Stretch Run 2017: is the glass half full or that other thing?

JimD

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Short of Houston arriving at Fenway with a four-game losing steak, I wouldn't mind a weekend series where the seedings are set, and both teams can rest starters, set their rotations and not get too familiar with each other leading into the ALDS.
 

AB in DC

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Assuming that happens, can the team still bring back Brian Johnson and Henry Owens for the last few games? They're already on the 40-man roster.
 

joe dokes

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Assuming that happens, can the team still bring back Brian Johnson and Henry Owens for the last few games? They're already on the 40-man roster.

Yes, but since neither one has thrown a single pitch (as far as I know) in 3 weeks, they may not have much to offer.
 

uk_sox_fan

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If they can cut Houston's lead to 2 games by Thursday they should go (close to) all-out for home field. Boston would probably have to sweep the Jays to do it since Houston has Keuchel and Verlander going Tue and Wed against the Rangers' Hamels and Martinez. Tonight is the best opportunity to pick up a game as they have McHugh facing Cashner. Keuchel has been looking so-so lately so it's at least conceivable.
 

NoXInNixon

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Yes, but since neither one has thrown a single pitch (as far as I know) in 3 weeks, they may not have much to offer.
I would hope that the organization has kept them throwing on the side, just im case there's a sudden injury or two and the team needs a sixth, seventh, or eighth starter.
 

grimshaw

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Or at least some combo of Fister, Velazquez and Elias for the last two games (assuming slots are locked in). They could also do one bullpen game on the last day of the season, since they''ll have a few days to recuperate. Owens is doing the AFL, so my guess is they probably want to give him a break until then.

I haven't heard anything about Johnson this year, but I know a few guys threw on the side last year in Florida.

Overall I care less about catching Houston, if it means showing them our guys on back to back starts.
 
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Bunt4aTriple

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Assuming that happens, can the team still bring back Brian Johnson and Henry Owens for the last few games? They're already on the 40-man roster.
Speaking of Owen's, my buddy was the 9 millionth fan at Hadlock last year and won season tickets for 9 years. He's not a superfan or anything and has a toddler, so he gave away all but a handful of games but he goes to most of the season ticket holder events.

He sat next to Henry for Breakfast with the Seadogs and he looked miserable. Granted, he probably looked exactly like I do when I'm encouraged , slightly hungover, to sit with random clients at our User Conference. It does make you think that it must be so shitty for a young kid to get a taste of the show, then get demoted.
 

dcmissle

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We're not done here. I'm not counting on Royals or Rays for a damn thing. Please put this away asap.
 

Al Zarilla

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I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt. When he was pulled 5 weeks or so ago against NY for the tightness in his back, he said it wasn't a big deal and he wouldn't miss his next start. True to his word and he was pretty damn good in his next starts until tonight. Prove me right in this faith, Pom, or we're probably screwed.
 

strek1

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What's he supposed to say?
Well he could have just said "I just didn't have it tonight", so I don't see him saying he was trying to pace himself as a bullshit line. Sounds like a legit approach he was trying to have something left in the tank later in the game. Now he knows it won't work. At any rate we'll ALL know soon enough if there's more to it.
 

DeadlySplitter

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and my post is pretty much moot now with today's results.

seal up the division and get everyone as healthy as possible. and I think they will end up pitching Pom/Sale but only for tune-ups.
 

uk_sox_fan

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With all AL teams having 6 games remaining we are down to 8 'races', 6 of which could end today.

Race: Leader>Chaser (Magic#)
2nd WC: Min>LAA (2)
2nd WC: Min>Tex (1)
2nd WC: Min>KCR (1)
2nd WC: Min>TBR (1)
1st WC: NYY>Min (2)
AL East: Bos>NYY (3)
ALDS2 Home field: Hou>Bos (2)
ALCS Home field: Cle>Hou (4)

Obviously, for the Sox the AL East is a serious goal worthy of doing whatever it takes to obtain. Beyond that it looks like getting home field in the ALDS is a pipe dream and influencing who takes the #1 seed for the playoffs is probably not worth the trouble. I'm for pulling up as soon as the division is clinched.

Note for WS home field the Sox trail the Nats by 4 games and lead the D'backs by 1 1/2 and the Cubs by 3.
 

joe dokes

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Well he could have just said "I just didn't have it tonight", so I don't see him saying he was trying to pace himself as a bullshit line. Sounds like a legit approach he was trying to have something left in the tank later in the game. Now he knows it won't work. At any rate we'll ALL know soon enough if there's more to it.
Considering the potential grief that a pitcher could get for experimenting, and how "i just didn't have it" would pass without mention," I dont think it sounds like bullshit either.
 

JimD

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Not thrilled with the Pomeranz 'experiment' - was trying to stretch him out longer really the best idea given his recent decline in velocity? What are we talking about here, maybe saving the bullpen one extra inning per rotation turn? Pom is what he is - take the solid five or so innings and turn it over to the bullpen (hopefully with a lead).
 

joe dokes

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Not thrilled with the Pomeranz 'experiment' - was trying to stretch him out longer really the best idea given his recent decline in velocity? What are we talking about here, maybe saving the bullpen one extra inning per rotation turn? Pom is what he is - take the solid five or so innings and turn it over to the bullpen (hopefully with a lead).
I read it as him doing it on his own.
 

Minneapolis Millers

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Al Zarilla

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Probably better for an offseason thread, but this has always annoyed me as a way to decide home field advantage. Isn't the clearly better and fairer way nowadays to give it to the league that wins the most games in interleague play?
The NL would never get homefield that way. Since 2004, AL wins that every year. OK by me though.:)
 

barbed wire Bob

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Probably better for an offseason thread, but this has always annoyed me as a way to decide home field advantage. Isn't the clearly better and fairer way nowadays to give it to the league that wins the most games in interleague play?
I don't know if there is a way to make the process truly fair with going into things like strength of schedule, a comparison between the two leagues, etc. This way is better than what was done in the past and I think most fans will buy into it.
 

NoXInNixon

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I've always thought the World Series should join the Super Bowl as being held at a warm weather neutral location. Will probably never happen, but late October/early November is just too cold in the north, and I think the destination aspect of the Super Bowl contributes significantly to its popularity.
 

tims4wins

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I've always thought the World Series should join the Super Bowl as being held at a warm weather neutral location. Will probably never happen, but late October/early November is just too cold in the north, and I think the destination aspect of the Super Bowl contributes significantly to its popularity.
Yeah but how are you going to get two fan bases to travel for a series that takes close to two weeks? I am still in favor of interleague record.
 

chrisfont9

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I've always thought the World Series should join the Super Bowl as being held at a warm weather neutral location. Will probably never happen, but late October/early November is just too cold in the north, and I think the destination aspect of the Super Bowl contributes significantly to its popularity.
Is it too cold? I suppose the ball doesn't travel as well but other than that it's the same game to me. Also, I would never give up the sensation of watching the World Series in Fenway. I swear, when the Cardinals came back for game 6 in 2013, they looked like they feared for their lives.
 

Muddy Chicken

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I’m of the same opinion. Team with the overall best record should have home field advantage, with the tie breaker being the winner of the last WS. You should be rewarded for winning.
 

Kun Aguero

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I’m of the same opinion. Team with the overall best record should have home field advantage, with the tie breaker being the winner of the last WS. You should be rewarded for winning.
The issue I have with that is teams don't play the same schedule. The AL East is a MUCH tougher division than the AL Central. The 3 worse teams in the East are 20 games under .500 COMBINED. There are two teams in the Central that are worse than that by themselves. The league that wins the most Interleague games is a much fairer way to decide for the WS. Home field for all other series should be based on head to head records. Runs scored should be the tiebreaker in case of a tie in head to head. Theres the reward for winning without rewarding a team that just happens to be in a shitty division. That should NEVER be rewarded.
 

Plympton91

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Jose Altuve got hit by a pitch on his wrist last night. X-rays were negative but he has a contusion and is day-to-day. Something to watch at least.
I immediately thought of Nomar in 1999.

Edit. Shit. That was 18 years ago. There's posters who have no idea what I'm talking about.
 

chrisfont9

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The issue I have with that is teams don't play the same schedule. The AL East is a MUCH tougher division than the AL Central. The 3 worse teams in the East are 20 games under .500 COMBINED. There are two teams in the Central that are worse than that by themselves. The league that wins the most Interleague games is a much fairer way to decide for the WS. Home field for all other series should be based on head to head records. Runs scored should be the tiebreaker in case of a tie in head to head. Theres the reward for winning without rewarding a team that just happens to be in a shitty division. That should NEVER be rewarded.
That's not a horrible idea, but I think there's a lot more room for the type of injustice you are talking about by looking at head-to-head, as few as six or seven games, versus being able to keep winning all season long against not just your shitty division but all the other divisions too. I, for one, don't blame the imbalanced schedule for Cleveland looking like the best team in the league, starting with the fact that the Twins are better than anyone in the AL West apart from Houston.
 

simplicio

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That's not a horrible idea, but I think there's a lot more room for the type of injustice you are talking about by looking at head-to-head, as few as six or seven games, versus being able to keep winning all season long against not just your shitty division but all the other divisions too. I, for one, don't blame the imbalanced schedule for Cleveland looking like the best team in the league, starting with the fact that the Twins are better than anyone in the AL West apart from Houston.
How about using winning percentage against teams with a winning record?
 

Sandy Leon Trotsky

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I immediately thought of Nomar in 1999.

Edit. Shit. That was 18 years ago. There's posters who have no idea what I'm talking about.
Wasn't it his 2000 season? IIRC, he was hitting almost .400 BA around the end of July, took one on the wrist and was never quite the same after. Had some great stretches but his air of invincibility was gone when he came back.
 

hoothehoo

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Wasn't it his 2000 season? IIRC, he was hitting almost .400 BA around the end of July, took one on the wrist and was never quite the same after. Had some great stretches but his air of invincibility was gone when he came back.
I thought it was 2001, the year we lost Nomar, Varitek, and Pedro all in a row?
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I thought it was 2001, the year we lost Nomar, Varitek, and Pedro all in a row?
The initial HBP (Al Reyes) that caused the wrist issue for Nomar happened in 1999. He played through it in 2000 but ultimately had surgery in April 2001, costing him most of that season.
 

mt8thsw9th

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This team has been smoke and mirrors all year, and I fear that right at the end, here, the smoke is clearing and the mirror is cracked.
What else to do besides try to enjoy it? I don't see the Astros as world-beaters at this point, and my expectations are somewhat low, but I don't think this team is any worse than, say, the 1996 Yankees. There's a lot on the team I'll be rooting for since generally it's a pretty likable team beyond its obvious warts.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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This team has been smoke and mirrors all year, and I fear that right at the end, here, the smoke is clearing and the mirror is cracked.
Prior to tonight, they have won 6 of 7 and are 15-7 for the month. They're the walking wounded at the moment between Nunez, Pedroia and now Betts, but all is not lost yet.
 

Stanley Steamer

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I knew better than to post such nonsense here, but after Sunday's results, I told my wife that the Sox had the division effectively wrapped up. Having witnessed my superstitious baseball psychopathology for a few decades, she immediately questioned how and why I would tempt the gods that way.
And after these past two efforts, I'm going to light incense, kill a small animal, and curl up into fetal position until it's over.
Good evening.
 

KenTremendous

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They're too hurt and too weak up and down their line-up for me to believe they have any real shot in October. The Yankees and Indians are peaking, the Astros offense is absurd...the only team I'd say I feel confident against right now is the Twins, but even that is a dicey proposition when you get this from your best pitcher:
 

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Unin10D

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I think the Sox are somewhere between the team that went 8-1 on the road the last two weeks and the team that has utterly shit the bed the last two days. Keep the faith, win tomorrow and then they only need to go 1-3 against the Astros to tie the division. And the Yankees need to go 5-0.

The sooner the better though. This team needs rest
 

dcmissle

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Whether you've rooted for this club one decade or five, the story is hauntingly and annoyingly familiar. They appear allergic to prosperity and almost never make things easy on themselves. (Thankfully, recent exceptions to this otherwise ironclad law of nature yielded three short World Series that produced three titles.) But as night follows day, we're replicating the Baltimore Fenway sweep of a few weeks ago at the worst possible time.

Injuries are real, not excuses. But it's exactly at times like these you reasonably expect your starting pitching to pick you up. And genuine aces have been known to put their teams on their shoulders from time to time.

They probably have to win three of their last five.
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

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They probably have to win three of their last five.
No, they probably don't have to win three out of their last five. Toronto is 9-7 against the Yankees this season, just took 2 of 3 from them, and clearly they are playing well. It's more likely than not that Toronto wins at least one of those games. Obviously, the Sox can't count on the Yankees losing, but it's unlikely that they actually do run the table.