Month: May 2015

Red Sox Win a Fun One 4-3, Remy Doesn’t Miss a Beat in Return

Posted on May 20, 2015 in Game Recap
Has this man righted the ship? Hint: He's Carl Willis, the Sox' new pitching coach. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Has this man righted the ship? Hint: He’s Carl Willis, the Sox’ new(ish) pitching coach. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

After what has to be considered a successful West Coast swing (especially given the modest offensive performance), the boys were back in town: both the Sox and the A-squad for the broadcast team – Don, Jerry, and Gary. Couple that with a solid 4-3 win over the Rangers and this game was an absolute delight to watch.

Right off the bat we saw the return of broadcast booth chemistry with Orsillo and Remy.

Don: Good to have you back in your rightful place over there to the side.
Jerry: We’ll see how right it is.
*Chuckles*

Wade Miley must’ve been able to feel the good vibes from the booth. He was able to build on his last start where he was good, but often working out of trouble; this one was a more solid overall performance.

Boston IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Miley (vs. OAK 5/13) 6.2 5 0 0 4 1 0 5.60
Miley (Last Night) 7.0 7 2 2 1 7 0 5.10

Obviously a much better K/BB ratio in last night’s start, and the two earned runs don’t really tell the whole story here. The first run scored with Kyle Blanks on second and two outs. Thomas Field hit a sharp single to left, and Hanley sort of stared at Blanks and double clutched (thinking he wouldn’t go). Blanks stumbled around 3rd, and if Hanley threw right away he would’ve been dead. The next batter was Robinson Chirinos who hit a fly ball near Pesky’s Pole in right. Daniel Nava did his best to live up to his nickname “Thumb Faced Idiot” (it’s affectionate, I swear), staggering back awkwardly and eventually having the ball glance off his glove and roll around the corner for a triple. Both plays likely have different outcomes with better defenders in place. By the way, if you knew who all of those Rangers were before I mentioned them, you’re a scout or a liar.

In any case, another quality start for Miley. He didn’t have pinpoint control – 106 pitches in his 7 innings – but when he missed, he missed down. This is generally desirable for a pitcher because it’s much more difficult for a hitter to handle a ball that misses low than one that misses high. Unless you’re Vlad.

The offense had a much better game than what we saw on the road trip. Even though they only scored 4 runs, they banged out 13 hits. Granted they left 12 men on, and were 3-11 with runners in scoring position, but statheads preach that batting with RISP is far more luck than skill. This basically means that your team will hit for about the same average with RISP as they do in other situations, and any significant variations are mainly due to luck. While I think there’s definitely some skill and mental toughness required to hit with ducks on the pond, it’s a no-brainer to think that as the rest of the offense comes around, so will hitting with men in scoring position.

The one through four batters went 9-19 and Mike Napoli added a homer and two RBIs. He absolutely bundled this flatter-than-roadkill breaking ball.

Big Papi also homered and had two RBIs.

Hanley went 3 for 5 with two doubles, and had quite the slide into second base on his first two-bagger. It was actually so good I’d go so far as to call it “Such the Slide.” As he was approaching the bag he leapt into a flying crane-kick, then cannonballed onto his ankle. He looked like he was in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Swimming Pool.

Ramirez was shaken up on the play, and I hope he’s fine (he stayed in the game), but don’t tell me you didn’t laugh progressively harder each time they showed the replay.

Notes:

-The Red Sox starters have been undeniably better since Carl Willis took over as pitching coach. He’s brushed off praise to this point, but he’s definitely made some adjustments that are working. I don’t think this is an indictment of Juan Nieves, who let’s not forget worked miracles in 2013, just more a case of looking at the staff’s problems with a fresh set of eyes.

-In the bottom of the 7th Sandoval got hit square in the knee by fastball and it looked BAD. It sounded even worse. As Lefty pointed out, it sounded a ball hitting a bat, not a human being. Hopefully it’s just a bruise and he can play as soon as it stops hurting.

–Koji gave up a homer and a single tonight, but aside from that the combination of him and Tazawa has been lights out for opposing teams.

-Fenway needs to stop playing Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” after homeruns. I get why they do it but, honestly. It’s embarrassing. Let’ stick to LCD Soundsystem.

Shut Out and Knuckled Under

Posted on May 18, 2015 in Game Recap

Miller takes a trot around the bases. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

There’s something about a game in which your team gets shut out, especially in baseball, where in a season of 162 games you can kind of try to forget the bad ones, that makes you not want to write about it. Mostly because I’m going to be discussing the Mariners’ success and the Red Sox’ failures, because there’s not much else to say.

Steven Wright looked pretty ordinary, insofar as a knuckleballer can look ordinary. He had a typical knuckler inning in the second when he gave up three singles and bounced a ball off his catcher’s mask for a run-scoring passed ball. He gave up a meatball home run to Brad Miller, who came in hot, having hit two homers the day before. Other than that, though, he looked solid. He was still on his way to a quality start, if that counts for anything, when he was pulled in favor of Matt Barnes for the 6th inning. Overall, not a bad day for a starter on the back end of the rotation.

BOSTON IP H R ER BB SO HR ERA
Wright (L, 1-1) 5.0 5 3 2 1 4 1 4.02

But as has been the case recently, the offense didn’t do a thing to support Wright’s effort. This play pretty much sums up the day offensively for the Sox. Kyle Seager bobbles it, and then double-clutches the throw, and you’re thinking how can Hanley possibly still not be close to the bag? Thrown out easily, loses his helmet. He’d strike out in his other three at-bats on the day. It’s not going great for him right now.

It’s not just Hanley. The combination of Betts, Pedroia, Ramirez, Napoli, and Sandoval batted a combined 0-19 with a walk (by Pedroia). Four of Boston’s five hits on the night came from the bottom third of the order, and three of those four (one each by Bogaerts, Brock Holt, and Blake Swihart) were of the infield variety. The bats are dead, people. They’ll come back, yeah. But when?

The only runners that Boston put into scoring position came with two outs. Without some big hitting, the Sox never stood a chance. But yesterday’s game was not bereft of promising play for the Red Sox! It just all happened to come on the defensive side of the ball.

However, none of these great plays generated any runs. Shame, that.

Also, tough day at the office for Craig Breslow. Poor guy comes into the game with a man on (Cruz had been walked by Alexi Ogando) and his team down by three in the eighth inning and has his first pitch taken deep. Generally, that’s not how you want to introduce yourself. Anyway, the Sox’ offense really needs this day off. Let’s hope it works out.

 

Bats Come Alive Against Scrub Hernandez

Posted on May 17, 2015 in Game Recap
Ricky deals

Ricky deals (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

When you’re a team that has scored 5 runs combined over your last three games, the last thing in the world you want to do is face King Felix on the road. They managed 7 hits, 4 walks, and 4 runs off of Seattle’s ace, handing him his first loss in 2015. Because the baseball gods love keeping us on our toes.

The Sox and Mariners were wearing throwback Negro League Tribute uniforms. Sometimes with these kinds of things they tend to overdo it, but these looked good – clean and simple.

Porcello was great, aside from giving up TWO home runs to Brad freaking Miller who seems like the Brock Holt of the West Coast. He went 6.2 innings and 104 pitches deep before being lifted for Tommy Layne. Farrell has had a quick hook with the starters, which I guess makes sense given their performance to date this season, but I’d like to see him let the starters try and work through the later innings.

Anyway, overall a good outing from the guy who has become the most consistent member of the starting staff.

The first two runs were thanks to Panda showing some really impressive opposite field power –

– and Papi’s frozen rope that looked like it never got more than 20 feet off the ground.

It looked like Felix twisted his ankle on a delivery in the top of the 6th and really struggled with his location after that. He had given up only 8 walks in his first 48.2 IP this year, but surrendered 3 in that inning.

Blake Swihart would drive in one run with a double, and Brock Holt would drive in another on a groundout. Holt was robbed of extra bases by a diving Logan Morrison.

Swihart had a good game at the dish, going 2 for 4. The rookie took an aggressive approach against the King, with both hits coming on the first pitch. Probably a good idea since he struck out in his other two ABs.

Notes:

–JBJ is still oh-for-the-majors this season, but he’s had to face R.A. Dickey, Sonny Gray, and King Felix. That’s tough no matter who you are.

–Xander had another good game in the field, highlighted by a sweet barehanded pickup on a slow roller.

-Jesus Sucre means Jesus Sugar in French.

Buchholz Shines, Farrell Doesn’t, Sox Lose

Posted on May 16, 2015 in Game Recap

Not your best, John. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

Usually, it’s very easy to blame the pitching on this team when things aren’t going well. But over the past three games, that just hasn’t been an option. With three outstanding defensive performances supported by a total of five runs, the offense, once supposed to be the backbone and overwhelming strength of the team, is floundering. It’s not as if the group is suddenly bereft of skill – they outhit the Mariners 7 to 5, for example. But the results are lacking, and the Sox put their pitching staff in a position to lose last night. Boston’s offense is now below the league average in runs scored and, frankly, you just can’t count on anyone to come through. Not even Brock Holt! Anyway, that’s enough sulking by me.

The reason, I guess, why I’m so miffed about this one is my soft spot for Buchholz. He deserved better in this one. 11 strikeouts!

He was flat-out dominant, retiring 15 straight batters after Robinson Cano’s double off the left field wall in the bottom of the 1st, including 7 strikeouts. In fact, Clay only ended up giving up three hits on the night, but unfortunately, the one to break up his out streak was his only real mistake of the night, a solo home run by Seth Smith to tie the game at 1.

Buchholz came back with a vengeance, striking out four of the next five batters he faced, but the damage was done. It’s really a shame that one pitch was enough to take the decision out of his hands, but that’s what happens when your team’s own offense can’t get anyone across the plate. Hanley, besides his series-opening 4-5 performance, has been 3-23 since coming back from running into a green wall and has seen his OPS shrink from .949 to .859 over the course of seven games. And when your typical playmakers aren’t making plays, you have to try to get by with a single by Victorino, a stolen base, and an eventually stranded triple by Xander Bogaerts as your only run of the game.

The problem isn’t just that the team isn’t hitting, though, obviously, they aren’t – four everyday players (Sandoval, Ramirez, Pedroia, and Bogaerts) are hitting above .250, and everyone else is hitting .228 or below (in the case of Mike Napoli, far below, at .168). No, the Sox’ biggest problem could be their lack of extra base hits. With 84, they’re 26th in MLB, and that’s just not gonna cut it. Part of this can be attributed to the Monster and the wall-ball singles it creates, but their 42 doubles is 29th in the league and 18 lower than the league average of 60. I’m sure this is a little boring to read, but incompetence is boring and awful. What do you want me to do about it?

Even when hits are strung together, like in the 4th inning when Napoli (!) and Victorino hit back-to-back singles, they managed to bungle it, throwing away the last out of the inning on a silly baserunning error.

From the 6th to the 9th, the Sox got the leadoff man on base three times, with Pedroia walking in the 6th, Bogaerts singling in the 8th, and Ortiz singling in the 9th. And each time, they came away with nothing to show for it.

But all of this futility could’ve been ignored, or at least not dwelled on, if Boston could’ve gotten through to extra innings and put something together. Instead, a series of poor decisions by John Farrell consigned the team to a loss. I understand bringing in Tommy Layne – he’s actually been pretty good this year, and the top of the Mariners’ order is lefty-heavy. It even convinced Lloyd McClendon to pinch-hit Willie Bloomquist for Seth Smith, who grounded out for the first out of the inning. But Brad Miller singled and advanced to second on a ground out to Napoli, and Nelson Cruz (by basically any measure, the best hitter in MLB this year right now if you ignore Dee Gordon) came up to bat.

Now, with first base open in a tie game in the bottom of the 9th and a lefty pitcher going, logic would dictate that you might intentionally walk the best hitter in the league, a righty, especially with a lefty (Kyle Seager) batting behind him. In fact, logic absolutely dictates that. Not doing that would DEFY logic. And yet, Farrell chose to bring in Junichi Tazawa. No one will ever know what he was thinking. Had Tazawa had past success against Cruz? Yup, Cruz was only 1-8 against him. Had Cruz been having a bad night? Sure, he struck out three times against Clay Buchholz. But if that was your logic, KEEP BUCHHOLZ IN. At 102 pitches, couldn’t we have stretched him a little more? And past success has nothing to do with the situation when you’re facing someone who’s hitting .358! I can’t even believe it, I really can’t fathom what was going on in Farrell’s head. Actually, let’s ask him:

Hey John, what were you think –

“Before you even ask the question, that’s a terrible decision on my part.”

It sure was.

Cruz hit a “single” to left-center to get Miller home.

Game, blouses. Or, I guess, fedoras. God, Seattle people are the worst. No offense to anyone from Seattle, we can’t afford to lose readers.

P.S. I still trust Junichi. He got screwed. The splitter he threw him to get the second strike was beyond nasty. He just shouldn’t have been forced to throw him a strike. Put him on first! Especially once you hit the full count! How did no one figure this out?!