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Post by jdb on Apr 25, 2013 18:56:37 GMT -5
So nice to have Ortiz in the middle of this lineup. So, so, so nice. It really was nice to see that to dead CF.
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Post by Guidas on Apr 25, 2013 19:57:41 GMT -5
Buchholz looked shaky in the first three innings. Now he looks like an artist.
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wcp3
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Post by wcp3 on Apr 25, 2013 20:07:06 GMT -5
He's becoming one of those guys who, if you don't get to him early, you're in trouble. This is probably the third start where we've seen him get stronger over the course of the game.
He made some of you look like idiots for whining so much earlier in the game.
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Post by Guidas on Apr 25, 2013 20:10:40 GMT -5
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Post by fenwaythehardway on Apr 25, 2013 20:29:44 GMT -5
It's all BABIP. Reverse platoon splits just don't exist for hitters. It's an immutable law of baseball that hitters hit opposite handed pitching better, because of of where the batter is standing, where the ball is released, how breaking balls break, etc. Reverse splits for hitters are an illusion.
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Post by gregblossersbelly on Apr 25, 2013 20:52:20 GMT -5
How did Bard look? I'm watching the Bruins game on the computer and the NFL Draft?
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Post by Guidas on Apr 25, 2013 20:54:46 GMT -5
Good to know. I always enjoy David Blaine so if Carp can do any of that stuff too, all the better.
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Post by Don Caballero on Apr 25, 2013 21:38:36 GMT -5
Clay is pathetic right now. Fail.
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Post by Chris Hatfield on Apr 25, 2013 23:19:24 GMT -5
Why DFA him? You have nothing to lose by putting Hassan on the 60-day at this point. Chris I demonstrated a couple of things that they would have to lose by doing that...and hope you'll respond. We disagree in that I see zero problem with kicking the can down the road. I'm not saying you need to hold on to every person on the 40-man until the end of time. I'm saying that there's no point in getting rid of players when there's no need to because there's a solution that allows you to hang on to everybody. I think there's almost no way Aceves contributes on the MLB roster again, but if you can get a turn or two in the Pawtucket rotation out of him while you try to find someone to give you a bucket of balls for him, why not?
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Post by marrcus on Apr 26, 2013 1:25:50 GMT -5
He's been dynamite since returning--" -------------------------------------- Not shocked but somewhat surprised. Ortiz fitness level didn't seem particularly high this spring even forgetting about the heal(s). He still looks like he's seeing the ball very well and the swing looks pretty fluid. Now he just has to stay healthy. Given that WMB may take a while to get in gear David is really important in the middle.
After the fiasco of the other night it was nice to see a blowout. 3/4 is fine but a sweep would seem more in line with the two talent level disparities.
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Post by jt44 on Apr 26, 2013 7:00:01 GMT -5
How did Bard look? I'm watching the Bruins game on the computer and the NFL Draft? Take this FWIW... I wasn't really all that impressed with him last night. He was not hitting his spots. He was throwing strikes but I think I only remember one pitch where Salty didn't have to move his glove. I don't think he threw his slider for a strike last night and the ones he did throw did not look very good. Anyone else think the same thing or am I way off here?
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Post by amfox1 on Apr 26, 2013 7:18:34 GMT -5
How did Bard look? I'm watching the Bruins game on the computer and the NFL Draft? Take this FWIW... I wasn't really all that impressed with him last night. He was not hitting his spots. He was throwing strikes but I think I only remember one pitch where Salty didn't have to move his glove. I don't think he threw his slider for a strike last night and the ones he did throw did not look very good. Anyone else think the same thing or am I way off here? No, I think that was accurate. Bard's FB was 94-96 with good arm side run. His slider, however, was herky jerky and not close to the plate. Control was an issue, as jt44 pointed out. For instance, Salty set up outside and the FB ran inside on the Carter K. Overall, I was encouraged but not blown away.
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Post by James Dunne on Apr 26, 2013 7:26:22 GMT -5
There's been a lot of talk recenetly about Maier possibly getting the call if Victorino goes on the DL, but I'm wondering if Henry would be a better fit? He has plenty of outfield experience as well, and also has been getting playing time at third base. Considering Middlebrooks' struggles I think it makes sense to have a strong backup, and in the era of 12 man pitching staffs positional flexibility on the bench is such a huge advantage.
I'd have no problem if they did go for Maier if the situation arose, just throwing the idea out there.
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Post by Guidas on Apr 26, 2013 10:32:10 GMT -5
I think it will be as of Sunday that JBJ is 10 days in the minors. If Victorino's DL'd he may be the best bet because of defensive versatility. Also seems like mentally/emotionally he can handle the Pawtucket Shuttle.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2013 11:19:55 GMT -5
I agree with you generally. However in researching this specific case I found out something that I didn't know previously. I don't know if you knew it either or if it changes your thinking, but I'd be interested to hear.
As far as I can tell, Hassan was never put on the major league DL. I am guessing the reason they did that is that there is a significant cost in putting a player on the major league disabled list versus just optioning them to the minors even for 60 days. Further, Hassan couldn't even begin a rehab stint until 40 days from the time he was put on the DL. There hasn't been a lot of information regarding Hassan's injury but he might be less than 40 days from being able to get back on the field.
If my analysis is correct there is a cost to removing Hassan from the roster through the 60 day DL. That cost would also explain cutting Gomez versus putting Hassan on the 60 day DL. Given that Napoli was healthy, Nava showed he could play 1B and they also have Carp and Saltalamachia, I can see the argument that keeping Gomez wasn't worth spending several thousand dollars.
Since I last posted about this I've become more aware of Aceves behavior on the mound the other night and comments after the game. Given his long history of unprofessional behavior I agree that he's a good bet to be DFA'd the next time the Red Sox need a roster spot.
There's a cost to doing that too as you do cut into your pitching depth by cutting Aceves. The Red Sox will have to consider these costs versus the benefit of having a better defensive outfield for a few weeks in case Victorino needs to be disabled and they don't want to recall JBJ.
The other option of course which they maybe considering is just disabling Victorino on Sunday, they should have a better idea as to his status by then, keeping Lavarnway on the roster and sucking it up in the outfield with Nava in RF until Victorino is ready to come back. Such an option wouldn't be ideal but it is the only move that would cost neither a player or money and allow them to keep JBJ in the minors.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2013 11:32:43 GMT -5
That's actually not a half bad idea. In addition to his versatility which you cited, he has options remaining. However putting him on the roster would involve either giving up a player or spending the money to put Hassan on the major league DL and I wonder if Henry can be good enough for three weeks to make that worth while especially when they have Ciriaco who can also be versatile.
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Post by jmei on Apr 26, 2013 11:53:46 GMT -5
I really, really don't think the Red Sox care that much about avoiding the tiny bit of money (low six figures, max) that it might cost to add Hassan to the major league DL.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2013 12:23:28 GMT -5
I really, really don't think the Red Sox care that much about avoiding the tiny bit of money (low six figures, max) that it might cost to add Hassan to the major league DL. Well if you don't consider that amount of money to be that much you can send it to me and I'd be happy to take it off your hands In all seriousness, I remember an interview a couple of years where Theo mentioned Miguel Gonzalez. Gonzalez as you may remember was a Rule Five draft pick whom they discovered needed Tommy John in spring training. As a result of this, the Red Sox had to keep him on the major league DL the entire season and pay his major league salary. You would think that a team with a $150M plus payroll wouldn't care about spending $300K on a rule five player but apparently ownership was pissed about this. Surprisingly, they do pay attention to smaller amounts of money than we would intuitively believe. $150K or so is actually a lot of money and although spending it won't stop the team from making moves that will significantly improve the major league roster, but it's not nothing and I wouldn't expect a front office to ignore such an amount or flush it down the toilet if they didn't have to. It's quite reasonable to assume that keeping Gomez around wasn't worth even paying a low six figure amount for instance. Can you think of another reasonable explanation for cutting a player as opposed to placing Hassan on the major league 60 day DL? The only thing I could think of is that they thought Hassan was close to getting ready to play and didn't think it was worth it to keeping him in extended spring for 40 days.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2013 12:24:26 GMT -5
I'm not sure about everyone else, but I am really starting to be concerned about WMB. He is striking out twice a game and his plate discipline appears to have vanished. He is hitting .169 and his OBP is .195. He needs to turn this around, and fast. Maybe Ortiz can talk some sense into him, helping him take a few pitches. He is earning himself the nickname, "Mr. 0-2"
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Post by jmei on Apr 26, 2013 12:42:09 GMT -5
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Post by redsox04071318champs on Apr 26, 2013 12:46:10 GMT -5
I'm not sure about everyone else, but I am really starting to be concerned about WMB. He is striking out twice a game and his plate discipline appears to have vanished. He is hitting .169 and his OBP is .195. He needs to turn this around, and fast. Maybe Ortiz can talk some sense into him, helping him take a few pitches. He is earning himself the nickname, "Mr. 0-2" Middlebrooks needs to stop swinging at everything. Until he does a better job of laying off pitches not in the strike zone, he will struggle. He's never going to be a guy who'll draw 60 walks per year, but he can be a respectable hitter ((good batting average, mediocre OBP, excellent slugging average) if he stops getting himself out. It does make me wonder if this would possibly open up a spot for Brock Holt if WMB struggles mightily into the middle of the season. I couldn't see a guy like Drew Sutton or Ciriaco play for any extended stretches at 3b, and I guess you could always try Stephen Drew at 3b with Iglesias at SS, but I'd be hesitant to do that since Drew has zero experience at 3b. Brock Holt won't get much chance at 2b unless Pedroia gets injured, but I do think he has a nice bat, although he certainly lacks power. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying "give up on WMB". I'm just saying that WMB had good success last year, and perhaps he's a little stubborn in his approach and a little unwilling to change. I think he's going to need to adjust his attitude at the plate and try to be more patient at the plate.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2013 13:16:44 GMT -5
I guess that's reasonable. But if he only has a minor calf injury he's not really a candidate for the 60 day DL at this point right?
That means they would have to DFA someone and three weeks of Justin Henry or Mitch Maier might not be worth giving up a player. Keeping Lavarnway around and sucking it up with Nava in RF might be the best move.
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danr
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Post by danr on Apr 26, 2013 13:20:34 GMT -5
Lackey's return this weekend, and return to a winning form, is very important. Lester and Buchholz are 9-0. The other Sox pitchers are 6-7. Lester and Buchholz will come back to earth. Someone(s) must pick it up.
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Post by pedroiaesque on Apr 26, 2013 13:25:48 GMT -5
He's been dynamite since returning--" -------------------------------------- Not shocked but somewhat surprised. Ortiz fitness level didn't seem particularly high this spring even forgetting about the heal(s). He still looks like he's seeing the ball very well and the swing looks pretty fluid. Now he just has to stay healthy. Given that WMB may take a while to get in gear David is really important in the middle. Agree on the surprise. Count me in the camp that thought the move up was to avoid the $2 mil dock in pay he was gonna get if they kept him in Pawtucket any longer. From the box scores of his rehab appearances, it didn't really look like he was swinging the bat well enough to make any difference in the lineup. Plus, he missed a game with heel soreness a couple days before the call up, so it sounded like he wasn't physically ready either and would be in and out of the lineup for a while. I thought bringing him up when they did would hurt the team more than it would help. That was just about as wrong as I could be.
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Post by mattpicard on Apr 26, 2013 13:53:40 GMT -5
Lackey's return this weekend, and return to a winning form, is very important. Lester and Buchholz are 9-0. The other Sox pitchers are 6-7. Lester and Buchholz will come back to earth. Someone(s) must pick it up. Dempster's been very solid. He's gotten squeezed out of wins he deserved by our bullpen and/or struggling offense. He was even pretty solid in his last start with those 4 ER vs. the Royals, and if Iggy was at short it'd have been only 2 runs. W-L isn't really a good indicator of starter performance. But yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing how Lack rebounds from this, especially considering the promise he showed in the Toronto start.
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