What I said:
The Rays are the bigger threat. ... The Yankees ... have too many holes to scare any rational Red Sox fan. ...The other three participants: Robert Munstis (The Bottom Line), Ian Bethune (Sox & Dawgs) and Cam Smith (Who Made You Mirabelli?).
I still believe the bullpen guys can do the job. ... Risking a prospect or two at the deadline for bullpen help seems nearly pointless. ...
[I]t would be nice if the top of the order re-learned how to take a walk. ...
Ortiz will be back at #3, with Drew dropping back to 5th.
"[I]t would be nice if the top of the order re-learned how to take a walk. ..."
ReplyDeleteTerrific observation, and missed by almost everybody.
As to the bullpen, I also agree, while still finding it ominous that the two relief pitchers (other than Bot) who make me feel most secure when they come in are Lopez and Aardsma.
Ellsbury, Pedroia, Ortiz, Ramirez, Drew, Youkilis, Lowell, Varitek, Lugo/Lowrie
ReplyDeleteI look at that lineup and think, "we should be so lucky." Then I realize we are!
Of course there'll be slumps and whatever else (aging catchers), but still a nice looking bunch.
and, I totally agree on the walks observation. good point.
I'll just say I'm less scared of the Rays than I am of the Yanks. Which by default means I'm more scared of the Yanks--but in reality, I'm not scared at all so it doesn't matter. But I think the Yanks have a better chance of making the playoffs than the Rays because they can bash the hell out of enough crappy teams to get the wild card, especially if they get Teixeira. If the Rays were to make it to the playoffs, they'd have a better chance of winning series' than the Yanks, though. Provided their starters haven't all completely tired themselves out by then. But again, I don't think either of these teams is a threat to us, and I'm not even sure either gets the wild card--they've got three other teams battling for it, and four if you include Detroit, which you should.
ReplyDeleteWith Lowrie here now we just added a couple runs every other day I would imagine.
ReplyDeleteInteresting roundtable discussion. Thanks for linking to it. I guess everyone agrees that the bullpen is the biggest headache and that Francona is doing a great job. I can't wait for the second "half" to begin. One more day without baseball.
ReplyDeleteJere, people keep saying that Yankees can bash their way to a good season, but the fact is that they haven't been doing that much bashing. Even assuming Cano and Melky have better second halves, the line-up is old and will have more injuries and more slumps...and there's as much chance the starting pitching will get worse rather than better. I agree that neither the Rays nor the Yankees figure to take the race down to the wire, but as bewteen the two, I'll take the Rays, easy.
ReplyDelete?????
ReplyDeleteThis is the problem with blogs. They're like watches. With one watch, you know what time it is. With two, you're never sure.
ReplyDeleteThis one here says Buster Olney reporting Yankees will sign Richie Sexson, and they have no interest in Bonds.
ish said...
ReplyDeleteThis is the problem with blogs. They're like watches. With one watch, you know what time it is. With two, you're never sure.
NOT THIS ONE THOUGH! old reliable...
NOT THIS ONE THOUGH! old reliable...
ReplyDeleteNope, haha. I re-read that and was like shit, didn't mean this one. Haha.
ish, we get it!
ReplyDeleteTerrific observation, and missed by almost everybody.
ReplyDeleteI possess above-average intelligence.
another night without (red sox) baseball... i guess i'll watch the mets and pretend like i care.
ReplyDeleteish, we get it!
ReplyDeleteRight-o.
I possess above-average intelligence.
ReplyDeleteAnd some people will never let you forget it.
Maybe now that the Yanks have Richie Sexson, my nickname for him will gain more acceptance. It's one of the nicknames I'm most proud of and I hope you all enjoy it:
ReplyDelete"Rickey Genderson."
(That's a soft G.)
Jack, I'd love it if the Rays finished way ahead of the Yanks. I'm still not trusting it's a guarantee, though, and that has as much to do with the Rays petering out as it does the chance that the Yanks can still beat the crappier teams. I mean, every year I say, This is the year the Yanks miss the playoffs. But then I watch a few games and despite their problems, it's never quite as bad as that of whoever they're playing. And all I mean by "bash" is hitting overcoming pitching, which they have done to a degree so far. But like you say, with their pitching problems now, it's not like I'd be surprised if the falling-apart lineup doesn't keep bailing them out.
finally got to read the roundtable. good work, red sock!
ReplyDeleteGAMEDAY AUDIO OF ORTIZ PAWSOX TONIGHT FREE WITH REGISTRATION
ReplyDeleteIn the round table you mentioned Lugo and his SS leading OBP, and you feel as though he gets too much crap....
ReplyDeleteIn the AL
He is 9th in Hits
He is 10th in Runs Scored
He is 8th in doubles
He is 12 in HR's
He is 9th in RBI's
He is 4th with most strikeouts
He is 1st in errors (for both leagues)
He is last in Fielding %
OBP could be as overrated as wins for a pitcher when the rest of your stats are mediocre at best.
When you have to make a defensive substitution late in games for your 9th hitter what good is he?
Great roundtable! Loved when you said this:
ReplyDelete"First of all, I do not care how many wins a pitcher gets credited
with. It's a statistic that is many decades out of date; in fact, once you realize a pitcher has *never* been able to control how much run support he gets, the stat is pretty much worthless on its own."
I totally agree. To my mind, Beckett is just a better pitcher than Matsusaka, wins and losses not withstanding. And poor Wakefield. All those close games where he pitched like a champ and still took the loss because of crappy run support.
And on a lighter note, Ortiz hits a home run in his PawSox start. Home field advantage here we come.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really defending Lugo. That was just my usual bit about how (although he has been bad) he may not be quite as horrific as everyone thinks he is.
ReplyDeleteOBP could be as overrated as wins for a pitcher when the rest of your stats are mediocre at best.
No matter what -- Getting on base = Very important. And more within a batter's control than wins are for a pitcher.
I'm not really defending Lugo. That was just my usual bit about how (although he has been bad) he may not be quite as horrific as everyone thinks he is.
ReplyDeleteLugo sucks, yes, but if we had Derek "Who Has Done Nothing But Win Since He Arrived In The Major Leagues" Jeter playing shortstop for us, we'd actually be stuck with a shortstop who reaches base even less frequently than Lugo!!
Jed Lowrie
ReplyDeleteNo matter what -- Clogging the bases = Very important.
ReplyDelete