2018 Boston Red Sox

[dbecks 442]

Oh, and the MFYs just lost.  Again.  To the Orioles.

[dbecks 442]

Devers to the DL for an inflamed shoulder... kinda surprising.  Doesn’t sound too serious.  

Pedroia still is a ways out.  Gonna be another 4-5 weeks until he even gets another MRI.  I’ll personally be surprised if he suits up again this year.  A damn shame, given how the rest of the team looks.

[dbecks 442]

That was the most incredible at-bat of the year by Mookie just now.  The dude is fucking unreal. 

[InkaUtexas 26002]

yes he is. I love how the team is playing right now and really hope we don't overreact and pull another Crawford deal. 

 

 

[dbecks 442]

Pitching wins are overrated, but Sale, Porcello, E-Rod, and Price all have 10 wins before the All-Star break.  

First time in franchise history it’s happened.  First time it’s happened in all of MLB since 1977. 

[InkaUtexas 26002]

hehe, at this rate we can afford to rest them for a few starts. 

 

 

[dbecks 442]

https://es.pn/2L8kENV

[InkaUtexas 26002]

Damn Boggie is on fire. Great way to win last night and today he crushed it. 

 

[MuellerHorn 4256]

On 7/13/2018 at 4:19 PM, dbecks said:

https://es.pn/2L8kENV

I watched that AB live. It was amazing. Haven't heard Fenway roar that loud all season.

[dbecks 442]

Nice end to the break.  12 of 13.  But some bad news about E-Rod.

Alex Cora with a concerning update on Eduardo Rodriguez:  "There is some serious damage to the ankle. No surgery required. He is going to have a boot for two weeks and then we will re evaluate after that. Some ligament damage, yeah."

[txhorns 2409]

Damn that sucks about E-Rod.  Hopefully we can pick up a solid starter before the deadline.

[dbecks 442]

Hate to admit it, but it’s true. 

 

Per Pete Abraham:

Pomeranz struggling in rehab games, Wright on DL, Beeks hit hard in MLB, etc. As of right now, they have four starters counting Johnson.

[dbecks 442]

Nice win today, and I think JBJ might be (finally, officially) “heating up.”

His last 70 at-bats:

.314/.364/.557 with 8 doubles, 3 homers and 18 RBIs.

[txhorns 2409]

First team to 70 wins.  Still rolling while the Yankees are struggling.  Hings are great right now.  I am still hoping we pick up a back of the rotation starter and a reliever before the deadline.

[dbecks 442]

Happy birthday, Nomar.  The Sox are 40 games over .500. 

[dbecks 442]

Sox record when JBJ has:

 

HR ≥ 1 - (7-0, 1.000)

XBH ≥ 1 - (23-1, .958)

2B ≥ 1 - (16-1, .941)

RBI ≥ 1 - (21-2, .913)

R ≥ 1 - (31-4, .886)

K = 0 - (32-5, .865)

BB ≥ 1 - (21-4, .840)

H ≥ 1 - (37-10, .787)

[txhorns 2409]

I heard a rumor that Joe Kelly is hurt.

[dbecks 442]

Nathan Eovaldi will help.

[Don Johnson 4754]

1 hour ago, dbecks said:

Nathan Eovaldi will help.

 

[dbecks 442]

So... JD Martinez no longer has 32 HRs.  Kind of a shitty move by the Orioles yesterday, but it’s to be expected.  

Oh well, hopefully the bats stay alive vs the Twins this weekend.

 

[InkaUtexas 26002]

Fuck the Orioles. 

[Guest Lobo]

God has already fucked the Orioles.  They'll go down in infamy for the worst record for a team that actually paid/tried to win games.  

[dbecks 442]

Jackie Bradley Jr.’s last 25 games: .302/.371/.558/.929, 4 HR, 13 XBH, 4-for-4 SB.  

He also had one of the best catches of the year yesterday.

[dbecks 442]

Three good things:

1.  Great walk-off extra innings win tonight, thanks to Blake Swihart and his 10-game hitting streak.

2.  E-Rod is cleared to ramp up his rehab program.  Still not throwing from a mound yet, but it's a good sign.

3.  Ian Kinsler... why not?  He's obviously past his prime, but he (surprisingly) still has a higer WAR this season than any other Sox position player not named Betts, Benintendi, Martinez, or Bogaerts (and he has a .859 OPS since May 28).

[InkaUtexas 26002]

That was a fun game last night. Great outing by both pitchers for sure. 

Always liked Swihart. And agree, why not bring in Kinsler. He won't be the day to day 2B I think, but does bring some depth and leadership. 

[spystud13 2371]

He’ll be the everyday 2B. 

[InkaUtexas 26002]

You are correct, my bad. I did not realize how bad Holt and Nunez were there this year.  Good analysis. 

https://www.overthemonster.com/2018/7/31/17633814/red-sox-trade-angels-ian-kinsler-ty-buttrey-williams-jerez

 

[dbecks 442]

This is an interesting lineup:

Benintendi LF

Swihart C

Moreland 1B

Martinez RF

Bogaerts SS

Kinsler 2B

Núñez 3B

Holt DH

Bradley Jr. C

[InkaUtexas 26002]

Sale to DL... well that sucks right before the Yankees series. But prefer do it now and let him be healthy over the stretch. 

[dbecks 442]

Fuuuuuuuuuuck.  Did not see that one coming.  

 

If if they can still somehow split the series vs the MFYs, that would be very nice.

[Bateshorn 9928]

Doesn't sound too serious.  Sale intimated he could have gone, but his shoulder just isn't bouncing back the way they'd like.  Really, they need Sale fresh for the play offs.  I'd rather they pulled a vintage Brian Cashman right now and rest a starter with a minor nagging problem so he's fresh for the stretch run.

I think they got Eovaldi to fill in while Sale basically takes a couple of weeks off to let the inflammation die down.  They may eventually try to move Eovaldi to the bullpen given how hard he throws.  If the team keeps winning and holds it's lead, they may give Sale more time on the DL and start working him back into the rotation in september when they expand lineups to reduce his workload.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Bateshorn

[dbecks 442]

True.  It sounds like he’ll only miss one start, and is tentatively on track to pitch again Aug. 7 @ Toronto. 

 

Big series this weekend... fuck ‘em.

[dbecks 442]

Well, that escalated quickly last night.  

It sounds convenient to say it now, but even right after the Yanks were up 3-0 in he first, you knew it was far from over.  

Severino has been struggling lately... let’s see if the bats can stay hot tonight.

[txhorns 2409]

Last night was a lot of fun.  Let's hope we get a repeat performance the next 3 days.

[dbecks 442]

Rick Porcello is good.

[spystud13 2371]

 

 

[dbecks 442]

On 7/25/2018 at 9:52 AM, dbecks said:

Nathan Eovaldi will help.

This trade already looks brilliant.

[NHKeith 53]

Kimbrel likes to live dangerously.

[dbecks 442]

Aroldis Chapman and Dellin Betances combined IP at Fenway Park this year in 6 total games:

 

1.0 IP 

 

that's it. 

[InkaUtexas 26002]

Lets keep it that way

 

[dbecks 442]

Well, Sale all of the sudden will not pitch in Toronto.  Sounds like there’s nothing to be concerned about regarding the injury, they just want to skip him for one more start.  

Pomeranz, Johnson, and Porcello will start in Toronto. 

Stoll very precautionary, so I’m not freaking out... yet.

[NHKeith 53]

Awesome! Benintendi is a Yankee killer! Nice outing by Price. 

[dbecks 442]

Wow.  What a win.  

Four wins in a row, 8-2 over the last 10, and most importantly... 4-game sweep over the Yanks and 9.5 game lead in the division.

[InkaUtexas 26002]

Fuck the Yankees. Great series and loved watching the game last night. 

[dbecks 442]

The Boston Red Sox could lose their next seven games in a row, and they’d still have the best record in baseball.

[txhorns 2409]

26 minutes ago, dbecks said:

The Boston Red Sox could lose their next seven games in a row, and they’d still have the best record in baseball.

And that assumes that Houston won 7 straight.

[Bateshorn 9928]

Yeah, that's why Sale is gonna spend the rest of the week on the DL playing grabass in the bullpen.  There's no rush.

[InkaUtexas 26002]

And he should. 

[dbecks 442]

While sweeping the MFYs (in a FOUR-GAME SERIES) is always fun, I hope the team didn't celebrate too much... it's certainly a highlight of the season so far, but there's still a lot of games to be played.  These three games in Toronto is a "trap" series if there's ever been one.  Pomeranz not shitting the bed tonight will help.  (I still think he's destined for the bullpen - they are short lefties there - but obviously you still want him to pitch well enough in the meantime.)

 

Might as well show some fun STATS.  Here's where the Sox rank as a team in MLB:

Runs - 1st

Hits - 1st

AVG - 1st

OPS - 1st

HR - 6th (Yanks are 1st, btw)

2B - 1st

OBP - 2nd

Total Bases - 1st

SB - 2nd(!)

SB % - 2nd

 

ERA - 2nd

Quality Starts - 2nd

K - 3rd

BAA - 3rd

Opponent OPS - 2nd

Opponent Total Bases - 4th

Save % - 4th

Blown saves - 5th

 

They are a good team.  But they still gotta keep it up over the next 2+ months...

[dbecks 442]

JD Martinez is quite good.