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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 8, 2021 19:24:51 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 3h #BlueJays 9, #RedSox 8, final.
* Sox have lost 9 of 11 after a 2-8 road trip.
* They are 11-17 since July 6.
* Pitching has allowed 68 runs in the last 11 games.
* Sox pitchers walked five. Four came around to score.
"100-percent on me," said Matt Barnes, who offered no excuses.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 8, 2021 19:31:53 GMT -5
Pete Abraham @peteabe · 2h The Sox are 4 games out, their largest deficit of the season They were up by 2.5 games a month ago.
Jays, Yankees and Rays are 24-6 since the trade deadline. Sox are 2-8.
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Post by scrappyunderdog on Aug 8, 2021 20:35:31 GMT -5
Lou Merloni @loumerloni · 2h Tough loss. But as bad as it’s been lately this one didn’t bother me as much. They got 5 from Richards. They hit the ball finally. Taylor killed them and Sawamura got hurt. Barnes missed location. They need a day off and start season back up again starting Tuesday vs TB
Because they lost a game they were up 7-2..yes, I agree. BUT, the rotation is about to be set. Perez and Richards to the pen. JD, Bogey, Devers and Verdugo swinging it again. Offense is about to take off. They need to show up Tuesday like it’s Opening Day. We’ll, maybe game 4 I agree with Lou, but this one was still brutal. You could see the entire rest of the game once Barnes walked the #9 hitter. It's not like the game is an etched in stone loss with Springer coming up, but walking the #9 with someone like Springer coming up is usually a harbinger of bad things to come.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 2:40:04 GMT -5
Three takeaways from Red Sox's road trip Shifts in Boston's offense, pitching momentum prior to homestand August 8th, 2021 Megan Garcia
Megan Garcia @garciamegan_
After dropping the first two games of the four-game series, the Red Sox weren’t able to salvage the series split as a three-run eighth-inning homer from George Springer provided the final blow as Boston fell to Toronto, 9-8, on Sunday at Rogers Centre.
Closer Matt Barnes, tasked with getting four outs to finish out the series finale with Boston leading, 8-6, left a 2-2 fastball over the middle of the plate that Springer hit out of the park to diminish any hopes the Red Sox had to walk away with a win.
“Just plain and simple, the ball leaked in the middle and he put a good swing on it," Barnes said. "We were trying to execute a fastball away there to him. Given the at-bat yesterday and how that played out today, I didn't think he would be sitting on another fastball.”
The four games in Toronto were filled with highs and lows for the Red Sox. They flashed a version of the team that made them an early playoff contender, as well as the rendition that has more recently lost ground in the American League East standings.
But the 2-8 road trip ended on a few positive notes for Boston, as the offense put up a commanding lead early in the finale to back Garrett Richards' five-inning start, as he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
Barnes was tagged for the loss, his second in the series, as the Red Sox (65-49) sit four games back of the first-place Rays (68-44) in the AL East, while their lead in the AL Wild Card race is down to one game.
As the Red Sox trek back to Boston before their pivotal three-game series against Tampa Bay, here are three takeaways from the road trip:
Offense shifts the momentum When Alex Verdugo clubbed his 11th long ball of the season during Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader to tie the game at 1, there was an inkling that the homer shifted the momentum for the Red Sox. They won the game in extras, 2-1, and the offense only continued to head up overnight.
Boston responded with seven runs on 10 hits against Ryu on Sunday, and one run against the bullpen, far surpassing its typical run-scoring output from the past 15 contests, in which the Red Sox averaged 2.8 runs per game.
The offensive turnaround can also be contributed to J.D. Martinez, who went 4-for-5 with three RBIs in his return to the lineup after being on the COVID-19-related injured list. The designated hitter has struggled at the plate recently, as he slashed .167/.194/.267 with three RBIs in the previous seven games.
“We did some great things,” manager Alex Cora said. “Let's carry that over, with that and [Eduardo Rodriguez] has the ball, [we can] set the tempo from the get-go and try to get the W [on Tuesday].”
Rotation righting the ship Cora said that the Red Sox's pitching and offensive struggles started back in early July when they won two out of three in Oakland by one-run scores. Since then, Boston went from first place in the AL East with a 4 1/2 game lead to sitting atop the AL Wild Card.
The rotation has taken the brunt of the Red Sox's 13 losses since the All-Star break, with a 1-7 record and a 5.44 ERA entering Sunday -- the second-highest average in MLB in that span. But nine scoreless innings from Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck in Saturday's doubleheader, along with a scheduled return from Chris Sale for Aug. 14, the rotation sees brighter days ahead.
“It'll be good, but we got games before [Sale] pitches," Cora said. "We're going to take care of business first. We got a tough series against the Rays. Go back to Fenway, do our thing and start playing better baseball.”
Home sweet home The Red Sox wrapped up their 10-game road trip with eight losses. Though they’ve been one of the better teams on the road with a 32-27 record, Boston has lost six of its last 17 games on the road.
But after Sunday’s loss dropped the season series, the Red Sox head back to familiar territory. The Red Sox's 33-22 record at home is the fourth best in the American League, which should help with the beginnings of a hot streak against none other than the first-place Rays to kick off the six-game homestand.
"We're still in a good spot, let's be honest. It was a tough road trip, but we'll go home and dominate at home,” Cora said. “Looking forward to going home, [resetting] tomorrow. We know certain guys that we're going to add this week to [the] roster -- they're gonna help us out.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 3:08:26 GMT -5
George Springer leads Blue Jays to a stunning comeback win over the Red Sox By Julian McWilliams Globe Staff,Updated August 8, 2021, 5:14 p.m.
Just when Red Sox fans felt their team finally made it out of their extended rut of bad baseball, their worst fears were realized in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday’s 9-8 loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Matt Barnes replaced Adam Ottavino with two outs and a runner on first and the Sox in control of an 8-6 lead in the bottom of the eighth.
Barnes walked the nine-hole hitter of the Blue Jays’ lineup which brought up George Springer, who represented the go-ahead run. But that’s when Springer changed that, sending a go-ahead three-run homer off Barnes, his former University of Connecticut baseball teammate, delivering yet another gut-punch to the Red Sox and their fans.
For their second day in a row, Barnes surrendered a game-deciding home run.
“Plain and simple, the ball leaked middle and he put a good swing on it,” Barnes said afterward. “Just to be frank, in a game in which we score eight runs, we got to win that ballgame. The one today is 100 percent on me. I got to make a better pitch. Not only to Springer. I got to get [Reese] McGuire out there.”
On a weekend that featured a tough group of Blue Jays starters, a scuffling Red Sox squad, and COVID-19 issues and scares, the Sox couldn’t escape Toronto soon enough.
“It’s a tough one,” manager Alex Cora said. “I think, offensively, we did a lot of good things, although we had a chance to put them away, too, and we did not do that. That’s a good offensive team, they have a great team over there. And they’re going to keep pushing.”
The loss came on a day the Red Sox offense chased Hyun-Jin Ryu out of the contest after 3⅔ innings, 10 hits, and seven earned runs. It was tied for Ryu’s shortest outing of the season.
The Blue Jays struck first in the bottom of the first inning following a Corey Dickerson RBI single, scoring Springer.
The Red Sox responded in the second. J.D. Martinez, who went 4 for 5 with two runs scored and three runs driven in on the day he was reinstated from the COVID-related injured list, laced a single off Ryu, sparking a three-run outburst in the inning. The Sox, collectively, totaled 16 hits.
“I just felt like I stuck to my plan,” Martinez said. “And that was it. I got some pitches I can hit and you know, put a couple good swings on him.”
The Sox scored one run in the second, then three more runs in the fourth to take a 7-2 lead.
But the Blue Jays always lurked and Springer delivered the final blow in the eighth as the Red Sox (65-49) dropped four games astern of the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays (68-44), who rallied from a 5-0 deficit for a 9-6 win in Baltimore. The Red Sox finished 2-8 on the road trip.
Garrett Richards submitted a serviceable five innings for the Red Sox, allowing four runs in that span.
“We didn’t win, so that sucks,” Richards said. “ some good things, some bad things. Once it leaves my hand there’s nothing I can do. I’m just trying to attract guys and throw a lot of strikes and see what happens.”
The Red Sox now travel home for a three-game set against the Rays beginning Tuesday. The Sox, who have lost nine of their last 11 and are 10-13 since the All-Star break, understand the tough road ahead.
“All of us know that it’s a big series,” Barnes said. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks, particularly kind of since the All-Star break. But we have a good team. And this is a team that was in first place going into the All-Star break. Stretches like this happen.”
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 3:21:24 GMT -5
Red Sox Stats @redsoxstats · 9h Rays coming to Fenway lined up with Patino, Fleming, and Yarbrough. Not exactly Glasnow, Snell and Morton walking through the door. Win the series, take care of the O's, the damage is done but a good old-fashioned pennant race will be on.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 7:41:31 GMT -5
After a disastrous road trip it's time to reset the Red Sox
By Rob Bradford 2 hours ago
June 30. It was the jumping off point. The beginning of a 10-game road trip. The before and after of this year's trade deadline.
Checking in 10 games later, the Red Sox have been forced to take a big gulp and offer up their best Kevin Bacon. "Remain calm. All is well."
After the most back-breaking loss of the season -- the 9-8 defeat at the hands of the Blue Jays which was punctuated by George Springer's eighth-inning three-run homer -- it was Garrett Richards who played the role of Chip Diller.
"It's been pretty terrible," said the Sox starting pitcher, whose team carried a 7-2 lead into the fifth inning. "The good thing is tonight the offense showed up and guys were raking balls all over the place, so that's a positive. We're just looking forward to the off day tomorrow and just kind of getting off the road and starting fresh when we come back Tuesday. We're still a good ballclub. Yeah, we're discouraged, but there's no faith lost. We know what we have. We know the lineup we have. We know our pitching staff. We know what we're bringing to the table. The first half wasn't a joke. We're just trying to get back on the same page and get rolling again. Every time I feel like goes through this at some point during the season. It's unfortunate it's happening right now, but this is a good ballclub. You shouldn't sleep on this team."
Richards added, "We're super positive. We're going through a rough stretch right now, but we fully believe we're going to win this thing. There's not any lost faith here. We've had a bad road trip. It's one road trip. There's a lot of games left to play. We still have our foot on the gas. Nobody's letting up. It's a little frustrating right now, but every team goes through this at some point during the year. We're not down. We know what we have in the clubhouse and we know what we've done so far. A little discouragement, a little frustration, but for the most part we're on to the next game and every game we feel like we're still going to win. This team's not discouraged. We know what we have in the clubhouse. We're talented. We know how to win games, and we've proven that."
Fair enough.
It's fine to turn the page. At this point in the baseball season, with the Red Sox still sitting in second-place and owning one of the two Wild Card spots, that's exactly what they should be doing.
But that doesn't mean Alex Cora's club shouldn't take a good, hard look at this 2-8 road trip, in which it finished with a run differential of negative-24, and take stock of its lot in life.
So, let's do exactly that ...
- The Red Sox are at least an arm short when it comes to high-leverage relievers. Probably more after the latest news that Hirokazu Sawamura was forced to leave Sunday with elbow tightness.
The fact of the matter is that there was no pitcher Cora felt comfortable with to even warm up in the eighth inning while Adam Ottavino was diving into his longest outing of the season. Ultimately, Matt Barnes was that guy, with the mandate that he be asked to get more than three outs after pitching the day before.
Garrett Whitlock could have been the guy, but he wasn't available. Austin Davis was likely unavailable to face any lefties after throwing a combined 65 pitches Thursday and Friday. Yacksel Rios. Hansel Robles. Phillips Valdez. Nope. Not even some light tossing as a fail-safe.
It was another trade deadline dose or reality, with Robles the one acquisition that the Red Sox believed might be part of such a solution. That idea has taken a turn for the worse.
The good news is that Ryan Brasier seems close to a minor-league rehab assignment and can be part of the solution. The bad is that, all things considered, that will still leave Cora with some uncomfortable decisions.
- Blown saves happen. So do late-inning home runs. Matt Barnes has experienced that before, and he will experience it again.
Should it have been ultra-frustrating that the Sox closer walked the Blue Jays No. 9 hitter, allowing for Springer's heroics? Yup. Was it somewhat baffling that Barnes chose to throw the Jays' leadoff hitter a fastball when that's the pitch he feasts on? Certainly.
His thought process: "So yesterday, I threw a bunch of really good curveballs to him and he chased down with me. The 0-0 curveball he put a decent swing on it, I knew he fouled it off but it looked like he was somewhat on time with that pitch. I fell behind 2-1 and threw a good fastball 2-1 that he swung and missed with. Just paying off the at-bat yesterday and how he took that swing, in my mind, i didn't think he thought i was coming back with another fastball. I thought for sure he would sit on a breaking ball and it leaked in the middle. It just leaked in the middle and he put a good swing on it. Just trying to execute the fastball away there to him. Given the at-bats yesterday and how that played out today i didn't think he’d be sitting on a fastball."
That, however, isn't the primary issue.
The fastball that Barnes threw to Springer wouldn't have been touched a few months ago. It simply hasn't been the put-away pitch we saw in April, May and June. The dominance has seemingly been tempered a bit. It's not that the closer has been bad -- totaling a 3.48 ERA and .176 batting average against since the beginning of July. But it does seem like the much-talked-about closing-partner-in-crime trade deadline acquisition that never happened was a miss for this team.
- The starting rotation seems like it might be finally trending toward defining itself after the outings from Nick Pivetta and Tanner Houck. Those two, combined with Nathan Eovaldi, the good version of Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Sale, seems like an equation that can work. Maybe the inclusion of Martin Perez and Garrett Richards into the bullpen solves the aforementioned late-inning relief-pitching dilemma. Maybe.
- The great news for the Red Sox is that their go-to guys -- J.D. Martinez, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers -- finally showed signs of life Sunday. And prior to going on paternity leave, Alex Verdugo had become the Sox' most impactful hitter the previous few days. But to make the whole equation work Hunter Renfroe needs to become the threat was in May and June.
The protection for the Big 3 has seemingly become pull-happy once again, with the production this month (5-for-30) -- which follows up a .205 July -- serving as a prime example.
- The Red Sox need to entertain the idea of Yairo Muñoz, he of the 30-game hitting streak with Triple-A Worcester. The uneasiness that comes with bench options Marwin Gonzalez, Jonathan Arauz, and Bobby Dalbec/Franchy Cordero did not help matters. Yes, Muñoz needs to be put not he 40-man roster. But with the Christian Arroyo's return still seemingly a bit away, at this point it would seem to be an exercise worth undertaking.
- Kevin Plawecki needs to start getting the majority of playing time at catcher. Perhaps it's just a hot streak that has resulted in the righty hitter totaling a .313 batting average (.340 with runners on base). So be it. Christian Vazquez simply hasn't distinguished himself - offensively or defensively - to the point of keeping Plawecki on the bench.
- It would sure be comforting to Cora and Co. to actually see their team's big trade deadline acquisition on the field doing something in this time of need. As was first reported by The Athletic, Kyle Schwarber's return from a hamstring injury has been slowed down due to a tight groin.
"He was sore over the weekend. Nothing serious," Cora said. "He worked with Carlos (Febles) throughout. He'll work out tomorrow again. A little bit of soreness in his left groin, but nothing serious. He's still progressing, feeling better."
While Schwarber may very well end up being the best deadline bat acquired, the Rays were one game in back of the Red Sox when Nelson Cruz was acquired. Monday they sit four games up, with their new designated hitter having hit four homers during his 13 games.
It has been painful for these Red Sox. Now we will see if it's just a mere flesh wound.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 8:46:11 GMT -5
Tomase: Red Sox can't take too many more body shots
by John Tomase John Tomase RED SOX INSIDER
The Red Sox set sail for Tampa on July 30 with a chance to take control of the American League East. They limp back to port 10 days later following their worst loss of the season, and we're left to wonder: Is this how it ends?T
So good for so long, the Red Sox are suddenly in free fall, and maybe not even Chris Sale can save them. On Sunday, they blew a 7-2 lead vs. the rollicking Blue Jays en route to a 9-8 loss that left them saying the right things, but not necessarily feeling them.
"It's a tough one," admitted manager Alex Cora. "It is."
Since building a 2.5-game lead in the division on July 28, the Red Sox have watched the wheels fly off. They've lost nine of 11 to fall four games behind Tampa. They lead the Yankees by 2.5 games and the Blue Jays by three, but only by a game each in the loss column. Neither has been this close to the Red Sox since early June.
The bad news has come in unrelenting waves since chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom made a decision that could haunt his first full season in Boston, choosing not to acquire immediate help at the trade deadline.
While the Yankees and Jays have received boosts from players like Anthony Rizzo and Jose Berrios, respectively, the Red Sox are floundering. There's little question the players noticed the lack of reinforcements, and they've since played like a team with abandonment issues.
They finished this trip from hell with a 2-8 record and were forced to leave two coaches behind in Canada because of COVID. Sunday's good news that Sale will make his 2021 debut this weekend was almost immediately counteracted by a report in the Athletic that trade deadline acquisition Kyle Schwarber has already suffered a setback in his return from a hamstring strain. The hope had been to see him in mid-August. Would anyone be shocked if he doesn't show up until September?
At that point, it might be too late, because the hits keep on coming. Reliever Hirokazu Sawamura left Sunday's game with elbow tightness, joining left-hander Darwinzon Hernandez on the sidelines.
Terrible starting pitching has pushed the bullpen to the limit and closer Matt Barnes is showing the strain. One day after giving up a walk-off homer to Marcus Semien, he walked the No. 9 hitter before surrendering the go-ahead three-run shot to George Springer in the eighth inning on Sunday.
"It's been a rough couple of weeks," Barnes acknowledged. "Particularly since the All-Star break. But we have a good team. This is a team that was in first place going into the All-Star break. Stretches like this happen. We have to cut it short and try not to let this thing last any longer."
History is littered with the shipwrecks of first-half pretenders who were exposed and then dashed along the rocks. Though it was encouraging to see the offense bang out 16 hits and eight runs on Sunday, it's also true that the attack has been muted over the last month.
Add baserunning mistakes, defensive miscues, and an overall vibe of weariness, and the Red Sox are dragging at exactly the moment their division rivals are catching fire. They open a three-game set at home with the Rays on Tuesday, and this is about the worst time imaginable to see Tampa, which knows what to do when it smells blood.
"It's been pretty terrible," said starter Garrett Richards, who could be ticketed for the bullpen when Sale returns. "The good thing is tonight the offense showed up and guys were raking balls all over the place, so that's a positive. We're just looking forward to the off day tomorrow and just kind of getting off the road and starting fresh when we come back Tuesday.
"We're still a good ballclub. Yeah, we're discouraged, but there's no faith lost. We know what we have. We know the lineup we have. We know our pitching staff. We know what we're bringing to the table. The first half wasn't a joke. We're just trying to get back on the same page and get rolling again.
"Every team I feel like goes through this at some point during the season. It's unfortunate it's happening right now, but this is a good ballclub. You shouldn't sleep on this team."
He may be right, but the time to prove it is now. If the season ended today, the Red Sox would still own an AL Wild Card spot, although now they'd be flying to Oakland for one game of winner-take-all mayhem vs. the A's.
Unfortunately, the season does not end today. Forty-eight games remain, and that's more than enough time for the 2021 campaign to go one of two ways -- the Red Sox either right the ship, or we spend the winter wondering how the feel-good story of the summer ran aground so quickly.
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Post by CP_Jon_GoSox on Aug 9, 2021 14:36:37 GMT -5
3 stats that sum up the Red Sox’ post-All-Star slump The Red Sox have gone from one of the league's best teams to one of its worst in an alarmingly short period of time. Kari Thompson August 9, 2021 | 3:11 PM
The sky hasn’t fallen completely yet for the Boston Red Sox during the second half of the season. But it’s getting a lot closer to Earth than it was a few weeks ago.
The team has now dropped nine of its last 11 games and finds itself in the uncomfortable position of fighting desperately to keep a playoff spot it once comfortably held. Not only are the Red Sox currently four games behind the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays, but they also have the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays beginning to nip at their heels in the standings.
What happened to the Red Sox squad that looked like it might shock the Major League Baseball world and seize a playoff spot after being one of the league’s worst teams in 2020?
Here are three key numbers that tell a bit of how the Sox ended up here after the All-Star Break, as well as what they can do to turn things around. 7.71 – Combined ERA of Garrett Richards and Martín Pérez
Though the Red Sox starting rotation hasn’t been stellar as a whole in the second half of the season, it doesn’t take much observation to know where most of the trouble has come from.
Sox starters not named Richards or Perez have a collective 4.31 ERA since the All-Star Break.
Richards and Pérez? Well, they’ve been giving up that.
Between the two of them, they’ve surrendered almost 44 percent of the hits (48 out of 110) and 47 percent of the earned runs (30 out of 64) allowed by the starting rotation since the Break. Keep in mind that four other pitchers have started games for Boston with Tanner Houck joining the post-Break rotation mix.
Cora took steps to rectify that issue somewhat by removing Pérez from the rotation after he lasted just over an inning against the lowly Detroit Tigers last Thursday. He pitched better and with more velocity in his bullpen appearance the next day, which might bode well for his effectiveness as a relief arm down the line.
Richards, who said he’s in the midst of the “worst year” of his career, could follow him to the pen soon.
Chris Sale’s return Saturday should hopefully even things out in the rotation in time, though he’ll likely need a few outings to ramp up. But whoever throws on that fifth day, whether it’s Richards or Houck (if he’s recalled from Triple-A), has to get it together for the Red Sox yesterday.
It would be a shame if Boston’s unlikely postseason run got derailed because the backend of the rotation fell off with the finish line in sight. .201 – Boston’s batting average with runners in scoring position
Ouch.
Only two teams in the league, the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers, are hitting worse with runners in scoring position than the Red Sox. Neither one of those teams is anywhere near the postseason at this point – seeing a pattern here?
Their collective wRC+ of 63 doesn’t rank much better; they’re 27th in that stat since the All-Star Break in front of just the Rangers, the New York Yankees, and the Cleveland Indians, according to FanGraphs.
Both of those numbers are a good deal below the league average, which explains a good deal of why the Sox are currently tied for 24th with the St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals – two non-playoff teams – in runs scored since July 16.
The lineup’s struggles at first base and the quest to find some kind of consistency from their corner outfield spots is no secret, of course. In fact, the Red Sox have gotten the worst first-base play in the league – largely from Bobby Dalbec — in terms of WAR (-1.4) this season, and those numbers haven’t improved much since the All-Star Break. Advertisement:
The problem is that the likes of J.D. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts haven’t been able to make up for it lately because they’ve been scuffling as well.
Since July 16, Martinez is hitting just .253 with a weighted runs created-plus of 95, a touch below the league average of 100. Bogaerts has been worse, batting just .221 with a wRC+ of 63. That means the Red Sox’ All-Star shortstop has been about as productive as Franchy Cordero of late.
Having their two best hitters outside of Rafael Devers getting their act together would go a long way to smooth over some of the team’s offensive troubles. But it still won’t cover up the fact that no one outside of Devers, Martinez, or Bogaerts in this lineup routinely scares anyone.
The Red Sox could use Kyle Schwarber’s power bat now more than ever. It looks like he’s still a ways away from stepping into the box, but simply adding him to the lineup at least provides some extra protection for the team’s best hitters. 23rd – The Red Sox’ WAR ranking in the second half
Coming into the All-Star Break, Boston was quite simply one of MLB’s best teams, owning the fifth-best team WAR in baseball.
Since returning to action, they’ve been a bottom-ten squad, keeping the company of several teams likely to be watching October baseball from their couches.
The Red Sox’ -6.1 offensive WAR (22nd in MLB) is an especially glaring departure from where they were in the first half (7th overall). And while they haven’t dropped off that much defensively in the second half from where they were before — from 20th in defensive WAR (2.3) to 26th (-2.4) — they still have five players (catcher Christian Vázquez, first baseman Bobby Dalbec, third baseman Rafael Devers, right fielder Hunter Renfroe, and center fielder Kiké Hernández) that rank either first or second in errors committed at their position.
This version of the Sox is playing like the one people expected at the start of the season. That’s notable, of course, because most of the league figured Boston wouldn’t make the playoffs.
Their margin for error reduces with every loss, especially to their division rivals, as the last month of the season approaches. So it’s time they rediscover who they’ve been this season rather than become the team everyone thought they would be.
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Post by Kimmi on Aug 10, 2021 8:59:31 GMT -5
I agree with Lou, but this one was still brutal. You could see the entire rest of the game once Barnes walked the #9 hitter. It's not like the game is an etched in stone loss with Springer coming up, but walking the #9 with someone like Springer coming up is usually a harbinger of bad things to come. As the saying goes, it's not the homeruns that kill you, it's the walks before them. Especially to the #9 guy.
It's been a brutal couple of weeks for the Sox. That said, it's a great time to reset and start fresh with today's game.
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