MiddleCoastBias

Can you imagine Cease facing off against the Yankees with all of their bats coming back? It would be a dinger fest.

This. I hate hate hate West Coast games because they start at 10pm ET for me. Playoff hockey can go until 1am - a playoff baseball game will go until 2am. Hell, last night's game was 4 hours long and it wasn't even high scoring. Games consistently ending after midnight in the team's hometown are not good for viewership, and I thought the whole reason we're playing baseball this year anyway is for the money the playoffs are supposed to make.

MLBN is airing their panelists right now ranking their top rotations entering the playoffs. Pedro Martinez listed the Sox as his 5th- best rotation, Giolito and Keuchel getting a lot of love.

Who is less reliable - Not Steve Cishek, or the real Steve Cishek?

This. Highest ceiling AND longest window. We're 11 over .500 and have two threads about division rivals. We don't need to be looking in the rearview mirror at the other rebuilding teams. Let's plant the flag and establish that we're the team to beat for the next 6+ years with this core locked up for the foreseeable future. Win ballgames, don't worry about the other guys.

DJ LeMahieu (.380) is currently batting 20 points higher than Tim but doesn't qualify for minimum at bats. Not sure if he'll reach the qualifier mark by the end of the season with the time he's missed?

Why.

Hopefully Dunning gets a good, clean showing today to get 6+ innings (if Ricky allows him). I'd like to see him and Cease being given a little more leash to work deeper in games, get their confidence up. Would help save the bullpen as well, give guys like Cordero more time to rest up. Buuut I'm guessing RR will have him limited again and give a quick hook if anyone gets on after qualifying through the 5th.

I'm guessing they're going to work with him in Schaumburg on how to approach being a reliever etc., and then we see him back up in a week or so in that role.

Ideally, I'd like to see him batting 3rd with Grandal going to 6th. So yes, probably 8th.

Question for the resident writers that have had access to Schaumburg in the past: does the media still have access to attend games/practices there to see what's going on, or was that limited to a few nights? I'm curious to know if anyone has seen/heard of Vaughn being given a shot in RF just to see if that's an option the Sox are even considering.

I actually like Rodon to turn into the Drew Pomeranz mold: former top LHP prospect ranking, never put it all together as a starter, finds success in a relief role

While Luis is winning the defensive metrics on paper, Kyle Lewis has also made the highlights for robbing home runs this year so he's got that flashy appeal right now. Robert's "highlights" have been stealing balls out of position, more a product of him being so good/fast. I agree that Robert looks to have superior defensive ability, just feel like Kyle Lewis shouldn't be sold sort on his highlights. It's more of a "makes things look easy" vs. "makes things look harder than they should" argument, and the casual viewer will be more impressed by those "difficult" plays rather than seeing Robert somehow catching a pop-up behind homeplate or something crazy with his range and speed.

Good to see that he made the flight safely.

Hit and run with Nick's bat control

I like the matchups of Mendick and Madrigal against Hill tonight. Feel like they'll both have chances to slap it the other way or drive it up the middle a few times tonight.

Almost feel like the "Rodon coming back" and this "Bummer not coming back" threads will be combined into one once Rodon moves into the pen in a lefty reliever role.

Only move we needed to make.

TR Sullivan says Gallo and Lynn are staying in Texas.

He even stressed it on MLBN just now - "the Dodgers have NOT (important word in there) acquired Lance Lynn." with a smirk

Sames. Who's got the gamethread honors today?

That car is going to be full.

Agreed, and I'm thinking it's Corbin Burnes. Engel as a throw-in piece makes sense with them trotting out to CF everyday.

I'm kind of ok with having the Lynn rumors in their own thread because I want nothing to do with him, so I can just avoid the nonsense of that thread entirely.