1 minute ago, ChiHawks10 said:

It was a good idea, and a good play, to try and bunt for a hit.  Just a hell of a play by a pitcher.  That's about as perfect as a bunt as you'll see.

Ha yeah, I thought about it for a second and edited it. Just in a game like this I’d like to see them hit, especially Madrigal since he’s been on a bit of a heater.

1 hour ago, ptatc said:

I don't think having one pitcher unavailable is going to make a difference. They wouldn't pitch him in a blowout anyway. We'll see Ruiz for 2 and Burdi for 2.

Ruiz and Burdi, whoda thunk it. Although Burdi went 3.

2 minutes ago, ChiHawks10 said:

It was a good idea, and a good play, to try and bunt for a hit.  Just a hell of a play by a pitcher.  That's about as perfect as a bunt as you'll see.

It was a perfect bunt but Madrigal gave it away by turning around too early. Eovaldi was off the mound before Madrigal left the box. 

12 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

BTW, Giolito usually isn't great with the fastball command anyway, so this could be a new approach teams are starting to take against him. 

If so, yikes. I'll be watching his next few starts closely. 

I haven’t watched any of the game and just saw the score right now. What was Boston’s approach? Sit on the change?

1 hour ago, fathom said:

I think you would agree with me that I’m not overly concerned with losing just this one game. It happens, but the concerning thing is if he doesn’t have his best stuff this year, it’s going to be a very long season for the team.  Sox need him to be a reliable upper echelon starter.

Sorry, left for a while to get some work done. 

I agree, fathom. I would hope the weird start time, some bad luck, and just some bad command were responsible for today and it's a blip, not a sign of things to come. Overall he's been very good this season. But, to your second point....this team only goes if Gio is an ace. It's just the way things are built. He needs to be a true No. 1 for them to have any realistic shot at doing something this year and beyond. Today was NOT that. 

Fabulous Freddie’s in Bridgeport is cashing in on the fast start of a new Chicago White Sox player. The Italian-American joint has introduced the “Yerminator,” a Dominican chimichurri burger named after Yermín Mercedes, a 28-year-old rookie.

Burdi, good gracious.
Still trying to overcome the FO's  2015-2016 clowning.

16 minutes ago, Capn12 said:

If nothing else, Timmy looks good at the plate.

TA
Nicky
Luis
Yermin

4 guys with some idea at the plate.

Madrigal has looked good the last 2 games, outside of that bunt try

6 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

I haven’t watched any of the game and just saw the score right now. What was Boston’s approach? Sit on the change?

Yes, they sat on the change... which is seriously bizarre to do to Gio...  Suspicious AF, IMO.

1 minute ago, ChiHawks10 said:

Yes, they sat on the change... which is seriously bizarre to do to Gio...  Suspicious AF, IMO.

Why is that bizarre?  It’s exactly what I would tell opponents of him to do

Get Jose out of April.  Yikes.

7 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

I haven’t watched any of the game and just saw the score right now. What was Boston’s approach? Sit on the change?

Yep. He was ahead 0-2 or 1-2 on the first 3-4 batters and they waited for a change in the zone and hit it. 

Hernandez was down 0-2 to open the game with two fastballs, Gio threw a change that was middle-low and had the whole plate and he hit it out of the park. 

3 minutes ago, fathom said:

Why is that bizarre?  It’s exactly what I would tell opponents of him to do

I'm with you. It's not like his fastball command has ever been great. 

However, his change has been impossible for hitters to identify until now. He tunnels it wonderfully. 

That is more suspicious than anything. How are they picking it up? 

Edited April 19, 20214 yr by Jack Parkman

2 minutes ago, Tnetennba said:

Get Jose out of April.  Yikes.

Rest him for remainder of game and tomorrow’s game 

11 minutes ago, fathom said:

Why is that bizarre?  It’s exactly what I would tell opponents of him to do

 

Then you'd fail miserably 99% of the time.  Because of his release and mechanics/delivery, it's next to impossible to tell what is coming... so a team to sit back on his changeups... is bizarre.  Seriously bizarre.  There's a reason Steve Stone even commented on it saying "It's odd for ANY MLB team to sit back on changeups."

The whole reason Gio is an ace/#1 is because of those mechanics and delivery, and it being impossible to pick up his pitches.

Unless Gio was tipping his pitches somehow, or doing something that BoSox batters could pick up on to tell when a changeup was coming, it's fucking bizarre.

Edited April 19, 20214 yr by ChiHawks10

Jake Lamb is Cody Asche reincarnated

4 minutes ago, ChiHawks10 said:

 

Because of his release and mechanics/delivery.  It's next to impossible to tell what is coming... so a team to sit back on his changeups... is bizarre.  Seriously bizarre.  There's a reason Steve Stone even commented on it saying "It's odd for ANY MLB team to sit back on changeups."

The whole reason Gio is an ace/#1 is because of those mechanics and delivery, and it being impossible to pick up his pitches.

Exactly. Hitters always look foolish on Gio's change because it's impossible to tell the difference between his fastball and change. How was Boston able to do it? 

Just now, Jack Parkman said:

Exactly. Hitters always look foolish on Gio's change because it's impossible to tell the difference between his fastball and change. How was Boston able to do it? 

I'm not watching the game but I thought I heard most of his changes were on 1-2 and 0-2 counts. Any truth to that?

Just now, RagahRagah said:

I'm not watching the game but I thought I heard most of his changes were on 1-2 and 0-2 counts. Any truth to that?

Yes. He was up in the count and threw them in the zone and they got destroyed. They were watching fastballs high in the zone. How did they tell the difference? Nobody has before. 

Edited April 19, 20214 yr by Jack Parkman

2 minutes ago, RagahRagah said:

I'm not watching the game but I thought I heard most of his changes were on 1-2 and 0-2 counts. Any truth to that?

Yep.  They let him throw his fastball right by them.  Just sat there and took high fastballs for strikes, top of the corners, in the zone.  Then on 1-2 and 0-2 counts... they sat back and smashed changeup after changeup.  Five or six in a row for hits.

I'm sorry, that's suspicious AF.

Edited April 19, 20214 yr by ChiHawks10

3 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

Exactly. Hitters always look foolish on Gio's change because it's impossible to tell the difference between his fastball and change. How was Boston able to do it? 

Any chance Boston picked up on something Lucas was doing to tip the change?

1 minute ago, SoxBlanco said:

Any chance Boston picked up on something Lucas was doing to tip the change?

Either that or there are garbage cans. 

1 minute ago, ChiHawks10 said:

Yep.  They let him throw his fastball right by them.  Just sat there and took high fastballs for strikes, top of the corners, in the zone.  Then on 1-2 and 0-2 counts... they sat back and smashed changeup after changeup.  Five or six in a row for hits.

I'm sorry, that's suspicious AF.

Doesn’t that speak to them just sitting on the change?  If they were cheating, then would crush the fastball.  

1 minute ago, SoxBlanco said:

Any chance Boston picked up on something Lucas was doing to tip the change?

I mean, it's always a possibility, but he has always been super deceptive, which is why he's as good as he is.  You can't tell any difference between his fastball and change until you've already whiffed on it.  

2 minutes ago, SoxBlanco said:

Any chance Boston picked up on something Lucas was doing to tip the change?

Definitely.