User Comments, Suggestions, or Complaints | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Advertising
|
Demarini, Easton and TPX Baseball Bats
|
AllianceTickets.com has cheap MLB Tickets. Get all your Colorado Rockies Tickets, Seattle Mariners Tickets, San Francisco Giants Tickets and all your favorite baseball tickets here. We also carry cheap Denver Broncos Tickets, Seattle Seahawks Tickets and Denver Nuggets Tickets. |
For wholesale prices on baseball gifts and equipment, check these stores out! |
Page rendered in 0.5218 seconds
58 querie(s) executed
Reader Comments and Retorts
Go to end of page
Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
1. DarrenOne other thing: I'm not even really nervous about this. I'll root for Boston to win but I won't feel terrible if they lose (or so I think now). Them taking the division did wonders for me.
Neither do I. He's a good pitcher.
And I second the confusion about Schilling and Matsuzaka's respective spots. To a layman, it would appear that Schilling 1) has been better, 2) is, unlike Matsuzaka, generally better at Fenway (right?), and 3) has great big-game credentials. He seems like a better choice for game 2, and a much better choice for game 5. While Matsuzaka seems like possibly a better choice for game three.
I don't get it. And I suspect there's something we don't know (whether it's some idea about optimal rest, as Darren suggests), or some kind of fatigue issue for Schilling or something.
Oddly, last year he had the exact opposite problem: his average took a dive out of nowhere. This year almost seems like a course correction.
He has looked good at the bat, and seems to be doing a better job of waiting on the ball. He's hitting more line drives and groundballs than in years past, both of which are good results for him. And yes, he's getting some luck.
But he's also had a wrist injury, and has been incapable from the right side of the plate. His health is a real question, I think.
also, matsuzaka has yet to face the angels, so maybe they fold. schilling was not good in his only start in anaheim this year, but was lights out last year.
My stat of the year: The Red Sox have had 420 more baserunners than their opponents. When a team typically gets c. 2000-2300 people on base, that is a huge advantage. The Angels' success mostly has depended on them outhitting the opposition by 18 points, which is nowhere near the same magnitude. Yeah we'll ##### and moan when the Sox strand their runners, but really this is why they have the best record in baseball.
Am I the only one who thinks this makes no sense?
Your second points seem feasible.
And I wonder if, following Difool's points, the Sox think Schilling is not pitching as well as his results suggest, and think the opposite is true of Matsuzaka?
Joe Torre has made this same sort of logical misstep when talking about the postseason. He has said that game 3 is very important in any series because if you're down 2-0 you're in big trouble already, if you're at 1-1 winning puts you ahead and if you're up 2-0 winning puts it away (paraphrasing here). What he and others miss is that games 1 and 2 are just as important in setting up all those scenarios.
On Joel's point, I've noticed that teams seem to have a book on Dice in that they almost always lay off his breaking stuff when it's out of the zone. I think the book on him is that he can't consistently get it over so if you think it's off the plate it is. I don't know how that will play out here.
Is there any pitcher with better big game credentials in the history of mankind than Matsuzaka?
Joe Torre has never pushed back a pitcher to game 3 because it was more important.
And Joe Torre, in that instance, was talking about a 7 game series.
Yeah, nobody saw that coming.
The peripherals say they're pretty equal: 4.33 FIP for Schil and 4.35 for Matsuzaka. And Schilling's been better of late with a 3.16 ERA in September vs. Matsuzaka's 7.62.
I'm leaning more and more towards Joel's idea that it's a choice of style. Schilling is a BIP guy and that's the Angels' strength. Matsuzaka may be better equipped to beat them.
The point is the same in a 7 game series, though. Game 3 doesn't matter any more than 1 or 2.
That was a long time ago though.
WE gotta control the running game. Does anbyody have any confidence in the Captain's less than 30% CS rate? Coco's arm in the OF? Manny being Manny?
i hate reading this board sometimes because no one ever gets the benefit of the doubt.
my point again is that, next to beckett the sox and most fans probably don't trust dice-k to stop any potential losing streak. he's pitching like he's tired. if beckett sh*ts the bed, matsuzaka is not the go to guy, and i don't think he has been all season. do you actually trust him to shut down the angels? i don't and i don't think the sox do or they wouldn't sandwich him between schilling and beckett. so f*ck off.
You trust Schilling over Dice K when the chips are down, so you want Dice K to put them in a 2-0 hole so that Schilling can save the day, rather than having Schilling tying it at 1-1 and then having Dice K lose? And you want Dice K to get two starts to Schilling's one?
That doesn't make sense to me no matter how many times you say it or how many times you tell me to #### off.
I bet the team that scores a lot of runs on offense, but also is able to hold the other team to only a few runs, will win.
Well, the WBC was recent.
That's kind of a ##### for your fan base, though.
i'm glad we were able to clear that up.
I think it's simply that the Sox don't think there is a big difference in their abilities, and think Schilling is better equipped to deal with/needs the extra rest more.
Yes, the Pirates were better at executing that particular strategy than the Yankees in the 2001 World Series.
"Doing what we're doing, we're trying to gear up for two and a half, three weeks worth of starts, and we're hoping this would be the best way to get the maximum Schilling," said Francona. "Obviously, there's other things involved -- Dice-K, the way he throws the ball, things like that. But that's how we're trying to set this up."
And thus, Matsuzaka, fresh off a strong eight innings (two runs and eight strikeouts) of work against the Twins on Saturday, will make the first postseason start of his career on six days' rest and in front of the Fenway Park faithful on Friday at 8:30 p.m. This will also be the first time the Angels will face Matsuzaka, who won 15 games in his first Major League season.
"I think that Dice-K's last performance here, closing out the regular season, was a main contributor to that," said Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. "And he has not faced the Angels to date. So we feel like somewhat of the unknown may be in the favor of the pitcher at this point."
I checked the odds from my Aussie Bookie and noticed the same thing. Yankees are shorter priced to win their series than the Red Sox are out here....
Strange to say the least
Yes, Schilling would be able to pitch Game 3, but even allowing arguendo that Game 3 is clutchier than Game 2, Matsuzaka would then be lined up for Game 5, the clutchiest of them all. The pitcher that you have more faith in has to be the Game 2 pitcher because he is also the Game 5 pitcher.
I do agree with E-X that Daisuke has a great history of coming up huge in big games. He hasn't done it in MLB yet, but I don't think "big game pitcher" is my most important category here - I think they're both big game pitchers. Matsuzaka hasn't done it in MLB, while Schilling hasn't done it while topping out at 88 mph. They're both in new situations.
My problem is the Game 5 on normal rest thing. Daisuke basically never pitched on four days rest before, and he's struggled on four days rest all year long. I hope the Red Sox are right. (I think the suggestion that Schilling's not fully healthy is perhaps the most likely.)
EDIT: Somehow missed Phil's post. Yup, seems like it's about resting Schilling.
I wouldn't mind seeing Daisuke come out in relief. He's done it in Japan.
That sounds unpleasant
IOW, the regular season has you spent, and now you are smoking your figurative post-coital cigarette?
You have my sympathies, Darren. However, I will not be satisfied with "just" the division, as satisfying as it was to see them win it.
Fear not, for I am your rock. No pants pissing this October, please. Onward to victory! As in 2004, why not the Red Sox?
Regulars:
Jason Varitek
Kevin Youkilis
Dustin Pedroia
Julio Lugo
Mike Lowell
J.D. Drew
Coco Crisp
Manny Ramirez
David Ortiz
Bench:
Eric Hinske
Alex Cora
Jacoby Ellsbury
Bobby Kielty
Doug Mirabelli
Kevin Cash (!)
Pitchers:
Josh Beckett
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Curt Schilling
Jon Lester
Jonathan Papelbon
Eric Gagne
Hideki Okajima
Mike Timlin
Manny Delcarmen
Javier Lopez
Three catchers? Why take Mirabelli if you aren't bringing Wakefield? Heck, I'd take Moss over Mirabelli, and I'm not even that big of a Moss fan.
EDIT: Now I see that Wake's back kept him out. In that case, I like the staff they chose - I would have taken the same ten. My second point still stands, though, unless Moss is hurt too.
The same place Posada's .336 came from. And Mike Lowell's .324, for that matter.
All I have on the 3 catcher front is that maybe the thought process is this:
Should Manny get hurt or Ortiz get hurt (or Youkilis, or Drew, etc. etc. etc.) One of the myriad options would be to DH Varitek and let Cash or Mirabelli catch. Because if you DH Varitek, should you lose a C or PH for the C you'd need a 3rd catcher to come in or you'd lose the DH.
You can't DH Hinske because he's Youkilis insurance. You could DH Ellsbury, but I suspect they wouldn't want to because they may want him as a late defensive sub or as a PR option late.
So I think there is a train of thinking that gets you to where you'd need a 3rd C, but it also means that perhaps they're worried about Ortiz (and Manny) far more than they've been letting on. It could also mean they might start Ortiz at 1st should Youkilis not be able to go, DH Manny and start Ellsbury.
But I don't know. I mean I get that maybe you'd want Moss in there over Cash or Mirabelli, but if that is the difference in the series the Red Sox are in trouble.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/news/story?id=3046494&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
that's why no wakefield.
personally i think wakefield is complaining about his back because he's not starting =)
but this begs the question: if the red sox were ready to go into the first round with 2 catchers, and wake is out, why are we keeping doug mirabelli on? why can't we go with varitek/cash and either snyder or tavarez?
I still don't understand it though. A third catcher helps if (a) your starting catcher will be pinch-hit for or (b) if your backup catcher is a good pinch-hitting option or (c) a back-up to another position. None of these obtain - they never pinch-hit for Varitek, Mirabelli is a bad hitter (and the Angels staff is almost entirely right-handed), and Mirabelli is certainly not going to play anywhere other than C. If the Sox are particularly worried about Varitek's health, this makes sense, but that would be a very new, wholly unreported development.
Well, here's a theory. 1) The Red Sox don't think an 11th pitcher would appear in any games. 2) The Red Sox used up their K-Rod loopholes on Lester and Ellsbury. 3) The only position player they can add outside of the loophole is Cash, so they figure what the hell, he's not completely worthless.
As long as you argue that the position of 11th pitcher is worthless in a 8 day, 5 game series, you can make a case for adding Cash by default. That doesn't make a ton of sense - seems like another long man (Snyder/Tavarez) would have more value as an insurance policy, but I could be wrong - I haven't run the numbers or anything. And the numbers will show, as I said in the first paragraph, a very very small effect, since it's the 25th man.
The Red Sox did not have the option to add all three of Lester, Ellsbury, and Moss to the postseason roster. (At least, not without bending the rules pretty seriously.) So, even though Brandon Moss adds more value than Kevin Cash, he wasn't eligible unless they wanted to dump Ellsbury or Lester.
I could also see a disaster set of circumstances where, in an extra-inning game, Mirabelli stands on 2nd as the winning run and your only available PR option is Cash... who you'd have to use because otherwise you'd lose the DH. Of course, all of this presupposes you already PR for Varitek, have run out of position players, etc. And Cash probably isn't any faster than Mirabelli... But yeah, if you're starting from the standpoint of "more than 10 pitchers is crazy for a 5 games-in-8 days series" then adding Cash makes sense--he may even be the only remaining position player who could have been added, actually... I don't have the full list of position players who were up on 8/31.
Good point, M.
please?
I definitely would've taken Snyder or Tavarez over Cash. The disaster scenario that involves needing significant innings from your swingman, thus limiting his availability for long relief in subsequent games, seems more likely to me than the disaster scenario that involves needing three catchers. Mikael's right that both are unlikely; I suppose it boils down to whether you think it's more likely that Varitek will come out of a game prematurely or something will go sideways with a starting pitcher (e.g. Matsuzaka has an especially turd-ariffic inning very early in a game, Schilling has a health issue early in a game, etc). Given the choice, I'd take another cannon fodder body in my bullpen over yet another backup catcher who can't hit for squat.
I'm not trying to say Ellsbury isn't a terrific asset as a 4th OFer, PH/PR guy. He quite obviously is. But so is Crisp, and if I was going to argue that Ellsbury was the superior bench player then I'd feel obligated to argue that he's also the superior starting CFer.
I guess I'm more prepared to believe that what I see as Crisp's advantage defensively is more "real" than what appears to be Ellsbury's advantage with the bat. And given the high number of BIP we can expect from the Angels, I'm more comfortable with Crisp as the starter. Also, we shouldn't discount the fact that Tito would need a damn good reason to start a September callup (mid-season cup of coffee notwithstanding) over a veteran in the playoffs. That would invite heaps of criticism if it backfired and would have the potential to greatly upset both players.
As more than one person has stated, Cash is the only position player eligible. It's either him or a pitcher, you can't take Moss. If the situation were otherwise, I'm nearly 100% certain Moss would be the 25th man.
That said I'd take Tavarez or Snyder over Cash, for the reasons I stated in #57.
The last few games of the 2004 ALCS show how quickly you can end up needing more pitchers than you anticipated. Imagine, for the sake of argument, that game 1 goes 14 innings and Dice gets hurt in the 2nd inning of game 2. All of a sudden you need Lester to start game 5 and you've blown through your other relievers quite a bit (largely because Terry likes to use them for 1 ip each). This seems a lot more likely than Varitek leaving and then Mirabelli needing to leave a game.
I agree with MCOA: The reasons for Cash on the roster do not obtain! But I'd go even further and say that they don't procure either! And if you think they acquire, you're very wrong, sir!
Why not? Take Cash, and then Doug becomes a K-Rod loophole DL Guy, and then bring in Moss.
Edit: I'd start Coco against a LHP, but Jacoby against RHP. One would be available to PR/DS for Manny
A different way of asking this is, how many teams with the best record did so overcoming a Gagne-esque performance from a late season addition to the bullpen?
We could have been like the 2003 Braves and been complacent without any meaningful games in September if not for Gagne.
:)
3.54 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.01 HR/9 in day.
4.70 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 3.9 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9 at night.
Incorrect.
I know you all will laugh this out the joint
Correct.
Just doing my part as a Yankee fan to keep the Sox fans in the Sox bars.
They list NESN above MSG, YES, and SNY on their page. That's a good sign.
Someone told me Professor Thoms on 219 2nd Ave is a Red Sox bar. I was thinking of going there after work, actually, if I can find a barmate.
Any other Seattle-area Sox fans besides Ghost?
The only reason carrying Cash makes cents (yuck, yuck) is if they somehow ended up in a game where it was advantageous to pinch run for Varitek and pinch hit or pinch run for Mirabelli at some point later in the game. That one situation is spectacularly unlikely to occur, far less likely than needing significant innings out of the bullpen if a starter gets fragged early or a game goes extras.
I didn't think of this. Maybe I'll just go to the Alligator Lounge or sumpin.
The purpose of having a 3rd catcher is to allow the Red Sox to run for Varitek in a close game w/o having to worry about Mirabelli then getting injured.
Game time temp will be around 70 degrees, with temps decreasing down to 65 by game's end. This favors the Red Sox, whose most favorable conditions are temps between 61 and 73. The Angels' most favorable conditions are temps between 74 and 83. On the other hand, the fact that the game is being played at night favors the Angels.
Please, Weather Channel, tell me who will win! You're so sometimes correct about the future weather, so you must almost know something about future baseball!
You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.
<< Back to main