CaliSoxFanViaSWside

Trout's due for a bomb against the Sox.

Sox hitters befuddled by assortment of slow slower and slowest pitches.

Shark somehow pitches out of it. Fastball as high as 97/98

Batters hitting .314 of Shark with men on base (from the stretch) . 500 with bases loaded.

Weaver throwing anywhere from 67-86 MPH and 86 might be his top speed.

1st and 3rd 1 out. Avi K's on 82MPH 4 seamer looking that caught the inside corner . Pretty much a perfect pitch after a curve and a changeup had Avi down 0-2 .Then Shuck flys out to the warning track in center.

QUOTE (flavum @ Aug 19, 2015 -> 03:37 PM) JB Shuck is batting 5th tonight. We're on the right track. Probably the only guy hitting 5th in all the majors tonight without a HR . If its a step it's a weak one

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 19, 2015 -> 03:49 PM) Wow, Flowers catching. I wonder if Soto is dealt the next few days. Free Trayce! Could be but I doubt it . Probably just trying to snap Samardzija out of his slump with the svengali of catchers Tyler Flowers.

QUOTE (Vance Law @ Aug 18, 2015 -> 07:39 PM) The Dodgers didn't mind his baseball hitting. Past tense, then he got his new contract and laughed all the way to the bank. Suckers ... let Boston live with their stupidity with all the ridiculous contracts they handed out.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 18, 2015 -> 06:46 PM) As quiet as they were about Johnson last year, and as many chances as they have had to call him up, I really think there is a reason we don't know about that we haven't seen him. My guess is that they don't trust him. Too active of an imagination. Sox are in no position not to trust him, no position to trade young pitching. They should be more concerned with their own flawed thinking.

Hanley Sure . Hey Boston please pay all of his salary and then pay the Sox more to make him not your problem anymore. Literally the worst type of player to get for every reason all the previous posters have stated. There is nothing positive he could contribute that wouldn't be completely and utterly destroyed by the jumbo jet full of baggage on board.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 10:02 PM) .407 vs. .758 is your answer. RH hitters are hitting .176 with a .407 OPS vs. Joe Smith. LH hitters have fared a lot better. But it was still LaRoche leading off with no one on base, so no speed at all which is essential to scoring a run . Also he could 've been used in the 9th against Street or later in the 8th if any one got on. Like it or not Avi is still one of the teams better hitters and fastest runner ,and with Saladino, Beckham, Flowers all RH hitters due up there would've been plenty of chances to use LaRoche with far worse hitters than Avi up.

QUOTE (fathom @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 09:38 PM) With Avi being DH, he probably just made the straight platoon switch But why is the question. Served no purpose since Avi is decent against righties . Better than LaRoche against righties for average. Maybe was hoping for a walk ? IDK then even if he walks he can't use Shuck or Sanchez to pinch run because they are the lefties left on the bench to PH . Just don't take one of your only chances for a game tying HR out of the line up. If people get on base then use LaRoche if you need to PH for Flowers or Beckham.

That LaRoche for Avi still confounds me . Even if he's playing match up ,LaRoche is not a guy you want leading off . If he get's on then you must pinch run for him. Avi has a better chance of getting on and also hitting a HR and with his speed you don't have to pinch run.

Um Robin 9 of Avi's 11 homers are against RH's.

If Rodon's K total tonight are any indication, he might not have his best stuff tonight which makes it even more impressive to me.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 01:34 PM) Daren Willman ‏@darenw 4h4 hours ago Most swing & misses in a game this year Kershaw 30 Carrasco 30 Sale 28 Scherzer 27 Hamels 27 Sale 26 Sale 26 Sale 26 Bumgarner 26 And if that list was most games with 25 or more swings and misses Sale is near the top if not on top. No idea how to find a list like that but I know it exists.

Good job Lip . You bring a lot to this site, a welcome historical perspective that was lacking before . That was the only reason to ever visit WSI , their interviews with historical Sox figures.

Rodon 1st Sox rookie since Jason Bere in 1993 to have 2 games of 10 or more K's.

QUOTE (Dunt @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 11:45 AM) Where are you seeing his WAR is 0.9? 0.4 according to Fangraphs Baseball ref. They have a picture list of the top 12 Sox producers by WAR . Put you cursor over the pic for Saladino ,he is 8th. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/2015.shtml

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 10:54 AM) He has been pretty amazing over there. It blows my mind that he had only played like 5 games ever before he got here. I was just saying in another thread that his defense and base running alone was enough to keep him at 3rd since his hitting didn't negate any of that. I didn't know about the DRS stat but I did sight his .9 WAR which is damn good for the amount he has played. I think the Sox need to have a Salad Dino wherever in the ballpark they serve salads. If he's of Italian heritage maybe some kind of anti-pasta with a nice garlic and red wine vinaigrette.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 07:30 AM) Ugh. I hate west coast starts. Suck it up old man. Take a nap so you can stay up late.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 10:14 AM) You can make it sound like the Sox face3 95% LHP, but it is simply not true. If LaRoche was hitting RHP like normal, he wouldn't be getting booed at USCF. The fact is 80% of the time, right handed pitchers are on the mound. Look what the other Adam with the White Sox is doing in about 30 more PA vs. LHP, and leading off. Why isn't it ever mentioned how his lack of hitting vs. LHP is killing the White Sox? How about Jose Abreu's .235/.311/.370 line vs. LH starters. Should he be benched when they face lefties? Or moved to 7th or 8th? The alternatives for LaRoche vs. LHP weren't great. There is always a chance he might run into one every now and then. It hasn't happened. You make it sound like I said the Sox face 95% LH pitching. Good job at politicking your way to a response .His hitting period in the middle of the order batting 4th, 5th, and 6th has cost the Sox games .Not that anyone else they have would've done any better .Preparing for that possibility and sinking money into an old flawed hitter was not the best use of resources. You just can't have someone who's splits are that radical in the middle of the line up unless you have someone else who fits the MOR profile. But I will admit we are splitting hairs. It's his over all suckage that hurts, but he didn't have to be paid or given the PT like a complete player .

QUOTE (Dunt @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 08:50 AM) If we could find some bats at 2B, SS, C, or RF, I could totally live with Saladino at 3B I'm fine with him there always. His glove and base running provides solid value while his hitting isn't bad enough to negate the running and fielding since he has a .9 WAR in pretty limited playing time compared to the guys who have been playing all year.

QUOTE (Dick Allen @ Aug 17, 2015 -> 09:35 AM) He has a total of 89 PA vs. LHP. The poster was absolutely correct. Not hitting vs. RHP is what is causing the hatred. Garbage. 89 AB's mostly in the middle of the order is not a low number since you face lefties a lot less often than righties. It is regular AB's in a key position in the lineup . It seems as if the Sox ignored the splits both in the signing and the playing time. Don't make it seem like it was a mere 89 AB's .Abreu and Alexei don't have many more . Not hitting , playing time and his acquisition is what caused him, Ventura and Hahn to be scorned.