How important is this 2 game series with CLE

[iamshack]

It's never fun to have to do that because of one person.

Well it's not like his signature says anything graphic or something. If he is that easily offended or concerned about what people at his workplace are going to think, this is the price he has to pay!

[Chisoxfn]

And we've gained, what, a game? It will most definitely take an "insane" run to overtake the Indians.

Well the Indians are going to fall back down to earth. They've had an easy schedule and have had an unsustainable amount of walk off/we shouldn't have won this game type of wins. I look at the team and I don't see a 100+ win team. In fact, I'd be surprised if they played .500 ball the rest of the way. They are going to have a slump or two and even if they maintain a .500 pace, we could catch them with good solid baseball.

[Jordan4life_2007]

Well the Indians are going to fall back down to earth. They've had an easy schedule and have had an unsustainable amount of walk off/we shouldn't have won this game type of wins. I look at the team and I don't see a 100+ win team. In fact, I'd be surprised if they played .500 ball the rest of the way. They are going to have a slump or two and even if they maintain a .500 pace, we could catch them with good solid baseball.

 

I just think we're so used to the Twins being the ones to deny us year after year that we can't fathom maybe another team getting the best of us. Nobody in this division is going to win 100 games. s***, the Yankees or Red Sox are not going to win 100 games. It might not even take 90 wins to take the central. We jumped out on everybody in '05 and nobody took us seriously until we were in the ALCS. It could be just one of those years for the Indians. But they've definitely put us is a big hole.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Jordan4life

[Milkman delivers]

Well the Indians are going to fall back down to earth. They've had an easy schedule and have had an unsustainable amount of walk off/we shouldn't have won this game type of wins. I look at the team and I don't see a 100+ win team. In fact, I'd be surprised if they played .500 ball the rest of the way. They are going to have a slump or two and even if they maintain a .500 pace, we could catch them with good solid baseball.

 

If the Indians play .500 baseball for the rest of the season, they will end up with 87 or 88 wins. So the Sox would have to win about 90 games, which would require a .600 clip for the remainder of the year.

[Chisoxfn]

I just think we're so used to the Twins being the ones to deny us year after year that we can't fathom maybe another team getting the best of us. Nobody in this division is going to win 100 games. s***, the Yankees or Red Sox are not going to win 100 games. It might not even take 90 wins to take the central. We jumped out on everybody in '05 and nobody took us seriously until we were in the ALCS. It could be just one of those years for the Indians. But they've definitely put us is a big hole.

The difference is, I thought the White Sox team was good. We had good relievers, a great rotation, and a solid offense. I had no reason to see us coming back to earth. When I look at the Indians, I don't see it. I don't see a fantastic lineup, I see a ton of guys playing over there heads (outside of there two most talented offensive players, Choo and Santana) and a pitching staff that has a few guys putting up ridiculously career years. That said, I do think Masterson has always had the potential to do what he's doing. But there are a lot of things that scream smoke and mirrors and I didn't see that with the 05 Sox.

[----------]

I don't think its very important at all. Cleveland won't be around in the end. So its just two divisional games.

[Jordan4life_2007]

I don't think its very important at all. Cleveland won't be around in the end. So its just two divisional games.

 

This makes me feel better. Fall 12 games behind and nothing to fear. Cleveland won't be there in the end.

[----------]

This makes me feel better. Fall 12 games behind and nothing to fear. Cleveland won't be there in the end.

There is a reason why people in the business say they don't watch the standings until july.

 

Of course, not winning your games is an entirely different matter.

Edited May 18, 2011 by Maxwell

[Princess Dye]

This makes me feel better. Fall 12 games behind and nothing to fear. Cleveland won't be there in the end.

 

 

Conversations like this one can go round and round, obviously. But just another view of it:

 

If CLE beats us two straight, it puts them at .682 pct, so it's a pace for 110 wins.

 

With that information, I think most of us would step back and say at that point...CLE will slump at some point. They're not going to continue at this pace.

 

Their slump doesn't have to start against us - we just need the slump to happen. And unless they're getting 110 wins, some form of it will happen.

[macsandz]

I don't care how many games we gain on Cleveland right now. I care only about how many we gain on .500.

 

Get me to .500 first then I will start looking at the record.

This^ +++1

[macsandz]

As of today the Sox aren't chasing anything but .500 and their own potential.

[Harry Chappas]

The opponenets are not the issue here.

 

Everyone has to agree that losing 3 of 4 which would be the case is not acceptable for this team.

 

This team has put themselves in a position where every game matters.

 

If the goal is to get ot .500 losing the next two do not help you to do this.

 

Winning series is fine but they need win essentially all of them the rest of the year to get to 95 wins.

 

Another way to look at it is for them to beat the crap out of their division and play .500 ball the rest of hte way.

 

The East and West are better than the Central so whip the s*** out of the Central and the pathetic NL schdule and go from there.

 

Every game counts and any loss puts you on the ledge the next night. A loss last night was losing 3 of 4.

[Jordan4life_2007]

The opponenets are not the issue here.

 

Everyone has to agree that losing 3 of 4 which would be the case is not acceptable for this team.

 

This team has put themselves in a position where every game matters.

 

If the goal is to get ot .500 losing the next two do not help you to do this.

 

Winning series is fine but they need win essentially all of them the rest of the year to get to 95 wins.

 

Another way to look at it is for them to beat the crap out of their division and play .500 ball the rest of hte way.

 

The East and West are better than the Central so whip the s*** out of the Central and the pathetic NL schdule and go from there.

 

Every game counts and any loss puts you on the ledge the next night. A loss last night was losing 3 of 4.

 

[Milkman delivers]

Conversations like this one can go round and round, obviously. But just another view of it:

 

If CLE beats us two straight, it puts them at .682 pct, so it's a pace for 110 wins.

 

With that information, I think most of us would step back and say at that point...CLE will slump at some point. They're not going to continue at this pace.

 

Their slump doesn't have to start against us - we just need the slump to happen. And unless they're getting 110 wins, some form of it will happen.

 

So it's great to be trailing a team with a ridiculously good record rather than a pretty decent record, as they will definitely fall off. Got it.

[Jordan4life_2007]

So it's great to be trailing a team with a ridiculously good record rather than a pretty decent record, as they will definitely fall off. Got it.

 

Basically what it comes down to is it's not the Twins, a proven commodity, but the Indians. So some have convinced themselves that the Indians are no good and the White Sox are destined to go on this epic run. A run they went on last year that still wasn't enough.

[flavum]

It was important, and they done good.

[macsandz]

Indians are falling back. 6-6 in their last 12.

Royals had just lost 5 in a row.

The Tigers are about to get swept in BOS to fall to .500

and MIN is,...bad.

 

This division is so winnable for the Sox if they just play like they have recently.

[greg775]

It was important, and they done good.

 

That should be the final word on the matter IMO.

That's a great thread ender.

[T R U]

I just think we're so used to the Twins being the ones to deny us year after year that we can't fathom maybe another team getting the best of us.

 

There are two reasons why I am not concerned with the Indians..

 

1. We are 4-1 against them, and outside of getting shutdown by them in that one loss, we have pretty much handed them their ass in all 4 wins

 

2. They are not a very good team. And I mean that in terms of the talent they are putting out on the field. They have a lot of guys putting up unsustainable numbers.

 

Nevermind the fact that we had a stretch of 6 blown saves in 12 games and a 4-18 run in April. It made things difficult on us to start that way, but there is 100+ games left in this season I am not worried about the ability to outplay the Indians by 9 games over that stretch. Things have never been as bleak as they seemed for this team, we got off to a very lousy start but that was by no means an indication that this team is going to win 70 games and finish in last.

 

And just to be clear, I am fully aware that we have a long road ahead of us and its going to be difficult.. luckily for us Minnesota and Detroit haven't come out of the gates hot and it was Cleveland and Kansas City.. They will fall back down to earth, as Kansas City already has and Cleveland is on their way.. You gotta remember they were 22-10 not too long ago.. now after getting swept by us they have the next 9 games against Cincy, Boston, and Tampa.. Our next 10 are against a lousy Dodgers team, a crippled Texas team, and a mediocre Jays team.. This next week and a half could have gigantic ramifications on the shape of this division..

 

[kjshoe04]

3 back of Detroit looks pretty promising to be honest.

[gatnom]

There are two reasons why I am not concerned with the Indians..

 

1. We are 4-1 against them, and outside of getting shutdown by them in that one loss, we have pretty much handed them their ass in all 4 wins

 

2. They are not a very good team. And I mean that in terms of the talent they are putting out on the field. They have a lot of guys putting up unsustainable numbers.

 

Nevermind the fact that we had a stretch of 6 blown saves in 12 games and a 4-18 run in April. It made things difficult on us to start that way, but there is 100+ games left in this season I am not worried about the ability to outplay the Indians by 9 games over that stretch. Things have never been as bleak as they seemed for this team, we got off to a very lousy start but that was by no means an indication that this team is going to win 70 games and finish in last.

 

And just to be clear, I am fully aware that we have a long road ahead of us and its going to be difficult.. luckily for us Minnesota and Detroit haven't come out of the gates hot and it was Cleveland and Kansas City.. They will fall back down to earth, as Kansas City already has and Cleveland is on their way.. You gotta remember they were 22-10 not too long ago.. now after getting swept by us they have the next 9 games against Cincy, Boston, and Tampa.. Our next 10 are against a lousy Dodgers team, a crippled Texas team, and a mediocre Jays team.. This next week and a half could have gigantic ramifications on the shape of this division..

 

I have five words for you: two, thousand, five, White, and Sox.

 

I'm not saying; I'm just saying.

 

 

[JohnCangelosi]

I have five words for you: two, thousand, five, White, and Sox.

 

I'm not saying; I'm just saying.

There is this belief on this forum that everyone had a career year for the Sox in 2005. NONE of the position players with the exception of Pods had a career year in 2005. Maybe the bullpen, yes. But the truth is the Sox just had a pretty darn talented team that year, especially the starting staff, and I think a lot of people felt that way coming into the season, myself included. Maybe not some of the prognosticators, but what do they really know anyways?

 

Bottom line is that was a damn talented team and I don't accept the fact it was just a fluke with a group of guys who just happened to all have a career year in the same season.

[gatnom]

There is this belief on this forum that everyone had a career year for the Sox in 2005. NONE of the position players with the exception of Pods had a career year in 2005. Maybe the bullpen, yes. But the truth is the Sox just had a pretty darn talented team that year, especially the starting staff, and I think a lot of people felt that way coming into the season, myself included. Maybe not some of the prognosticators, but what do they really know anyways?

 

Bottom line is that was a damn talented team and I don't accept the fact it was just a fluke with a group of guys who just happened to all have a career year in the same season.

 

Pretty much the entire pitching staff minus Garcia and El Duque had flukish years, and then they got hot at the right time in order to win a world series. I'm not trying to take away from what they accomplished, though. I'm just trying to say that one shouldn't count out a team because they don't appear to be talented.

 

 

[3E8]

Of games Indians have remaining that aren't against us, over 60% of them are against teams above .500. If a lot of their players don't continue to play ahead of their career averages, they will have a tough time holding on to first place.

[JohnCangelosi]

Of games Indians have remaining that aren't against us, over 60% of them are against teams above .500. If a lot of their players don't continue to play ahead of their career averages, they will have a tough time holding on to first place.

The Indians have some decent starting pitching but I don't see their offense carrying the load over there throughout the summer. This is our division to win- and if we don't KW and Ozzie should be gone.