Author Archives: Kevin Civiello

Red Sox Even Tribe Series with Unanticipated Dominance by Doug Fister

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“Oh man,” I muttered to myself as I rolled out of bed Tuesday morning. I could not stop thinking about the tragic loss the Sox suffered Monday night on a Brock Holt throwing error. It was a game the Red Sox certainly could have won as they carried a 4-3 lead into the eighth inning. This was the type of loss a crazed Sox fan such as myself loses sleep over. The flow of irrational thoughts began to surge through my brain as I thought “Oh no, last night’s loss was such a momentum killer. How will we rebound from this? How long will this losing streak last? Pretty soon the Yankees will pass us in the AL East. Before you know it, we will be in the basement and out of the playoff picture.” I tried to calm myself with some positive thoughts.  Then the cruel realization popped into my head: “Doug Fister is pitching tonight.” Face palm.  Depressed sigh.

Fister’s struggles

Doug Fister stepped on the mound with a record of 2-6 and an ERA of 5.56. Not the numbers a fan wants to see when he knows his team needs a bounce-back win. But I remembered  Fister pitching later in the day, had a game earlier in the season when he threw 7 2/3 innings while giving up just two runs against Cleveland. Good memory swiftly replaced by bad in his more recent start against them when he lasted just 4 1/3 innings while giving up seven hits and five earned runs. Certainly not an assuring stat line.

As much as I tried to avoid it, 7 pm finally rolled around. I had a brief moment of joy when the Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a Hanley Ramirez RBI single. That abruptly ended in the bottom half of the inning as Francisco Lindor took Fister deep on just his third pitch of the game. “Doug Fister are you kidding me?! How can you not hold onto a lead for more than three pitches?!” I shouted as I pulled my own hair out.  About to give up on him, then…  BANG! Fister silenced his critics — including me —  with a nearly perfect nine innings.

Fister looked like the guy who shut down Cleveland on July 31st at Fenway in a dominant 7 2/3 inning effort with a 6-2 win. In fact, he was better than that. Fister successfully did what every good sinker-ball pitcher does.  Keep the ball down in the strike zone. All night it seemed like he got ahead of batters 0-2. Doug induced 13 ground-ball outs which is a clear sign he was on his game. As a guy who can’t blow many guys away with his fastball, ranging from 88-92 mph, commanding his fastball down in the zone will always be essential for Doug’s success. On Tuesday night, he did just that. His final pitching line was: nine innings, one hit, one earned run, two walks, six strikeouts and a win. It was truly one of the best outings by any pitcher in the MLB of the 2017 season, Well done Doug, well done.

CLEVELAND, OH – AUGUST 22: Starting pitcher Doug Fister #38 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates with a teammate after allowing only one hit against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field on August 22, 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Red Sox defeated the Indians 9-1. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Can Mookie Betts Turn Around His Down Season?

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In the second half of the abysmal 2014 season, the Boston Red Sox called up second baseman Markus Lynn “Mookie” Betts. The 21-year old was one of very few bright spots of that forgettable season. The kid raised many eyebrows as he batted .291, drove in 18 runs and stole seven bases in just 52 games. But the Sox already had a quality second baseman in veteran Dustin Pedroia,  a former MVP and Rookie of the Year.

Red Sox management had a simple solution to this dilemma.  Move Mookie to the outfield.  The kid had great speed, a strong and accurate throwing arm and great defensive instincts. The move turned out to be a good one as he very quickly became a fine outfielder.

 

 

In the 2015 season, Mookie began to make a name for himself.  He put together a very solid full season ending with a .291 average, 18 home runs, 42 doubles, 77 RBI and 21 steals. In 2016, Mookie took another huge stride towards greatness, truly one of the very best players in the entire league as a 23-year-old kid. In only his second full MLB season, he batted .318, scored 122 runs (2nd in MLB), recorded 214 hits (2nd in MLB), smacked 42 doubles, 31 home runs, drove in 113 runs (5th in MLB) and stole 26 bases. He finished 2nd in WAR ( 9.6) only behind Mike Trout’s 10.6 mark.

This incredible season landed him second in the MVP race behind the aforementioned Mike Trout. He started for the 2016 AL All Star team and won both the Golden Glove and Silver Slugger award. This impressive season launched him into elite player status. His name began to be mentioned with Mike Trout, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant in conversation about the elite young players in the MLB.  Some talked about him as the new face of baseball.

From elite to beat?  Not so fast…

The 2017 season arrived and expectations for Mookie were through the roof.  The mouths of Red Sox fans watered in anticipation and excitement. The city eagerly waited for the start of the season to watch Mookie put together another MVP-level season. However, here we are in mid/late August and Mookie is batting just .265 with 18 home runs and his OPS (.787) is down .110 points from last year.  With no love lost for Mookie from his fans, many are concerned that he may have peaked last year, considering this to be a down year.

I would like to help those concerned individuals feel a little better about this so-called down year and show you why Red Sox Nation is so blessed to have this guy. Mookie needs just three more steals and two more home runs to become a 20/20 guy this year.  He leads the AL batting average with runners in scoring position at a .382 clip. he has 76 RBI (while predominantly batting lead-off).  To put into perspective that’s only four fewer than Aaron Judge. Not only is Mookie well above average in many offensive statistics this year, but he has also been phenomenal defensively as his Defensive Wins Above Replacement rating is at 2.54,   2nd in the MLB behind only Andrelton Simmons.

Betting on Mookie

Yes, Mookie may not be putting together another MVP type season like last year.   But he is certainly an extremely valuable asset to say the least.  His numbers are so far off his capabilities but he still ranks towards the top of the league in a wide variety of categories,  proof that he is an exceptional player. I am nothing but excited to see what kind of bounce-back season this young man can put together.  Fear not, Red Sox Nation.   We are fortunate to have this guy,  an All Star starter even with a ‘down year.’  While the kid’s numbers may be down,  the quick hands, blazing speed, relentless attitude and patented snarl are here to stay.