CentralChamps21

Can't imagine the Marlins would take on that salary but if they would, I'd 100% do that.

Probably needs to be pinned.

So does @Derek get a prize?

Just write a program that purges the member that was active least recently every time someone new joins.

Not sure there's a way to pull this off but the Cubs should be selling soon and Ian Happ would look good in the Sox lineup.

Offensively, Vaughn's ceiling is a .400 OBP/.500 SLG guy. Defensively, he'll never be above average at any position other than 1B. He can work at OF all he wants and learn perfect positioning and technique but he'll still be too slow to be above average there.

Yes

Sox have been top 5 in ground ball rate in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The difference is that in 2020, and partly in 2021, a much higher percentage of the non-grounders were hit very hard and resulted in a lot of extra base hits, leading to a BABIP and ISO that aren't really sustainable with such a high ground ball rate. Menechino had a history in Miami of also having a really high ground ball rate, it's just not a winning strategy.

Sox run differential vs. Detroit: +32 vs. everybody else: -67

If you can beat the #1 team, you can beat everybody else.

AJ Pollock

Sure but to hear Olney say it during a national broadcast is another level from all of us saying it.

In hindsight they could have used Keuchel to eat innings out of the bullpen because Velasquez went down a week later, but they needed his spot for an actual reliever.

Yeah, if you aren't 100% certain that a pitcher's injury/soreness is gong to keep him out 3 or fewer days, you need to IL him, especially in this age when starters average < 6 innings.

The Sox have boxed themselves into some bad spots by not getting any legit LH bats. Engel's glove makes him a good platoon option even when he's not hitting, but that's wasted when all of your other OF options also bat righty. Haseley would be a good 5th OF but we're paying Leury and Harrison $11 million instead. Sheets might eventually be a good platoon bat/pinch hitter but he wasn't allowed to develop further at AAA because he was shoved into a lineup devoid of LH bats. I have no idea what other trade options were out there but Kimbrel got moved for yet another RH hitter, and even though Pollock doesn't have extreme splits, he's not the righty masher this team desperately needed. Even on a team that already has Eloy and Vaughn who are really DHs instead of outfielders, I was strongly advocating for signing Schwarber because he would have solved so many lineup issues. His .852 OPS vs HR pitchers would look awfully nice right now, and I think he only got 2 years guaranteed, so he wouldn't have been the kind of long term risk that Jerry is terrified of. There aren't any big time LH bats available on the trade market.

Still think TLR needs to be fired, but when your four best relievers are only available to pitch a combined 3 out of 31 innings in a weekend series, the manager is in a really tough spot. Those relievers and/or the training staff need to bear some responsibility for not being in shape to pitch.

I'm guessing Markel, Severino, Burr up tomorrow and Crick, Sousa, Banks down in order to cover innings tomorrow.

Harrison is up so this replay review really doesn't matter.

So did anybody ever actually mention Hendriks having some sort of injury or is it just assumed because he's not been available the last two days?

Abreu IBB and then Burger either homers or GIDP and either way it's over quickly.

Now we aren't walking the lefty with 1B open?

Sigh!

Another inning is just what the bullpen needs.

So do the Sox go down 1-2-3 or do they get our hopes up and get the tying run to the plate before going down?