caulfield12

Thanks everyone!!! Just made it to Bangkok with her for 9 day vacation. One benefit of arriving at 230 am is that there's no traffic on the highways getting to your hotel, haha. Now the question is will I be able to wake up for the White Sox game, and is it a wise idea after the last two nights or will it just lead to further aggravation?

QUOTE (Feeky Magee @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 01:58 PM) McCarthy has a career 4.19 ERA with a 4.07 FIP, 4.09 xFIP and 4.18 SIERA. There's more of a split with Francis at a 4.95 ERA with a 4.38 FIP, 4.33 xFIP and 4.39 SIERA but it's not so dramatic a split that you can say he's not just at the outside range of bad luck rather than there being a genuine problem that means he will never pitch to his peripherals. Francis has pitched most of his career in Colorado...so that's one reason for the higher ERA.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 07:15 PM) They should just do TJS on him. They've got him for 5 more years... Essentially 4, although you might as well say 3 1/2 because it's going to be the end of the 2015 season or the first half of 2016 before he's back to "normal" after surgery, and even that's iffy. It was nice while it lasted. One more black mark in the book for signing pitchers to $100+ million contracts, no matter how young they are. The only one that's been "okay" so far is Zach Greinke, and you're still talking about a $147 million contract, so it's not ever going to be considered a bargain.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jul 11, 2014 -> 12:20 AM) Love to hear about that experience There are no Applebee's that I've ever seen in S.Korea but you might be able to find a TGI Friday's or Chili's...of all the places you wouldn't expect, I found a Chili's in Jakarta, Indonesia, this past February and had the best country fried steak with white gravy, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, etc. It had been ages at that point since I had been able to eat any type of "homestyle" food so it was a godsend compared to eating at McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut and a few Subway's all the time here in China.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 07:25 PM) Didn't he also strike out Napoli twice previously? Wash. Who would you rather face there, Napoli or Ortiz? Obvious. Don't pitch to their best hitter with 1st open. That isn't a good option. A walk of Napoli, if it gets that far, scores 1 run (he got him out after the Ortiz at bat anyway, quite easily). Then it gets to 3-1. You need to just stand up for ball 4 at that point. Ortiz was "this close" as Harrelson likes to say to three 410' homers over the last two games if they were pulled in just the slightest. Napoli was ice cold (as was the entire team, pretty much) coming into that series.

Of course, so did the Giants and he was obviously a key part of a World Championship the following season. That said, totally different situations now.

QUOTE (chitownsportsfan @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 05:36 PM) Stop trolling, everyone with an intellect higher than middle school knows that you seperate process from result. You can get a bad process with a good result and vice versa. The point of having a good manager is that he has a good process and stick to it. Robin's approach is to throw s*** at the wall and see what sticks. He consinstantly lowers the margin for error the Sox have to win. Not PH for Kong was a bad process that led to an OK result. Who know however, he PH with Dunn, Dunn walks, Conor homers, Sox win? See how the fantasy thing works? Point is you make a good process you live with the results. Robin doesn't make a good process. Except in that same fantasy, the White Sox bullpen still probably fail to hold the lead against Pedroia/Ortiz/Napoli in the bottom of the 9th. Just because...well, it's the 2014 Sox bullpen. Konerko was 2/6 against Uehara, so that's defensible, since the were 4/33 (current White Sox hitters) against Uehara all-time. But letting Flowers and Garcia both bat was just weird.

QUOTE (Soxfest @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 05:31 PM) This f***ing ump really cost Sox the game RV needed to come out earlier and got tossed. You don't win many games when you're 0/10 with RISP. Quintana deserved better, but he put himself in that situation in the bottom of the 6th, and the pitch sequence to Ortiz was absolutely befuddling. Along with not caring what happens to Belisario, there's also Flowers and Leury Garcia on the roster. Our "bottom 15-17" players on the 25 man have to be the worst in the majors. Our top 8 or so can compete with any team in the majors.

And that was one of Carp's first at-bats of the season, I think. Oh, well...back to the drawing board. It's pretty clear nobody's going to want to have anything to do with Belisario....unless it's against the Dodgers, he doesn't pitch well under any kind of pressure.

Of course. Perfect and fitting ending for the series. Thanks for making it exciting Conor.

Ventura is going to be second-guessed on this one, too... Isn't it funny how the Red Sox can bring up an inexperienced rookie and he manages to get a bunt down successfully when we always struggle in that area with young players?

Of course, when the Red Sox have an inexperienced rookie, he can manage to bunt successfully in that sitatu

Dreaded leadoff walk. Gee. Harrelson's thrilled I'm sure. Red Sox still only have two hits to ten for the White Sox.

QUOTE (fathom @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 05:19 PM) One of my biggest pet peeves is what happened that inning. I hate the bunt when it takes the bat out of your best hitter's hands. Despite Viciedo's recent power surge, there's no way ANY manager in baseball will pitch to Abreu there. Predictable outcome. Either you have confidence in Eaton to steal the bag or you let Beckham hit away...and/or you have Beckham bunt him over to 3rd. Either way, they're probably going to work around Abreu in all likelihood, even with Eaton or Beckham still at 1B.

Red Sox announcers now questioning why Ventura had to be forced by Ramirez to make that appeal in the bottom of the 9th. Walk Ramirez to face Konerko? Interesting, whichever way they go. Konerko 0 for 4, 3 's but it works out for the Red Sox anyway. Sigh. Wonder if that will end up being our best chance to win this game??

QUOTE (flavum @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 05:07 PM) Hey Beckham, how about you make yourself useful this inning. Here we go. 1 for his last 30. Only one sacrifice, and only 8 on the season for the entire team. Bunted it right at Miller, but got the job done. Off the lip, where the grass meets the dirt. Walking Abreu to face Viciedo. No brainer. Would they Red Sox have walked Abreu even with Eaton on 1st? BTW, it would also be quite helpful if Eaton had the ability to steal a base in these situations...

Well, that's a pleasant surprise. Extras. Belisario gets Napoli, Putnam and Rienzo are in the pen. When's the last time Rienzo pitched? Seems like a month ago.

Ventura with his Tony LaRussa bullpen approach this inning. Working so far. But bringing in cold pitchers who aren't in rhythm always has a way of backfiring. http://espn.go.com/mlb/player/batvspitch/_...130/koji-uehara White Sox a sizzling 4/33 before that inning against Uehara. Konerko 2/6, Dunn and Alexei Ramirez have hits and that's it. DeAza 0/3 with 2 K's. Still not getting no Dunn appearance there, unless his wrist/hand is hurting again.

QUOTE (BigHurt3515 @ Jul 10, 2014 -> 04:54 PM) Should have been De Aza then you put Conor at 3B and De Aza in LF and Viciedo in RF... But Robin doesn't think that much Completely forgot about DeAza there as well.

Is Ventura trying to send a message to Hahn that his options at the bottom of the line-up SUCK? Garcia and Flowers don't belong on a major league roster. Sierra's MEHH for a fourth OF, but you can live with him.

Pedroia, Ortiz and Napoli against Webb, this is going to be interesting. Once again, why aren't we going to use Adam Dunn in this inning when the best chance is to get a lead and try to save it before the middle of Boston's line-up can put up a run? Conor Gillaspie has to be the most pleasant surprise this season, along with Noesi/Putnam/Petricka. Unless you consider Abreu a surprise.

Wow. POWER SHOW. Geoff Blum-esque homer there just inside the Pesky Pole. Quick, Red Sox, how much will you give us for Conor. Would be an absolute monster playing in Fenway with the balls off the monster (albeit lacking great speed) and the short porch in RF. BOSTON fans shocked. Lester loses his decision, just like Sale the previous day.

Is Dunn hurt? Excuse me, but wouldn't that be EXACTLY the time we need a 2 run homer? Gillaspie for Sierra. Guessing Dunn will hit for Flowers. Or Garcia. Does anyone have the splits for Konerko and Dunn against Uehara?

What was it last time...playing cards in the clubhouse instead of prepping pitchers and watching too many University of Florida Gators football games? Who was the Giants' pitcher who complained about him the most, can't remember? It was a fifth starter type of guy, I remember that, not one of their best pitchers at the time.

Viciedo and Beckham doing their best in this game making it difficult if not impossible to trade them. Sigh. Supposedly, the glare/sunlight in the first half of the game was terrible, which is part of the reason for all the Lester K's. But the Red Sox guys say this is the best curveball Lester had all season long.