Are you worried about the Red Sox?

Well, are you

  • 1. Not at All worried

  • 2. Just a tiny bit

  • 3. Getting there

  • 4. It's appropriate to be concerned

  • 5. Depends on the last bit of news I got

  • 6. Yeah, I'm worried

  • 7. Who needs fingernails?

  • 8. I am staying away from chicken and beer

  • 9. Fuck Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone

  • 10. Kill me now.


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Lose Remerswaal

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On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "Not at All" and 10 being "Totally Freaking Out", how worried are you about the Sox holding on to the division and Best Record in Baseball?

Use the numbers, not the comments for consistency
 

LogansDad

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I voted 4, but if they take care of business this week against the dregs then I will probably move up to a 2. As has been noted elsewhere, the Rays have been playing really well since the 2nd month of the season, and the Indians are a pretty damn good team so I don't think there is too much shame struggling against them.

The more concerning part, at least to me, is that the Yankees may not lose again until my freshman graduates high school. If it were the Twins behind the Sox (lucky you, Cleveland), then it wouldn't even be close to a concern.
 

drbretto

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I wouldn't get on anyone for feeling concerned. There's enough for a reasonable person to worry a little bit. But, this is really not that scary. There are slumps and hot streaks and the Sox slumped while the yanks beat up some bad teams. The gap will widen back up soon enough and people will feel better.
 

Al Zarilla

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Voted 6. If I saw Sale and Edro on the starting pitcher schedule, it would have been a 4. But, I don’t. Also, the schedule continues to be an edge for the Yankees this week as they’re home all week and we aren’t.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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Mar 26, 2005
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I don't know if worried is the right word.

Look, a team with a rotation of Price, Porcello, Eovoldi, Brian Johnson, and Hector Velazquez is not a 100 win baseball team.

The most important thing the Sox need to do is get Chris Sale healthy and effective for the playoffs.

Chris Sale worries me the most.
 

Doooweeeey!

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I voted #3.
Watching 3.5 games evaporate in short succession doesn't feel good no matter how confident I am of them reaching the optimal goal.
A good week could change that to a 2, based on the body of their season's work so far.
Would like to see Mookie be Mookie again...
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I voted 1. I really don't feel any different today than I did a week ago when they were coming off a 13-2 stretch that began with the sweep of the Yankees and ended with their biggest divisional lead of the season.

No sense in getting too high when they're running hot or too low when they're running cold. They're still a very good team.
 

nvalvo

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I voted 1. I want to see Rodriguez and especially Sale actually back on the mound, to be at peace.

As others have noted, right now we have Price pitching like an ace, Porcello pitching like a #3, and Eovaldi, Johnson, and Velazquez pitching like the #5-7 starters they are. Turning 1 3 5 6 7 into 1 1 2 3 5 over the next few weeks makes a big difference.
 

uncannymanny

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If the Red Sox go .500 for the rest of the way, the Yankees would need to go 22-10.

2, due to injury uncertainty, but otherwise I agree with "i mean, really."
 

Rasputin

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I'd like to remind folks:

1) We knew the schedule favored the Yankees so it shouldn't be a surprise they've gained ground.

2) With six head to head games left, the most likely outcome is a split which would mean the Yankees have to make up 6 games in the other 26 and that's hard.

3) For all the talk about the franchise win record and the all-time win record, this team has really always only had one regular-season goal: be four games ahead entering the closing series with the Yankees.
 

Dewey'sCannon

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I voted #4. I'm never at a 1 (not at all concerned), but by the same token I'm almost never at a 10 (although I was almost there down 3-0 in the 04 LCS). A 6 game lead is not insurmountable. If it goes down to 4 in the next week or two, I'll be at a 6 or 7 on the 10 scale.

As others have noted, I'd be a lot less concerned if Sale and ERod were taking their turns the next time through the rotation. But that's only half the problem - the bats have also been a bit too quiet recently, and not all the pitchers they've struggled against have been quite the caliber of Blake Snell or Corey Kluber. Let's hope the bats get back into the swing of things (so to speak) this week against Miami.
 

Wallball Tingle

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2. Shit happens and the rotation should be bolstered soon. I'm content to chalk the offensive struggles up to a blip.
 

canderson

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I'm not concerned but I have thought it would come down to the final series vs NYY all season. The schedule isn't favorable going forward for them and with the offense struggling currently and without Sale this is to be expected.
 

geoduck no quahog

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Weigh the following:

Rodriguez, Sale (and possibly Wright) returning versus Gregorius, Judge and Sanchez returning (advantage Red Sox)

Chapman to the DL versus Boston bullpen sucking (advantage NY)

Cleveland peaking at just the right time (advantage Cleveland over NY and Boston)

It's baseball.
 

SemperFidelisSox

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Pitchers the Red Sox will see over the next three weeks. Foltynewicz, Cole, Morton, Keuchel, deGrom, Wheeler, Severino, Tanaka. Then of course you have Cleveland’s rotation.
 

joe dokes

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Tiny bit.

I also worried about the regular season home stretch in 2016, 2015, 2013, 2007, 1995, 1990, 1988 and 1986, and the 7 other times they made the playoffs without finishing 1st. So, to the extent one can "compare" this year to other years with different players, they seem almost always to come through.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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I voted #9, only because "Fuck Bucky Dent and Aaron Boone" is the correct answer to any question. Including "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

But I'm definitely on the high side of a #5 because, much to my disappointment, old habits I thought I'd buried die hard.
 

donutogre

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I voted 3, but that doesn't represent a tremendous change from how I felt before the slump.

Any other year and I'd be more like 1 or 2. But, the Yankees are truly an excellent team this season and are definitely capable of passing the Sox. Doesn't mean it will happen, but the two teams are pretty evenly matched.

Making up 6 games in a month is tough, unlikely even, even for a team as good as NY -- but not impossible.

I'm quite confident, but I also won't be surprised if the Yankees manage to pull even closer. I'm confident the Sox can regain their mojo and hold them off.
 

rhswanzey

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Well, if there was worry in the organization, we'd probably only have sat one of JD and Andrew yesterday to try to avoid the sweep. I'll trust those guys. I did catch myself thinking this past week that perhaps it was premature to spike the football after sweeping the Yankees in Fenway earlier this month. The extremely hot stretch before then was full of games against Texas, KC, Minnesota, etc. Teams are never as good as they look when they're playing .800 ball, because there aren't true talent level .800 clubs.

Roster expansion will help a lot with the balance of rest and putting the thing away. They'll be fine.
 

JohntheBaptist

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I've gotten to see the Red Sox win the World Series three times in the last 15 years. That bought a lot of things, but the best is the elimination of any kind of agitation about baseball.

So yes, the race appears to be tightening. If they blow it, they blow it. I don't think they'll blow it, but if they do, c'est la vie. This has been such an incredibly entertaining team and summer, so I can't complain about that.

I think one thing the Yankee sweep did was maybe give a false impression NYY were floundering or not as good as they are. They are really, really damn good and while the sweep was huge--you gotta beat them no matter what shape they're in--we clearly caught them at the right time, too. The race getting tighter, to me, is just the natural order of the season. There's not much separating those two rosters. Six back with a month to go is a tall order, though, especially if they manage to split those last head-to-heads.
 

Plympton91

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Voted 2. Wasnt there a thread about a week ago that was deleted? So now it’s ok to discuss this hypothetical, yet last week was such an affront that it couldn’t even remain on the board? If you thought discussion last week was absurd you can’t switch and be worried now.

With Sale, EdRo, and Wright on the comeback trail I’m not worried, the starting pitching and top 5 in the lineup are plenty good enough to hold a 7 game lead with 30 to play.

In the playoffs, the bottom half of the lineup and set up relief are a concern. It was sure nice to see Kimbrell strike out the side, I must say, even in a meaningless situation.

Also, the Rays and their stadium completely suck.
 
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Adrian's Dome

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On a 1-10 scale?

About a -37.

Anyone who's actually watched a full season of baseball (and understands what's going on) doesn't overreact to a short lousy stretch.
 

grimshaw

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Anyone who's actually watched a full season of baseball (and understands what's going on) doesn't overreact to a short lousy stretch.
You can think they are awesome and like their chances in the playoffs, but that doesn't change the fact that the Yankees went from a remote chance of winning the division to a plausible one given the remaining schedule and head to head meetings.

That doesn't take anything away from the Red Sox being historically good, which I still believe, but they just happen to be in a division with another really great team taking care of business like they should.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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You can think they are awesome and like their chances in the playoffs, but that doesn't change the fact that the Yankees went from a remote chance of winning the division to a plausible one given the remaining schedule and head to head meetings.

That doesn't take anything away from the Red Sox being historically good, which I still believe, but they just happen to be in a division with another really great team taking care of business like they should.
Right, but four weeks ago, the Yankees had a plausible chance at winning the division that, apparently briefly, dropped to a remote chance. The Sox are 15-8 this month. The Yankees are 15-10. Essentially, if you were worried at the start of August, then your state of worry should be about the same now, unaffected by the 13-2 high or the 2-6 low.
 

pokey_reese

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I voted 3, but pretty much entirely because of worries about the rotation health. If I find out that Sale/EdRo are coming back healthy soon, I won't worry too much about some offensive regression, which was to be expected.
 

EdRalphRomero

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Oct 3, 2007
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You want to know what my secret is? I'm always worried.

Fangraphs has their odds to win the division down from around 96% before the Rays series to 87.5%. And that sounds mathematically about right to me. If the season played out a thousand times, the Sox are going to win the division about 875 of them. How we react to that is probably more about our make-up than anything else. Me, I worry. Truth is I love baseball in Spring Training. I love baseball in April-July. By the time August comes around, baseball is about worry for me more than enjoyment.

Even in the years they have won it all, I probably had more fun at the beginning of the season than in the Fall. I don't think that is because of '78, and '86, or even 2011. Probably just built that way, and I imagine I am not alone in that regard.

So, yeah, I'm very worried about the 12.5% chance the Sox have of not winning the division.
 

lexrageorge

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4, which is admittedly an overreaction, but so be it.

The Yankees are very good, too good to go away quietly. The Sox were overdue for a difficult stretch; not surprising the Rays were the kryptonite, especially with their unique pitching "formations". But there is plenty of time to regain some of the lost ground. So this is probably nothing more than the ebb and flow of the regular season.

I'll up my vote if the news on Sale gets weirder, as that would be a real cause for concern. I'll also get concerned if the Sox don't have this clinched come the final week of the season. Really want those final 6 games to be meaningless.
 

johnmd20

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It's more than appropriate to be concerned. The 6 games against NY are reason enough to know. A 6 game lead is a lot in late August, but it's certainly not insurmountable. As we've learned.
 

Wake49

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I’m at a 2. The only reason why there’s any worry is because the MFY are in the same division and playing very well. Last year the Dodgers lost like 15 of 20 and still made it to Game 7 of the World Series. Let’s see how things go this week. The news about Sale and EdRo is encouraging and the offense is too good to be in a prolonged slump so I’m ok. . . for now.
 

dcmissle

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Voted 2. Wasnt there a thread about a week ago that was deleted? So now it’s ok to discuss this hypothetical, yet last week was such an affront that it couldn’t even remain on the board? If you thought discussion last week was absurd you can’t switch and be worried now.

With Sale, EdRo, and Wright on the comeback trail I’m not worried, the starting pitching and top 5 in the lineup are plenty good enough to hold a 7 game lead with 30 to play.

In the playoffs, the bottom half of the lineup and set up relief are a concern. It was sure nice to see Kimbrell strike out the side, I must say, even in a meaningless situation.

Also, the Rays and their stadium completely suck.
Didn’t think the previous thread was an affront. Probably closed because of junky posts.

But even if you think it was an affront, that was then and this is now. It’s game on now; the division could go either way.

I voted 4.
 

bosockboy

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3. If they take care of business against the Marlins and White Sox, thus shaving a week off the calendar, I move to 2. Struggle a bit against them, as in anything less than 5-1, then I'd move to 4.
 
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DennyDoyle'sBoil

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The truth is that I'm not really worried about the Red Sox. This is one of the best Red Sox teams I've ever seen if not actually the best.

I'm worried about the Yankees. Maybe a better way to say it is not really worried just really pissed off. I'm pissed that the Yankees are so good that the Red Sox are at risk of having an amazing year and still having to play in that gimmick game. A team that has played as well as the Red Sox should be able to have a little bit of a lull without their lead cut in half in 10 days.

Now, of course, if the Red Sox hold on, then I'll be delighted about the fact that the Yankees were good but still had to play in the gimmick game. It will be a source of mirth. And I won't be pissed any longer. I'll be worried about the ALDS but that's a completely different thing.

So, I guess, the best way to say it is that is that I'm worried that I'm going to pissed instead of mirthful.
 

bsj

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I live in NJ. I am sick and tired of this dead and buried team getting lives. I am worried because if they blow it I need to deal with a bunch of bullshit while the rest of you get to ignore it and turn to the patriots
 

Humphrey

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As far as the division lead goes, I'd be more worried if the Yankees who are not playing were playing. But they are not and no one is supposed to come back for another week.

That of course doesn't mean I'm not fully expecting all of them to be playing and healthy in October.

As far as the lead goes, I've always felt like the magic number has to be met 3 games early.
 

JohntheBaptist

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I live in NJ. I am sick and tired of this dead and buried team getting lives. I am worried because if they blow it I need to deal with a bunch of bullshit while the rest of you get to ignore it and turn to the patriots
Anyone that buried them was not paying attention. It was fun to sweep them, but it should have made us think "that affords us a lot going forward," not "lol well that's it for them."
 

bsj

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Anyone that buried them was not paying attention. It was fun to sweep them, but it should have made us think "that affords us a lot going forward," not "lol well that's it for them."
I mean. When they were 10 down they were buried (for the division at least). Juts stay on pace with them and you are in good shape.

If this game gets within 2-3 games I would 100% have preferred to never have had that 10 game lead at all for optics and psychology
 

Bergs

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I'm worried, largely due to Sale's status heading into October.
 

Adrian's Dome

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You can think they are awesome and like their chances in the playoffs, but that doesn't change the fact that the Yankees went from a remote chance of winning the division to a plausible one given the remaining schedule and head to head meetings.

That doesn't take anything away from the Red Sox being historically good, which I still believe, but they just happen to be in a division with another really great team taking care of business like they should.
This is what we call "overreacting to a tiny sample", which is exactly what I said not to do.

It's a week of shitty baseball. It happens. Their talent level didn't just drop from 110+ wins to 80.
 

JohntheBaptist

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I mean. When they were 10 down they were buried (for the division at least). Juts stay on pace with them and you are in good shape.

If this game gets within 2-3 games I would 100% have preferred to never have had that 10 game lead at all for optics and psychology
Well obviously they weren't buried. Nor should they have been. Would it have been fun to coast to a division title by 15 games? Sure. But they're really good, even if we swept them.

I don't get your second point--what's more important, winning the division or avoiding shit talk from some Jersey knucklehead? Optics?

I get worrying, everyone enjoys baseball in their own way, but what's the worry here, that the Yankees come close and that's embarrassing because we lead them by 10 at one point? That ignores NYY being good and finally getting healthy. Wouldn't you have taken 6 up with a month to go in April?
 

Salem's Lot

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I live in NJ. I am sick and tired of this dead and buried team getting lives. I am worried because if they blow it I need to deal with a bunch of bullshit while the rest of you get to ignore it and turn to the patriots
You realize that there are other places to live besides New Jersey right?

All kidding aside, I’m not worried about this team in the regular season, because even though I think they are really good, and even when they swept New York I didn’t think the division was over. The ten most important games on the schedule were the 10 with them. The rest of the schedule evens out for both teams. They got an edge when they won the first four. However they are still going to have to win 2-3 more against them to win this because New York is good as well and they had a favorable schedule. We all always knew that it wasn’t going to be easy. I look forward to watching this team play those games.
 

LesterFan

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FiveThirtyEight has the Red Sox at 91% to win the division. Fangraphs has them at 88%. Barring a complete disaster the Sox will win the division and finish with the best record in baseball. However, a couple things I am concerned about:

1) How Chris Sale will look/hold up going forward
2) The bullpen in a tight game in the playoffs

Have to take care of business this week. 5-1 minimum. 4-2 would be disappointing, 3-3 or worse and things are really going to get tight. Also need Mookie Betts to get going.
 
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