Jake

Abreu at bats are still appointment TV

Since about game 3 of spring training, Yoan has looked like an absolute star.

We know Lopez has had a lot of velocity fluctuation before and I'll also add that the average pitcher gains about 1mph over the course of the season with the lowest velo at the beginning of the year and a peak around July. Speaking from memory of my project in a graduate statistics course

I'm reminded of the weird velocity fluctuations Lopez had at the beginning of the season last year:

Looking at Lopez's arm action the last few pitches I'll be interested to hear about the status of his elbow postgame

Statcast thinks it was a slider

I suspect the teams may know what to do with the information, which is something besides casting aside any player with non-elite spin rate on his fastball

Spin rate is a classic case of letting the measurements lead the theory

Needed one of those.

Main question for me about Lopez today is where his changeup is hiding. Everyone's different but my experience is that's the offspeed pitch that's easiest to throw on these chilly days where your fingers don't feel right.

Palka also let Hamilton tag on him. But it's also true that Eloy/Anderson made the back-breaking error in this particular inning. Only difference is there's upside to playing Eloy in the outfield

If they really cared about what's good for Lopez's pitch count they wouldn't play Palka in RF

It's not like it's a banner day but he's "deserved" a 0-run and roughly 55-pitch 3 innings thus far.

They've had one well-hit ball in this game. Lopez isn't the issue here

Feel bad for Lopez's line

There's a rookie play for you. Had a similar play in game 1 where Eloy should have taken it but he let Tim have it.

Is that 2 or 3 runs that Palka has already cost us?

Our exit velocity against Keller the past few innings: 99, 102, 102, 101, 105, 99, 77, 110. Only 2 hits out of that.

I think Rodon will be able to eat innings for us, but I really would have liked to see some more velocity on his heater.

I've gotta say I see no justification for this guy being discussed as a $2 million signing bonus guy. If he was a conventional free agent, sure, he might be ready to be light-hitting utility guy in MLB right now with some unknown upside. But there's a big opportunity cost when you invest so much of your pool in a guy like this who is about to be 22 and has no apparent track record of hitting at any level. Who's to say he's any better than Yeyson Yrizarri or Cleuluis Rondon?

Have the Sox ever carried carried a 12-man pitching staff in the past few years?

Hahn said on broadcast that Rondon is on the team. I think team will wait to put Santana on the roster until April 10th, delaying the final position player cut until then.

I got the impression this was something he got prior to going pro there, so he may have only been the best among some amateur Cuban teenagers.

I honestly don't even think he's going to start the year with the big league club.

I thought that last one was gone off the bat for Moncada.