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180

Is how far the guy currently OPSing .893 has turned around. Quite the (welcome) reversal.

63 replies on “180”

So I hear the Sox are allowed to win a series against the Rays in their house and have awesome road trips against good teams. That’s pretty coo’.

Solid win. Really nice to actually take at least a couple down there–now we’re a good start by Lackey to return the favor for earlier in the season.

A welcome change indeed. It’s nice to see Ortiz finally clearing out that inside fastball again – with authority.
It’s also nice to see a stretch of games that included the Yankees, Toronto, Minny, Tigers, Rays, and Phillies where Boston is 9-4.
With the upcoming schedule, the Red Sox could be sitting very nice in a few weeks. Or, they could also lay down for weaker compition.
I’m just happy the pitching has shown up.
Upcoming Schedule:
4 with KC at home
3 with OAK at home
3 at Baltimore
4 at Cleveland
9 games at home v. NL squads
6 games at COL and SF
I like the next month. They’re going to get the NL’s best, but also some very bad teams in there.

To the Sox’ credit, they’re only starting Ortiz against against right-handed pitching. It should have happened last year, or even in 2008, but better late than never! Looks like the Yanks will also have a platoon DH when Granderson is back. Of course the Yanks are paying theirs $1.25 M (or $6.75 M if we include Nick the Sick). The Sox are paying theirs $24.5 M. But who’s counting? ;)
Glad to see the Sox are going to make a race of it after all. Heck, if the East teams beat each other up enough, there’s even a chance only one will make the post-season. Now that would be a fun race!

not sure who nick “the sick” is, but between both nicks there’s $13 M tied up. throw in posada’s (whether the yanks realize it yet or not, he’s a DH) $13 M and we’re about even.
i’d love to see a value comparison between our 2 teams firstbasemen thus far this season.

Jeter hits a HR.
Mauer lines one off of Robertson’s ass, it then goes towards third and ARod catches it for an out.
Jeter does the patented pick and jumping-spin throw to end the Twinkies threat.
Pretty cool 6th inning!

Tex is stunningly awful at the plate…really, really, really bad right now. The middle of our order is killing us. Slowly. With their song.
2-3-4 go 1-2-3. Leaving up to Mo with a 1-0 lead.

Mo gives up a fly ball to the wall after going down 3-0…man, he does not look like himself either at this point. What the hell is going on here??? COME ON MO!!! YOU CAN DO IT!!!

This is pretty glorious over in Tampa (well, wherever). Beltre with 6 RBI, 2 HRs and a triple. Ortiz with a 2-run shot. And six runs (all off 3 homers) against Garza, the beating I’ve always wanted them to give him.

“…Glad to see the Sox are going to make a race of it after all. Heck, if the East teams beat each other up enough, there’s even a chance only one will make the post-season. Now that would be a fun race!…”
gee paul, just a few days ago you were trying to convince me and others that this [a race] would never happen…now you seem absolutely giddy about the notion…and your once invincible rays suddenly seem very vincible…
that rod’s still a funny guy…nobody’s nibbling your bait either buddy…
just glad somebody’s beating the rays…i don’t care if it is the sox…

“gee paul, just a few days ago you were trying to convince me and others that this [a race] would never happen”
Hmmmmm, who here thought the Sox were capable of winning 5 of their last 6? They hadn’t done anything like that all season long.
“now you seem absolutely giddy about the notion…”
Of course I am. Any season where three teams are fighting for the same division is a good season. 1998 was fun and all, but dramatic it wasn’t.
“and your once invincible rays suddenly seem very vincible…”
It remains to be seen. I don’t let three games change how I perceive the previous 40. The Rays still have the best record in baseball. And after all of the injuries, the Yanks still have the second best record. The Sox have a chance to beat up on some bad teams now. Let’s see what happens…

Of course, we were also disagreeing on which teams seem capable of winning 100 games. The Rays do. The Yanks do. The Sox still do not. They’re on a hot streak, but the question is whether that lasts until the All-Star break. And that’s why we watch baseball!

“Hmmmmm, who here thought the Sox were capable of winning 5 of their last 6?”
Pretty much everyone but you. Why? Because pretty much everyone but you thought the Sox had been underperforming relative to their potential at virtually every aspect of the game and nowhere moreso than in their starting rotation, which everyone but you seems aware could certainly contend for best starting 5 in the league if they stay healthy and play to their potential. Indeed, any one of the Yankees, Rays, or Sox is capable of winning 5 of 6 from any string of opponenets. That is, in everyone’s mind but yours.
“They hadn’t done anything like that all season long.”
Kind of the point that everyone but you understood intuitively and that you didn’t get even when spelled out to you explicitly by dc and others. Not doing something “all season long” (you mean, in the whole 40 games they had played until this point – AMAZING that they might break with that etched-in-stone historical certitude!!) means absolutely nothing at this stage in the season. In July or August? Maybe. In September? Almost certainly. But in May?? No knowledgeable fan of this sport would assert that.

And yet, you didn’t speak up to say exactly that last week. In fact, while many said things “could” change, who said they “would”? The problem is that the Sox weren’t so different as a ballclub last week as they are this week. The only real difference is some pitchers have been much better. Yet, who wants to bet on Dice-K and Wakefield going forward?
Most importantly, let’s look at the whole of this season so far rather than a crow-worthy very small subset of games. The Sox are on a 91 win pace. The Yanks are on 99 win pace. The Rays are on a 110 win pace. I’m still standing behind my expectation that we’re looking at two 100 win clubs and a 92-95 win club. The Sox are giving me hope there may be a race, but I won’t be too surprised if they revert to form either. Pitching is suspect like that, and Wakefield and Dice-K are extremely inconsistent. Of course, the only reason Kid ’66 is starting is because another inconsistent member of that rotation is inconsistent once again.

well said IH…i was gonna let it be, but i did call paul out with my comment from last night…paul, we specifically debated whether or not the yankees and red sox, particularly the sox, had what it takes to catch the juggernaut formerly known as the devil rays…i said, sure why not, and you disagreed?…we also debated who, if anyone, could win 100+ games in this, arguably the toughest, division…i said that it was reasonable to assume that no one would, since we’ll spend a considerable number of games beating each other up…while you seem to think 1/4 of the season is substantial enough to extrapolate the remaining 3/4 of the season, some of us have seen too much baseball to simplify it in that manner…sure 40 games is a good sample size, but it doesn’t take into account the unknown and unpredictable…like papi’s resurgence, vazquez suddenly remembering how to pitch, the bottom half of the yankee lineup carrying them while the top half flounders, injuries like the yanks have had, which i’ll remind you the rays have not [yet], mo blowing 2 saves in a row…sure it’s fun to speculate, but it’s also fun to let the season play out and see what happens… i wasn’t disputing your right to give us your theory, just that you seemed so unwilling to consider another point of view, making it personal in the process…as if your point of view was the only one that mattered…

I thought you were going to use your time off to learn about the Shift key and the proper use of the ellipsis and period?
Besides that of course is you’re assuming that I didn’t consider the “other” POV. As I point out above there’s a big difference between “could” and “would”. And no one here said the Sox “would” rebound. You said they “could”. Big difference. Of course, you’re still basing your argument on the last 6 games. Mine is based on the forty before that. Until the next 34 prove you right, I have little to backtrack from or amend my thoughts.
I really hope there’s a race. But at this point the Sox pitching has to show the one thing they have yet to show – consistency. Considering that’s pretty dependent on three guys who aren’t that consistent, I think that’s a stretch. And the best one among them – Kid ’66 – is only pitching because of an injury.

Lifted pretty much wholesale from Joy of Sox: in their last 35 games (they have played 48) since getting swept in 4 by the Rays, the Red Sox are 23-12 (0.657). On the just-finished 13-game road trip against the Tigers, Yanks, Twins, Phillies, and Rays, they went 9-4 (0.692).
Now if they can beat up the teams they’re supposed to (like, say, the Royals starting tonight), they’re in decent shape going forward.
Also, dc, I just wanted to say that I liked your most recent comment (1:59 pm) a lot.

“there’s a big difference between ‘could’ and ‘would’. And no one here said the Sox ‘would’ rebound. You said they ‘could’. Big difference.”
So let’s get this straight. Someone is foolish enough to make predictions with certainty based on how baseball teams are doing in May and derides anyone who thinks such prognostication-with-certitude is just plain silly.
Virtually everyone – yfs and sfs alike – point this absurdity out and refuse to buy it.
Now that your prognostications have taken a hit with only one extra week of baseball under everyone’s belts, your defense shifts. We now seem to be challenged with something like, “because you did not make a counter-prediction with as much certainty as I made mine you somehow don’t have a leg to stand on.”
Nice try. The whole point is that no one on this site is new enough to this sport to act certain about the outcome of the season when we’re only in May.
Well almost no one.
But it gets even better…
On this very thread you challenge everyone with “who here thought the Sox were capable of winning 5 of their last 6”. “CAPABLE”. Your word, not mine or anyone else’s.
“Capable” is the equivalent of “could” not “would”. Rather than concern yourself with dc’s punctuation you may want to visit a thesaurus.
By your very own bar, you fail.
I’ll say it again. EVERYONE here thought the Sox were capable. Except, of course, you.

I must correct this:
“To the Sox’ credit, they’re only starting Ortiz against against right-handed pitching”
If you’re watching the games, you’ll know that’s not true.

“If you’re watching the games, you’ll know that’s not true”
Silly dw. Don’t you know that watching the games is over-rated?? It is sufficient to simply predict with certainty that Ortiz will never again start against a lefty based on the fact that he didn’t once last week.

“EVERYONE here thought the Sox were capable. Except, of course, you.”
Hmmmm, except this place was empty of folks actually saying so. Not even the guy who can’t write a sentence went so far as you’re giving him credit for.
Of course, I also said the Sox would still win 92-95 games. But then that doesn’t fit your story, so why bother?
“in their last 35 games (they have played 48) since getting swept in 4 by the Rays, the Red Sox are 23-12 (0.657). ”
So there you go. It doesn’t help that they have a team 100 ERA+ and 110 OPS+. Or have a +19 run differential (worse than the Jays). Which team are we really looking at? Let’s see someone else here make a real prediction that matches the bravado. See, there’s a lot of shit-talking but little objective evidence being presented, apart from Devine.
I look at stats. And unlike the completely empty predictions from January, I believe the first 50 games do tell us something. The historical record suggests that the Sox just aren’t a very good team. OF COURSE, the rest of the season will clarify that perspective. But that doesn’t change the games already played.
So, now, instead of semantics, how about some counterarguments based on actual evidence? Devine presents one. Are there any more? The run differential suggests otherwise.

“If you’re watching the games, you’ll know that’s not true.”
Did he start against Cole Hammels?
“It is sufficient to simply predict with certainty that Ortiz will never again start against a lefty based on the fact that he didn’t once last week.”
Actually, the record of the last three SEASONS suggests he damn well shouldn’t be. Whether he will can’t be predicted.

Yeah, cause I’ve claimed the power to read Francona’s mind. I think he’s finally figured out the obvious with Ortiz. We’ll see the next time they face a southpaw. Thankfully the Yanks have two good ones.

“Let’s see someone else here make a real prediction that matches the bravado.”
Ok, fine. I am a very handsome man, seriously, one of the great-looking men who have no hair. And I predict that my baldness will never change, I predict that I will not ever grow hair on the top of my head again. And I will remain seriously good looking.
How’s that for a prediction with bravado?

Well, Paul from Waltham, I’ll tell you why I don’t come around YFSF to talk about baseball any more: you. You’re completely insufferable and you ruin these threads with your obnoxious attitude. I used to post around here pretty frequently, but life’s too short – and the internet too full of good baseball blogs – to bother putting up with your shit here.

Awww, rational arguments are so hard to deal with sometimes!
Meanwhile, what’s interesting about Typepad is we can click on your name and see all of your comments. The last time you posted one? June 11th of last year. Somehow I don’t see how I’m responsible for a 1 year gap since my first comment was on March 11 even while I was reading for a few months before that.
Nice try though deflecting your own ignorance. As Sarah Palin is learning, facts are a stubborn thing. Too bad she’s a perfect face for the Internet today. Vapid bravado in a created reality.

Paul, I’m not going to get into a back-and-forth with you, but those comments you see are from YFSF’s previous Typepad experiment in 2008. I commented extensively both before and after that, as you’ll see if you search for “stuck working” in the “search yfsf” function up top.

ok, i’ve got a prediction…even though i’m a serial ellipses abuser, still can’t find my shift key, and can’t complete a sentence: julio lugo will still suck in the future…sf told me, so i cheated
“…See, there’s a lot of shit-talking but little objective evidence being presented, apart from Devine….”
thanks devine, for providing the empirical evidence for what we’ve been trying to tell our friend…he seems more intent on arguing than actually considering possibilities…who will be this season’s shelly duncan, or shane spencer?
and this gem:
“…The historical record suggests that the Sox just aren’t a very good team. OF COURSE, the rest of the season will clarify that perspective….”
it “will”?, “of course”?…wow

How are those from a “previous experiment” when every single one of mine from March on are listed? I can’t say I’ve ever interacted with you either. Care to show otherwise?
Mr. No Sentence, I don’t even know what you’re trying to say. That’s why people write in sentences. It helps communication.

“since my first comment was on March 11 even while I was reading for a few months before that.”
This is a lie, and you are a pathological liar.

“…Mr. No Sentence, I don’t even know what you’re trying to say. That’s why people write in sentences. It helps communication….
gee that’s funny, the rest of the folks here don’t seem to have a problem understanding me, and we communicate just fine…maybe the problem is elsewhere…what i think is that i intimidate you…it’s ok…i’ll still play along…i won’t ignore you…i know you feed on it…i love messing with folks like you…until i get bored

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