10/3 at Nats

[Maxbialystock]

Great point. I guess I was thinking, if we can erupt for for a bunch of crooked numbers, then what our staff does might not matter as much.

As for the pen and the 5 straight days of heavy lifting and breakdowns, here is a breakdown of who has been used and how many pitches they threw in each appearance:

Pitches thrown in the last 5 games (first number is yesterday and the rest are in reverse order.)

27-10-4-22-0 Brasier
18-22-10-5-0 Robles
17-13-17-0-0 Ottavino
0- 0- 0- 0- 0 Whitlock (last game Sept 19)
14-0-17-0- 0 Richards
0- 17-17-9-0 Barnes
13-0-0- 0- 0 Davis
0-15-0- 0- 0 DHern

OPS Against in last 6 games:
.411 Robles
.440 Brasier
.536 Eovaldi (as a starter)
.636 Barnes
.657 ERod (as a starter)
.744 Pivetta (as a starter)
.899 Richards
1.850 Ottavino
2.000 DHern
2.500 Davis
n/a Sawamura
n/a Bazardo
n/a Perez
n/a Valdez

Terrific stats which explain why Cora is using Robles and Brasier so much. mlb.com says Whitlock is back and can pitch today, as unlikely as that is. Apparently, Vazquez could also pitch. So it could well be that Cora's best 4 options today are Barnes, Hernandez, Whitlock, and Valdez. Eovaldi pitched Tuesday, so conceivably he could pitch one inning without messing up a start day after tomorrow.

[Old Red]

I've never even hinted at knowing what will happen. I give my opinions on what I think will happen.

Maybe Sale goes 6 shut out innings instead of 5, yesterday, despite being on short rest for the first time in years. Why is it so hard to admit Cora got this one right.

We have Sale going on normal rest, today, and Houck did everything we could have asked for an more, yesterday.

Is your hatred for Cora so deep, you can't even admit he got one thing right?

BTW, I didn't "get it right." I thought we might start Eovaldi, today (on short rest), if needed.

I'm not sure we can say it is a 100% needed, since today is not an elimination game, but life sure would be easier by winning, today.

I'm glad we are starting Sale, today.

I think we might win the WC game, but I doubt we'll be favorites, even if it's at Boston (presumably Cole v Eovaldi).

I don't think we'll advance past the Rays. It would be close to a miracle.

No crystal ball- just my opinions, which I readily and often admit are wrong.

Look ifSale would have pitched yesterday, and got knocked around I would have said I was wrong, but he didn’t, and it worked out, which I’m glad. As for Cora who said anything about hating him. I read lots of negative Cora comments the past week, and more than one have said to fire him, so it’s not just me, but I have never said I hate Cora, and I don’t it’s strictly for his cheating. You like to over exaggerate just like with this short rest thing that is way over exaggerated. Throw 120 pitches, and then it will mean something.

[Tedballgame]

Just win today!

[Old Red]

Unbelievable. You really don't get it. You keep insisting Sale had to pitch on short rest when he could pitch today with regular rest because both games, yesterday and today, are equally important.

Yesterday the Sox were playing their fifth game in five days, so it made sense to insert Houck back into the rotation, which in turn allowed Sale to pitch with regular rest.

I don’t keep insisting I just said that is what I would have done, and you guys keep it going, and like I just said this short rest thing is way over exaggerated. Back to football, so let’s move on, and see how things turn out today.

[TylerD]

He lines up for it, but it might depend, if we use him, today.

I don’t trust anyone else other than Sale and Nate. E Rod is still too inconsistent for me

[moonslav59]

Terrific stats which explain why Cora is using Robles and Brasier so much. mlb.com says Whitlock is back and can pitch today, as unlikely as that is. Apparently, Valdez could also pitch. So it could well be that Cora's best 4 options today are Barnes, Hernandez, Whitlock, and Valdez. Eovaldi pitched Tuesday, so conceivably he could pitch one inning without messing up a start day after tomorrow.

I think Whitlock was available, yesterday, and Cora chose to not play him. Was he saving him or thinking another day off might help? Maybe he's not sure he can trust any pitcher coming off a long rest in an important high leverage situation.

soxprospects.com does not have Valdez on the 28 man roster. They have these pitchers listed:

Brasier
Robles
Richards
Ottavino
DHern
Davis
Barnes
Sawamura
Perez
Bazardo

Starters available?
Pivetta
Eovaldi
ERod
Houck (highly doubtful)

They have Whitlock, Taylor and Valdez on the IL, but I'm sure Whitlock is not.

[moonslav59]

I don’t trust anyone else other than Sale and Nate. E Rod is still too inconsistent for me

Trusting Eovaldi might be one reason he could be used, today in relief.

[Nick]

Sox needs to jump on the rookie pitcher. Throw up some runs early and it'll be over.

[moonslav59]

Look ifSale would have pitched yesterday, and got knocked around I would have said I was wrong, but he didn’t, and it worked out, which I’m glad. As for Cora who said anything about hating him. I read lots of negative Cora comments the past week, and more than one have said to fire him, so it’s not just me, but I have never said I hate Cora, and I don’t it’s strictly for his cheating. You like to over exaggerate just like with this short rest thing that is way over exaggerated. Throw 120 pitches, and then it will mean something.

I never said you were the only one for firing Cora. You might be one of the very few that double down on that position, as some others are just lashing out in a moment of frustration.

I'm fine with pitchers going on short rest, and I agree that starters are being babied, too much, but I don't think choosing a time like yesterday to suddenly change the philosophy was appropriate, and if it was to be done, it would be better with someone like Eovaldi or ERod and not a guy that hardly pitched since mid 2018, and has been given extra rest in 6 of his 8 starts, so far, this year. Yes, that's just an opion and not a statement or fact or proclamation of a crystal ball reading, but I think my position has merit.

What makes you think choosing Sale and yesterday was the exact time Cora needed to deviate from a system that has been in place for years?

By starting Sale on Saturday, it would also pretty much force going with Eovaldi, today on short rest, too.

[Old Red]

I never said you were the only one for firing Cora. You might be one of the very few that double down on that position, as some others are just lashing out in a moment of frustration.

I'm fine with pitchers going on short rest, and I agree that starters are being babied, too much, but I don't think choosing a time like yesterday to suddenly change the philosophy was appropriate, and if it was to be done, it would be better with someone like Eovaldi or ERod and not a guy that hardly pitched since mid 2018, and has been given extra rest in 6 of his 8 starts, so far, this year. Yes, that's just an opion and not a statement or fact or proclamation of a crystal ball reading, but I think my position has merit.

What makes you think choosing Sale and yesterday was the exact time Cora needed to deviate from a system that has been in place for years?

By starting Sale on Saturday, it would also pretty much force going with Eovaldi, today on short rest, too.

I never said that starting Sale yesterday was was the right thing to do, but only that’s what I would have done, and yesterday would have been the right time to do something like that with the season on the line.You guys keep babying Sale like he was before he had his TJ. He is probably more stronger, and healthier now since he had the TJ, so what system has been in place for years. We can go back, and fourth all time, but let’s move on to today’s game.

[moonslav59]

I never said that starting Sale yesterday was was the right thing to do, but only that’s what I would have done, and yesterday would have been the right time to do something like that with the season on the line.You guys keep babying Sale like he was before he had his TJ. He is probably more stronger, and healthier now since he had the TJ, so what system has been in place for years. We can go back, and fourth all time, but let’s move on to today’s game.

It was not an elimination game.
Sale is probably the last of our starters ready to try going short rest with.
I'm not babying Sale. The system in place is babying all starters. I never said I support the plan, but I'm not for making a radical change to a pitcher's routine at such a critical time in the season.
In an elimination game, sure- you throw caution to the wind.

Yes, it's just my opinion, and you have yours, but I think you are wrong to think Sale is stronger, right now, than before the surgery. It takes time to build back strength and durability/stamina. You can complain that they have babied him up to this point, but the fact is they did, so you should not suddenly mess him up by asking something of him way out of the ordinary.

Yes, just my opinion.

[Old Red]

It was not an elimination game.
Sale is probably the last of our starters ready to try going short rest with.
I'm not babying Sale. The system in place is babying all starters. I never said I support the plan, but I'm not for making a radical change to a pitcher's routine at such a critical time in the season.
In an elimination game, sure- you throw caution to the wind.

Yes, it's just my opinion, and you have yours, but I think you are wrong to think Sale is stronger, right now, than before the surgery. It takes time to build back strength and durability/stamina. You can complain that they have babied him up to this point, but the fact is they did, so you should not suddenly mess him up by asking something of him way out of the ordinary.

Yes, just my opinion.

Once again over analyzing and trying to put words in my mouth like I hate Cora. Show me where I said that. Once again over analyzing, and exaggerating.

[TylerD]

Trusting Eovaldi might be one reason he could be used, today in relief.

Ya today is important. Need this win.


A blow out would be nice.

[YastrzemskI]

Sox needs to jump on the rookie pitcher. Throw up some runs early and it'll be over.

I feel the same way. They haven’t come out hot in over a week. Maybe they play a little loose today and smack the Nats around early..

[Tedballgame]

Stay patient. Swing at strikes.