So there seems to be a lot of panic about the lack of offense. Shut out in the 11th game of the season, whereas it took 67 games for it to happen last year. It's troubling, but didn't we see this coming? We knew the offense would suffer, but the expectation was that the pitching would be improved. And it clearly has. Yes, Clement, Wells (now on the DL), and Wake each has had one awful start , but the Sox have now won 3 games in which they scored 2 runs or fewer. That matches last year's total. That's something to be happy about. And the bullpen ERA is over a point better than it was year.
Hopefully I didn't just jinx them. But it seems a little early to panic.
P.S. anyone else notice that people seem happier with a mellow, no-complaints Manny who slugs .200 than they are with a spacey, wants-out-of-Boston Manny who slugs .600?
P.P.S. Also, a proposed rule: anyone who laments the Sox lack of offense has no right also lamenting the Arroyo-Wily Mo trade. Guy has an OPS over 1, thank you.
As Theo said, the value of a run prevented is as important as a run scored.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is that people will ALWAYS find something to complain about with this team. Dinardo will probably come out and pitch five strong innings, the bullpen will finish and then everyone will complain that the pen is tired.
And the team is struggling, but Coco has been hurt, Nixon is hurt and Manny has not hit yet, so its not representative of what we could expect.
Blown call - even Tek started walking back to the dugout.
ReplyDeleteNice gift.
And holy crap Shelton has another HR.
ReplyDeleteYeah, serious gift. I can't understand why umps don't take players' responses as a sign. I'll always remember in the 1999 ALCS, when Knoblauch missed tagging Offerman by about 2 feet, so walked back to position...and was told he got the 3rd out so should've been walking to the dugout.
ReplyDeleteThat's ridunkulous. Arroyo's pitching today. I think I'm actually rooting against him getting a hit, just so people in Boston will shut up about him for a little while.
ReplyDelete"Arroyo's pitching today. I think I'm actually rooting against him getting a hit, just so people in Boston will shut up about him for a little while."
ReplyDeleteI would bet Theo is thinking the same thing.
Its too bad Beckett has not really adapted well to the big stage of Boston.
ReplyDeleteDid you mean *insanity* or is it a derivative of inane?
ReplyDeleteOriginally I wrote "insanity" (good call), but I liked "inanity" better - yeah, it's from "inane".
ReplyDeleteWow, thanks Beltre.
Oof - Pena. Don't do that.
ReplyDeleteOf course, what he did was no worse what Nixon did, only he didn't get hurt. But he'll get much more shit for it.
ReplyDeleteSo much for out improved defense, this inning.....
ReplyDeleteSo this will be an old fashioned game. 10-9 Sox, I'm calling it now.
"But he'll get much more shit for it."
ReplyDeleteTo the crowd's credit, I didn't hear much booing.
Good time here for a Ramirez HR.
ReplyDeleteEither that or a 35 foot ground out.
ReplyDeleteeither one.
ReplyDeleteSame difference really.
ReplyDeleteDid you see Iguchi's play from yesterday? That may turn out to be the play of the season. (There's a video of it on mlb.com.)
Yeah, how the hell he made the throw while falling down was amazing. I think I tried that in little league once and the ball ended up out by the ice cream stand in RF.
ReplyDeleteCome on Gonzalez...
ReplyDeleteDid you see the quotes from Barry about his elbow saying that he will retire if it requires surgery?
ReplyDeleteI know he has said that even he does not believe half the stuff he says, but this one ranks up there with Guillen retiring after winning the WS.
Yessss...
ReplyDeleteYeah, Barry's not retiring until he's unable to walk (or is sent to prison).
ReplyDeleteCome on Youk...
Come on Youk
ReplyDeleteYouk with the Paul O'Neill bat slam.
ReplyDeleteJim Thome with another homer also. Only the game's delayed, so it might be erased.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a reporter, I would not even bother reporting them. Or perhaps report it with a mocking disclaimer.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of mocking - Phil Mushnik ripped into sterling today in the post - it was pretty funny. The guy is an asshole and gets very old very quickly, but he must not have a single friend. Of course his job does not require (or allow) him to be at the parks - I assume he just sits at home and watches TV 24/7, but could you imagine if he bumped into the people he rips on a daily basis?
And another gem from the NY papers - I love that George King keeps refering to Pavano's injury as "sore butt." Classic.
ReplyDeletethis is the same George that all winter and early spring claimed that Pavano was the key to the Yankees success this year. then when he got hurt, basically ignored it and still predicted the Yanks to win it all and hardly mentions "How important" it would be for Pavano to get back on the hill.
This would be a good time for a Manny HR.
ReplyDeleteThere come the Pena boos. Idiots.
ReplyDeleteBec-KK-ett!!!!
ReplyDeleteArroyo just gave up another HR. now he is at negative 1.
ReplyDeleteTimlin - 8th?
ReplyDeletePapelbon - 9th?
Oh - Arroyo - another bomb.
ReplyDeleteNegative 2.
Man is becoming an all glove, no hit player.
ReplyDeleteYou're not kidding!
ReplyDeleteTimlin looks terrible. Three very well hit balls.
ReplyDeleteThis is a good time for a WMP XBH.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time, I would expect WMP to have leveled the 1B on that play - except Sexson is probably the only 1B in the league bigger than him.
ReplyDeleteThe pitching was good enough to win, but the offense still required some help from the umps. Come on guys.
ReplyDeleteA win is a win. Of course there will be somehting for people to complain about. Probably the lack of offense.
ReplyDelete