WC GAME - TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2021 - NEW YORK YANKEES @ BOSTON RED SOX

[markj]

8:08PM Eastern

Red Sox

Nathan Eovaldi (R)


1. Kyle Schwarber (L) DH
2. Enrique Hernandez (R) CF
3. Rafael Devers (L) 3B
4. Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
5. Alex Verdugo (L) LF
6. Hunter Renfroe (R) RF
7. Kevin Plawecki (R) C
8. Bobby Dalbec (R) 1B
9. Christian Arroyo (R) 2B


Yankees

Gerrit Cole

1. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF
3. Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
4. Joey Gallo (L) LF
5. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
6. Brett Gardner (L) CF
7. Gio Urshela (R) 3B
8. Kyle Higashioka (R) C
9. Andrew Velazquez (S) SS

Gametime Temp:
Chance of Precip:

[markj]

Odd start time for Fenway. Probably because it's on ESPN. That's always a bad omen.

[elktonnick]

Any baseball game broadcast on ESPN is unwatchable.  Matt Vastergian is the absolute worst announcer doing baseball.  A-Rod is likewise horrendous.  ESPN will spend half the game doing interviews extraneous to events on the field. 

[Sea Dog 23]

Looking at the battery, Eovaldi has had better success throwing to Plaweki this season than to Vaz.
3.50 ERA, 2.49 FIP, .651 OPS vs. (with Vaz) 4.77 ERA, 3.47 FIP, .766 OPS.

The Sox really do not have anybody to cover for Arroyo if he has to leave the game.  If Sale or another pitcher is deactivated, who do they bring up?  They could call up Arauz for infield depth and a pinch runner if it's a tight game in the 8th or 9th, Duran could serve as well.  But if they make a couple roster changes, they might have to DFA a player or two.  I'm sure there's another plan B if they beat the Yankees on Tuesday.

[SeaBeachFred]

ESPN bad vibes, lousy  past announcers,  past history of the station favoring the Yankees---we have to say to hell with that and so do the Red Sox who have to stand tall and take care of the New Yorkers tomorrow evening.  Since 1920 it has been almost all Yankee big wins and almost all Red Sox failures in crucial head to head competition and our team has to put a stop to that once and for all.  To me I still think the Red Sox have a feeling of inferiority to that team.  We have beaten then twice, in 2004 and 2018 but the Yankees have gotten us so much more, 1949, 1999, 2003, not to mention so many more.  We need to go out there tomorrow and take it to them good and proper, beat then and end their season with no excuses, equivocations, reasons, history or any of that crap.  SEND THE YANKEES HOME THIS TIME; SEND THEM TO THE OFF SEASON, and it would be good to finally see Bogaerts step up and be a big gun in a game that means the season because he has been AWOL in the clutch for many of us the past few months and for me since he has been on the team. 

[SeaBeachFred]

Looking at the battery, Eovaldi has had better success throwing to Plaweki this season than to Vaz.
3.50 ERA, 2.49 FIP, .651 OPS vs. (with Vaz) 4.77 ERA, 3.47 FIP, .766 OPS.

The Sox really do not have anybody to cover for Arroyo if he has to leave the game.  If Sale or another pitcher is deactivated, who do they bring up?  They could call up Arauz for infield depth and a pinch runner if it's a tight game in the 8th or 9th, Duran could serve as well.  But if they make a couple roster changes, they might have to DFA a player or two.  I'm sure there's another plan B if they beat the Yankees on Tuesday.

Cora doesn't see anything in the catching department but the fact that Vazquez, who I think calls a shitty game for our team, is a fellow countryman while Plawecki is not so CV will be behind the plate no matter what so let's hope he has one of his real good games on both fronts.  I just hope Alex is at his best in the dugout and the team rises to the occasion.  Maybe this will be the time that the Red Sox say that they can beat the Yankees when they  have to and no residue of hesitation or fear still permates the ball club.  Gosh, I sure hope so.

[MongoLikeSox]

Man, I so hate having that game on ESPN. I knew it was already, but it's still depressing to acknowledge. But hey, it makes it that much sweeter should we prevail.

This group of players was anxious and nervous for most of the season, with short periods of elation or being down on themselves. The one thing that they were, though, was unbeatable when they decided - as a group - to stop swinging like a bunch of crazed gorillas. It got them out of more team slumps than I can ever remember. They got made to look foolish by some low level pitching this year. I don't even see this as an option. They go for the fences all night, they watch the rest of the playoffs on TV like the rest of us.

162 into this season and I still don't know if this is the best-bad team or the worst-good team I've ever seen. I've never seen a complete season of a team as bunged up AND as over anxious as this one was from beginning to end. These guys did it without full support of upper management, and while having to navigate the tricky terrain of their Manager's dog house and the worst 40-man Roster we've ever seen. Yet here we are. Chaim Bloom should be mortified by Cora giving in the lineup card yesterday. No, this one goes to about 30 guys who were thrown to the sharks and told "try not to bleed too much!" To them, I salute. Never seen anything like it. Congrats to them, and stay in your shoes tomorrow night!

[Sea Dog 23]

Speaking of the media, listening to WEEI radio this afternoon, they're still having a big buzz about the Brady-Belachick bonanza a day later.  The only mention of the Sox-Yanks, they're trying to get some talk going by offering free tickets to Fenway for some callers.  Not good, I think they had one caller in over 45 minutes.

[MongoLikeSox]

Speaking of the media, listening to WEEI radio this afternoon, they're still having a big buzz about the Brady-Belachick bonanza a day later.  The only mention of the Sox-Yanks, they're trying to get some talk going by offering free tickets to Fenway for some callers.  Not good, I think they had one caller in over 45 minutes.

Most of us remember some of the early to mid 90's when it seemed like the ownership group did not care nor invest in the product. The guys on the field do care, at least. They might get way too over aggressive for their own good. Maybe even selfish at times. They do care for the most part, and they do play hard. Luckily. it didn't take 95 wins to get in this year.

[longgame]

Speaking of the media, listening to WEEI radio this afternoon, they're still having a big buzz about the Brady-Belachick bonanza a day later.  The only mention of the Sox-Yanks, they're trying to get some talk going by offering free tickets to Fenway for some callers.  Not good, I think they had one caller in over 45 minutes.

Boston sports media is pathetic.  It's kind of like ESPN only local. On ESPN they'll cover the NBA day and night 365 days a year.  In Boston, they don't realize that football in New England is toast for the time being.  As someone who moved away from New England just before the Pats got good and when the Celts were in the tank, it's hard to fathom.  The Red Sox were the only game in town for a while after big runs of the Bruins and Celtics in the 60s-80s. 

[longgame]

Looking at the battery, Eovaldi has had better success throwing to Plaweki this season than to Vaz.
3.50 ERA, 2.49 FIP, .651 OPS vs. (with Vaz) 4.77 ERA, 3.47 FIP, .766 OPS.

The Sox really do not have anybody to cover for Arroyo if he has to leave the game.  If Sale or another pitcher is deactivated, who do they bring up?  They could call up Arauz for infield depth and a pinch runner if it's a tight game in the 8th or 9th, Duran could serve as well.  But if they make a couple roster changes, they might have to DFA a player or two.  I'm sure there's another plan B if they beat the Yankees on Tuesday.

I've seen a lot of reports anticipating Plawecki to catch tonight.  He can't throw out a runner or block a pitch but he calls a decent game and can hit. 

Not sure what the latest is on JDM.

[MongoLikeSox]

I was shocked to see 8% caught stealing. I know the inconsistent handling of the throws by the rotating array of second baseman this year has to be a factor, but not 8%.

[longgame]

JD out for tonight.  I'll see if I can get a copy of the roster for the game.   Arauz is in as backup IF,  also Taylor activated.  Sale is not available.

[Bill-806]

NOT SURE , BUT I THINK DURAN WILL BE ON TONIGHTS ROSTER !!! SPEED, SPEED, SPEED !!!   thumb_u thumb_u rofl rofl

[longgame]

Pitchers (12): Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Austin Davis, Nathan Eovaldi, Tanner Houck, Adam Ottavino, Nick Pivetta, Garrett Richards, Hansel Robles, Eduardo Rodriguez, Josh Taylor, Garrett Whitlock

Catchers (3): Kevin Plawecki, Christian Vázquez, Connor Wong

Infielders (6): Jonathan Araúz, Christian Arroyo, Xander Bogaerts, Bobby Dalbec, Rafael Devers, Travis Shaw

Outfielders (4): Jarren Duran, Hunter Renfroe, Kyle Schwarber, Alex Verdugo

Infielder/Outfielders (1): Kiké Hernández