JUSTgottaBELIEVE

Isn’t any player not holding a guaranteed contract technically a free agent from the team’s perspective if they no longer want the player? The Sox could have let Giolito walk just as easily as Leury.

Grandal has been god awful this season and the Sox are still #12 in MLB for fWAR out of the catching position. Remarkable really when you consider Grandal’s performance.

I didn’t include Leury because he was already on the team last season. Just like I didn’t list guys where the Sox picked up their arbitration year rather than declining it - Giolito, Lopez, Engel, etc. Only listed guys that were new to the roster this season.

Take away the 6 runs scored off Gordon and that’s still 4.7 runs per game under Cairo. Plenty good enough. In fact, the Twins lead the division with 4.4 runs per game this season..

39 runs in the 7 games since Cairo took over. That’s good enough if Giolito and Kopech perform well down the stretch.

They need a healthy Kopech and a better performing Giolito. Two big ifs but if they get those I think they’re still the division favorite. Lynn has finally flipped the switch over his last 5 starts. Now they need the other two to do the same.

If all finish tied at the top, then the team with the best combined winning percentage against the two other clubs would be the division champ. Sox are 12-16, Twins are 12-12, Guardians are 15-11. Sox have some ground to make up over their last 12 games against Cleveland and Minnesota if they have any hopes of winning a tiebreaker situation.

I picked 85 wins as the mark needed for the Sox to win the division because I think cleveland plays one game over .500 the rest of the way. They still have 8 games with KC but they also have 8 games with Minnesota, who they’ve struggled against.

That’s the record the Sox need over the final 27 games to win the division. Unlikely? Sure. Impossible? Hell no, especially now that the TLR cloud has lifted. Remaining schedule: 2 @ SEA (1-1) 4 @ OAK (3-1) 2 vs COL (2-0) 1 @ CLE (0-1) 3 @ DET (2-1) 3 vs CLE (2-1) 3 vs DET (2-1) 3 @ MIN (1-2) 3 @ SD (2-1) 3 vs MIN (2-1)

I don’t have time for commentary at the moment but my updated grades are as follows: Kelly: F- Pollock: C+ Velazquez: D- Harrison: B McGuire: B- / Diekman: D Graveman: A Cueto: A+++ Bonus- Elvis Andrus: A+

I think the Sox need to win 85 games to win the division and they need to win 3/4 when they play Cleveland. Cleveland isn’t losing 5 of their remaining 9 games to KC. The Sox also need to win 5 of the next 8 against Minnesota. That way they will hold the tiebreaker on the Twins.

True but Cleveland also plays 8 games against Minnesota this month. Those two gonna beat up on each a bit. Also, I agree that the Sox have to win 3/4 against Cleveland to have a shot.

Miracle

You were saying?

That’s true but what do they have to show for it at the MLB level? A slightly above average but expensive roster. Maybe they should have just held onto all the prospects instead.

Well, they got a split, which is what we all wanted headed into the series. Critical they win the series this weekend in Cleveland. 4-3 would be a great week still.

That’s interesting. Makes sense because fangraphs has the Sox as the favorite to win the division.

Hopefully the Padres are near elimination by the time of that second to last series of the season against the Sox so that they will have already given up.

I think one thing is certain. The Sox may have been a better team last season but they peaked at the wrong time and Houston was a far worse matchup for the Sox last year than this year. It would be neat seeing the Sox start peaking now into October. Braves did the same thing last year and carried that momentum through the playoffs. Sometimes it’s not about who you play but when you play them.

But Sosa isn’t a lefty or an outfielder. Sox need both. I‘D honestly rather see Leury at SS than Sosa right now. I wouldn’t rather see Sheets in RF than Colas even if Colas struggles at the plate a bit.

I don’t want to get carried away but is Houston one of the better matchups for the Sox in the playoffs, if they get in? Cueto owns the Astros and the Sox aren’t phased by Verlander. Of course, Mccullers just returned and he’s the Sox kryptonite.

I wasn’t referring to you mr charmin

Wrong. I’m the only one defending them here when times are tough mr charmin

Next two games are house money right? I think most would have been thrilled to see the Sox split this series. To pick up 1.5 games on Cleveland while playing Houston and they’re playing Detroit is HUGE

My favorite two games of this season in fact. Sox now leading the season series against Houston and 6-6 against the top two teams in the AL.