The Yanks are overdue for a slump I'd say.

That's my big thing. Just about everything has gone right for the Bombers so far and they've got a whopping two game lead in the division. They are legitimately good but I think there is regression all over that lineup (Judge, Hicks, Castro, Gregorius, Holliday) and the rotation has been very healthy. Health can be a big X factor in having "one of those years" (see 2013) but I've felt from the spring training that the Sox were going to be better in the second half than in the first half. Frankly I'm happy with where the Sox are right now.

Of course the Sox are kind of rolling through the pitching depth at a heroic rate. Beyond my selfish desire to see Brian Johnson keep going he is a kid who really deserves to be out there. He's been through a lot. I hope last night was just a twinge and he's able to pitch again soon.

and the (NY) rotation has been very healthy.

In news on that front, Sabathia has a strained hamstring.

How the Yankees do it is amazing. 4 or 5 years ago when they were rolling our lineups of expensive 35 year-olds way past their primes they still managed to regularly crap miracles to remain competitive. I am starting to grasp the concept that the point of free agency is to not buy a ceiling, but a floor, and I think MFNYY are generally pretty good at that.

That idea of buying a floor highlights the disaster that is Pablo Sandoval. Overweight athletes almost never age well, he had been on a downward trajectory and at his best was a marginal all-star...with him you could project a high-likelihood of low floor. His intractable contract hampers the entire 40 man roster and makes the 25 man inefficient, it is probably the reason we traded Shaw for a bull pen arm and it makes it difficult to solve the 3rd base problem with outside resources. I am ready for the Blake Swihart 3rd base experience.

Other than that, I like the path this team is on. Even though they are not close to firing on all cylinders and have lots of potential improvement on the roster they are beginning to get some mo-jo. If some of the nonperformance/injury issues can bend to our favor in July/August this team has the potential to be a Juggernaut over the last 1/3 of the season.

Tyler Thornburgh is having thoracic outlet surgery on Friday. He is expected to be ready for 2018. That trade is not working out particularly well so far.

That trade is not working out particularly well so far.

That's putting it mildly.

If I'm reading Cot's right... we'll have 2 more years of control after this year? One of which may well be a lost year as he regains form? So basically we traded all that away for maybe 1.5 seasons of Thornburgh. Maybe. Assuming this all works.

I mean, at the end of the day, Shaw is no Superman. But holy hell he's better than Sandoval. I told TE Jr. weeks ago Sandoval would be DFA'd 8/1 if he's not moved at the deadline with significant salary eating... I'll stick with the prediction.

If Sandoval lasts past the ASB something is seriously wrong with the decision making of this team.

There's really no reason not to release him today.

Oh hey, a timely article.

There's really no reason not to release him today.

The only argument against that is it's not like the Sox are blessed with great options. Rutledge and Marrero are both better but neither guy (nor Trevor Plouffe) is necessarily a huge upgrade. Just from an enjoyment standpoint I'd love to see Sandoval released so I don't have to watch him waddle around the field.

What they need to do is promote Devers to Pawtucket, give him a month there and then after the ASB call him up if he's shown he's ready. I'd love to see him get a couple of weeks before the deadline at MLB so the Sox can decide either yeah he's ready now or no he's not and make a trade for a Todd Frazier or sign Plouffe or whatever.

What they need to do is promote Devers to Pawtucket,

Yes.

give him a month there and then after the ASB call him up if he's shown he's ready.

No.

I'd love to see him get a couple of weeks before the deadline at MLB so the Sox can decide

NooooooOOOOOOO.

The Red Sox don't need a month of Devers at Pawtucket plus a couple of weeks of him at MLB to determine if they need to acquire someone else. If that's the trigger on whether to make an acquisition then they should already be working to make that acquisition. I mean, what could possibly be done by Devers in those six weeks that would make anyone say, yep, that'll hold up the final 2-3 months, no need to seek something better? Pretty much nothing.

For Devers' further development he should be promoted to Pawtucket. Bogaerts is fine now but his development suffered from being rushed. Same for Bradley, arguably. I don't want to rush Devers. Wasn't it like a month ago that we were saying he clearly wasn't ready? I don't care if Devers is marginally better than the alternatives. I'd rather see them train Mookie to handle 3B and call up Rusney Castillo than to see Devers rushed.

Bogaerts is fine now but his development suffered from being rushed.

I disagree with this. I think his bad 2014 was a function of an undisclosed wrist injury. But you're general point is a good one. And believe me, I'm not advocating rushing Devers. If he goes to Pawtucket and rakes then I think you call him up.

I'd really like to see them get Plouffe in here like yesterday. The options are;

Sandoval - Sucks
Moustakos - Too expensive probably
Frazier - Not necessarily better than Plouffe and comes at the cost of a player
Marrero/Rutledge - Worse than Plouffe
Devers - Not yet certainly.

I'd really like to see them get Plouffe in here like yesterday

In your mind, what's it worth to get Plouffe for free or minimal $? Or were you assuming the Sox would wait until/if he clears waivers?

In your mind, what's it worth to get Plouffe for free or minimal $? Or were you assuming the Sox would wait until/if he clears waivers?

Yeah I'd think he will clear waivers. I wouldn't give up more than a non-entity as far as a prospect for him. I'm not viewing him as the savior or anything I just think he can surpass the truly low bar our third basemen have established this year.

I disagree with this. I think his bad 2014 was a function of an undisclosed wrist injury.

That's my take, too. After the game of June 3, 2014, Bogaerts was batting .304 with OPS .859. He'd been hit in that game and got plunked again on June4, riding home on Papi's hr but failing to get the ball out of the infield his last 3 trips. From that day (6/4) through late August he batted a wonderful .147 and his BB rate dropped from 11% of PA to less than 5%. He then batted .320 from there to the end, but with exactly 2 BB in 100+ PA. I think one of those HBP caused a "play through" injury that would better have been a 15-day DL at least.

Yup. And if you look at that stretch at the end of the year it came after he missed about a week with some concussion symptoms. Not the ideal way to get some rest but a week of rest would presumably do some good. He also had a bit of a hot streak after the ASB.

Slightly random; is it me or does Mitch Moreland not do a good job of stretching for throws at first base?

Slightly random; is it me or does Mitch Moreland not do a good job of stretching for throws at first base?

It is not just you. But it might be just you and me.

That does not speak well for your mental health.

On the bad side Carson Smith's planned appearance Sunday has been scrapped. He's been shut down for 4-5 days.

That was a very enjoyable weekend. First place.

Tied for first, one back in the loss column, taking 2 of 3 from Houston on the road has me feeling good.

What has me feeling not as good is that I see 5.5 games separating first from last. The entire AL East fits between 1st and 2nd in the NL East, or (worse) between 3rd and 4th in the NL West. This will be a grind, all year long.

Since the conclusion of that horrible series out in Oakland, Boston has gone 17-9. They've done this with David Price not being David Price, with Rick Porcello being 2015 Rick Porcello, with Pablo Sandoval being 2015 Pablo Sandoval, and with Chris Sale losing to the Phillies I MEAN COME ON TEAM HOW CAN YOU LET THAT HAPPEN OMFGWILHELMUSREMMERSWAAL. Yea, the Yankees have imploded in the last week, but setting that aside Boston is playing over .650 ball, a 106-win pace across a full season. This will ease up, and some other team will play over their heads for a few weeks, and suddenly they'll be in first instead. And it could be any one of these teams.

Between now and the Break;

@KCR (3)
LAA (3)
MIN (4)
@TOR (3)
@TEX (3)
@TBR (4)

Then after the break it's the Yanks and Jays both for 4.

And just like that, Jackie Bradley's 2017 line (.261/.351/.478, 113 wRC+) is in line with last year (.267/.329/.486, 118 wRC+).

Second place, we suck. Season over.

Second place, we suck. Season over.

I look forward to the Astros-Rockies World Series.

The Yanks are overdue for a slump I'd say.

Good timing.

Second place, we suck. Season over.

Since that post they've gone 2-3 and gained a half-game.

3-3, game and a half.

Miguel Montero played 4 games in Single A ball back in 2002. He's got an OPS of .805 and was just DFAd for being a bit of a dick. Gotta think he'd be an upgrade over Sandoval.

The Red Sox have one hitter in the top 60 in wRC+, and that's Mitch Moreland (59th).

The Red Sox have one hitter in the top 60 in wRC+, and that's Mitch Moreland (59th).

Or to use selective endpoints in a different way, they have 4 hitters in the top 75.

That just means the Boston offense isn't as heavily reliant on one slugger. In theory with 30 teams (true) and equal distribution of talent (not true) every team should have 1 in the top 30. Red Sox have 0. Every team should have two in the top 60; Red Sox have one. Every team should have 3 in the top 90; Red Sox have four, and only two teams have more. But play this exercise with the Orioles, and you'll see they have 1 player in the top 90.

David Ortiz isn't walking through that door. Neither is Travis Shaw (28th), and if you want to reopen old wounds neither are Jed Lowrie (40th) nor Josh Reddick (41st). Or if you want a dose of optimism... neither are Jose Iglesias (157th) nor Mike Napoli (153rd).

The Sox are 43-34, last year at this time they were 42-35, 4 1/2 games out. In fact they lost game 78 last year and fell to 5 1/2 games out, the furthest back they were all year.

Seeing so much less concern trolling lately from Yankees fans here handwringing over whether Boston should fire Farrell. I can't quite put my finger on why that might be.

The Sox are 43-34, last year at this time they were 42-35, 4 1/2 games out. In fact they lost game 78 last year and fell to 5 1/2 games out, the furthest back they were all year.

They have no Ortiz and more Sandoval than last year. And they're doing about the same. Huh. It's almost as though there's some other component to the game beside position players that also has an impact on outcomes.

Or to use selective endpoints in a different way, they have 4 hitters in the top 75.

That just means the Boston offense isn't as heavily reliant on one slugger. In theory with 30 teams (true) and equal distribution of talent (not true) every team should have 1 in the top 30. Red Sox have 0. Every team should have two in the top 60; Red Sox have one. Every team should have 3 in the top 90; Red Sox have four, and only two teams have more. But play this exercise with the Orioles, and you'll see they have 1 player in the top 90.

Good point. I guess I'm just not used to seeing the top hitter on any Red Sox teams ranked that low in wRC+.

At least there's some reason to believe the offense can improve. A good chunk of the offense have been under-performing their projections, Betts and Hanley have BABIPs well below their career norms, though Hanley's could be attributed to his shoulders.

Brock Holt alert! Played in tonight's Pawtucket game, going 1-3. His first game since 5/21.










Also, Chris Sale is awesome.

Also, Chris Sale is awesome.

Watching the game last night and hearing Eck praise Sale unabashedly (deservedly) I was wondering if Price is grumpy that he's clearly not the #1. Last year with Porcello was obviously a fluke, and Price could still consider himself the 'ace' of the team. This year it is very evident that Sale is the #1 and it's not even close. He was the best pitcher on the Rays pretty much every year (other than his 2nd season in 2011) and pitched very well in 2015 for both Detroit and Toronto. Wonder how much, if at all, that is eating at him.

This GIF of Sale's fastball and slider is really cool.

This GIF of Sale's fastball and slider is really cool.

That is like the best thing ever.

That is just stupid. So he's scheduled to pitch Thursday which would line him up on regular rest for the ASG start. Just sayin'.

On this rehab stint Sandoval is at a 717 OPS. Holt (through 3 games) is at 917, by virtue of a HR he hit on Saturday; it's more than half of his total bases.

In the meantime, Lin is at 949 in 10 games with Boston, and Sam Travis is 733 in 14.

This isn't an argument about who should or shouldn't be on the roster. It's just an observation that Boston isn't missing a beat right now.

Lin has impressed me. Was it Dillon singing his praises earlier in the year? He's bigger than I remember him being and seems to make solid contact regularly. With his glove being good as well I'm certainly content with him filling the void for now. I really thought Lin would be a one or two day call up but he's looked good.

Eric Longenhagen had mentioned Lin a few weeks ago, saying he's changed his swing and he's been hitting far more fly balls this year.

The Red Sox have one hitter in the top 60 in wRC+, and that's Mitch Moreland (59th).

Of course after I post this, the offense explodes. 53 runs over the last 6 games and they're batting .329/.409/.500 over the last week.