7:10PM Eastern
Red Sox
Eduardo Rodriguez (L)
1. Enrique Hernandez (R) 2B
2. Jarren Duran (L) CF
3. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
4. Rafael Devers (L) 3B
5. J.D. Martinez (R) LF
6. Kevin Plawecki (R) DH
7. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF
8. Christian Vazquez (R) C
9. Franchy Cordero (L) 1B
Rays
Luis Patino (R)
1. Randy Arozarena (R) RF
2. Nelson Cruz (R) DH
3. Wander Franco (S) SS
4. Yandy Diaz (R) 3B
5. Austin Meadows (L) LF
6. Jordan Luplow (R) 1B
7. Manuel Margot (R) CF
8. Brandon Lowe (L) 2B
9. Mike Zunino (R) C
Gametime Temp: 73°F
Chance of Precip: 3%
This series will be the elevator. I'm thinking we're heading for the ground floor, just above the O's in the basement. But I hope I'm wrong.
I hadn't dared look at the standings until today. In the last 10 games we've lost 6 games to all three teams that were trailing us - TB, TOR and NYY all have gone 8-2 while the Sox went 2-8. It's bad enough that they're having such a bad stretch but it's unusual to have 3 other teams all surge at the same time.
The Sox really have created a mess for themselves. Don't know much about Pastino but this is an obvious game for the Sox to go out and right the ship, if they are able to.
The Rays announced that their starter tomorrow night, Wed (Yarbrough) was sent to the IL. That would be cringeworthy for some teams, but the Rays probably have 8-10 other quality pitchers in Tampa or the Durham farm to fill in nicely.
Looks to me that we have our backs to the wall, in more ways than one !!!! One game at a time !!!! iono iono iono iono rofl rofl rofl rofl
Eddy sharp early on. Lenny DiNardo pointed out how he was working at a good pace, just as I was thinking the same thing. He does a nice job on analysis even if he’s a bit dry.
Raffy with a HR. Maybe no good Dominican food on the road.
Renfroe goes yard for 3. Sweet.
I’m not gonna say anything right now. Carry on.
The bullpen strikes again. Sigh.
Barnes has reverted to the guy we thought he was. Now its a 4 run 9th inning.
They just don’t lose, they lose painfully.
Meatball Matt is back. The elevator is going down.
Matt Barnes continues to pitch stupid stupid baseball. He did not throw a single fastball to Meija in his at bat. We all see that Barnes is not mentally capable of closing. I also blame Vazquez for not going out there to calm him down. His sequence of pitches in the ninth to the Rays showed a guy who was terrified to be on the mound. He pitched scared and dug himself into a hole he could not get out of.
WHY is Barnes pitching in a tie game????
THIRD game in the last week that he has lost for the Sox.
WTF happened to this team??????????????????
Have no confidence that the Sox will be able to score 4 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning
to tie . . .
F^CK
Cora lost the team in '19, and it looks to be the story again in '21. He was saved by being suspended last year. But against the Rays the starter one again can only go 5 innings or so. That just can't happen with a bullpen lacking much quality, and with this crew having to manage 4-5 innings every night for months, they are toast.
There was a tweet overnight. 'Since July 21, Pawlecki is the only batter to have gotten a hit with a runner on third with fewer than two outs.' That is sad. On top of that the batters can't seem to draw walks, making their OBP some of the worst in the league. I don't think this is a team having morale problems from not getting good trades at the deadline. I think they were just a mediocre team all year, having a good start, but wilting away when they had to play the top clubs in the ALEast night after night since late June.
i CAN'T STAND HOW THEY LOSE BALL GAMES , NO URGENCY , NO PITCHING , NO FIRE !!!!!!! SWEEPING CHANGES , NOW GRASSHOPPER !!!!! thumb_d thumb_d :losers :losers iono iono sigh sigh rofl rofl rofl
Quote from: Sea Dog 23 on August 11, 2021, 04:40:31 AM
Cora lost the team in '19, and it looks to be the story again in '21. He was saved by being suspended last year. But against the Rays the starter one again can only go 5 innings or so. That just can't happen with a bullpen lacking much quality, and with this crew having to manage 4-5 innings every night for months, they are toast.
There was a tweet overnight. 'Since July 21, Pawlecki is the only batter to have gotten a hit with a runner on third with fewer than two outs.' That is sad. On top of that the batters can't seem to draw walks, making their OBP some of the worst in the league. I don't think this is a team having morale problems from not getting good trades at the deadline. I think they were just a mediocre team all year, having a good start, but wilting away when they had to play the top clubs in the ALEast night after night since late June.
OVERACHIEVERS THE 1ST HALF SUMS UPTHIS TEAM.
Their manager and coaches also need to step up their game. I don't think it is ability as much as it is mental. Their approach at the plate as a group sucks. The pitchers aren't pitching to the batter or situation. Lenny Dinardo has been excellent at pointing this out. In his own quiet way he has excoriated Barnes entire approach to hitters.
For the second game Codero totally misjudged a foul ball. Codero simply is not ready to play first base. It is unfair to him to play him there.
The players are playing stupid baseball. The coaches are coaching stupidly and the manager is managing stupidly. iono
Quote from: elktonnick on August 11, 2021, 07:07:46 AM
Their manager and coaches also need to step up their game. I don't think it is ability as much as it is mental. Their approach at the plate as a group sucks. The pitchers aren't pitching to the batter or situation. Lenny Dinardo has been excellent at pointing this out. In his own quiet way he has excoriated Barnes entire approach to hitters.
For the second game Codero totally misjudged a foul ball. Codero simply is not ready to play first base. It is unfair to him to play him there.
The players are playing stupid baseball. The coaches are coaching stupidly and the manager is managing stupidly. iono
B I N G O ON ALL COUNTS !!!!! CODERO MISSPLAYS THAT FOUL BALL & YOU COULD FEEL THE UNRAVELING COMING ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE IN SARASOTA FLORIDA !!! THANKS ALEX, THAT ONE IS ON YOU !!! thumb_d thumb_d sigh sigh sigh
Question , why is Codero even on this team ????????
Quote from: elktonnick on August 11, 2021, 07:07:46 AM
Their manager and coaches also need to step up their game. I don't think it is ability as much as it is mental. Their approach at the plate as a group sucks. The pitchers aren't pitching to the batter or situation. Lenny Dinardo has been excellent at pointing this out. In his own quiet way he has excoriated Barnes entire approach to hitters.
For the second game Codero totally misjudged a foul ball. Codero simply is not ready to play first base. It is unfair to him to play him there.
The players are playing stupid baseball. The coaches are coaching stupidly and the manager is managing stupidly. iono
It's amazing how they seem to be failing at pretty much everything. Last night they showed signs of life but then crapped their pants every time they had men in scoring position. The inability to drive in a run is striking. To a man they have terrible at bats. How telling to watch them hack at every breaking pitch coming their way, no matter where it's going, while the Rays, not a patient team, sits there and waits for pitches in the zone, knowing Sox pitchers are terrified to throw strikes. It's freaking amazing to watch.
It's such a shame because if they had Arroyo and Scwharber in there instead of Cordero and Duran or Dalbec, they'd likely be able to sustain some rallies. But by the time these guys get here it will be too late.
I'm pretty sure the Sox were 3 games up on the Rays after the All star break, even aruond the end of July. They've lost 8 games to the pack since then.
There is nothing here is going on that was not predictable. Cora's "stay the course" message is the definition of insanity according to the popular saying "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".
Playing homer ball doesn't work. never has, never will. Air cools down in October even if you do make it that far. Ironic that the team score all their runs by HRs goes to crap when the rest of baseball decides to learn how to hit again.
There is a price to pay for overusing the hot arms in the bullpen.
There is a price to pay for not giving young arms their due chances. They overthrow when they get off the train in AAA.
Is Feltman feeling how close he is now?
This one's a few weeks old now, but I'll say it again now that it's getting serious stupid. Munoz or Santana. (go look at Munoz career numbers, in case you're unsure. )