chitownsportsfan

jeez, what a way to cancel the postgame.

Eaton has a great feel for how to get on, he's always slapping at balls and using his speed. He's basically the platonic ideal of a slap hitter. He even gets his share of doubles because of hustle.

what an awful AB from Tank, jesus.

Hawk, I know you're not in the booth, but are you on Soxtalk?

Noesi looks good. His slider is nasty and so is his fastball. He gets in trouble the 3rd time through usually see if he can break that tonight.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 04:57 PM) Actually, other than the Houston game, his velocity and metrics have improved as the season has gone on. fun with selective endpoints. I honestly don't know what to say to anyone that thinks John Danks is anything more than a 4th or 5th starter at this point. Don't even look at the metrics, watch the games he pitches! Is there anything about his stuff, control, or command that screams 3rd starter? Hell no. Hector Noesi has better stuff. Danks used to succeed because he had pretty good command and control and a 90-92 mph heater that he could spot well to work with his cutter and change. His average FB velocity was 91.6 in 2011. This year it's 88.1. That tells you most of the story right there. His change is still good but his cutter and fastball are both well below average now and the metrics back this up. His fastball gets absolutely tattooed, the numbers on Fangraphs for his fastball post injury are pretty stunning.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 03:25 PM) If only we still had Addison Reed ... he'd be injured?

Of course.

QUOTE (IowaSoxFan @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 02:27 PM) Danks can certainly be a factor in the Sox next run for the World Series. He is not an average pitcher, he is an average mid-rotation pitcher, something that is not that easy to replace or the Sox would have three more of them. His contract is reasonable for his performance and it is unlikely that the Sox would get any discount by bringing someone in put up similar production. Couple that with the way that Danks has continued to improve the further he has gotten from surgery, he could end up being an extremely solid #3 starter in a playoff rotation. The money is not holding the Sox back from anything and the Sox have a terrible track record of acquiring established players in free agency. John Danks will never ever be a "solid #3 on a playoff team". In fact, he's pitching worse this year by many metrics than he did last year. His velocity is down and his walk rate is way up. People need to realize that he had a horrific (for a pitcher) shoulder injury that no pitcher has every really come back strong from. It's a testament to John's determination that he's even in the rotation and slightly above replacement level but as far as the physical tools, he doesn't have them anymore.

QUOTE (ptatc @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 02:42 PM) Odds are it's mostly continuing to build strength and thengetting in "baseball" shape with timing and coordination. Basically he needs to go through Spring training. Yea he probably couldn't do any upper body work for a few months and is probably just now getting back to lifting. Bat prolly felt pretty heavy in his hands the first few swings. There might be scar tissue he is also working through correct?

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 24, 2014 -> 04:44 AM) Maybe not but when league average is 10.6% and his first two years were 10.5% and 10.2% I think it's probably safe to say 5.4% is the outlier. Same with Chris Sale, his HR/FB has been 11.1%, 10.9%, 11.6%, 12.5% and this year it's 6.2%. That should rise. xFIP uses normalized HR/FB rates and his xFIP is 3.29, good for #23rd in MLB. No matter how you slice it, Q is one of the best pitchers in the game, a guy you could squint hard enough and see as an ace but that slots perfectly in as your #2 in a tough playoff series. The Sox could very well have the best 1,2,3 punch in MLB rotation wise in 2016.

Things are way too quiet on the trade front. I'm half expecting a "f***ing a trade" to go down at any time, Sox or otherwise.

So he's running, hitting and throwing, they must just be waiting on a formal medical clearance before he does his rehab assignment. I would love to see him get 80 or so PA in September to knock a bit of the rust off.

so he touched 96? Did he throw much off speed stuff? Probably telling him to take it slow to start, given Hahn's awesome quote about him not "having thrown a pitch in anger in a few months". Man, if I was in PHX area I would be there, just show up after a few innings watch him and go home. Very exciting to see him in the fold.

safe, easily

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 08:37 PM) Moises is hitting .279 with us now and has two walks. But, he should see more time.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 08:34 PM) Sierra's doing it all. Hitting, fielding, and his dugout antics. He has a 289 OBP with Chicago and a 677 OPS, he's butchered a couple of makeable plays in RF, let's not get ahead of ourselves. That said, there is zero reason he shouldn't be starting everyday in a corner after the trade deadline. De Aza or Viciedo or both should 100% be gone.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 08:32 PM) Semien or Sanchez needs to replace this bum (Beckham) At this point the most likely end to Beckham's career will be a non tender or a trade for a C level prospect. Man, that is disappointing for a guy that looked like a world beater as a rookie and is a former top 10 pick.

LOL, Ramirez can backpedal faster than Viciedo can come on.

and that in a nutshell is why Conor Gillaspie is a productive MLB hitter and Dayan Viciedo is not.

We look like a HS team this inning. That ball has to go home and get cut. Lucky he wasn't running. edit: hey, defense!

WTF are you doing Alexei? Who cares if the runner is on 3rd with 2 outs?

QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 08:52 PM) Hitters 4-8 in Sox line-up at .238 or lower. OUCH. Take away Abreu and Eaton, and we might be even worse than 2013 offensively. Beckham now in the 220's for the first time all season, and Viciedo in the 230's. Time to cut bait on both. Don't care what the return is as long as it clears two roster spots for next year.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 08:46 PM) Then we are talking about someone like Jordan Danks. I miss Avi.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jul 22, 2014 -> 08:42 PM) With two righthanded players basically gone from line up and a four man bench, your options are pretty limited. I never really thought Konerko wasting a roster spot would bother me. Turns out it really is. Sox are 5 back of the WC every AB counts. It might just be smoke and mirrors and hope but eh.