GAME #25 - WEDNESDAY, MAY 4, 2022 - LOS ANGELES ANGELS @ BOSTON RED SOX

[markj]

Barnes is making sure there will be no win tonight.

[markj]

So a 4-3 9th inning lead turns into an embarrassing rout. How's that Closer-by-Committee working out for you, Bloomer?

[elktonnick]

The mark of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.  Once again Cora and Bush prove that their entire approach to how they handle their pitchers is fundamentally flawed.  Please Matt Barnes is still constitutionally incapable of being a closer.  Diekman can not be trusted in high pressure situations and Sawamura simply can not be trusted period.
And Bloom is an idiot.

[SeaBeachFred]

The mark of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.  Once again Cora and Bush prove that their entire approach to how they handle their pitchers is fundamentally flawed.  Please Matt Barnes is still constitutionally incapable of being a closer.  Diekman can not be trusted in high pressure situations and Sawamura simply can not be trusted period.
And Bloom is an idiot.

In total agreement Elk, but we know by now that Cora is a stubborn bastard besides being a Filthy Rotten Cheater.  He will insist on doing things is way even if they blow up in his face, but we know some things right now that if he followed them we might see better days.  Like my Chargers in football, Lakers in basketball and Ducks in hockey this past half year, the Red Sox simply cannot win two games in a row. they cannot hold a one run lead in the ninth inning (seven blown saves so far this season), they continually win the first game of a series and then lose the next two, and they have no closer.  Their closer by committee is a total disaster and Barnes, Robles, Sawamura and most of the pen suck big time.  Whitlock should be installed as the closer because what good is he as a starter if the FRC won't stretch him out for a longer outing with that bullpen ready to throw kerosine on the mound.  Tomorrow we will lose a first home series in two weeks as we always seem to do, Cora will still try to convince himself that black is white and Bloom will continue to be transformed from a possible life saver into a total worthless shit of a baseball ops director.  I didn't see the game last night when we won, I didn't see the game tonight because I knew we would lose, and I  sure as hell won't watch the game tomorrow because we can no longer win a series with the trash we keep sending out on the mound and in the bullpen, and, frankly, I'm beginning to believe that many of our players don't really give a shit so why should I.

We face Ohtani tomorrow.  Think we can rise to the occasion or is that just a dumb question?

[longgame]

I was stunned into silence last night.  Couldn't believe they had this game in hand, an entertaining game where they kept trying to give it away but kept coming back.  But what a total freaking meltdown by the pen. 

The good news is we have good starting pitching and need to let these guys pitch.  The bad news is there's some stat geek somewhere telling them a guy can't throw more than a number of pitches, or can't face the same guy twice, etc.  It's an organizational approach.  Cora mentioned in his post game how they had lined up the bullpen to 'get the matchups we wanted'.  Why in hell would you base a game on your bullpen?  Base it around your starter, let him go deep and then go to the guys who AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH TO BE STARTERS! 

Of course the other aspect of this is apparently opposing teams get to have different balls when they're at bat since we've heard the Sox players moaning about the soft baseballs that they can't hit out.  The Warning Track Power Club excuses are wearing thin.

Bottom line is Bloom did nothing, got a SS to play 2B a week before the season, managed to find someone worse than Dalbec to make a piss-poor-platoon at 1B,doesn't have a complete outfield, and of course neglected to get a closer.  But I'm sure he's a delight at cocktails at Henry's $25MM house.

[SeaBeachFred]

So a 4-3 9th inning lead turns into an embarrassing rout. How's that Closer-by-Committee working out for you, Bloomer?

Don't forget Cora too markj.  He has bought into that CBC as well----as if the Red Sox front office doesn't remember 2003 or some of the other years like 2012 that we tried that horseshit CBC----and it didn't work back then either.  What good is it  to have Whitlock start for us, pitch five good innings and then throw up the game because of shitheads like Hansel, Meat Ball, Sayonara and he rest of that dingy crew that keep shitting the bed for us.  By now it should be obvious to the Fidel Castro lite that Whit is our best bet for closer and hope we hit enough sooner or later to give him a two or three run cushion when he comes in put down the game for us for a change.  And BTW, Cora, if you are tuning in, shave that  ridiculously looking beard you now sport because it looks like a pile of poo on you.

[longgame]

I always wonder what input Cora has on that.  He may have been saying "hey I need a closer" behind the scenes but he has to go with what he has.  We'll never know...

[elktonnick]

The way this team has been put together with so many guys out of position one must conclude that Blooming Idiot does not believe in players especially pitchers having assigned roles.

[longgame]

The way this team has been put together with so many guys out of position one must conclude that Blooming Idiot does not believe in players especially pitchers having assigned roles.

It's mind boggling yet we saw it last year when they went out and got Schwarber - a great guy who couldn't play for a month and had no natural position on this team.

[BoSoxFanNY]

So a 4-3 9th inning lead turns into an embarrassing rout. How's that Closer-by-Committee working out for you, Bloomer?

Don't forget Cora too markj.  He has bought into that CBC as well----as if the Red Sox front office doesn't remember 2003 or some of the other years like 2012 that we tried that horseshit CBC----and it didn't work back then either.  What good is it  to have Whitlock start for us, pitch five good innings and then throw up the game because of shitheads like Hansel, Meat Ball, Sayonara and he rest of that dingy crew that keep shitting the bed for us.  By now it should be obvious to the Fidel Castro lite that Whit is our best bet for closer and hope we hit enough sooner or later to give him a two or three run cushion when he comes in put down the game for us for a change.  And BTW, Cora, if you are tuning in, shave that  ridiculously looking beard you now sport because it looks like a pile of poo on you.

I AGREE - WHITLOCK should be our closer.
I just wonder if the Front Office has made a decision that they only want to use him as a Starter.

UGHHHHHHHHHH

[markj]

I read an article in The Boston Globe today that opined Whitlock should be stretched out to be a starter and that Houck should be the closer. Made some sense.

[MongoLikeSox]

Last night was what, the 4th game we crapped out in the end in the past 2 weeks? 'oy!!!

The Red Sox have never paid out for relievers. No problem going out and getting has-been types to play out of position for big money, but no-go on the pen. I will never understand that mind set, and it's getting more and more important.

But yeah, so depressing last night.

[markj]

Houck gets tapped for 2 runs today. Maybe not the best choice for a closer after all.

[longgame]

Whitlock looks like a great starter if they let him pitch.  Houck maybe but he has control issues, but huge top line potential.  But between the two of them and Rich Hill they have 1 1/2 starters.  Then they're going to get jerked around later when Sale and Paxton come off the IL. 

These guys are all capable of pitching 7 innings and keeping them in games.  That means you build around having a shut down guy, an 8th inning guy and a closer and then hope to fill in the gaps with the rest of the guys.   The problem is they never built the back end of the bullpen and we continue to pay nightly.

Every time I think about this team I get incensed with Bloom's malpractice.