What to Watch in Pats 2017 Season

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By: Mark Saber Jr.

The 2017 season is days away.  We can almost picture that fifth banner being revealed. As New Englanders expect another damn-near perfect season, we need to be on the lookout for quite a few players, plays and coaches.

Focal points of the Patriots offense

There was so much hype in the off-season about the Brady-Cooks connection. While that sounds great, I do look forward to watching the Brady-Gronkowski connection after a year without it. Gronk has suffered quite a few injuries to his back, so the question lingers.  Will Gronk actually be Gronk? Will he get the same snap count Coach Bill used in the 2014 season? Or will he turn him loose?

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman (11) scores a touchdown Denver Broncos strong safety Mike Adams (20) and defensive end Shaun Phillips (90) in the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 24, 2013, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

I would be willing to bet anything that the behemoth tight end will be put on a snap count, but off his leash. Just like Belichick says “The first quarter of the season means nothing.”   Meaning it all rides on how you finish (example: Five rings).

Life without Crown Jules

Another situation that bears watching: how the Patriots can bounce back from the Edelman ACL season-ending injury. Yes, I understand the Patriots have not looked this stacked on the offensive side of the ball since 2007. But I do expect some sort of lag, just not for too long.  A short-term lag. Brady without his security blanket might look a little strange. Remember when the Pats let Welker go and everyone thought the world ended?   Edelman and Amendola stepped up to help keep it going.

Of course Edelman wound up locking down Wes’ old job.  It will be a tad heart wrenching not seeing Minitron out there on the field. Tommy will end up creating another strong relationship with another receiver.  A deep bench with Gronk, Cooks, Amendola, Mitchell, Hogan, etc.  Bottom line — I feel the Patriots should be just fine.

Focal Points of the Patriots defense

Something I do look forward to see: the duo between Butler-Gilmore. The Patriots haven’t had two true shut-down corners like this since the 2014 season. I am stoked to see this come to fruition.  I feel now that Gilmore had the whole off season to get fully acclimated with the Patriots scheme.   I expect him to shine.

I understand that the Kony Ealy trade did not work out for NE, but I still predict the defense to make at least top 10. I’d say they rank #6 overall. But I do expect an overall strong season from the Pats D. My bold prediction for the defensive side of the ball for the Pats season?  The secondary holds the torch. They won’t allow opposing offenses to get their stud receivers in the game. I think we will see a ball-hawking defense. Scratch that, I expect that gritty ball-hawking defense. We all know how much Coach Bill takes pride in his front seven, so I do expect another overall solid season from them as well.

Bottom Line

Clearly the Patriots suffered a significant blow to the team when Julian Edelman went down with injury. But I expect the Patriots to remain on top as the juggernaut of the NFL (as always) and the offense will still torch opposing defenses. The same goes for the defense — it will crush opposing offenses. Things might be a little strange at first, but there is no one who is better at filling roster gaps than Bill Belichick.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter @iAMmarkSaberJr, @PatriotsExtra, & @BosSportsExtra, for the latest news, and the hottest topics regarding the NE Patriots.

 

 

 

American League Wild Card Race (Part 2 of 2)

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AL Wild Card Race Heats Up as September Commences

Let’s look at the AL wild card playoff race (as of 9/4/17). In the previous part of this article I broke down the current situation for the Yankees, Twins, Angels and Mariners. In Part 2,  I’ll analyze Baltimore, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Texas.

Wild Card Teams W L PCT WCGB WCE # L10 STRK
NY Yankees 73 63 .537 +2.0 – 5-5 W2
Minnesota 71 65 .522 – – 6-4 L1
Baltimore 70 67 .511 1.5 25 8-2 W1
LA Angels 70 67 .511 1.5 25 5-5 L1
Seattle 69 68 .504 2.5 24 5-5 W3
Texas 68 68 .500 3.0 24 5-5 W1
Kansas City 67 68 .496 3.5 24 3-7 W1
Tampa Bay 68 70 .493 4.0 22 6-4 L2

Baltimore Orioles (70-67, 1.5 GB)

It has been a season of streaks for the Orioles. At various points, it has seemed nearly impossible for the Orioles to win. At other times, it has been seemingly impossible to contain their offense. A little consistency could go a long way for Baltimore. But they just can’t seem to find any.

Their struggles have stemmed from horrendous starting pitching. As a team, Baltimore owns a 4.81 ERA which ranks 14th in the AL. Dylan Bundy is the only Oriole starter with an ERA under 4. He owns a 3.94 ERA, certainly respectable, but also modest for an ace. Aside from Bundy, the O’s rotation has been brutal. Kevin Gausman and Wade Miley both have ERA’s close to 5 (4.79 and 4.91). They both rank in the bottom 10 in the category among qualifiers. Even worse, Ubaldo Jiminez has an ERA of 6.85 and former ace Chris Tillman’s ERA stands at 7.85.

Luckily for the Orioles, they have one of the most intimidating offensive lineups in the league. They are the only team in the MLB that has six players with at least 20 home runs. Jonathan Schoop has had a breakout season and has carried the load, batting .309 (6th in AL) with 30 homers (10th in AL) and 101 RBI (2nd in AL). The Orioles struggled mightily in May, June and July with a combined record of 36-46. However since the start of August they are 19-13, winning eight of their last 10.

Their recent success has come from monstrous second halves by aforementioned Jonathan Schoop as well as young superstar Manny Machado. The starting pitching has also improved lately.  But pitching has to improve if the Orioles want to become a legitimate contender. In order for the O’s to make a serious playoff run, their offense will have to remain red hot and carry their atrocious pitching staff. Also, Chris Tillman and Ubaldo Jimenez, as veteran pitchers, must step up for their team if they want to play in October.

Texas Rangers (68-68, 3 GB)

The Texas Rangers represent the epitome of a team that lives and dies by the home run. Thus far this strategy has been mildly successful as they sit at .500 on the season. Oddly, the Rangers rank 11th in the AL in batting average (.247) but still have scored the third highest number of runs (693). The plethora of runs scored this season stems from their tremendous power. Texas leads the AL in home runs with 212.

Three players on the Rangers standout as typical sluggers who hit for low average but provide power to help their team. They are Rougned Odor (.211, 27 HR), Mike Napoli ( .194, 28 HR) and Joey Gallo (.211, 37 HR). Elvis Andrus has had a breakout offensive season, batting .301 with 18 homers. Also, Adrian Beltre is still producing in his 20th MLB season but has recently found himself back on the DL.

Mediocre starting pitching holds back the Rangers from becoming a legitimate contender. Cole Hamels has been decent but not as effective as in the past. Andrew Cashner has been the bright spot of their pitching staff with a 3.30 ERA. Nick Martinez, AJ Griffin and Martin Perez are all having poor seasons. If Cole Hamels can pitch to his potential, then I like the Rangers’ odds of snatching one of the wild card spots.

Kansas City Royals (67-68, 3.5 GB)

The Royals had a brutal start to the season,  ending April with a record of 7-16. While their pitching was not so bad their offense was terrible. However, the Royals did manage to turn it around. They were actually one of the best teams in baseball from May to July posting a W/L of 48-33 in that span.

It looked like they would battle with the Indians and Twins for the AL Central, crown but the Indians have pulled away and the Royals have fallen off. Kansas City owns a record of 12-19 since the beginning of August, losing seven 7 of their last 10. Kansas City now sits one game under .500, barely staying alive in the playoff picture.

Mike Moustakas, with a .277 average and 36 home runs and Eric Hosmer, with a .318 average and 23 home runs have tried to carry the load offensively.  But it just has not been quite enough, as the Royals rank 14th in runs scored in the AL with 581. The main reason for the Royals second-half struggles has been the disappearance of Jason Vargas. Vargas was an AL Cy Young contender in the first half with a ERA of 2.62. But after this dominant first half, Vargas has fallen off brutally in the second half with an ERA since the All Star Break of 6.80.

Without Vargas pitching the way he did early in the season, I do not think that the Royals have a shot at claiming a wild card spot. Kansas City does not have a playoff-worthy offense or pitching staff, yet I can’t count them out yet because of their roster, full of experienced veterans who have playoff and late-season experience.

Tampa Bay Rays (68-70, 4 GB)

At this point, I do not think the Rays have any shot at making the playoffs. Sure, they are only four games out, but their offense has been wildly inconsistent all year. Tampa Bay hits a decent amount of home runs (fifth most in AL with 195) but they don’t score runs at a high rate, ranking 12th in the AL with 594. The Rays do rank towards the top of the AL in ERA at 4.03, but they seem to always have an injured pitcher on the DL. They only have three pitchers who have started more than 20 games (Odorizzi, Archer and Cobb). I don’t count them out yet, but I don’t think this team has a legitimate chance at making the playoffs due to their sub par offense and often-injured pitching staff.

*All statistics as of 9/4/17*

Patriots vs Chiefs Preview

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We are hours away from the Opening Night in the NFL. The Patriots will reveal  their fifth Super Bowl Banner then it’s game time against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots are 13-17 overall against the Chiefs, but this year is a little different. The Patriots are stacked even with Julian Edelman out for the year. Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola, a healthy Rob Gronkowski,  and newly acquired Phillip Dorsett. Kansas City doesn’t really have a standout player other than Tyrek Hill, they’re wide receiver.

If you look at the Coaches Andy Reid, and Bill Belichick sorry NFL Network but I’m going with Belichick. Belichick is 201-71 since coming to New England in 2000. You’re on something if you think Andy Reid is a better coach. The quarterbacks no question I’m going with Tom Brady at 40 years old, it’s the new 25.

The running backs with White, Burkhead, Gillislee. Kansas City running backs are Kareem Hunt, and Charcandrick West. I’d take the Patriots running backs all day. The Patriots have won 9 of their last 10 season openers. There’s no way they lose this game.

I’m excited to see Stephon Gilmore, and Malcolm Butler on both sides as the corners. Malcolm singed his tender in the off season that kept him as a Patriot for this season. I’m interested at how the defensive line shakes up with the absence of Ealy who was really no big loss. You still have Flowers, Guy, and rookie Adam Butler who made the team. But the rest of the team is stacked.

I’m predicting Brady goes to Brandin Cooks for the first touchdown Thursday night. Hogan, and Amendola both have a good game and Gronkowski even catches a touchdown pass. Stephon Gilmore get’s an INT, and so does Malcolm Butler. The Patriots beat the Chiefs by a score of 31-17 and get their first win.

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Will Kyrie Ever Find His Jersey in the Rafters of TD Garden?

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Trader Danny

10 years ago, in the summer of 2007, the Celtics were in the middle of some serious changes. Danny Ainge worked the phones, and pulled off deals to bring both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to Boston. Along with Pierce, they formed the “Boston Three Party,” and went on to win a championship in their first year together. A decade later, the madness is repeating itself in similar fashion. The overhaul is significant- Stevens has 10 new players that are expected to make the final roster. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward are the all-star additions this time around. Along with Al Horford, they will to try to repeat the success of the Big Three from a decade ago.

Legends made in the finals

The 2008 team had one key element that the current one lacks.  And that’s a true Captain in Paul Pierce. He had already done some incredible things in a Celtics jersey, and all that he lacked to verify his status as a great was the Larry O’Brien trophy. He got the undeniable stamp of approval that year. In fact, did us one better, taking home the Bill Russell trophy as well, designated for the Finals MVP. He pulled off what seemed like would never happen for him- he became the king on top of the NBA’s highest mountain. More importantly, he stuck around in Boston despite some truly rough years, determined to win it all wearing the glorified green and white.  A true Celtic then, and now, a true Celtic legend. His jersey will head for the rafters during the Cavs game on Feb. 11, 2018.

One retires, one steps up

Enter Kyrie Irving. It’s all too fitting that Kyrie will be watching this from a Celtic point of view, just as it is that the game is against his old team. He has already reached incredible heights in the NBA with the Cavaliers, winning an NBA championship and Finals MVP in the same year, just as Pierce did. His jersey should be retired by them. But will he do enough with his new team to reach those same heights and beyond? Will he have a night dedicated to his accomplishments as a Celtic? Irving talks about learning what it takes to be great more than anything; it consumes him. So when the legend of Paul Pierce is celebrated this season, Irving will be paying close attention.  He is now in position to follow Pierce’s footsteps all the way to the rafters of TD Garden.

 

 Edelman’s Unexpected Replacement

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Pats fans, please follow me @StevenViner1 and I will follow you back. Oh and I ALWAYS answer questions!

The Patriots good health lasted about as long as Bill Belichick contemplating a rap career.

Not only was I on board for the 19-0 train, I shoveled the coal, I was the conductor, I wore a silly little hat to collect tickets. Of course, a prediction like this is predicated on good health. You can’t lose a top-five player for the year and expect to achieve perfection. Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, Rob Gronkowski, Dont’a Hightower, Trey Flowers — all irreplaceable in some way.

A Jule lost from the crown

When GQ Edelman went down with a torn ACL, a mass celebration erupted amongst Patriots Haters. They did their white-boy dance to Abba’s Dancing Queen like a drunk uncle at a wedding. They whiffed on their nerdy high-fives. They grabbed the ball that they took home every time the game didn’t go their way, and went back out to do what they always do … play by themselves. When they were kids, mom tied a pork chop around their neck so the dog would play with them. Mom would say to these ass-clowns, “You don’t need friends, Little Joey. I’ll be your friend!” Pathetic. These people are losers. Because let’s face it, that’s what losers do—they root for the Express train known at the Patriots to get injuries.

Let me tell you what I am not all aboard on—the Patriots’ fans mantra of “Next man up.” Unless a clutch-gene-injected-27-year-old-big-testies Wes Welker walks through the doors at Gillette Stadium, there is no replacement for Edelman. So who could possibly try to make up for Julian’s production? The answer is not Tom Brady, and it is not a wide receiver.

Being Brady’s Brain

The #1 reason why Brady is the best quarterback in the league against the blitz is his mind. His ability to read the defense pre-snap, and ultra-quick decision making after the snap make blitzing him as useful as Johnny Manziel attending church. The best slot receiver in NFL history, Julian Edelman, was reason #2. No one in the NFL gets open as quickly as #11. He’s Brady’s fail safe.

When the defense and coverage challenge Brady, he simply looked to Jackrabbit Julian, and waited the .002 seconds it took for him to juke away from his defender before tossing a strike for the first down. Brandin Cooks is physically the closest to emulating Edelman’s ability, (Cooks’ shuttle times at the combine were exceptional) but he’s not a slot receiver. Danny Amendola is a good slot receiver who does nothing but catch big passes in big games, but he can’t shake defenders the way Edelman could. Hogan and Mitchell are terrific receivers, and Dorsett is as fast as Cooks, but there is a difference between fast, and quick.

It’s why every receiver who runs a 4.2 forty is not a success. Straightaway speed is great. But if you can’t cut on a dime, and run precision routes, you better stop by Walmart and pick up a spatula to flip burgers, because you won’t last in the NFL. It won’t be a player who replaces Edelman, but playerSSSSS. (Plural.)

Who will make up for the loss of Edelman? Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, and Marcus Canon.

Five for the cost of, well… five

Brady’s brain and quick release along with Edelman’s ability to get open in the blink-of-an-eye had covered up for the Patriots offensive line’s deficiencies. When one of the Buddha-bellies whiffed on a block, it went unnoticed by Brady, consistently getting rid of the ball before the pass-rusher destroyed him. I know this from my obsession with re-watching Patriots games several times and focusing on line of scrimmage play. Brady bails these guys out … a lot.

But there’s hope.

In 2016-2017, the O-line showed incredible improvement over the previous year. So, if the O-line has to take another step forward, and give the G.O.A.T. quarterback a consistent, extra second to survey the field.  Give their new deep-threat toys a chance to get open, and the Patriots should survive without Edelman.

THE TRAIN IS RUNNING AHEAD OF SCHEDULE

Look for a drop in the Patriots’ 3rd down conversion numbers from last year, but the total points to rise from more big plays. IF the big boys up front can build a Great Wall of Foxboro around TB12. Patriots Haters may want to leave the basement and head upstairs, see if mom bought any more pork chops for Fido across the street, because it’s gonna be another loooooong winter outside of New England.

If the O-line doesn’t step up, the New England Patriots Express could get derailed, and lose a game or two. Bye-bye 19-0. Guess Patriots fans will have to settle for a sixth Super Bowl Championship with a 17-2 record. Bear down, Pats fans. Tough times are ahead … tough times indeed.

Pats fans, please follow me @StevenViner1 and I will follow you back. Oh and I ALWAYS answer questions!

Chris Sale: Boston’s MIA Ace

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It’s time for Chris Sale to be Chris Sale

We should stop talking about Chris Sale (15-7, 2.85 ERA this season) as the likely 2017 Cy Young award winner.   Let’s start talking about his awful games against good teams for the last two months. And why Cleveland’s Cory Kluber (14-4, 2.56 ERA) will win the AL Cy Young award.

Who cares? After dropping three of four against the second place and perennial pain-in-our asses Yankees, the struggling Red Sox need their ace to be an ace once again. Since July turned to August, he’s been largely missing in action. Save his great outing against a weak Tampa team on August 8th, in which we went eight scoreless innings and struck out 13, and last week’s dominance against the hapless Jays, he has been pretty pedestrian since July.

Since the July 1st, the Sox are seven wins and five losses when Sale starts. In those 12 games, Sale has produced five wins, four losses and three no–ecisions, 75.3 IPs, 25 ERs, 115 Ks, and given up nine HRs. That’s fine for a number-three starter, but not for an ace.

Against the worst, he’s the best

Since the end of June, most of his good numbers have come against the dregs of the league – Toronto, Tampa, and a Seattle team that’s 14.5 games out of the AL West. Against likely playoffs teams in this window, four starts against NYY and two against CLE, he’s been very unimpressive: zero wins, three losses, three no decisions. Zero wins. Zero. His average line against the teams we need to worry about? Fewer than six innings and more than three and a half earned runs per start.

Sale remains our best pitcher.   But he isn’t the runaway Cy Young award winner he looked like in July. Boston’s once substantial lead in the East has been cut to 3.5 games.   This would certainly be in jeopardy if they didn’t have a soft schedule for the rest of the season. With six more games against Toronto and Tampa, and three against a terrible Cincinnati team, the Red Sox should cruise to the playoffs.

Step up or step out

To have any legitimate shot at a deep post season run, the Red Sox need to win the division. With the introduction of the second wild card and the one-game play-in between wild card teams five years ago, winning the division has taken on renewed importance. This year, more than ever for the Sox, it is paramount. It’s not that Boston can’t beat New York or anyone else in a single game in October.  Despite his recent struggles I’ll still take my chances with Sale on the mound.

But that’s the problem.  The Sox would have to go with Sale in the play-in game and then enter the divisional round with a rotation of Pomeranz, Porcello.   Then either Fister, Price or E-Rod take the mound before bringing Sale in to pitch a potential game 4. Win the division and the Sox have a significantly better rotation lined up – including getting Sale twice in a long series. Lose the division, waste Sale in a one-or-done match-up, and the future could very well come down to how well Rick Porcello, David Price, or Doug Fister pitch in an elimination game. That’s terrifying to think about.

But, if Sale doesn’t return to form and provide quality starts against good teams the rest of the year, we won’t have to worry about it.

2017 Patriots’ Opener: The Average Fan’s Day

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Gillette Stadium seats approximately 66,000 people.  As, a lifelong New Englandah’ I will describe with confidence the exact experience that about half of those ticket holders will endure. This coming Thursday, our Super Bowl Champion Patriots take the field to kick off the 2017 NFL season.

Am I making some biased judgements and stereotyping about our fans?  You betcha.  Am I accurate?  Yes, yes I am.  (Remember that Saturday Night Live skit?  It’s pretty much like that with a football game included)

The average Patriots fan’s game day experience

Fan’s Name: Jimmy “Murph” Murphy

Occupation: Verizon Technician

Hometown: Weymouth, Massachusetts

September 7th, 2017

8:11AM

Murph texts his game buddies some ridiculous motivational message like “GameDay bitches” or “#LetsGO”

9:28AM

Snoozing in his Verizon truck counting the minutes until he can duck out of work

11:17AM

Crushes a Subway Italian B.M.T. bragging to his fellow lineman ‘How f*cked up he is gonna get at the game‘ and probably will be ‘”bangin’ in sick on Friday‘

Lyin’ to go to the Rayzah ain’t a lie

2:26PM

Punches out early and races home

2:27PM

Pulls in to Kappy’s Liquors.  Grabs two 30 racks of Bud Heavies, a bottle of Fireball for the game and a tallboy Heineken single for the ride to the house.

3:01PM

Slaps on his “vintage” Doug Flutie Patriots jersey to complement his Lee carpenter jeans and Timberland workbooks (take a few hits off the bong while waiting for his jackass buddies to pick him up.  (“Where are these assholes?” mumbles to himself).

 

Jet Fuel?  Check.

3:24PM

Finishes packing cooler.  Grabs ticket.  Sitting on froth steps.  Two more beers imbibed during this ‘process.’

3:39PM

Murph’s buddies roll up to his house in a 2012 Ford F-150.  Truck is packed with a full tailgate spread, a TV and that bumper sticker of the guy pissing on a New York Yankees emblem.  Tobes, Dunny and, the driver, Moose are ready to roll.

3:48PM

Tobes spills beer and gets screamed at and mocked by the other three

3:49PM

Tobes: F*ck you guys.

4:18PM

Traffic on Route 1 sucks.  Dunny has to piss and they are not pulling over so he fills the empty Gatorade Skoal dip-spit bottle he found under the driver’s seat.  Pours said urine out drivers side window.  Some sprays on Moose.  Dope slap delivered to Dunny’s dome.

4:39PM

Enter Gillette parking lot.  Tailgate setup is down to a science.  Murph and Dunny immediately start playing 10-car length catch and do zero of the work.

5:01PM

Grill is lit, TV is on, crew is about nine-beer level and the insane statements and predictions begin.

“16-0…definitely.”

“Edelman sucked anyway.”

“I heard Brady has hair plugs.”

“You get any of those Bahstool towels?”

“Goodell is a piece of sh%t.”

6:22PM

FIREBALL!

Beer goggles

6:36PM

Dunny attempts to ‘get some girls ovah heeya’.  

7:03PM

Murph throws up a little behind the truck.  Hides it from the boys.

7:32PM

‘We should get in there’.  Two beers shotgunned all around to get the buzz up knowing they are looking at $11 Bud Lights inside The Big Razor.

7:46PM

March in to Gillette begins.  Moose nearly gets in a fight with “some p#$$y with a Jets jersey on“.

7:48PM

Tobes forgot his ticket on the dashboard.  Has to run back.  Murph throws an 1/2 empty beer at him as he turns back.

7:52PM

Quick hit of the one-ie for Dunny.

7:55PM

Enter gates

Blitz for Six — it’s on

8:07PM

Stadium rocking.  Goodell hate-chants begin.

8:15 – 11:45PM

Banner, Anthem, and the complete dismantling of the Kansas City Chiefs

11:45PM – February 2018

ROAD TO SUPER BOWL 52!

 

P.S. Murph never made it to work the next day.

It’s September 1st Red Sox Final Stretch of the Regular Season Begins

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It’s September 1st which means summer is over, it’s football season, and the weather changes. It also means  we are pretty much in the final month of the Red Sox season. For some fans it’s a worrisome time, and for some it’s when do the playoffs start? The Red Sox have a rocky history in September we all remember the September collapse in 2011 that lead to Terry Francona’s firing. Could the same happen this season?

The answer to that question is I don’t know, you really never know with this team. This series with the Yankees is a big one they lost last night and really should at least split this series this weekend. The pitching has to be solid, and with the young talent they have can they deliver in the final stretch of the season.

Questions still remain about David Price, and Dustin Pedroia when will they come back? It looks like they won’t be back till the playoffs if they get there. They should make the playoffs, they have the division lead it is there’s to lose. If they do give up the division lead to the Yankees this season would be a failure and manager John Farrell will be gone in my opinion.

Even with the Addison Reed singing you still have questions in the Bullpen as he is average at best. The only real ace on that team right now is Chris Sale. He gets the start Sunday night in New York and should get the win. It will be interesting to see what happens as we head into this final month of the regular season.

Get ready Red Sox fans for the wild rollercoaster ride we will be on for this could be very good or could get ugly pretty fast so enjoy the ride.

 

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Brady Is Immortal: The Madden Curse Falls on Brady’s Favorite Reciever

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When it came out back in May that Tom Brady would grace this year’s cover of Madden 18, the announcement met with a mix of support and outrage. The dreaded “Madden Curse.” Some, including Brady, say there’s no such thing as curses. Others said that he shouldn’t be on the cover. It will destroy his season. Who, can forget when Rob Gronkowski was the cover boy last year, then sidelined for the season.?

Now, Julian Edelman, Tom Brady’s best friend and most trusted receiver, done for the season with a torn ACL. You can argue about whether starters should be playing in a preseason game.  That’s not the point here. The point is that Tom Brady is immortal and turned the curse on Julian Edelman his favorite reciever and best friend.

Why do I say that? We’ll because look at how Edelman wants to be like Brady. Tom Brady has his “TB12” brand, and Edelman has his “JE11” brand. Last year Edelman was supporting Tom when Brady was on suspension saying he couldn’t wait for him to get back.

Let’s face it Brady is a 40 year old quarterback who wants to keep on playing, giving people tips that 40 is the new 25, with the fitness workout he’s on, and his meals. So back in May Brady shrugged at the “Madden Curse”  in May and pretty much said if he could go through an suspension fine, then he could make it though the season being on the cover of Madden. So if Brady is immortal to the so called “Madden Curse”  it literally went to Julian Edelman a Super Bowl hero, to a torn ACL out for season.

The Three-Headed Monster — Sale, Pomeranz, and Porcello

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This season we have seen a slight improvement in our starting five-man pitching rotation.  Despite injuries, our rotation has seemed to hold it together. Recently, they REALLY seem to be holding it together.  Today, let’s focus on Chris Sale, Drew Pomeranz, and Rick Porcello.

CHRIS SALE

The addition of Chris Sale in the off-season was probably the best thing to ever happen, like an early Christmas gift to all of Boston. “The Red Sox have Chris Sale,” became the most popular statement in the off-season.  He hasn’t disappointed either, absolutely dominant since coming to Boston.  Currently, he stands 14-5 with a 2.62 ERA and 250 strikeouts.  He is tied for second in the league with wins, fourth in ERA, and first in strikeouts.  He is a possible Cy Young and MVP candidate this season.  The last pitcher to win both awards in the same season was Clayton Kershaw in 2014.

Adding to a terrific season, Sale started in back-to-back All Star games, and the first pitcher ever to start in back-to-back All Star games representing different teams. Sale was the 16th pitcher in MLB history to start an All-Star game and was the first to do so since Randy Johnson in 2000-2001.

To add onto Sale’s incredible season, here are some of his stats and his rankings amongst the league.

  • 1st in Strikeouts (250)
  • 1st in Win/ Loss % (0.737)
  • 1st in Strikeouts per 9 IP (12.833)
  • 2nd in Home Runs per 9 IP (0.77)
  • 2nd in Wins (14)
  • 3rd in Innings Pitched (175.1)
  • 4th in ERA (2.62)
  • 4th in Pitchers WAR (5.7)
  • 7th in WHIP (0.890)

DREW POMERANZ

If I came into this season saying Drew Pomeranz has potential to be Cy Young, you’d probably laugh at me. But, I’d laugh back because it’s actually pretty true. This season, Pomeranz is 13-4 with a 3.18 ERA. At home, he has a 7-2 record. Never in his career has he had 13 wins. His closest season was in 2016 when he had a total of 11 wins when he played a split season with the San Diego Padres and the Red Sox. Only once in his career did he have an ERA under 3.18 (2014 he posted a 2.35 ERA) but he pitched in less games and half the amount of innings.

In July and August combined, Pomeranz is 6-0 with a 2.19 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 58 innings.  In the month of August alone, he has only allowed four runs in 21.2 innings of work. His strikeouts per 9 innings have increased from June, going from 8.3 to now 10.8.

His worst outings are usually recorded in his first inning. In just the first inning, Pomeranz has a 5.76 ERA and has allowed six home runs in just 25 innings. His best innings are usually the 2nd, 3rd and 6th.

  • 3rd in Wins (13)
  • 5th in Win/ Loss % (0.765)
  • 7th in Adjusted ERA (144)
  • 10th in ERA (3.18)

 

RICK PORCELLO

Rick Porcello is having an off year, commonly known as the Cy Young hangover. Porcello is 8-14 this season with a 4.48 ERA. His 14 losses are the most in his career since his 2015 season with the Red Sox where he went 9-15. He is tied in 3rd in the league with home runs allowed (29), 2nd in hits allowed (189), 1st in losses (14), and 7th in earned runs (82).  Despite putting up terrible numbers, let’s look at his positives.

  • 2nd in Games Started (26)
  • 2nd in Complete Games (3)
  • 6th in Innings Pitched (164.2)
  • 17th in Strikeouts (149)

In the month of August, Porcello is however turning everything around. He is 4-0 in his past four starts and has an opposing batting average of .242.  Opposing batting average from the previous 22 games of the season was .291 and he was 4-14 during that span (April 3-July 28).  The first half of the season, Porcello was posting a 4-11 record with a 4.75 ERA. The second half of the season, he has improved tremendously with a 4-3 record and posted a 3.77 ERA in 7 games. Hopefully something clicked in his brain and he continues with what he is doing.

In conclusion, our pitching staff is doing better in the second half of the season.  Doug Fister is 2-2 in his past four outings including a one-hit complete game the other night against the red hot Cleveland Indians. Eduardo Rodriguez seems to be finally figuring out what he’s been doing wrong despite going 0-0 in his last four outings. Hopefully this consistency in pitching “Sales” us into the postseason and collects some wins and a ring.