Jose Abreu

I know this isn't what you meant, but I wonder if this gets counteracted later in the season as more pitchers than usual hit the injured list with arm issues as a byproduct of last season

I don't expect it to continue to be *this* bad for us, but yes, it's a very large figure for this point in the season

I've been doing it. Through 21 games we're at -9.91 runs from umpiring. I decided to do this because I've followed these accounts for years and have felt like the Sox frequently are at a disadvantage, but wanted to quantify it so that it didn't seem like whining. I think the 2018 season is what pushed me to wanting robo umps. Watching all those called strike 3s on Moncada conditioned me to just assume that any pitch within 5 inches of the plate would go against us, and it's sad how often that's actually the case

Yup, everything he's doing on offense is pretty expected, save for some of the more extreme naysayers who thought he'd never even hit doubles. I think it's way too soon for victory laps, though, as his defense and baserunning are what will determine if he's just a good starter or a true high-impact weapon, and while they're much better than they were last year and in the first week of the season, we still need to see a lot more

Correct. As awesome as he has pitched, I don't think his performance is that big of a surprise. I still can't see him being a full-time starter for another two months at least (aside from a spot start here and there)

He flipped the ball to the fan after his bullpen session, which every reliever does after every bullpen session

It really is something. Over there, it’s universally understood that the fan was in the wrong, and here, you have all these random narratives that he threw things at a girl? It really isn’t a big deal

If he has a very good season and gets a lucrative contract for it, do you think he'd maintain his new production? If I were a team, I'd be terrified that after paying him he'd revert to his 2020 work ethic/self

Agreed. And while I was disappointed by the lack of mask enforcement during the KC series, it was much better tonight. I've never been within 6 feet of someone for more than ~30 seconds, and even then we were masked and (obviously) outdoors. Overall I'd say it's pretty nice and definitely worth it if you're on the fence

Awesome. I'll take all the anecdotal evidence I can get after reading Greg's post lol

I kind of want Vaughn to get sent down, not necessarily for the year of control but just because of how ridiculous it is to send down a player with a .400 OBP

Getting J&J tomorrow. Has anyone here gotten it? I'm expecting flu-like symptoms for ~24 hours afterwards and hopefully nothing worse

They're even on extended rest since there were 2 days off instead of 1. There's no reason Giolito or even Keuchel should be unable to start tonight

I know the fact that this is a false equivalence was already addressed, but also... where were you?? TA was loathed by many as recently as early 2019. The criticisms of him were so over the top and annoying in 2018 that at one point I just stopped defending him because nobody would actually listen

I was sitting in front of some of his family. It was awesome to hear how excited they were. Despite the low attendance, the atmosphere (especially in the 1st inning) rivaled the buzz I haven't felt since Kopech's debut in 2018

Every time Keller was scheduled to start against us, he mysteriously got pushed back to the next series

Grandal

Just as we expected. Like Jason keeps saying on the broadcasts, I think he just needs that first hit to fall and then he'll be fine. He was seeing the ball better as the game went on last night

It's a 3 game series FYI

Most conspicuously, Giolito, Kopech, Crochet, Lynn, most other relievers -- pretty much every pitcher who I expected to look good (I had low expectations for Keuchel and Cease). I actually thought Yoan looked good tonight- nice defense, reached base twice in his five PAs, and two of the other ones were 100 and 107 MPH exit velocity outs. Robert still struggles with pitch recognition, but this start is much unlike his September slump as he is still barreling up the ball and getting on base, so I can live with the swing and miss. And although these guys are working from an even smaller sample, Grandal, Mercedes, Vaughn, and Collins are all consistently having patient and/or productive ABs that I'm confident will provide success in the long run

Between this and all the bunting, my expectations for the season are definitely lower, even though I'm probably one of the few who is encouraged by how the core players look

Vaughn and Mercedes have pretty much identical minor league strikeout rates. I know Vaughn struck out last night but he projects to be really tough to strike out throughout his career