Kimbrel should have come in during the 8th for Tazawa, but couldn't because he was used in a non save situation last night.
:/
Kimbrel should have come in during the 8th for Tazawa, but couldn't because he was used in a non save situation last night.
:/
Originally Posted by moonslav59
Complete hindsight. I didn't like seeing Tazawa at all, but in the event he threw strikes to both batters which is something Sox relievers haven't done a lot of lately. His only problem was not using the forkball on the first batter when he had an 0-2 count or when he had the 1-2 count. Instead he kept throwing fastballs and the last one right over the geometric center of the strike zone, which resulted in a score-tying single to CF. He got the second guy out on two straight forkballs.
By leaving Tazawa in to finish the 8th, Farrell gave Kimbrel a clean 9th to pitch--as it turned out, for the save.
As for last night, Kimbrel pitched the 9th in a winnable game--the Sox were down just 4-3 and Farrell hadn't used Kimbrel before that all the way back to August 24.
Given how lousy the bullpen has been recently, I would characterize Farrell's reliever decisions in this game as just about perfect.
Trash away. As the occasion arises, now and then I will probably defend his decisions. But early trashing by you is now a must.
I would be ecstatic with 5 or 6 wins out west. I even agree they are doable. But every time our team gets in a winning groove, something seems to happen to throw them off. Despite a solid job today, the bullpen is a worry. Sometimes the hitting, as you say, struggles against a good starter. Of the five current starters, I think ERod and especially Wright right now are suspect.
But I would rather have Taz face the PH Duffy cold off the bench than to face the lead off hitter Forsythe who had already jacked a Home Run. The matchup with Abad was not a good matchup and if you have to hold your nose and bring in Tazawa, bring him in to face the PH.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
He had? At that point, he had faced 5 hitters and and two had reached base. Plus, he faced only 1 good hitter.
The King of TalkSox has Spoken.
Everything is hindsight apparently...
So let's not talk about anything then...
A well deserved rest tomorrow and then we play a struggling Oakland team! I like it!
Mildly traumatized by the mental image this post inspires.
Wow, what an incredible game. Actual clutch hitting! Time to make ground in the AL East now that the Jay's and O's aren't playing each other. The Jays play the Rays though, and I don't think the Rays like beating the Jays as much as they like beating us. We might have to sweep the A's to gain ground. As long as we don't lose ground in the next series, we should be able to crush the Padres (Don Orsillo reunion?) and gain ground then.
Going back to this game, the thing I most couldn't believe was when the outfield assist from Betts to 2nd prevented the run because the runner going home slowed down thinking he'd score easy! Seriously, that is ultra lame for the Rays, like the opposite of a bat flip.
Actually, you have a point. The hindsight accusation was incorrect. You were just explaining how Kimbrel could have been available in the 8th.
To that issue--Farrell said in the postgame he used Kimbrel the night before because he hadn't pitched in six days and needed the work. One could fairly argue that Kimbrel was so effective yesterday in the 9th precisely because he had pitched the night before and not gone 7 days between stints.
I also believe in retrospect--another word for hindsight--that Tazawa wasn't that bad a choice. When he went in, I was mad. But, as I said, he threw strikes and should have gotten that first guy out. I also think that appearance might have good consequences down the road because his fork ball was working better than it has in awhile. His fast ball will only work if the forkball is also working, and by that I don't mean a forkball that bounces in front of the plate and is no threat to the hitter.
Agree with all points about the game, especially the Rays runner slowing down to give Betts a shot at preventing that score by going to 2B quickly. A pretty good bet he won't forget that bonehead play anytime soon.
I wouldn't count on him not doing that again. According to the Rays announcers, Tim Beckham, did that same thing in the series before this one. The one with the Astros. This time, it cost him a job. He's been optioned back down to Triple-A Durham.
Last edited by NativeBostonian; 09-02-2016 at 09:15 AM.
"It happens to everybody, man. He's had 60 at-bats. A couple of years ago, I had 60 at-bats, and I was hitting .170, and everyone was ready to kill me, too. And what happened? Laser show. So, relax."
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