GAME #93, SUNDAY, JULY 14, 2019, L.A. DODGERS @ BOSTON RED SOX

[SeaBeachFred]

The lead article in today's Herald on the Red Sox game last night begins with, "Alex Cora didn't seem to think....."  I didn't need to read any further that pretty much said it all.

Is astounding to extreme a word Elk for the apparent melt down of Cora this season. His mistakes defy imagination and his constant tinkering and experimenting in mid-July is fodder for those of us who think what he accomplished last season  was either a mirage or the biggest chunk of luck in baseball history.  What seems even more far fetched, but I swear to it, is that he actually has favorites and plays them.  Velasquez's usefulness to the team expired     last season and he s till keeps writing Nunez/ name in the lineup when we face a left hander even though he seems to have no luck against them either.  Somebody needs to shake the hell out of Alex and get his brain working instead of his ass.

[SeaBeachFred]

At least, three mental errors that won't appear in score card cost the Red Sox the ball game, one by the third base coach in sending Devers, one by the Manager in not bunting  JBJ to third and finally JBJs brain dead attempt to go to third on a ground ball in front of him.  The obstruction call against Velasquez was another unforced error.  There more instances of questionable moves but these illustrate just how much this team is suffering from its lack of paying attention to detail this season.

IMO this state of affairs can all be laid squarely in the manager's lap who has not gotten this team ready to play mentally sharp baseball since day one.

D D,  MAKE CHANGES NOW , GRASSHOPPER !!!! iono iono

BREAKING NEWS ……. NUNEZ , GONE,  D F A  …… VELEQEZ  to I/95 PAWTUCKET …….  YES, GRASSHOPPER !!!! thumb_u thumb_u

If only that was true, but as long as Alex is in charge they will stay and be used as though they are key players to the Red Sox instead of sunk costs.

[longgame]

No he's right, Nunez was DFA'd.  Velasquez will be back.  It was him or Walden at that point, pick your poison.  That's the problem of not having enough arms in the pen. 

[Sea Dog 23]

Symbolic of the Sox pitching.  Velazquez giving 3 runs, 2 hits, 2 BB (1 with bases loaded), obstruction.  Kelly with the save in a clean inning. Kelly was replaced by some n'erdo'wells, although his ERA  is hovering about 7 this year.

Another pitcher going only 5 once again exposes our BP, already gassed this year.  Good bye Levangie.

The indictment against Levangie is that our pitchers have not gotten better this season.....not at all.  Sale keep[s talking about trying to find his good release point but he hasn't and I won der no more if our pitching coach has been helpful in that regard and we all know the answer to that and to what is up with Porcello, and what is up with Price and so on and so forth.  Levangei must be canned at the end of the season, if not before, and replaced by a coach who kn ows pitching and how to tutor pitchers when they slump.  Yes, pitcher can have slumps just like hit ters but in our case there seems to be no improvement amongst any of them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall Levangie's background as that of a scout, then a bull pen coach at the MLB level, but only a bench coach for the time Farrell was on medical leave five years ago. I winced at the time last year, but it worked at least for a year.

[elktonnick]

Lavangie was a catcher.  I can find no record that he ever pitched to a batter at any level of organized baseball, amateur or professional.

[longgame]

He was not a pitcher and that makes for a strange resume for a pitching coach.

[elktonnick]

According to what I read it was the Manager's call to hire him.