hogan873

Is…is Velasquez good?

And/or when our pitchers plow through the opposition and get quick outs.

Yeah, that's...a bad team. They'll be picked clean at the deadline.

Looks like the games are still free, but you'll still need an Apple TV account.

Winning 6 or 7 in a row would be more indicative of turning it around, but we're seeing the attitude and spark returning after watching a really boring baseball team for about two weeks. On paper, the team is still pretty good even with the injuries. The problem was that they were woefully underperforming. Now we're seeing them perform a little better on offense (still overall sucking) and the pitching being awesome, and that's why they're winning games. Once the offense comes around, the long losing streak will seem like a distant memory. I hope...

Christ, Robert

Nice outing from Gio. Other than the two mistakes that ended up in the seats, he pitched really well.

He may have. Let’s see after the commercial break. Good effort, though.

What a catch by Robert.

Ok, Sheets

Kopech certainly seemed like he accepted it, based on his comments post-game. And I accept it...not sure why my acceptance matters though. My point was that nowadays we're seeing more starting pitchers not making it deep enough to win games that they had a big hand in winning. Starting pitchers don't go as deep into games as they had in the past. Partly due to caution for health, partly due to the additional wear and tear on pitchers now (increased types of pitches leads to increased stress on the arm), and partly due to shifting strategies. In 1965, the average outing for starting pitchers was 6.28 innings. In 2019, it was 5.26 innings. I understand the logic behind the rule. And I can see why it's viewed as important to get through 5 innings. But getting a win should not be one of the most important reasons for handling of the pitching staff. If wins are going to be one of the most important stats, then maybe how the win is determined should be changed. Back on subject though - Nice win and fuck the Cubs.

Meh. I don't think how wins and losses are determined for pitchers is a reason baseball is boring. The pace of the game is, by far, the biggest contributing factor. It's just a dumb rule though. A pitcher can go out and pitch his ass off for 4+ innings and leave with the lead and not get the win. But a guy can come in, finish the 5th by facing a couple batters, and if the team holds on and wins, he gets the win. The starter gets...nothing. There is and will continue to be less of an emphasis on wins for pitchers and more focus on all the other stats that actually tell you how the pitcher is performing.

Another nice DP. Good pitching from ReyLo.

That’ll leave a mark.

Way to pitch out of it.

Come on, Jake.

I think he went there.

Why does Heyward look like Slenderman?

Looked like a clumsy oaf

He'll be signed by someone for sure. I don't see the Sox doing so, more out of stubbornness and sticking with Harrison, Leury, and Sheets. I don't think he's as bad as his stats are right now, but he's obviously not the guy he used to be. However, even half the guy he used to be would be better than a few of the guys we have now.

How does his money situation work? Obviously no one will trade for him with the money he's owed. So if he ends up just being released, the Mets pay his salary, right? Then a team can sign him?

Cease looked amazing today. He made Mike Trout look lost at the plate. Hell, he mystified the entire lineup. Graveman continues to be the guy we need him to be. Hendriks has never looked this good in a Sox uniform. Hitting 100, locating both fastballs and the slider. That's what an elite closer looks like. Hopefully that's what we see moving forward. Huge win. A much needed win.

I was thinking about what it will take to get the ship righted. Just thinking about wins and losses, if they go 7-3 over their next 10 (which seems like an impossible task right now), they'll be at .500. I fear that we'll continue to see a win here, two losses there for a while before the teams gets their heads out of their asses and some of the hurt guys come back. Being a .500 team by game 35 or so is a must in my mind.

Yeah, I think we truly have three of those guys now with Giolito, Cease, and Kopech. Lynn should be a fourth guy that will almost always give you a decent outing when they're not their best. Cease was the guy a couple years ago that would fold almost immediately once things went sideways. He's now looking like the team's best this year.

At this point with what we've seen from the likes of Harrison, Leury, and Mendick at the plate, you could almost justify putting Burger at 2B a lot just to keep his bat in the lineup (once Moncada returns). Harrison is probably the best defensive 2B on the team, but unless his hitting improves, you'd be hard pressed to keep his bat in the lineup over Burger's. If one of Harrison, Mendick, or Leury was a consistently better hitter, Burger becomes a trade candidate. And maybe he still will by the deadline.