks but also went down on three Ks. So in innings 6-9 they went 1-12 with 2 BBs and 7 Ks.
And then today, another quiet day for the bats on a potential sweep getaway day.
Seems like they're more focused on the getaway than the sweep.
So yeah, a good, but not great, team. And except for the flat getaway days, they're pretty fun to watch and root for.
 
YTF

YTF

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 24, 2007
25,222
The northwest corner of the Commonwealth
JimD said:
I'm more impressed by the 17 come-from-behind wins than the occasional flat game in a sport where even the great teams lose a third of their games.
Click to expand...
Being able to come from behind is incredibly important to any team's success, but I take this come from behind stat with a grain of salt. It's my understanding that stat counts a 1-0 first inning deficit that turns into a lead in the next half inning. Technically, sure they've come from behind but that sort of waters down the stat.
 
OurF'ingCity

OurF'ingCity

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 22, 2016
8,470
New York City
Heating up in the bullpen said:
I think they're good, and I like the team a lot. But they're not great.
I think the offense will be fine. Even if the top four (Verdugo, JD, Xander, Rafi) to regress downward, seems like there's room for the bottom three (Renfroe, Dalbec, Franchy) to regress upward.
But as Jerry's Curl says above, ERod doesn't look right. And the bullpen is an adventure.
And more big picture, they don't seem to have a killer instinct. In May they've had three chances to complete a sweep.
On the 10th they could've swept four against the Os but came out flat, only managing four hits and one run in 5.2 innings against a guy with an ERA over 5. Martin Perez pitched well (5 IP, 1 R) but Andriese gave up 3 and the Sox didn't get another hit.
On the 16th, they could've swept three from the Angels, but lost 6-5 on the Ohtani homer off Barnes. But it seems like it shouldn't have come to that. Going against Jose Quintana and his 8+ ERA, they went 3-up, 3-down in the first and second. In the third, after an Arauz double plated a run and put runners at 2nd and 3rd with no outs, they failed to score again, including a Devers K and a JD popup. In the fourth they went down in order again. In the fifth they finally got to Quintana, with a Plawecki one-out solo homer followed by an Arauz single. Reliever Slegers gave up a single to Chavis, a three-run Johnson to Devers (to give the Sox a 5-4 lead) and another single to JD. The next reliever got Xander to GIDP to get out of the inning. After that the bats disappeared in innings 6-8, but for a Chavis 2-out double in the seventh. And in the 9th, after Ohtani gave the Angels the lead, the Sox worked two walks but also went down on three Ks. So in innings 6-9 they went 1-12 with 2 BBs and 7 Ks.
And then today, another quiet day for the bats on a potential sweep getaway day.
Seems like they're more focused on the getaway than the sweep.
So yeah, a good, but not great, team. And except for the flat getaway days, they're pretty fun to watch and root for.
Click to expand...
They're tied for the best record in the American league, and the only reason they don't have sole possession of that record is because Tampa has gone on a ridiculous tear (and the Yankees to a lesser extent). The whole "getaway day" thing is such a small sample size (you're focusing on three games out of the 48 they have played) that I think it is meaningless.

The problem is that their schedule gets harder from here on out. It's kind of crazy they have yet to play the Yankees yet, and they've barely played Tampa. At the end of the season it is probably going to come down to those series to determine whether the Sox are a division winner, a team scrambling to get in as the second wild card, or something in between.
 
Sam Ray Not

Sam Ray Not

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 19, 2005
9,316
NYC
YTF said:
Being able to come from behind is incredibly important to any team's success, but I take this come from behind stat with a grain of salt. It's my understanding that stat counts a 1-0 first inning deficit that turns into a lead in the next half inning. Technically, sure they've come from behind but that sort of waters down the stat.
Click to expand...
If we take that stat with a grain of salt — which seems reasonable enough — what granular substance do we need for their highly illustrative and predictive .000 KIP ("Killer Instinct Percentage") in their three potential series sweep games in May?
 
Heating up in the bullpen

Heating up in the bullpen

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,302
Pittsboro NC
Sam Ray Not said:
If we take that stat with a grain of salt — which seems reasonable enough — what granular substance do we need for their highly illustrative and predictive .000 KIP ("Killer Instinct Percentage") in their three potential series sweep games in May?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I get it, stats and all. Some stats are descriptive, not predictive. The games that stood out for me happened, but there is nothing about them that says they'll happen again.
I said I like the team, I said twice I think they're a good team. I said they're not a great team. I'd love for them to become a great team; to become a team with a killer instinct; to become a team that can sweep four from the Orioles and three from the Phillies and three from Detroit and not lose 3 of 4 to the Rangers. They're not quite there. Maybe they get there. Maybe ERod straightens out whatever he's going through and the bullpen provides a smoother path to Barnes in the 9th. Maybe the big bats stay hot and the cold bats warm up even more and they stop taking off getaway days.
Until then, they're a good team, not a great one. Good is Ok; so much better than last year. I'm enjoying watching them and listening when I can't watch and checking in before bed when I can't do either and reading y'all's thoughts about the team here.
 
Sandy Leon Trotsky

Sandy Leon Trotsky

Member
SoSH Member
Mar 11, 2007
7,389
Just getting F'in Rodriguez to pitch more like Rodriguez would go a long ways towards making the team a "good" to "very good" team. Anyone know what his problem is? Tipping pitches.... IIRC, that was an issue with him during his early years, no?
A return of Sale will definitely help (and I'm definitely thinking he'll be in the pen). Anyone know what his current status is....?
 
Lose Remerswaal

Lose Remerswaal

Experiencing Furry Panic
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2002
55,086
Dicker and Dicker of Beverly Hills
Sandy Leon Trotsky said:
Just getting F'in Rodriguez to pitch more like Rodriguez would go a long ways towards making the team a "good" to "very good" team. Anyone know what his problem is? Tipping pitches.... IIRC, that was an issue with him during his early years, no?
A return of Sale will definitely help (and I'm definitely thinking he'll be in the pen). Anyone know what his current status is....?
Click to expand...
Sorry to do this, bro, but here you go: https://www.google.com/search?q=chris+sale&client=firefox-b-1-d&sxsrf=ALeKk00ButMjMxUhaFwKBVCWTfRCUMoADw:1621944120967&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiywLPZ5OTwAhVaWs0KHdo2CbQQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1600&bih=797

An excerpt from one:

For all the gratifying daily events that have been taking place for the Red Sox of late, one of the most important developments is happening behind the scenes in Fort Myers, Fla.
That is where Chris Sale is taking a subtle yet important step in his rehab from Tommy John surgery.
Click to expand...
 
Red(s)HawksFan

Red(s)HawksFan

Member
SoSH Member
Jan 23, 2009
22,558
Maine
Sandy Leon Trotsky said:
Just getting F'in Rodriguez to pitch more like Rodriguez would go a long ways towards making the team a "good" to "very good" team. Anyone know what his problem is? Tipping pitches.... IIRC, that was an issue with him during his early years, no?
Click to expand...
My suspicion, based on nothing but watching him on TV, is he's still not fully recovered from the myocarditis. Not that he is still having heart troubles, but that he physically is not back to the level he was pre-COVID. He might feel normal otherwise, but perhaps his body just isn't able to fully recover after each outing the way he's used to. And there might not be a fix to it other than to continue to slowly build himself up again.

We have to remember that when he was down last year, it wasn't like it was an injury to a body part that still allowed him to work out around it. Like if it was a shoulder thing, he could still run and keep up his cardio and his leg strength. He was basically bedridden on doctor's orders for 4-6 weeks or so. Everything atrophied. He might have been able to physically work his arm and everything back to a "normal" level but perhaps the energy reserves aren't quite there. And it's eroding away with each start because he's not recovering as quickly between starts. Perhaps it could be mitigated in the meantime by skipping a start here and there or giving him 6-7 days between starts for a while. Give him a little more time to recharge the battery, so to speak.
 
soxhop411

soxhop411

news aggravator
SoSH Member
Dec 4, 2009
48,177
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom