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Post by station13 on Apr 23, 2016 18:45:21 GMT -5
The Pawtucket bullpen is awful. Let's dip into the Portland instead.
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Post by humanbeingbean on Apr 23, 2016 18:47:24 GMT -5
It's clear to me that our only hope is to trade for Nava.
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Apr 23, 2016 18:50:44 GMT -5
It's clear to me that our only hope is to trade for Nava. Seriously, I'd take his bat off the bench. Wouldn't improve them in the standings a heckuva lot, but it would make more sense for a manager to have an actual LH bat to bring in. Hard to believe they didn't do it.
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radiohix
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Post by radiohix on Apr 23, 2016 18:52:13 GMT -5
He's been declining for a couple of years now (It's been discussed at lengh in the ST thread) but like I said, I agree on the roster construction blunder and I don't see an available LB up for grab. I read somewhere that they're trying Marco hernandez in the OF, hopefully he can learn the position real quick (Holt for instance did but he's a special case)
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radiohix
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Post by radiohix on Apr 23, 2016 19:06:36 GMT -5
Travis Shaw is a very smart baseball player
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Post by libertine on Apr 23, 2016 19:08:23 GMT -5
We need E-Rod and Smith back. We need a LH bat off the bench. Right now the biggest problem is the lack of quality starting pitching. Buchholz is streaky and right now he is in one of his notoriously bad streaks (Patriot's Day notwithstanding where he got a month's worth of DP's turned behind him against one of the weakest hitting teams in the league). I was hoping Vazquez's promotion would help him but I don't see it being a factor. Price will be fine as the weather turns warmer and he develops his arm strength. Porcello and Wright are pitching much better but with Kelly's injury it means Owens will have to be the 5th starter, at least until E-Rod is ready to go, which will probably be hit and miss starts. But just like last season the inconsistent starting pitching is going to wear out the BP in a big way.
Swihart being a switch hitter could be the LH bat off the bench, and I guess they are going to start working him out in LF in AAA. Not going to help his development as a C much (not a big fan of this move in the long term) but it may fill a short term need at the ML level.
We HAVE TO get better starting pitching. We have a good back end to the pen but in terms of having the depth to have pitchers come on in long relief for faltering starters, and keep the game close until the offense can chip away at it, we have no one we can call on.
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Post by larrycook on Apr 23, 2016 19:11:10 GMT -5
Did Buchholz just run out of gas?
His stuff just went flat, very ugly!
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Apr 23, 2016 19:13:27 GMT -5
Terrible roster construction. The decision to let Murphy go was dumb. They needed a left handed bat off the bench who can play OF and stick in a hit every now and then against a righty. If they weren't going to keep Castillo around and it's obvious they had no plan for him, then why'd they keep him on the roster to start the season? It doesn't make sense. I think Murphy has an opt-out that the Twins need to exercise soon. Whether it's Murphy or somebody else not having a LH hitting OF bench player doesn't make sense. "No plan" has been the defining characteristic of this team since the 2011 debacle.
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Post by iakovos11 on Apr 23, 2016 19:45:36 GMT -5
Benintendi says "I'll be there soon, guys"
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Post by Guidas on Apr 23, 2016 21:03:01 GMT -5
Win tomorrow and it's a successful series.
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Post by libertine on Apr 23, 2016 22:35:23 GMT -5
Did Buchholz just run out of gas? His stuff just went flat, very ugly! I am not sure what is wrong with him. To me he has never been the same after he hurt his neck in 2013. He was never overpowering but he used to be able to throw it by a batter when he needed to and had good movement on the ball. You used to be able to count on him to go deep into games. Now his fastball is flat and seems to lack the zip he used to have. When he falls behind (which is often when he is just missing) and has to throw a strike, or when he is wild in the zone and he catches too much of the plate, the balls have generally been going a long way in the other direction. And he struggles to get through the 6th.
I do think that fatigue is also part of it, which is worrisome at this point in the season. He is 31 with a very slight build and a history of injuries that have, at least to me, seemed to have diminished his ability along with his stamina.
2011 - stress facture in back 2012 - gastrointestinal problems 2013 - neck/shoulder strain 2014 - knee injury 2015 - elbow strain
Based on his injury history and slight build I am not sure how much longer a future he has being an effective SP. I really do hope I am completely wrong when I start thinking along these lines. But so far this year Clay hasn't really reassured me I am wrong...
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 24, 2016 1:39:11 GMT -5
He doesn't have a swing and miss fastball anymore. To be effective his command has to be superb and no pitcher has superb command all the time. When he has it he is terrific but he seems to be having it less frequently. He is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, pitchers to watch. I think this will be his last season with the Sox.
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Post by dnfl333 on Apr 24, 2016 6:49:40 GMT -5
What happened to the sons of sam horn board ?
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2016 7:45:58 GMT -5
He doesn't have a swing and miss fastball anymore. To be effective his command has to be superb and no pitcher has superb command all the time. When he has it he is terrific but he seems to be having it less frequently. He is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, pitchers to watch. I think this will be his last season with the Sox. True this. When Clay was signed, it was reported that he threw 97. When I saw him in Lowell, he was 91-93. However, I recall that he was mid 90s when he first came up. Last time out he hit 94. Yesterday the best I saw was 92. Suffice to say, he has lost a bit off the FB and needs very good command to be consistently effective. For those wishing for a LH bench bat, I continue to promote Marco Hernandez. I believe that he can hit as well as Brockstar and has more/developing pop.
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Post by libertine on Apr 24, 2016 9:18:45 GMT -5
I want to set the record straight on something. Up the page I said Buchholz's start on Patriot's Day was against one of the weakest line-ups in the league, which is factually incorrect. Sigh, as I get older even the shorter term memory annoyingly fails me more often than I care for. That start was actually against one of the best line-up in the league, Toronto. For whatever reason I thought it was against Tampa Bay, who followed Toronto in on that home stand.
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Post by jdb on Apr 24, 2016 9:32:35 GMT -5
Benintendi says "I'll be there soon, guys" This OF could look totally different come August if either Benintendi or even Moncada gets fast tracked. JBJ has to be looking over his shoulder. Hopefully he starts hitting a little more.
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Post by ray88h66 on Apr 24, 2016 10:03:59 GMT -5
He doesn't have a swing and miss fastball anymore. To be effective his command has to be superb and no pitcher has superb command all the time. When he has it he is terrific but he seems to be having it less frequently. He is one of the most interesting, and frustrating, pitchers to watch. I think this will be his last season with the Sox. Agree on all points. His breaking stuff was good yesterday. The two pitches before the Grand Slam totally fooled the hitter. Looks like he wanted the fastball in on the slam and it drifted out over the plate. Not as much room for error as he use to have.
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Post by sarasoxer on Apr 24, 2016 10:46:20 GMT -5
Benintendi says "I'll be there soon, guys" This OF could look totally different come August if either Benintendi or even Moncada gets fast tracked. JBJ has to be looking over his shoulder. Hopefully he starts hitting a little more. But....until we get much better pitching, we aren't going anywhere.
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Post by telson13 on Apr 24, 2016 12:55:03 GMT -5
If Hembree's turned a corner, it's a very nice development. I agree with you about their arms approach in terms of BP building. Keep auditioning and see who shakes out of the tree. They've had some difficulty with taking relievers that last step from AAAA pseudo prospects to MLB contributors. Hembree, Escobar, Barnes, Ramirez, Light, Martin, Jerez...some good arms/stuff, but they need a couple to become legit 7th/8th inning contributors. I'm not so sure he's 'turned a corner' so much as getting over a particular situation. If you recall last year, Hembree was doing quite well at Pawtucket then got called up to Boston at a time when the pen was spent. Incredibly bad timing because his 1st game was the 19 inning pen killer. Hembree pitched 4 innings and I remember a quote after the game where he said he hadn't pitched 4 innings since Little League. After that he went back to Pawtucket and struggled the rest of the year. I'd make a bet that if there was pitch fx in AAA that you would have seen a significant difference between the before and after, he just wasn't the same pitcher. My guess, the winter off brought him back to where he was physically, not that he 'turned a corner'. Just my speculation of course so take it with whatever size grains you wish. Possible, certainly. The big concern with him has been command, and if last year's AAA performance reflected a real improvement (and this year's performance so far), he could be a big addition. He's certainly got good stuff.
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radiohix
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Post by radiohix on Apr 24, 2016 13:08:22 GMT -5
Congrats to Pat Light. If he can command his heater, we'll have a very good power arm in the pen. Certainly a better option than Ramirez and Barnes.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Apr 24, 2016 13:41:25 GMT -5
How much longer do they put up with Buchholz? I've been more patient with him than most but since I doubt they pick up his option at this point they might as well just dump him if this continues and just go with Owens or Johnson.
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Post by ajs1994 on Apr 24, 2016 14:14:47 GMT -5
How much longer do they put up with Buchholz? I've been more patient with him than most but since I doubt they pick up his option at this point they might as well just dump him if this continues and just go with Owens or Johnson. Definitely longer than 4 starts. He's still coming off of a season where he was worth 3.2fwar in 18 starts. He's inconsistent and frustrating, but I wouldn't say based off 4 starts he's done. I think he's better than Johnson or Owens, but yes if he continues to put up a 6.33 ERA for the next 6 or 7 starts he'll be removed.
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Post by FenwayFanatic on Apr 24, 2016 14:45:28 GMT -5
I'm not saying right now, but he didn't look good in Spring Training and even the one "good" start he had was filled with a lot of double play luck.
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radiohix
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Post by radiohix on Apr 24, 2016 15:02:02 GMT -5
Sinkers are coming.
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TearsIn04
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Post by TearsIn04 on Apr 24, 2016 15:43:06 GMT -5
I appreciate defense as much as anyone but it's hard to carry both JBJ's 64 OPS-plus in CF and Vasquez's 41 OPS-plus at C.
Except for five mysterious weeks last year, JBJ has been an incredibly feeble hitter and one has to wonder how long they can stick with him. He's at bRef -.1 so far this year. He better turn it up to reach his four-win floor.
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