hogan873

Well put. It's frustrating, but looking back at what this team did while missing A LOT of what we were counting on, we can see plenty of positives. I think the part that angers many of us is now having the full team back, they didn't play very well. Down the stretch and into the playoffs. Whether guys got burnt out or bad managing or long slumps, it was a perfect storm of bad stuff.

Knew it would be an afternoon game if postponed if they're going to play Wednesday in Houston. Good for the bullpen, but I'm concerned about the lose of momentum. It's the right decision, though. There's no way they'd get the game in with the weather forecast.

Aggressive strikeout call

Nasty pitch from Kopech.

He has no obligation to take it easy on the Sox. There have been many poor choices by TLR, and this team’s lackluster play in September has followed them right into the playoffs…even though we were ensured that wouldn’t happen.

And on their way to their cars by the 7th.

Raise your hand if you’re surprised by the way this game has unfolded. *looks around* That’s what I thought.

The Sox don't need guys to play above their potential to win the series. If the starting pitching is good enough to keep them in each game (maybe better in one game that shuts down the Astros) and guys like TA, Abreu, Moncada, Robert, and Eloy play like their capable, the Sox have a real chance to win the series, even without HFA. But if one of more of the core guys goes cold for the series or a starter has a really bad start, it'll be tough to win the series. As others have mentioned, winning one in Houston is almost a must-have. My gut says the series goes 5 games, and game 5 is similar to game 4 of the 2005 WS. Great pitching that shuts down both offenses. Someone sneaks a run or two late. Game 1 - Sox Game 2 - Astros Game 3 - Astros Game 4 - Sox Game 5 - ....

That's a fair point.

I agree with you here. And what's interesting is that we're not hearing about any spikes of COVID from football games where there are 50K+ people, college or pro. Maybe it's really not that interesting considering better than 50% of the population is vaccinated, and there is a percentage that have had COVID and are (at least temporarily) immune.

Many schools are requiring vaccinations or weekly testing for admittance. I can't say for sure what the policy is at the above pictured school, but I'd be willing to bet the majority are vaccinated. So, I'm not sure what you meant by your comment.

This is not true. Plenty of young and healthy people have had COVID. Although most young and/or healthy people who catch COVID recover well, they are as much at risk of catching it. Don't forget that cases jumped again once the mask mandate was lifted "for vaccinated people only". Everyone knew that meant no masks for anyone because who was going to police mask-wearing for unvaccinated people? No one was going to ask anyone else if they were vaccinated. The vast majority of new COVID cases are in unvaccinated people. Most hospitalizations and deaths are in the unvaccinated population. So, no, cases aren't spiking because people are getting vaccinated. Cases are rising because people, all people, stopped wearing masks and there's still a stubborn, selfish percent of the population who refuse to get vaccinated. If everyone got vaccinated, COVID wouldn't be eradicated, but it would be affecting very few people. And those it affected would have mild symptoms (at worst) and not end up in the hospital. But not everyone will get vaccinated because of dumbass conspiracy theorists and the sheep that believe them.

So, who will be sober enough to play in game 2?

Lotta young folks on this site. I feel old now.

In 2008, I was a 35 year old father of three young kids (all under 8). Now I'm a 48 year old father of two college kids and a junior in high school...and a pug.

This team was great when facing adversity - the lengthy losses of Eloy and Robert, Grandal being out for an extended period, Madrigal going down for the year. Now, with Eloy, Robert, and Grandal back, the additions of Tepera, Hernandez, and Kimbrel (on paper, all good additions), the team is struggling. That's quite frustrating. But, even if they play okay for the rest of the season, they're going to win 90+ games and win the division handily. That's something that many of us thought not likely, especially after losing Robert and Madrigal. I'm not saying we should take it easy on these guys. They need to get their shit together by the time the playoffs start. If they go into the playoffs playing like they are now (lifeless, sloppy baseball), they will exit quickly. I'll be more optimistic and believe they'll play good baseball come playoff time. But if a quick exit happens, it'll be really easy to look back at the last 50 or so games of the season and say we saw it coming from miles away.

Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one, and they usually stink. An opinion is not science. An opinion does not trump science. The science, the research, and the damn results prove that the vaccines work. Anti-vaxxers saying they need more information or need to some research for themselves are full of shit. I don't want to hear from anti-vaxxers. They are selfish, ignorant people who are literally causing this pandemic to continue rolling. And that's NOT an opinion. That's a fact.

When Yoan hits it just right, the ball explodes off his bat.

I would believe it was more a pitch count decision. Plus, he labored a bit in the 4th. If he gets out of the 4th as easy as the other innings, he probably would have at least started the 5th.

What a catch! But holy shit I thought he hurt himself again.

Not shocked. Not surprised. Totally expected.

Kopech looked magnificent.

I don’t doubt that Grandal was hurting before he went down with the knee injury. This is what a healthy Grandal looks like.

Best bat drop in baseball.

He's a rookie who, as others have mentioned, may be hitting that wall physically. Give him some rest, limit his exposure to RH pitchers, and keep him fresh for the playoffs. This kid is part of the future of the team. He has work to do to improve, especially against RH pitchers. There is plenty of time for that in the off season and spring training next year. For the near term, some rest and specific starts and plate appearances.