Ok Barnes pitched well against a triple a lineup. I am happy but not impressed.
This is the real issue, having to use the same relievers over and over to the point of burn-out. Eck keeps pointing this out.
Others point to injuries for the lack of bullpen depth; some point to getting rid of Diekman, but not replacing him.
Maybe Strahm returns to help while there's still time.
Max, I'm on your side on this issue. I don't think the lack of a star closer is the major reason we are not closer in the WC race. I do think we could have a few more wins than we have, if we had a better closer, but until someone says at who's expense, I'm not sure about claiming X amount of net wins.
Personally, I wish we had used Houck as the closer from day one and never tried the piggy-back idea.
I'm okay with using Whitlock as a starter, because we needed him, there, but I wish we could have used him as a high leverage set-up man from day one (multiple innings, too.)
Injuries and other factors made a lot of Cora's choices "lose-lose," and I think Bloom deserves some heat for forcing that on Cora.
The fact is, we are 50-6 when leading after 8 IP. For anyone to think we'd have more than 4-5 more wins with a solid traditional closer, I'd like to see an explanation. Plus, had we signed a closer, who do we not sign? If we used Houck or Whitlock as a closer, who starts or sets up? How many games do we lose by using someone else in those open roles?
This is not an easy thing to prove from either side.
Sox 4 Ever
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 know we have beaten this subject to death, and it doesn’t seem to want to go away. I think everyone has their opinions set pretty much in stone, and it isn’t going to be changed, and I’m not going to try, but on two different other venues it was said this week that the biggest mistake the Red Sox made this season was putting Whitlock in the starting rotation, and I think Eck agrees too. Once again I’m just putting this out is to show what’s out in other parts of Red Sox Nation.