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Can we stop pretending it is the good old days when it comes to pitching? We know for a fact that pitcher throw harder than ever because hitters are more advanced than ever. We only have data back to 2002, and the average fastball then was 89.2 mph. So far in 2026 it is 94.7. Keep going backwards in time, and that number keeps dropping. It was notable in the old days when I guy threw 90, let alone 95. Today it is notable when they don't. It was MUCH easier to go deeper into games then, because you weren't going at max effort on each pitch. Somehow in the discussion about how no one works deep into games, we seem to leave out the fact that instead of marathon runners on the mound, pitchers have turned into 100 meter sprinters, with a few 200 and 400 meter guys mixed in who can hold their stuff out to 100 pitches 30 times per year. It was easy to go 300 innings when you were topping out at 80 mph and were mixing in junk like a knuckleball because each pitch was at 75 to 80%. NO ONE does that today, which is why almost no one gets to 200, let alone 300 innings. Again, think of it this way. World class 100 meter dash speeds the last couple of Olympics are in the 9.8 range. Projected out over 400 meters, that would be about a 39 second pace. The record is just over 43 seconds, meaning no one in the world has ever held a top 100 meter pace for 400 meters. If you ran 4 sets of 43 second 400's to get to a mile, your pace would be 2 minutes and 52 seconds, the world record just set was 3 minutes and 42 seconds. Drag that out to a marathon, and you would finish the world record in 1 hour and 37 minutes. The World record is just under 2 hours. TLDR, you can throw a lot of pitches at a much lower rate, or you can throw the hardest pitches and throw many less of them. But you cannot physically do both. Stop wondering why.

Agree we are in a tough stretch. But I remind myself that we are battling the Twins and the Indians. Last 10 games the Sox are 4-6, Indians are 3-7 and Twins are 5-5. All 3 teams teams appear to be in the same boat and the Sox are still in front with August coming this weekend.

Chw42, your post jumped out at me this morning. It reminded me of how success in baseball can so often hinge on random strokes of luck-- getting the breaks vs. not getting the breaks. The bullshit double to which you refer is just one example. I think we're due for some luck of the "good" variety now. We have the skill and the heart. Here we are, July 29, 2026, and the Sox are in FIRST PLACE in their division. To use a worn expression: How cool is that??!! Here's my supremely unqualified take: we CAN beat this Yankees team (especially now that we've lulled them into a false sense of security). ☺️ We just need to get pissed and go after them. I'm predicting that this unique group of guys is going to turn the tables tonight and tomorrow afternoon!

Would require more than just Teel I think, but it’s an interesting concept. Someone else on Twitter suggested trading Teel after he got hurt like they did with Madrigal in 2021.

IDK. This goes back to what I said originally which was that Bannister shouldn't be identifying guys to bring in. That's not his skill. His skill is getting the most out of what he has. He's also been a guy who develops big league talent in his career, not a guy who makes immense changes to minor leaguers. If you look at the MLB pitching staff, it's full of guys who are getting way better production than the sum of the skillsets. So I think he's been able to maximize what they do have, but they really just don't have much. Those prospects, beyond Schultz, were never blue chip guys.

What sucks is that both these first two games vs. the Yankees were both winnable games!

Hey, Lip, I have a hunch you are old enough to remember Jim Konstanty with the 1950 Phillies. Relief pitcher, best in Show, started Game 1 vs Yanks. Pitched his ass off and lost 1-0. 9 innings IIRC. Who stretched him out?

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/stats/affiliates?teamId=145&date=07/29/2026 https://www.mlb.com/milb/scores/all/all/whitesox?affiliateId=mlbcom-milb Cannon fires for AAA. Kannapolis with makeup double header

Oh 100% agree on that front. Mason should be prioritized over Urquidy.

Smith is going to win 3 MVPs so I don’t know if it’s that great.

And professionally.

Missing the playoffs eventually would suck, but overall would be pretty hard to be disappointed about this season. Still think they get out of this funk and get some help and make it in.

Just too many missing pieces with no catchers, no power in the outfield, in need of 2 starters and a permanent closer.

Time to nut up and win the next two. Tall order, yes but it also Is something this team is capable of. That would put us up to nearing .500 on this “hell run”. Bottom line - this season is coming down to the wire and will likely be determined in the games remaining against the divisional opponents. Sure would be nice to have some reinforcements.

Agreed. If he's mechanically out of wack and needs to refine his pitches, he belongs in Charlotte where he can safely work on them and not impact the MLB team trying to win the division. Really seems like the Sox fumbled his development this year. Whatever changes he was told to make aren't working at this level. Kid needs a reset. I'm certainly not giving up on him yet. For anyone really worried about him long term, take a look at Dylan Cease's 2020 Savant page - he can still turn it around and be a rotation arm in the future.

Wow, I had no idea he did this. I know Jimmy said they've really messed with him a lot this season.

Perhaps, but in that case they'd be accommodating the wrong person IMO

It’s weird, although maybe they were just trying to accommodate Urquidy. This was Mason’s normal day to start and he still pitched, but in a relief role and less innings than usual.

I'm including the Houston series since they are in a race, playing better. The 16 game stretch vs. Houston, Yankees, Tampa Bay, Boston and Cleveland can be a season breaker.

Yeah was just throwing something out that would be shocking. Maybe Rockies think Teel is a more complete catcher and would light it up at Colorado while being very cheap for a few years?

If he isn't being traded it's actually quite frustrating. The only consistent strategy (Schultz the exception) appears to be turning every pitching prospect into a reliever