yesYou decided a defending WS champion that won 100 games this season was not a juggernaut after watching two games ... neither in their home ballpark?
yesYou decided a defending WS champion that won 100 games this season was not a juggernaut after watching two games ... neither in their home ballpark?
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/10/15/red-sox-are-not-concerned-about-number-walks-issued-alcs/YAIrJV5lK97Y7eDkzl0qRM/story.html?p1=Team_LeadArticleThe walks by everyone are infuriating, but apparently that is the actual game plan
How is 11 BB against 14 Ks in 18 1/3 IP encouraging, especially from a "tea leaves" standpoint? That's horrendous. I doubt you'd find many (non-extreme sinker) pitchers with ERAs south of 4.50 with those peripherals.Encouraging bullpen signs still:
- Barnes: 4 g, 4.2 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 0 er, 3 bb, 3 k
- Brasier: 5 g, 4.1 ip, 1 h, 0 r, 0 er, 4 bb, 5 k
- Kelly: 2 g, 4.0 ip, 2 h, 1 r, 0 er, 0 bb, 2 k
- Porcello: 2 g, 1.2 ip, 1 h, 0 r, 0 er, 0 bb, 2 k
- Hembree: 3 g, 3.2 ip, 0 h, 0 r, 0 er, 4 bb, 2 k
You mean Resin?Thoughts on the media push this morning about the use of pine tar by Barnes and Kelly this postseason? Nice timing...
The postseason is the epitome of small sample sizes and flukes.How is 11 BB against 14 Ks in 18 1/3 IP encouraging, especially from a "tea leaves" standpoint? That's horrendous. I doubt you'd find many (non-extreme sinker) pitchers with ERAs south of 4.50 with those peripherals.
For whatever reason, a handful of folks decided that it was more satisfying to root for failure so they could blast Price than it was to root for the Red Sox.Just chiming in to say the pathos and sheer idiocy in the game threads (and a bit on the main board) have been a disgrace. What this town and the fans are doing to a guy like Price (just to name 1) is pathetic.
Seriously, act like you’ve been here before!
Does anyone older than 30 need to be reminded of our last 5 ALCS Series? 2013 against DET, 2008 against TB, 2007 against CLE and 2003 and 2004 against the Yankees?
Gut wrenching back and forth series and all appeared lost especially early. Yet, except for the 2 losses after going the full 7 games and one with a Grady asterisk, the Sox pulled three of them out with some despised players going from goat to hero (names like, Lowe (2003 and 2004) Drew (2007) and Lackey (2013) come to mind).
The ALCS is hard you sissy-Mary’s. Over the last 2 decades the competition has been stiffer than the WS.
And to remind everyone, the Sox are now 4-2 so far against 2 teams with combined 2018 win totals of 203 (209 if you count playoff games).
You thought the Sox would just roll through this post season without some guys struggling and even really screwing up?
Like I said, act like you’ve been here before.
How is 11 BB against 14 Ks in 18 1/3 IP encouraging, especially from a "tea leaves" standpoint? That's horrendous. I doubt you'd find many (non-extreme sinker) pitchers with ERAs south of 4.50 with those peripherals.
Honestly this is just basically a continuation of the regular season for the pen. Too many walks, but they were mostly hard to hit. Games like game 2 of the MFY series happened during the regular season and happened in the playoffs. They survived both.The postseason is the epitome of small sample sizes and flukes.
Nobody's saying they could make careers out of those peripherals, but the much-maligned unit has gotten the job done to this point.
Because it sounds like the Sox' coaching staff has been encouraging the pitching staff to pitch to the "blue" spots in hitters' heat maps, and if they're gonna miss, miss out of the strike zone rather than in the strike zone where pitches can be crushed. The result is more walks but fewer XBH (especially homers). They were apparently upset with Workman because he missed in the zone and got crushed, instead of missing off the plate. So this is their strategy, not necessarily poor pitching by these relievers.How is 11 BB against 14 Ks in 18 1/3 IP encouraging, especially from a "tea leaves" standpoint? That's horrendous. I doubt you'd find many (non-extreme sinker) pitchers with ERAs south of 4.50 with those peripherals.
Using female names to insult men is an insult to women. STFU.The ALCS is hard you sissy-Mary’s.
Where is this coming from? I ask because apparently the Sox asked to have Maldonado's glove inspected, and retaliation was to be expected.Thoughts on the media push this morning about the use of pine tar by Barnes and Kelly this postseason? Nice timing...
One of the beat writers said the Sox didn't ask to check Maldonato's glove. That came from Joe West.Where is this coming from? I ask because apparently the Sox asked to have Maldonado's glove inspected, and retaliation was to be expected.
NotedUsing female names to insult men is an insult to women. STFU.
No, I mean the media is whining about Pine Tar:You mean Resin?
Watched MLB network last night after getting home from the game because I was still buzzing with excitement and couldn't sleep, and Harold Reynolds showed video showing this as well. The Sox have been pitching the Astros' 1-4 hitters heavily to the outside part of the plate, trying to diminish their power and make them beat them going the other way, and if they miss they miss away as well. They'll occasionally throw something inside to keep them honest but then its all away away away again.
Oh my God, is there no refuge from the Bend But Don't Break Defense Discussion?? It's followed us to the Main Board!!
Maybe we should have Game Thread game threads so the people who need to can vent?For whatever reason, a handful of folks decided that it was more satisfying to root for failure so they could blast Price than it was to root for the Red Sox.
I do understand that each of us deals with anxiety in different ways, but a game thread should not feel like a meeting of the Dan Shaughnessy fan club.
I actually wonder if the Red Sox fan psyche is a bit distorted not just by the championship drought but by the fact that, since 2003, when the team wins it is often in decisive, exciting, or otherwise epic dramatic fashion. So our sense of how a team wins a playoff series may be out of whack too.The Sox strategy really seems to boil down to this: There are no easy/gimme pitches in the playoffs, especially against these teams. Don't do stupid stuff like assume they'll lay off a get-it-over first pitch strike, or throw a crushable pitch on 3-0, cuz, you know, they'll crush it. One base (walk) is less than 4 (tater).
Makes perfect sense, and it's not really revolutionary. But at some point, and more often than not, you DO actually have to throw some good strikes in the blue spots. You have to show both command and control. Putting two Astros on every inning, as they basically did in Game 1, is not a recipe for short or long term success. Game two was better. Not sure there's much to do differently, other than use your best pitchers, continue to play the match-ups, and hope everyone pitches as well as they can (if not better!).
Put another way, who would feel better if the 1st and 2nd situation came about because of singles instead of walks? Walks feel worse, but they aren't. (Now if they give up walks AND hits, there's a problem.)Honestly this is just basically a continuation of the regular season for the pen. Too many walks, but they were mostly hard to hit.
I'm with you on all of this, especially the robo-umpsAll things considered through two games, honestly, I feel pretty good about the series. The lack of respect, or confidence the media has in the Sox having any shot at winning this series is pretty shocking to me. To listen to them, you'd think the Sox were an 88 win team that snuck in to the playoffs. A few thoughts:
- First off, the Sox could have easily won game 1 vs Verlander (to be fair, they also could have easily lost both games) despite a not very good at all Chris Sale. They hit Cole very well. Splitting against their two aces is what you hope for. To expect to take both is silly.
- The Sox pen thus far - minus Kimbrel - have actually been very solid.
- Price did not pitch great, but people love to shit on him it seems. Granted, his line is not a good one, but again a bad play by X led to having runners on, instead of being out of the inning, and Springer hit a good pitch (weakly) in the best possible location to score the 2 runs. Even the HR to Marwin was not a bad pitch. His velocity looked good, and this is a terrific Astros lineup. Not saying he deserves praise by any means, but he really did not pitch that badly.
- The walks by everyone are infuriating, but apparently that is the actual game plan
- The Astros are going to throw Kuechel, Morton and presumably Verlander in the next three games. I really do not see why the Sox cannot take at least one of these games. SSS, but there are more than a few hitters on the Sox who hit Kuechel well, and Morton the Sox are at a .953OPS against as a team (again, ~80 at bats, so SSS). Is it crazy to think the Sox can take 2 of 3 there? I don't think so at all.
- JD Martinez needs to start hitting, and soon.
I still think the Sox take this series, in 6 or 7 games.
- We need robot umps. The home plate umps have been awful in the first two games.
Only noticed the K-Zone a couple of times .. and really started to miss it. Found the lack of a radar gun reading in the TBS score box more concerning. I don’t particularly care about a pitcher lighting up the gun , but I do “use” the gun reading to help figure out the pitch types.I'm with you on all of this, especially the robo-umps
Also wondering why TBS isn't showing the K-Zone? I don't mind that it's not there during play, but for anything close, they only showed it a couple times and my eyes and other people are seeing the same. The impact have been shit behind the plate calling balls ans strikes
Ok .. we seem to be missing the graphic on the international (meaning Canadian) version of the TBS broadcast. It’s odd because they had it in the ALDS ..TBS shows the speed of every pitch over the dot marking where the pitch passed through (or outside) the strike zone.
Didn't have it in Australia either. The announcers did mention the speeds a few times, and they were always 2 mph hotter than the radio play by play from WEEI which I get through mlb.com. Once synchronised though, I muted the TBS losers.Ok .. we seem to be missing the graphic on the international (meaning Canadian) version of the TBS broadcast. It’s odd because they had it in the ALDS ..
Honestly, the weird thing is that we enjoy a game or a series at all. With two excellent, evenly-matched teams like this, we are essentially watching a battle of 7 coin-flips, within which there are 9 near coin flips, and then—within that—a series of random events that are defined in part by talent, effort, and luck, which are interesting, impressive, or enjoyable to observe. Watching the ball travel along the ledge in left field the other night was easily as engaging as an amazing jump and diving catch by JBJ, or Christian Vazquez hitting a ball over the fence that he has no business getting to.There have been two games between what may be two historically great teams. Those teams split those games.
I've seen every imaginable interpretation up to and including that maybe either one or both of the teams isn't as good as people think, a possibility of which I imagine Pedroia might have to be physically restrained if he heard in person.
If this seems weird to anyone, well, what the hell were people expecting?
That wont stop most hear from moaning and groanenhe pretty much lied about this before game 3 of the ALDS, so we'll see.
I noticed a couple screen jumps too and I think they are over writing the entire screen to show the Canadian advertising on the back green screen behind the catcher. I've noticed the Baseball Canada logo back there a lotOk .. we seem to be missing the graphic on the international (meaning Canadian) version of the TBS broadcast. It’s odd because they had it in the ALDS ..
I believe Nunez has good numbers vs Kuechel, and Kinsler has really good numbers in the most at bats vs Kuechel.Cora says Similar lineup to the one they had vs CC
SO kinsler likely in as well
His career split is worth trying to exploit, though for some reason he's had virtually no split at all this year.Cora says Nunez at 3B tomorrow
Yes but Kinsler is crispy. Those numbers presumably go back a few years...I believe Nunez has good numbers vs Kuechel, and Kinsler has really good numbers in the most at bats vs Kuechel.
Still, I’d rather see Devers
Completely agree, good thing we won the Commissioner's Cup with the best regular season record.Honestly, the weird thing is that we enjoy a game or a series at all.
This is excellent. It's also the antidote to team love, which makes it no less insightful.Honestly, the weird thing is that we enjoy a game or a series at all. With two excellent, evenly-matched teams like this, we are essentially watching a battle of 7 coin-flips, within which there are 9 near coin flips, and then—within that—a series of random events that are defined in part by talent, effort, and luck, which are interesting, impressive, or enjoyable to observe. Watching the ball travel along the ledge in left field the other night was easily as engaging as an amazing jump and diving catch by JBJ, or Christian Vazquez hitting a ball over the fence that he has no business getting to.
It is fundamentally an attribution error to enjoy a game of baseball or have any interest at all in the outcome of a series like this. And yet, I will watch an entire game as if the outcome has meaning and I will root for my team to win a series as if it were something more than rooting for “tails” at the beginning of a football game, not knowing who’s calling the flip.
Could this be recall bias, though? We remember the heroics but not the slog--the finish line but not Heartbreak Hill.I actually wonder if the Red Sox fan psyche is a bit distorted not just by the championship drought but by the fact that, since 2003, when the team wins it is often in decisive, exciting, or otherwise epic dramatic fashion. So our sense of how a team wins a playoff series may be out of whack too.
So true. Not to mention the unevenness of the umpiring. I don't think you feel this way, but I wish now I had never gotten addicted to watching.Honestly, the weird thing is that we enjoy a game or a series at all. With two excellent, evenly-matched teams like this, we are essentially watching a battle of 7 coin-flips, within which there are 9 near coin flips, and then—within that—a series of random events that are defined in part by talent, effort, and luck, which are interesting, impressive, or enjoyable to observe. Watching the ball travel along the ledge in left field the other night was easily as engaging as an amazing jump and diving catch by JBJ, or Christian Vazquez hitting a ball over the fence that he has no business getting to.
It is fundamentally an attribution error to enjoy a game of baseball or have any interest at all in the outcome of a series like this. And yet, I will watch an entire game as if the outcome has meaning and I will root for my team to win a series as if it were something more than rooting for “tails” at the beginning of a football game, not knowing who’s calling the flip.
Pitching rotations aren't that old, according to Baseball Prospectus:It's the off days for travel and the time between series, of course. I don't like it either. I think the original genesis of the seven-game series was that it was essentially two trips through a team's rotation.
This is an important point to understand: the controversy over the use of a five-man vs. a four-man rotation makes it easy to forget that, prior to around 1960, there was no such thing as a rotation. In the 1950s, Casey Stengel routinely saved his best pitcher, Whitey Ford, to pitch against the best teams in the American League.
(Consider this an educated guess.)Also wondering why TBS isn't showing the K-Zone?
So true. Not to mention the unevenness of the umpiring. I don't think you feel this way, but I wish now I had never gotten addicted to watching.