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Who do You Want the Sox to Face?
ianrs
Veteran
Posts: 2,405
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Post by ianrs on Oct 20, 2018 11:14:05 GMT -5
Either team is fine with me. Dodgers have the better Pythagorean record, but Brewers seem to have more momentum and karma. Either way, I know the Red Sox will show up.
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Post by Guidas on Oct 20, 2018 13:36:33 GMT -5
Whomever has the biggest Instagram idiot on their roster.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 20, 2018 13:47:20 GMT -5
Honestly, I think the Sox would be much better off playing the Brewers.
You face the Dodgers and you get 3 lefties (Kershaw, Ryu, and Hill) plus another strong lefty in relief in Wood.
That means a lot of Eduardo Nunez and Ian Kinsler. The only good news in that is more Steve Pearce.
I think the Sox would be better off facing righties. I prefer Devers and Holt in the lineup and as far as Moreland goes, I still prefer Pearce, even against righties at this point, but at least against righties, Moreland can still occasionally rake.
I just think the Dodgers are a tougher matchup for the Sox than the Brewers and I do think the Dodgers win Game 7 tonight. At least that's what I think, but what the hell, I've been wrong all post-season long so far.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 20, 2018 15:26:43 GMT -5
The Sox were nearly 20 wins better than either team.
The only disadvantage is the 3+ wins you take off the field when you insert JDM in the outfield (makes you worse defensively), put one of JBJ or Benintendi on the bench, and have the pitcher hit instead.
Even then the Sox are 15 plus wins better then either team. It's hard for me to believe either team stands a shot against the Sox.
The Sox just decapitated two 100 win teams in the AL.
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Post by jimed14 on Oct 20, 2018 15:57:20 GMT -5
I just hope the game goes 20+ innings tonight.
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Post by terriblehondo on Oct 20, 2018 17:07:58 GMT -5
I really don't care who they play as long as the Sox play well.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 20, 2018 23:52:27 GMT -5
The Sox were nearly 20 wins better than either team. The only disadvantage is the 3+ wins you take off the field when you insert JDM in the outfield (makes you worse defensively), put one of JBJ or Benintendi on the bench, and have the pitcher hit instead. Even then the Sox are 15 plus wins better then either team. It's hard for me to believe either team stands a shot against the Sox. The Sox just decapitated two 100 win teams in the AL. The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 21, 2018 0:07:11 GMT -5
The Sox were nearly 20 wins better than either team. The only disadvantage is the 3+ wins you take off the field when you insert JDM in the outfield (makes you worse defensively), put one of JBJ or Benintendi on the bench, and have the pitcher hit instead. Even then the Sox are 15 plus wins better then either team. It's hard for me to believe either team stands a shot against the Sox. The Sox just decapitated two 100 win teams in the AL. The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. I can see the Sox losing 1-2 games. Nothings easy, but the Sox are just better. Their lineup is better. Their rotation is better. Their bullpen outside of Jensen is better. Just stay away from Jensen late in games and the Sox should be fine, he's one of the bests since Mariano at the closing position. Edit- If the Sox lose, it'll be more to the affect of the Sox losing and choking more than the Dodgers actually beating them. After beating Houston and New York convincingly, two actual 100 win teams, the Sox should do the same to this team. That's just what should happen, doesn't ever play out that way though.
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Post by jimed14 on Oct 21, 2018 7:29:53 GMT -5
The Sox were nearly 20 wins better than either team. The only disadvantage is the 3+ wins you take off the field when you insert JDM in the outfield (makes you worse defensively), put one of JBJ or Benintendi on the bench, and have the pitcher hit instead. Even then the Sox are 15 plus wins better then either team. It's hard for me to believe either team stands a shot against the Sox. The Sox just decapitated two 100 win teams in the AL. The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. One of my best friends is a diehard Dodgers fan. He sacrifices sleep permanently to watch all of the Dodgers games every year. He thinks it's going to be a Red Sox sweep.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Oct 21, 2018 7:39:33 GMT -5
The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. One of my best friends is a diehard Dodgers fan. He sacrifices sleep permanently to watch all of the Dodgers games every year. He thinks it's going to be a Red Sox sweep. I do too.
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Post by fenwaydouble on Oct 21, 2018 7:50:26 GMT -5
One of my best friends is a diehard Dodgers fan. He sacrifices sleep permanently to watch all of the Dodgers games every year. He thinks it's going to be a Red Sox sweep. I do too. It's hard not to feel like the Sox have already finished the hard part, but the Dodgers are really good and can absolutely win the series. Also, I complained before about the Sox being treated like huge underdogs, but now that I see people predicting us to win, I realize this is much worse. Don't put the hex on a week before the finish line!
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Oct 21, 2018 8:00:37 GMT -5
It's hard not to feel like the Sox have already finished the hard part, but the Dodgers are really good and can absolutely win the series. Also, I complained before about the Sox being treated like huge underdogs, but now that I see people predicting us to win, I realize this is much worse. Don't put the hex on a week before the finish line! It's a hex balance. 1 Dodger fan and 1 RedSox fan.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 21, 2018 9:04:56 GMT -5
The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. One of my best friends is a diehard Dodgers fan. He sacrifices sleep permanently to watch all of the Dodgers games every year. He thinks it's going to be a Red Sox sweep. I, too, have a Dodgers fan friend who's been a fan for a long time. He doesn't think it's going to be a 4 game sweep. He thinks the Dodgers are really, really good and have a legit shot. My point is that the Dodgers aren't some 92 win team that's necessarily going to get their butts kicked. They're an excellent team, a lot better than 92 wins. The media is going to portray them as some sort of underdog team like a David taking on the Goliath Red Sox and that they don't have a shot. The Sox have been playing the media doesn't respect us card. It's tougher to win when you're expected to win than when you use they don't respect us card. The media is going to portray the two teams as the 108 win juggernaut Red Sox and the 92 win underdog Dodgers and ignore that when you look at their team stats, they're not that far apart. The reality is that the Dodgers aren't some so-so 92 win team. And we'll hear about NL inferiority, too, but it should be noted that the NL actually beat their AL counterparts in interleague play for the first time in quite awhile. The NL was balanced while the AL was very topheavy. I'd be stunned, amazed, and delighted if the Sox swept or hell, I'd be all those things and more if the Sox took it in 7. I just don't expect the cakewalk or the prolonged offensive explosions (particularly in LA in that big ballpark) that they've been doing. The Sox will need to rely heavily on their pitching and I wish I had a clue what as to Chris Sale will give them. He's the key pitcher of the series for the Sox.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 21, 2018 9:21:30 GMT -5
The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. I can see the Sox losing 1-2 games. Nothings easy, but the Sox are just better. Their lineup is better. Their rotation is better. Their bullpen outside of Jensen is better. Just stay away from Jensen late in games and the Sox should be fine, he's one of the bests since Mariano at the closing position. Edit- If the Sox lose, it'll be more to the affect of the Sox losing and choking more than the Dodgers actually beating them. After beating Houston and New York convincingly, two actual 100 win teams, the Sox should do the same to this team. That's just what should happen, doesn't ever play out that way though. I totally disagree. If the Dodgers were to beat the Sox, it's not necessarily because the Sox "choked". You're totally underestimating the Dodgers. Look at offense, on the surface the Dodgers were outscored by about 70 runs, so slam dunk, right? I don't think so. First off, they use pitchers in the NL, not DHs, so you can estimate that costing the team anywhere from 30 to 50 runs if not more. Secondly, Dodgers Stadium is quite large compared to Fenway and that keeps offense down while helping out the pitchers. So the Sox offense is probably better but not by as much as you'd think. The Dodgers have allowed less runs but take out Dodgers Stadium and the Dodgers probably do surrender more runs, but I don't think it's a lot more. As far as pens go, it's a tossup. Barnes and Brasier have been excellent but I don't trust anybody beyond them. I would guess they use the mystery 8th inning reliever again? If Steven Wright was reasonably healthy I'd like their pen better. Wright was definitely in my circle of trust but I don't know if his knee will allow him to be effective or if he even makes the roster. When it comes to the Dodgers pen, I'm sure the Sox will see a lot of the lefty Wood. I think the middle relief for LA is ordinary and hittable, and yes, Jansen, unlike Kimbrel, won't beat himself. With Jansen, the HR ball is his issue. I don't think he's as lights out as he was last season. The Dodgers could use Kershaw in relief if the Series gets deep and that could be troubling for the Sox in the same way that if Sale is right he could be big trouble for the Dodgers in the same scenario. How Chris Sale looks in Game 1 will go a long way in determining how this series will likely go. The fact of the matter is that the Dodgers have been knocking at the door for awhile now. Sooner or later they're likely going to get in. Just hope it's not this year. I am glad that Cora did see the Dodgers up-close last year and he's seen plenty of Machado with the Orioles this year. Like I've said before Cora notices things most people don't pick up. I hope that's a big advantage for the Sox (I feel like it was with NY and Houston, 2 other teams he's very familiar with). So the overall point is that the Dodgers could legitimately beat the Red Sox because they played better, not because the Sox choked. The two teams are more evenly matched than most people think. It's not really David vs Goliath.
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Post by jimed14 on Oct 21, 2018 9:26:50 GMT -5
Only 4 more wins before you can start believing in the Red Sox for the first time all year. I don't get it. Are you protecting yourself from being hurt as if it's easier to lose if you expected it to happen? It's ok to believe they're going to win and it won't hurt any extra if they don't.
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Post by pedrofanforever45 on Oct 21, 2018 10:02:54 GMT -5
I was right with you there Champs up until Houston and New York. Those teams legitimately could beat the Sox, but I just don't see it with this series.
The Sox should convincingly beat this team.
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Post by jerrygarciaparra on Oct 21, 2018 10:24:39 GMT -5
I do not care at all. Line ‘em up, and our boys will knock ‘em down. One at a time. I like the cut of your jib brother. I can't wait for the games to begin.
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Post by jdb on Oct 21, 2018 12:30:09 GMT -5
I’d bet Hyers will be a huge help with how our staff attacks the LAD hitters.
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ericmvan
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Supposed to be working on something more important
Posts: 8,881
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Post by ericmvan on Oct 21, 2018 13:05:42 GMT -5
Of matchups between the six perennial WS franchises (Yankees, A's, Red Sox; Dodgers, Giants, Cardinals), Dodgers versus Red Sox is one of only two that no one alive remembers, and it was the Sox versus the Brooklyn "Robins," in 1916. The Sox and Giants met for the only time in 1912.
The A's and Cardinals met in '30 and '31. I remember the Yankees / Cardinals in '64 and my very first WS in '62, Yankees and Giants and McCovey hitting it right at Bobby Richardson.
The others are easy: Sox / Cardinals in 2013, 2004, and 1967, A's / Giants in 1989, A's / Dodgers in 1988 and 1974, and Yankees / Dodgers in 1981, 1978, and 1977 (and 12 previous times).
Edit: so which pair of franchises have been most successful at getting to the WS but have never faced one another?
Tigers (11) and Dodgers (20). That's not imminent.
Red Sox (13) and Cubs (11). That has to happen soon, right?
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orion09
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Posts: 1,192
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Post by orion09 on Oct 21, 2018 15:41:33 GMT -5
I’d bet Hyers will be a huge help with how our staff attacks the LAD hitters. Cora had a great interview on WEEI the other day. (One of the few times I’ve flipped to that station and found something useful.) The hosts were asking Cora about which team he’d rather face, Brewers or Dodgers. He was mostly noncommittal, but one of his throwaway comments was that Craig Bjornson, our bullpen coach, had been with the Astros the last 5 years and knew in great detail how their pitchers were going to attack our hitters. The very next thing he mentioned was Hyers’ stint with the Dodgers. I bet Hyers has worked up a detailed game plan - excited to see how it turns out.
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ericmvan
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Post by ericmvan on Oct 21, 2018 18:44:17 GMT -5
I was right with you there Champs up until Houston and New York. Those teams legitimately could beat the Sox, but I just don't see it with this series. The Sox should convincingly beat this team. Folks are underestimating the Dodgers immensely, but, I think, reaching the correct conclusion.
If all we knew about each team were their full season stat lines (but none of their situational splits), and we smartly adjusted them for quality of opposition, you'd have the Dodgers as a 103 win team and the Red Sox with 99. (102.8 and 98.6, to be exact.)
The Sox had the best "win efficiency" or "karma" in MLB, at +9.3 wins.
The Dodgers had the worst, at -9.4 wins.*
In the past, this was never predictive in the post-season. This year, it's being very predictive, and with perfectly good reasons. I hope to look at that in detail some time before game 1.
* Our schedule added 0.4 wins and theirs subtracted 2.0. Adding up the three numbers gives you 108.3 wins for us and 91.4 for them. Why did they win 92, giving us a 16 game edge instead of 17? Because my spreadsheet is really complicated. I'm pretty sure it's because the SOS adjustment includes 10% of karma as real, which is the way you want to do it. At some point I need to figure out the counter-adjustment to make the three numbers (quality, karma, schedule) add up to the actual wins! Which of course is a "duh"-level requirement.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Oct 21, 2018 22:10:31 GMT -5
I agree with Teixeira here: “That’s what great teams do,” Teixeira said of Boston’s win over the Astros. “They find a way to win. They have guys that aren’t expected to be heroes, they have guys like that step up big. This entire series with two strikes, the Red Sox were getting big hits. I mean, when you can grind an at-bat, get a starting pitcher from Houston to get deep into counts and get two-strike hits, it is completely demoralizing for an Astros pitching staff that had been the best pitching staff in all of baseball for the entire regular season. They come in here and the Red Sox had their way with them.
“To me, it seems like the Red Sox are destined to win the World Series,” Teixeira continued. “They were the best team in the regular season, they blew through two really good teams in the Yankees and the (Astros). I don’t think either of the teams in the National League can beat them.”Read more at: nesn.com/2018/10/why-mark-teixeira-believes-red-sox-are-destined-to-win-world-series/
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 21, 2018 23:50:07 GMT -5
Only 4 more wins before you can start believing in the Red Sox for the first time all year. I don't get it. Are you protecting yourself from being hurt as if it's easier to lose if you expected it to happen? It's ok to believe they're going to win and it won't hurt any extra if they don't. Honestly Jim, my "believing" or "not believing" in them has no impact on what's going to happen this series. I just don't have that kind of power. And if the Sox could win (and I'm not saying that can't - of course they can win if they play well enough) - my not being on the faith bandwagon isn't going to stop me one iota from enjoying this amazing season - this is the best season I've ever seen up to this point, but I am a Red Sox fan, so having an outright attitude of "no way we can lose" type of hubris and arrogance wreaks of being a MFY fan, and there's a reason I can't stand them. Stuff happens. Do you think any Patriots fans thought that their perfect team could ever lose to the Giants? So it is protective? Maybe, but I'm also seeing things that perhaps others are dismissing because understandably they feel as high as a kite and it's easy to say 108 win team vs 92 win team - no contest without really taking a good look at that 92 win team that isn't really like most other 92 win teams. I do think the Dodgers have some matchups that could cause issues for the Red Sox. The Astros and Yankees were predominantly right handed in their lineups, which were helpful for Barnes and Brasier. The Dodgers have a lot of mixing and matching that allows them to have more flexibility, which can be a particular problem for a bullpen that doesn't feature a lefty specialist who is death on lefties. They also have a starting pitcher who has the ability to be among the best in the game, if not the best. Severino is normally pretty good. Verlander is headed for the HOF, but Kershaw is the Dodgers' best pitcher since Koufax and that's saying a lot considering they had Valenzuela and Hershiser. The Sox are going to play Nunez and Kinsler a lot given the lefties the Dodgers have and the Sox get screwed by the NL rules. Using a guy like Kemp or Muncy to DH is hardly getting hosed, but the Sox not being able to have their OF defense intact at Dodgers Stadium unless they sit their best power hitter is a detriment - I wish they'd change the rules so they don't screw the AL team. Like I said one good thing (or maybe 2) is that Cora has seen the Dodgers, so they're not as much a mystery to him as the Brewers would be and I do think he has a tendency to see things that others might not, and as somebody else mentioned Tim Hyers knows his Dodgers hitters inside and out, so that can be helpful for the pitchers to plan their attack. If the Brewers had won Game 7, I'd absolutely be picking the Sox to win in 5. They'd absolutely kill the Brewers pitching. They have no starting pitching and that bullpen would be worn out by Game 3, and the Brewers lineup is not as good. I was never really impressed by the Brewers. I admired their run but they reminded me a lot of the 2007 Rockies.
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Oct 22, 2018 6:54:18 GMT -5
The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. I can see the Sox losing 1-2 games. Nothings easy, but the Sox are just better. Their lineup is better. Their rotation is better. Their bullpen outside of Jensen is better. Yup, that's how postseason baseball works.
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Post by philsbosoxfan on Oct 22, 2018 8:05:06 GMT -5
The Red Sox won 16 more games than the Dodgers, but keep in mind the Dodgers' pythag record was 102-61, 10 games better than what they finished at. They're a lot more closer in talent to the Red Sox than you may realize. The Dodgers aren't really a mediocre team that snuck in. They're a powerhouse who is now completely healthy. The Sox didn't catch any breaks here. I can see the Sox losing 1-2 games. Nothings easy, but the Sox are just better. Their lineup is better. Their rotation is better. Their bullpen outside of Jensen is better. Just stay away from Jensen late in games and the Sox should be fine, he's one of the bests since Mariano at the closing position. Edit- If the Sox lose, it'll be more to the affect of the Sox losing and choking more than the Dodgers actually beating them. After beating Houston and New York convincingly, two actual 100 win teams, the Sox should do the same to this team. That's just what should happen, doesn't ever play out that way though. Like Kimbrel, Jansen has struggled off and on all year. Unlike Kimbrel, he's a one trick pony with diminished velocity and movement on his cut fastball.
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