CentralChamps21

My fear is that TLR loves platoons too much and we'll only get Engel in CF vs LHP and still have Leury or Hamilton out there vs RHP. Or worse, Engel in CF with Leury/Hamilton in LF instead of Vaughn.

I agree that anything can happen but I don't think 2005 was a good example of that. The Sox were so much better than Cleveland that it would have taken more than "anything" to change the result. 2006 would be a better example.

Eloy's injury essentially moved Vaughn from DH to LF and Mercedes to DH, so you've replaced Eloy's defense with Vaughn and his offense with Mercedes so that injury hasn't hurt as much. Robert's injury has been replaced almost entirely by Leury and Hamilton, so that one is hurting more. It will get mitigated some soon when Engel is back

Yeah, I think that's where I'm at as well. Only exception might be a LF corner OF who would be an upgrade over Eaton with the plan to not pick up Eaton's option. Then I'd consider it.

You do realize that's fake, right? Here's the actual tweet:

Is there any word on Abreu yet? I worry that he could be out a while longer.

They didn't "almost miss" the playoffs. The late season losing streak happened after they clinched a playoff spot, so no matter how many games they finished ahead of the next team, they safely made the playoffs. When you clinch a playoff spot with more than a week left in the season, there is no such thing as "almost missing" the playoffs.

I hope Menechino checked to make sure none of his own team's pitchers are doing it before complaining about others.

Once the lineup is back to full strength, you have: OF: Eloy, Robert, Eaton, Engel, Vaughn IF: Moncada, TA, Madrigal, Abreu DH/C: Grandal, Collins, Yermin That leaves one spot left. It has to go to someone who can play 2B, SS and 3B as there are no backups for those positions. Has to go to Leury or Mendick, and I don't think they'll be willing to DFA Leury. Lamb should be the one gone when Engel is back but I have a feeling it will be Mendick. Then the other of those two is gone when Eloy is back, and Hamilton is gone when Robert is back. I also don't like both Eloy and Vaughn in the OF together. Forces Robert to cover too much ground. Plus, there is plenty of firepower without needing all the best bats in the lineup together.

I don't watch/listen to any sort of sports talk program. I respect former player opinions but guys like Russo or any of the talking heads at ESPN or FOX I don't value their opinions any more than my own. I tried watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN Sunday because I wanted to see what they said about the Sox but they didn't even show highlights from the game. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I have ESPN on for anything other than a college or NFL football game.

Yeah when I was a kid my dream job was TV play-by-play for the Sox, but I think all that travel would wear on me. Trips to NY and LA are always fun, but it wouldn't take many years to get tired of going to Kansas City, Detroit, Cleveland and Minneapolis 3 times a year. Between spring training and the season, that's over 100 nights away from home a year.

Yeah with so many teams having injuries, you can't just look at record for a lot of teams. Sox faced the Angels with Trout and the Twins without Buxton, and getting the Yankees without Stanton. Of course there are teams like the Tigers, Rangers, Orioles, Pirates, Reds and Rockies that are pretty much always going to be bad.

WAR is measuring the value compared to a generic replacement player, not the actual guy who replaced them when they get hurt. WAR is trying to compare a player's value relative to the entire league, not their value to their own team. If one team has a 2.0 WAR guy to replace you when you get hurt but another team has a 0.0 WAR guy to replace you, that shouldn't count against your value as a player.

Sox have played 17 of 38 games against the next two best teams in the division. Pretty close to halfway done with CLE and KC already. Only one of the top teams outside the division so far though.

Just looked at their schedule to date. Outside of the Padres, an awful lot of games against bad teams. Haven't even had their first series with the Dodgers yet.

Yeah, definitely getting the two worst of their five. Kluber just threw a no-hitter and German was lights out yesterday. Would obviously take your chances with either of them over Cole, but overall this is about the best possible section of their rotation to face.

What WAR is attempting to measure is how many more games your team should expect to win compared to using a replacement (0.0 WAR) player in his place. So in theory, replacing a 6 WAR player with a 1 WAR player should cost you 5 wins, prorated for the portion of the season that the player is out. The Sox have gotten positive WAR contributions from all of the replacements except Leury, who is at zero (per Fangraphs), so that has helped mitigate the losses some, plus the starting pitching has been much better than expected, especially from Rodon, Cease and Kopech, so that has also helped mitigate the losses.

Doesn't really matter? Cleveland wasn't the cautionary tale you claimed them to be. Others decided to engage you in name-calling rather than be more clear about why, but the point remains that your 2005 analogy doesn't really make sense.

ESPN is the Red Sox mouthpiece, MLBN is the Yankees mouthpiece.

I understand why you brought it up, but in the end Cleveland had the Wild Card gift-wrapped for them and couldn't take it, so clearly they weren't the threat they seemed like when they cut into the lead earlier.

They choked away the Wild Card? I don't think that bothered the Sox a whole lot.

I don't have a problem with Tony wanting to be old school and ordering Yermin to take on 3-0. It's not a decision I would make, but I don't think it's a huge deal if that's what he wants to do. I have a problem with running out of the dugout to yell it rather than having the 3B coach give a take sign. I also have a problem with making a big deal out of it publicly.

It was Gary, not Hammond, and Hard Rock just built a casino on the site.

A no-hitter seems like a bit less of an accomplishment if the Tigers can have one.

hi8is hates off days, or so I've heard