elrockinMT

Fathom, I hope you are right, but this is really getting to be a worry. I just logged on to MLB and see through 4 inning Buerhle has given up 7 hits and 2 walks plus 3 runs. Our offense hasn't done anything against Rogers yet, who has been getting racked by others.

Well, a possible back problem explains Contreras' issues, but how about Vazquez, Buerhle & Garcia? we lost 3 of 4 games with our pitchers giving up at least 7 runs. Our offense scored more than 3 runs only once and thanks to Garland we won that 4-1. We need to see if Mark can put together some back to back quality starts and if Freddie can give up less than 5 runs. if so we might still win this series.

We just don't seem to have the same speed as last year. Pods was hurt and I wonder if there isn't still some residual. We need to buckle down and play hard and sweep these kitties.

Who is this Biff Bonser or Bonzo or whatever. Leave it to Bonzo to win against the Sox. Anyway I'm not happy we lost to the Twinkies. We got outplayed again but Garland shows us why he can be the club ace. I watched that game on WGN and Jon is great. The only consolation about this weekend is we are still leading the Wild Card. Now with the Tigers and Twins this week lets hope we go at least 5-2.

I hope that Javier Vazquez can grow some cahones and become as dominant a starting pitcher as we have all been told he can be. Otherwise it's just dreaming of what might hav ebeen with Young. Don't forget Orlando Hernandez and the good pitching he is now showing in NY with the Mets either. I think he lasts longer than 4 or 5 innings of good ball

The game Vazquez went 8 vrs the Blue Jays and struck out 13 and allowed 2 hits must have been a fluke. Before and after that game he implodes everytime. But, wanting McCarthy might not be the answer either. It seems Cotts and McCarthy give up a homer every relief appearance they make anymore.

Earlier during todays game I posted that Cotts should be given a chance to be a staerter next year. I think Neal needs to learn how to suceed as a relief pitcher first. The homeruns and othr base knocks allowed are becoming alarming to me. It seems every appearnce means a couple runs allowed by Cotts

We now trail Santana 5-1. I don't have any faith in these hitters to figure out a decent approach to hit this guy. Yes, Santana owns us as has been stated before, but it's the approach to hitting with a guy like him that makes the difference.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 20, 2006 -> 08:05 PM) What the hell has Cotts shown you to make you want him in the rotation. His decent fastball, or his decent fastball? I think Cotts with a 93 fastball and getting the chance to work from the beginning of the game rather than at the end with runners on might be a better result. He was thought of as a starter originally anyway.

QUOTE(soxyess @ Aug 20, 2006 -> 08:00 PM) Do we have anyone at AAA that can take his place in the rotation. Send this p**ck to the minors!!! not sure we have any pitching left in the minors to call up as a starter. I wouldn't mind seeing Vazquez and Garcia gone next season in excahnge for solid relief pitching and then move McCarthy and Cotts into the starting pitching roles. Maybe even a free agent pick up could happen.

QUOTE(Colorado Sox Fan @ Aug 20, 2006 -> 07:53 PM) This off season can't come fast enough, when, I hope we dump Garcia and Vasquez. This off season can't come fast enough, when, I hope we dump Garcia and Vasquez. I was going to pst this same question, but you beat me to it Colorado. We get an absolutely suberb performance from Garland and what do we have the next game? Vazquez and his inability to avoid the big inning and mst likely last longer than 5 innings. Friday we get another 10 hit/5 run performance from Garcia. There has been some real frustrating things this year, but none more than the failure of our pitching. Couple that with defensive miscues both mental and physical and you get a team in danger of not getting to the playoffs. Of course as usual against Santana everyone tries to hit the homer.

The key to the game in my opinion is to score one more run then the Twinkies. Thank You! B)

QUOTE(fathom @ Aug 19, 2006 -> 02:49 AM) I went out and measured it myself. The Sox are being forced to run 100 ft. to get to the base, but the opposition only has to run 80 ft. It's a conspiracy by ESPN/Fox to make sure we don't make the playoffs again and draw low ratings. I knew it!!! Plus the umpires are in cahoots against us.

If Ross Gload has such an upside to him why would we be trading him to a team going for the wild card whe we are doing the saem thing? It's like dumping someone rather than making the team stronger, or keeping the winning nucleus together. It doesn't make sense. Ross Gload was going to be a situational player when kept on the roster and he knew it and everyone else did too. He has done fairly well coming off the bench. I realy would have preferred to see Borchard kept as he could play all 3 OF positions and DH, PH and PR when needed plus he was a switch hitter, but the Sox chose to keep Gload and I don't see the benefit to trading him now.

QUOTE(chitownsportsfan @ Aug 20, 2006 -> 03:29 AM) I doubt it, his career as anything but a mop up man or back end middle reliever is done IMO. He had his career year, and god bless 'em for having it with the Sox. Cliff did a great jpb for us in 2005. I belieev I posted here more than once that I thought he had arm troubles this year. I hope he can bounce back. Maybe th Sox will invite him to ST

What is this guy talking about? The offesne gets him lead and he turns around in the bottom of the inning and give sit right back up. Freddie is becoming a so-so pitcher at best this year and hopefully still has some trade value over the off season. But, I have to say the pitching has been not good all the way around for the most part. Relief pitchers giving up homers and the such. Cotts gives up something lately everytime he pitches as do the others. If we had last years pitching to go with this years hitting... well one can only dream.

QUOTE(Tony82087 @ Aug 16, 2006 -> 03:03 AM) Win the next two with Count and Mark on the bump, everything is fine. This seemed more of the "letdown" game that every was dreading. A game that should have been won no doubt, but I see no reason to think we wont take the next 2 without much of a problem. At least I hope..... I agree. It still gravels you though when we play against the last place team and have lost 5 times against them. You question the teams intensity and preparation and approach to these games. I would figure that since we were on a winning streak that the team would be pumped for sure against the Royals and ready to gain some more on the Tigers.

Toronto was a teaser as far as just how good Javier Vazquez can be. It wasn't the only good game he has pitched. Earlier in the year he threw real good too and then fell into that 5 and out mode. The team goes on about his talent, etc, but we gave up the big game pitcher in Hernandez and took Vazquez, who is younger and has a load of talent. However, I remember Ozzie, Cooper and KW saying about others that the bigs isn't the place for players to learn the game or gain experience, etc. I think it is wrong to accept Vazquez can't make it past 5. I see him and Freddie Garcia as trade bait this winter.

GO SOX! I'll be listening on XM Satelitte Radio

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Aug 15, 2006 -> 02:15 AM) Vegetarian but thx for the heads up. Possibly they could scare you up a mess of seaweed?!

QUOTE(BigSqwert @ Aug 15, 2006 -> 02:02 AM) Yeah, pretty boring out here. I come out here couple times a year for work. At least there's no sales tax so I'll typically do a little shopping. You can always buy some good lobster along the coast. I have visited a friend of mine who lives in Salsbury, MA, adn we drive uo the coat maybe 10-15 miles to a chowder house in NH and eat lobster. I liked it and even met awaitress there who had gone to school at the University of Montana. I think her folks had lots of money and owned a place in the Flathead Valley of MT..

We are just better than they are. Even Kruk on ESPN says that we the Sox pitching is going good that the Sox are the best team in baseball. My hope is that our pitching has turned it around, but it will take a couple times through the rotation to be sure. We will know better by the last of August. I think we can still catch the Tigers though.

I believe for Leyland it is more along the lines of giving Verlander something to build on for his next start. The youngster got torched by a potent Sox team and Leyland dpesn't want him thinking about how he got his ass kicked, but instead thinking "geez the only reason they got to me is because I tipped my pitches." 'Skip said so so it must be right." Leyland is just tryiong to be a psychologist to this young kid.

I have no argument against Maggs being an all-star caliber player and quite possibly we would have won the pennant anyway. But, from what I have seen of Jermaine Dye over the last couple years with the Sox, I think he is just as good and maybe better than Maggs and a better fit for the type of baseball we are playing under Ozzie. He is a talented unselfish player who just goes out everyday and gives his best everytime. I am really believing he is our MVP. I am hoping we keep Jermaine Dye for several more years.

QUOTE(Dam8610 @ Aug 11, 2006 -> 06:13 AM) He wrote an article about something that would've been obvious to anyone who has ever watched baseball before and saw the 7th inning last night? Let me add this to that: Obvious to all Sox fans who have watched this same thing happen time after time. We need a fly ball to score a runner from third with one out and all we get is a strike out or pop up. It is amazing that on the other hand we hear that the Sox are leading the league in hitting with runners in scoring position. We must have some real exceptional hitters doing that because we have a few others that are pits when we need the big hit. Of course it might be that we are putting lots of runners on-more than any other team-but just not always getting the big hit. We are #1 for runs scored.