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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 26, 2013 22:04:09 GMT -5
I suppose it's bad form to say what I've been thinking all along? I felt the Cards would win in 5 games. They have the superior pitching and the superior bullpen. The Sox were supposed to smash Joe Kelly? What did they get? 2 hits off him? Just like they cuffed around Fister.
The Sox have mainly scored their runs on a bunch of wild pitches and a lot of charitable errors by the opposition. They haven't strung together hits at all. It's catching up to them. Drew has been an automatic out at SS. Farrell shouldn't have had to decided to pinchhit for Drew, but Drew forced his hand by being pathetic at the plate. After the Tampa series, but for one awesome AB, Victorino stopped hitting. Salty has done nothing but strike out. They wasted a lot of ABs on Gomes.
The bullpen is thin compared to St. Louis. Kelly and Lynn are most likely better than Peavy and an injured Buchholz, particurly at home, although you're negative if you truly think so.
Now Farrell semi-committed to Doubront today - which was reasonable, but I have no idea why he pinch-hit for him and took him out of the game. Farrell needs to cut the number of outs his relievers need to get to around 6 or 7, not 9 or 10 and Doubront come have gone longer, and the Sox weren't exactly threatening for runs in the 7th anyways. Kind of aggravating.
Now tomorrow Buchholz will struggle and now we'll see Workman and Dempster instead of Doubront, and they will most likely lose. The Sox may get to 4 or 5 runs tomorrow, but I suspect they'll give up more.
Then Lester will have to be as dominating as he was in Game 1 in Game 5 and I hope those extra unnecessary pitches that he threw in the 8th in Game 1 doesn't affect him in Game 5 where I suspect we'll see the real Adam Wainright, particularly at home.
This is why it was key that the Sox help onto that 2-1 lead at Fenway and they didn't, and tonight felt like an uphill battle and those are tough to win, although frankly I would have stuck with Doubront, and that's not second guessing.
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Post by nationinthesouth on Oct 26, 2013 22:05:03 GMT -5
More important question...if Breslow is coming back to earth, now what?
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Post by Guidas on Oct 26, 2013 22:05:12 GMT -5
Seriously im still trying to figure out why he took out doubront. Tie game and no o e i. scoring position with 2 outs and he blows up the bench and takes out a relatively fresh pitcher. You want length until you have a scoring opportunity. Made no sense to me then. Less now.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 26, 2013 22:06:57 GMT -5
Seriously im still trying to figure out why he took out doubront. Tie game and no o e i. scoring position with 2 outs and he blows up the bench and takes out a relatively fresh pitcher. You want length until you have a scoring opportunity. Made no sense to me then. Less now. But Jonny Gomes is magic. Put him in and the Sox automatically win. Why use logic now? Isn't this the same logic Darrell Johnston used in pinchhitting Cecil Cooper for Jim Willoughby 38 years ago?
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Post by pedroelgrande on Oct 26, 2013 22:07:39 GMT -5
Where is Alan Embree when you need him.
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Post by mattpicard on Oct 26, 2013 22:07:50 GMT -5
That inning right there is why the sox don't bench drew. I will be honest, and for those who have seen Xander play in the minors keep me straight but Im not seeing it defensively at SS for him. Why? He's obviously not Drew, but I think he'll be average-ish there. He looked fine to me in his time there in the regular season, and defensive stats, for what they're worth in an extremely small sample, backed it up. Of course, I haven't seen much of his play in the minors at all, so I'm partially relying on reports I've heard. Every time he doesn't make a tough play, the fact that Drew probably would have made it doesn't mean that Xander can't play the position.
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Post by sammo420 on Oct 26, 2013 22:10:04 GMT -5
Not here you don't, although I'm getting ready to go somewhere and do some myself.
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Post by nationinthesouth on Oct 26, 2013 22:12:53 GMT -5
I will be honest, and for those who have seen Xander play in the minors keep me straight but Im not seeing it defensively at SS for him. Why? He's obviously not Drew, but I think he'll be average-ish there. He looked fine to me in his time there in the regular season, and defensive stats, for what they're worth in an extremely small sample, backed it up. Of course, I haven't seen much of his play in the minors at all, so I'm partially relying on reports I've heard. Nothing I can qauntify which I know drives some crazy, just the eyeball test. He doesnt seem to have the fluid motions or first step you see at the position. His bat should cover that but I think he will hit enough to still be above average as a third baseman. Edit-That being said I am still higher on him at SS than I am WMB at 3B. In my eyes he has totally regressed on both sides this year.
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Post by station13 on Oct 26, 2013 22:12:55 GMT -5
More important question...if Breslow is coming back to earth, now what? He's just got some awful luck at the worst time.
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Post by jmei on Oct 26, 2013 22:14:07 GMT -5
Apparently HBP never slumps.
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Post by mattpicard on Oct 26, 2013 22:14:09 GMT -5
Victorino really leaned into that one.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 26, 2013 22:15:29 GMT -5
Any chance Pedroia can get a gap game tying double here?
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Post by curiousle on Oct 26, 2013 22:16:49 GMT -5
Guidas nailed it, no pressure on Doubront, should have left him in, I was impressed with what he showed. It looks to me that things are now getting clear, and Farrell is going to really have to make some changes. I suspect we've seen the last of Drew at Short and WMB and X-Man will be on the left side of the infield. I think you also have to question Salty, here, or if you're better off with Ross-however, you have to upgrade behind the plate going into next year-the Cardinals are exposing the weakness in the lineup-(SS & Catcher have almost been automatic outs and Gomes can't cut it at this level.....Nava's role is a bench player...we need another corner outfielder that can play......now)
I thought it was going to be a fairly mild off season-no more...you've got a good core (but to compete next year you have to upgrade behind the plate...bullpen is ok, but I think you have to get some upgrades in the lineup-particularly if Jake Ellsbury is not back)
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 26, 2013 22:19:15 GMT -5
That stinks. Ortiz won't get to swing the bat
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Post by jmei on Oct 26, 2013 22:20:03 GMT -5
Here we go Danny.
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Post by nationinthesouth on Oct 26, 2013 22:20:07 GMT -5
That stinks. Ortiz won't get to swing the bat man RH/RH..But Napoli?
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Post by marrcus on Oct 26, 2013 22:21:52 GMT -5
Nava needs to dump one in. Can't swing through 99 heat.
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Post by jmei on Oct 26, 2013 22:24:58 GMT -5
Xander can handle the heat, and Rosenthal only throws fastballs. Here we go baby.
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Post by station13 on Oct 26, 2013 22:25:15 GMT -5
Pedroia and groundball, up to 50% of his batted ball this season. I hope his hand heals up when he get a long rest after celebrating the World Series victory.
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Post by jmei on Oct 26, 2013 22:27:14 GMT -5
YES YES THE XANDER ERA IS GREAT
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Post by semperfisox on Oct 26, 2013 22:28:17 GMT -5
Who's this Xander kid?
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Post by semperfisox on Oct 26, 2013 22:28:57 GMT -5
Salty is putrid.
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Post by nationinthesouth on Oct 26, 2013 22:29:32 GMT -5
Good news they tied it, better news they cleared Salty in the lineup...
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Post by jmei on Oct 26, 2013 22:30:04 GMT -5
Whatever happens, this has been one hell of an entertaining game. Of course, that's less of a boon in the postseason where, if your team loses, it feels like a gut punch no matter how it happened.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Oct 26, 2013 22:30:44 GMT -5
Xander is a pleasure to watch. Question now. Who pitches the 8th? Dempster?
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