I'll be honest I can't follow baseball closely any more. It's too boring. How did the Red Sox get here? What is the story of their season?
They were supposed to be bottom dwellers and now they are two games from the World Series? How have they built it back up in a year? And why can't the Yankees do this?
Boegarts, Devers, and Martinez are 3 of the better hitters in the AL.
Verdugo, Hernandez, Renfroe are also no slouches plus adding Schwarber at the deadline
but they toppled the Rays who had a much better run diff +206 to +80. And now they might topple the Astros who were +205.
I'm wondering have they found any efficiency that is propelling them? Or are they just hot?
but they toppled the Rays who had a much better run diff +206 to +80. And now they might topple the Astros who were +205.
I'm wondering have they found any efficiency that is propelling them? Or are they just hot?
Regular season run differential is overrated in the playoffs. In a 5 game series you are using your best relievers at least 4 games. Since there are days off between games 2 and 3 and between games 4 and 5 you could have a reliever go in 1, 2, one of 3 or 4, and 5. How often can you get 4 out of 5 games from multiple arms in the regular season? If you have a strong pen you don’t need the starter to go through the lineup a 3rd time.
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4th in runs in the AL
but they toppled the Rays who had a much better run diff +206 to +80. And now they might topple the Astros who were +205.
I'm wondering have they found any efficiency that is propelling them? Or are they just hot?
Regular season run differential is overrated in the playoffs. In a 5 game series you are using your best relievers at least 4 games. Since there are days off between games 2 and 3 and between games 4 and 5 you could have a reliever go in 1, 2, one of 3 or 4, and 5. How often can you get 4 out of 5 games from multiple arms in the regular season? If you have a strong pen you don’t need the starter to go through the lineup a 3rd time.
right, I get it, the game is played differently. That helped the 90s Yanks with their great bullpen. Do the Red Sox have an exceptionally good bullpen?
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In comment 15422195 Producer said:
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4th in runs in the AL
but they toppled the Rays who had a much better run diff +206 to +80. And now they might topple the Astros who were +205.
I'm wondering have they found any efficiency that is propelling them? Or are they just hot?
Regular season run differential is overrated in the playoffs. In a 5 game series you are using your best relievers at least 4 games. Since there are days off between games 2 and 3 and between games 4 and 5 you could have a reliever go in 1, 2, one of 3 or 4, and 5. How often can you get 4 out of 5 games from multiple arms in the regular season? If you have a strong pen you don’t need the starter to go through the lineup a 3rd time.
right, I get it, the game is played differently. That helped the 90s Yanks with their great bullpen. Do the Red Sox have an exceptionally good bullpen?
They are not all that heralded, but Whitlock had a strong year out of the pen and can give the multiple inning stints that Miller gave for Indians. Taylor is really strong against lefties. More contact to righties, but he keeps it to singles. Houck’s stuff also ticked up being used out of the pen and he can go 2 innings as well.
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In comment 15422198 Mike in NY said:
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In comment 15422195 Producer said:
Quote:
4th in runs in the AL
but they toppled the Rays who had a much better run diff +206 to +80. And now they might topple the Astros who were +205.
I'm wondering have they found any efficiency that is propelling them? Or are they just hot?
Regular season run differential is overrated in the playoffs. In a 5 game series you are using your best relievers at least 4 games. Since there are days off between games 2 and 3 and between games 4 and 5 you could have a reliever go in 1, 2, one of 3 or 4, and 5. How often can you get 4 out of 5 games from multiple arms in the regular season? If you have a strong pen you don’t need the starter to go through the lineup a 3rd time.
right, I get it, the game is played differently. That helped the 90s Yanks with their great bullpen. Do the Red Sox have an exceptionally good bullpen?
They are not all that heralded, but Whitlock had a strong year out of the pen and can give the multiple inning stints that Miller gave for Indians. Taylor is really strong against lefties. More contact to righties, but he keeps it to singles. Houck’s stuff also ticked up being used out of the pen and he can go 2 innings as well.
Thanks for the Red Sox primer!
Surprised nobody is mentioning Kike Hernandez though. He has been unreal
Surprised nobody is mentioning Kike Hernandez though. He has been unreal
Yeah Kike and then Verdugo was a great steal in that Dodgers trade for Mookie.
I have been following them since Spring training as I am a huge fan and early on they looked like a less than 80 win team on paper mainly due to their pitching concerns.
But after they lost their first series 0-3 to Baltimore and won 10-12 in a row they exploded and sailed right to the All Star break. Then they had an epic collapse and had to fight their way back in it.
If they didn't get hot to start the year they likely wouldn't be here.
They have an amazing team. Something special happened to them this year. They love Alex Cora. And they have gotten insanely hot again. They found out how to click again on offense and focus also on the next at bat and not just their own.
Chris Sale has done wonders for motivation as well even if his last few games were mediocre. He is a leader and a voice they respect.
There is no real answer. Just a great baseball story so far.
Gunna be a 7 game series I betcha.
As discussed many times on Yankee threads, just a few years ago, Gio, DJL, Sanchez, and Torres had their bats on fire. Throw in some production from Gardner and Hicks and that was over half of your lineup. Boston and Houston (and Rays) get MUCH better production from the lower half of their lineups.
This year, geez, none of these guys would be starting on any of the final four teams, maybe final eight? How can production just fall off a cliff like it did? It wasn't just the hitting coach specifically. It is likely related to the 'swing for the fences' approach producing lots of pop outs and strike outs. (Gallo struck out almost 50% of his plate appearances while sporting a .160 avg...) Almost every stat in hitting was low if not miserable.
I am fine with their pitching staff and BP, but something drastic needs to be done in their approach at the plate, whether it is a philosophy or personnel. That starts at the GM's office.
As discussed many times on Yankee threads, just a few years ago, Gio, DJL, Sanchez, and Torres had their bats on fire. Throw in some production from Gardner and Hicks and that was over half of your lineup. Boston and Houston (and Rays) get MUCH better production from the lower half of their lineups.
This year, geez, none of these guys would be starting on any of the final four teams, maybe final eight? How can production just fall off a cliff like it did? It wasn't just the hitting coach specifically. It is likely related to the 'swing for the fences' approach producing lots of pop outs and strike outs. (Gallo struck out almost 50% of his plate appearances while sporting a .160 avg...) Almost every stat in hitting was low if not miserable.
I am fine with their pitching staff and BP, but something drastic needs to be done in their approach at the plate, whether it is a philosophy or personnel. That starts at the GM's office.
My perspective on the Yankees is that a lot of their hitters hit for power, not average. They just don't seem to have the versatility. Judge is a great hitter overall, DJ didn't hit for most of the year, and you're left with people like Joey Gallo and Sanchez who if they don't hit home runs strike out a lot. It took Stanton a long time to come around as well.
The Sox have a fair amount of guys who manage to get on base and more guys that hit for a good average (Martinez, Bogearts, Devers to an extent, Verdugo, and now holy cow, Kike) so they have more flexibility.
The Yankees need more people like Judge and DJ, fewer like Gallo and Sanchez. Also, I don't follow them closely enough to understand what happened with Torres--what happened to him? Was it the position switch?
Two organizations (Padres and Rays) thought Renfroe was only
a platoon player, in fact the never make a mistake Rays cut him after the season as in DFA.
He is going to make some money this offseason.
Sale coming back helped, but he hasn't pitched well in the postseason.
When you have been scoring about 10 runs a game in the postseason, that certainly helps.
Their pitching is nothing special.
I have not been watching a lot since the Yanks were eliminated. I saw a little of the first few games, and saw the last couple innings of Game 4.
It seems it is feast or famine for the Sawx.
I mean they also finish in last place too,
when not winning. Hal is just too scared to get rid
of Cashman, he has one year left on his deal...you can hope.
Nice to see.
Nice to see.
It makes me sad haha.
Gunna be tough for Boston to win two in Houston after dropping two at home.
This is giving me heartburn and itching my alcoholism.
Fenway was a massive party all year. This can't be the end of Fenway This year.
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After ex-Yanks 'All World' Whitlock and Eovaldi get hammered last night.
Nice to see.
It makes me sad haha.
Gunna be tough for Boston to win two in Houston after dropping two at home.
This is giving me heartburn and itching my alcoholism.
Fenway was a massive party all year. This can't be the end of Fenway This year.
There's always next year.
The Sox got SHUT DOWN the last 3 games.
Astros know how to shut down cheating since they invented it.
As discussed many times on Yankee threads, just a few years ago, Gio, DJL, Sanchez, and Torres had their bats on fire. Throw in some production from Gardner and Hicks and that was over half of your lineup. Boston and Houston (and Rays) get MUCH better production from the lower half of their lineups.
This year, geez, none of these guys would be starting on any of the final four teams, maybe final eight? How can production just fall off a cliff like it did? It wasn't just the hitting coach specifically. It is likely related to the 'swing for the fences' approach producing lots of pop outs and strike outs. (Gallo struck out almost 50% of his plate appearances while sporting a .160 avg...) Almost every stat in hitting was low if not miserable.
I am fine with their pitching staff and BP, but something drastic needs to be done in their approach at the plate, whether it is a philosophy or personnel. That starts at the GM's office.
I agree with this for the most part. The yanks seemed to have a fine approach over the last 6 weeks or so but maybe they just mashed more HRs which makes any approach look good.
Torres and DJLM killed the yanks this year. Can’t have that occur next year.