Championships since purchase by John Henry group: Red Sox 4 Yankees 1
The Red Sox are 8-1 in their last 9 postseason games against the Yankees.
I think a reversal is likely, not just possible.
BTW, we won 92 games, this year. 47 were come from behind wins. That's a little more than half.
Sure, our odds improve, if we score first or get a big lead, but it is not essential.
This team is a "never say die" team. It's an elimination game. I'm sticking with my belief that this team will do what they have done all year: silence their critics.
I know, now I sound like I'm locked in on trends continuing.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Forget Taylor. The key is to keep Kike in centerfield, and the fix is to bring Arroyo and Iglesias back.
Especially if Schwarber returns, the Sox should have a pretty good lineup next year.
So the offseason investments should be in pitching. Wednesday night Sale impressed the heck out of me, so right now I'm thinking Bloom and Cora are looking at 5 decent starters if they keep ERod and 4 if they don't: Sale, Eovaldi, Pivetta, and Houck (especially if that splitter holds up--he needs 3 good pitches). The bullpen could definitely use some help even though that's kind of a crapshoot.
Three days ago, this team was pitching and hitting well and looked to run over Houston.
Today, this team is not pitching well and not hittng and should be eliminated by Hosuton.
If it switched one way so quickly, why can't it switch back?
Part of the reason seems to be we evaluate the Sox solely on their most recent games, but then evaluate Houston on their season-long performance and assume they had day-to-day consistency for 162 games.
They are just as capable of rolling over and dying as Boston is...
The sample size is so small for Brasier. I don't think it's all that telling. Sure, I lost some confidence, but he had been lights out for a long time beforehand.
We won't "save" Houck for tomorrow, if tomorrow might not ever come. To me, we'll use whoever we think id the best guy to get out who is coming up next. That very well might be Pivetta first, Whitlock second, and maybe Houck is not even needed, but if Cora likes the Houck match-up best, he might be the first one in.
I trust Cora to use who is best. I hope we don't have to use all 3. It would be great to only need to use 1 (or none.)
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
Ah yes, the true biggest myth in baseball.
"Relief pitchers are a crapshoot." No, the truth is "Crapshoot pitchers are relievers." If you keep your good relief pitchers in the bullpen, many of them will continue to pitch well. But if you continually fill the bullpen with volatile pitchers whose performance will vary, then you will continue to get a bullpen that is just not reliable.
Right now, the sox have two very good pitchers in the bullpen in Houck and Whitlock, and the consensus is "GET THEM OUTTA THE PEN!!" Why? I get that SP is in need of improvement, but bullpens are very important in today's game and when you have one that works, try not to tear it down to build up other aspects of the team that don't. The Sox probably need a 2B next year (Arroyo injured himself this year taking a throw at first - if that doesn't make you question his durability, what will?). Hey, we have extra outfielders!! Let's put Duran in CF and move Kike to 2B. It might not work out, but centerfielders are a crapshoot, right?
Exactly, and over 162 games, the Astros won 3 more games than us. In the playoffs, we've both won 6 games.
Every AL team has had serious flaws and ups and downs. I've documented all the ups and downs from the Sox, so here's a quick look at some Houston trends...
They had 4 months of playing only 2-3 games above .500 and really made the playoffs based on their June>July record (35-17).
In April, they won 4 in a row and 6 of 7, then lost 6 in a row and 9 of 10, before flipping again to winning 6 of 7.
In May, they lost 3 in a row and 5 of 8 before winning 6 in a row. Later, they lost 4 straight and 6 of 7.
Even in their good month of June, where they won 11 straight, they quickly lost 5 of their next 6.
They started July off by winning 6 straight, then lost 3 straight and 5 of 7. Later, they won 6 of 7.
How did their last 2 months go?
They lost 5 of their first 6, won 5 of 6, lost 4 straight, won 3 straight, lost 2, then won 4 straight. they won-lost almost daily it into September before winning 4 of 5 and 8 of 10. Then, they lost 4 straight and 6 of the next 8 games before winning their last 2.
They have yo-yo'd like all AL teams.
When you say it's gonna happen now
When exactly do you mean?
According to Paul "Needlenose " Minagge , A baseball game between two good teams can basically go either way. Even if one team is superior, never give big odds. Don't try to overanalyze . It's not quite a crapshoot , but it's pretty close to it. " Needlenose" knows a thing or two about gambling. That said, I've got a double saw on the Sox tonight.
Re. a switchback: I think it can, because of an off-day to rest, reflect, and most importantly, reset... and relocate. Yup, the Sox just might be more focused at the task at hand behind enemy lines (if only they weren't so distracted by those twirling, orange hankies -- gimme a break, H-town, and mix in some real baseball fans).
5GGs new theory -- it's more likely for batters to get overanxious and roll over on outside junk when you're trying to be the home run hero for the hollering hometown crowd... instead of surviving via an adrenaline-induced laser focus, fighting for your lives in a hostile environment where you're outnumbered by tens of thousands of haters. Remember, if you're supposed to lose, then you've got nothing to lose -- and all it might take are a few elite athletes to channel the best hand-eye coordination in the world to stave off elimination.