tray

Pitchers probably seek to avoid throwing a lot of off-speed pitches to Chase. He is adept at adjusting his approach/swing and guiding ground balls through holes in the infield. That is a big part of his offense and if you minimize it, you take away a part of his game.

Love if Ozzie could do his famous wide and tall call for Bobby one last time...and then point both fingers at the sky. I doubt that there will be another WSox world series for another generation or two ... at least, so fond memories of the '05 playoffs and that parade downtown will continue to mean a lot for Sox fans. We finally won one and it was before the Cubs piled up 100+ seasons in this city without a WS championship.

I hope that the Sox sign Houser on a one or two year deal. He is the clear Ace of the staff now and should be next season. He has only gotten better and is fastball is even up 2mph. Trading him when he only he has a few months of control will draw interest from the top contending teams, but ,,,,they may not value him as much as teams would next season if he is under contract and the Sox could also decide to keep him if he keeps dealing. If the Sox want to stop losing a record number of games, start by spending money on this pitcher.

Toronto is one of the hottest teams in baseball, 3.5 games ahead of the Yanks atop the AL East... so there is that. Sox have a huge talent deficiency, especially compared to the top teams. Explains the W/L record. Keep fighting though.

IMO, Smith is trending down except for his weight. He looks kind of ridiculous out there. I don't evaluate Houser long term but certainly I see he has improved his control, increased the speed of his fastball a bit, and has extreme focus in close games when it counts. He isn't a HOFer like Verlander, (42 years old) but he still has some gas in the tank. So yes, I would sign him to a one or two year deal...and if that can be done on favorable terms, it could make him even more valuable to another team. chryst it's just my opinion. Fukin crucify me.

Maybe we should wait for more than 8 starts before throwing money at Adrian Houser? Under the same logic, it seems to me that it is too early to trade him. He is pitching like a stud/ace. Sign him on a short term deal and he might be worth even more in trade next year. Right now he is our ace, our stopper and a valuable veteran presence in the staff.

Bozo ? WTF ?

Maybe try to sign Houser on a one or two year deal because, yes, he has proven over 8 starts or so that he is potentially a top of rotation starter. Great pitching over that stretch where he has demonstrated the kind of focus in tough game situations/counts, that an ace pitcher has. He is great now and will no doubt be great next year. Shane Smith's last few starts have not only called his pitching into question, but also his endurance and maybe his physical fitness. He was reported to be 240 lbs but I would not be surprised if he is over 250 now. Maybe try out for the Bears at that size. He is an All Star this year. I would sell high on him.

I would rather see the WSox trade Shane Smith than Houser. If a team shows interest in trading for Houser, offer Smith instead.

Much has been made of Ozzie Guillen's wide and tall hand gesture to call for Bobby to come in from the bullpen. I thought it was genius if not ingenious. Ozzies gesture may have made it appear that he was bringing in Sasquatch or some giant....he was ! My son has a signed authenticated poster showing Bobby in his classic pose with arms up as the Sox clinched the Series. I am going to get a Jenks 45 jersey before I go to the next game.

Baldwin and the WSox hitting coach seem to be ignoring one of the huge holes in his LH swing....high outside fastballs out of the zone ...especially when Brooks has two strikes on him. Brooks doesn't have a swing that can handle high outside fastballs, like Gavin Sheets had. He is looking to pull everything and often swings without keeping his eyes on the ball. He is looking to be demoted again if that keeps up.

Tristan Gray, a 30 year old infielder was added to the 40 man roster. Isn't that sort of move often a predicate to some sort of trade or DFA move, like Rojas DFA?

Boy would that be a foolish move.

I don't recall ever meeting someone whose first name was "Colton" and only a handful named "Colson," so I am not going to pile on that heap. It is one letter for chrysesakes. Who hasn't made spelling errors? It takes a lot more dedication to one-up-manship to qualify for trolldom, and yes, you know who you are. That said, it is really too early to cast Montgomery as part of a set infield after just two games against some of the worst ML pitching in the high altitude atmosphere in Colorado. Monty (lol) made a diving catch which was great... but SS in the majors requires skills and consistency that will take time to evaluate. For starters, let's see how Colson and the rest of our line-up fare against Toronto.

Yes. He gave up a lot of clutch dingers.

They all had injuries which kept them off the field for extended time periods. It is hard for some players to stay in playing condition when injuries impact their training regimes (i.e., if you can't run or get in the batting cage). I think they became too laid back or even lazy after sitting out with all the comforts from a big salary. I hesitate to clump certain players together, but as long as a list of disappointing players is being discussed, I want to add Grandal, Vaughn, Kopech , Madrigal, Kimbrel and Liam Hendriks and I am sure we can all add some names. Lack of talent evaluation was and is a major factor in assembling a shitty roster.

I would think Vargas at 3B , Montgomery at SS (until he boots a few) , Chase at 2B, and Lenyn Sosa at 1B.

My guess at this point would be Cubs and Detroit in the WS. Probably the two best teams IMO.

Not be surprised if Civale doesn't last 2 innings. Bombs away.

Agree. Colson Montgomery can stay in the Minors 5 more years and it won't make him any better. This will be his one shot (referencing Eminem) to prove his critics wrong. At least they won't have him face elite pitchers like Baldwin did in his last two call ups.

Maybe lower the mound ? I don't know...maybe I am just frustrated that the Sox have not been hitting.

I was wrong about Sosa's bat being enough to keep him at second base (even though his 1st inning shot was inches away from being a 3 run homer). He is just too big, clumsy and slow to play second. Maybe 1st base would be the best position for him since it requires limited range. What a dismal, depressing loss all around though. Foolish decisions by players and coaches and as always the worst luck in the world for the Sox.

Not sure where you walked past it or why. There are few reasons to be down there walking around and it is not one of the safest areas at night. There is a site plan for the Fire stadium at the 78. Spend a little time and study it since you claim to be familiar with the area. Note the limited access from elevated roads, the obstruction of the Clark street ramp, the way the Metra tracks cut off road access, etc. After looking at that plan, I would not be surprised if the Fire buck out of that site just like others have.

I am sure he will take the promotion but Dodger pitching will be a tough initiation.

There is no issue about what could be done. There is an issue about why one would move to that site...but you would have to go down there and look to see it for yourself. Look at the site plan for the proposed Fire stadium closely. The architectural firm attempted to address issues like the differences in elevation with Roosevelt and Clark, the Metra tracks, and access to the site. What do you think about that plan? What do you like or dislike about it, specifically? Would you like the WSox to build there? Why?