Tag Archives: Chris Sale

Red Sox

RED SOX – ORIOLES SERIES PREVIEW

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Two games into the series with the Rangers and it looked like disaster was about to strike. The Rangers came into Fenway and took the first two games of the series against the odds. However, the Red Sox pulled themselves together and managed to come out on top in the final two games. Now they head to Baltimore hoping to have another “get right” road series.

6/10 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. TBD 7:05 pm NESN

6/11 Chris Sale vs. Dylan Bundy (R) 4:05 pm NESN

6/12 TBD vs. John Means (L) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Chris Sales numbers in his last two outings are simply incredible. The veteran left-hander has thrown a total of 16 innings without allowing an earned run to score. What makes it even more impressive is that in those two starts he has allowed a total of six hits and one walk, while striking out 22. He has now struck out 10 or more in eight of his last 10 starts, and has given up three or more earned runs in just two of those 10 starts.

John Means has taken the majors by storm this season. The left-handed pitcher has a 2.60 ERA in his 15 games, including 11 starts. However, he has been especially good at home, allowing just six earned runs in 34 1/3 innings. Additionally, he has also had some success against the Red Sox, allowing just two runs to score in 12 innings.

The Red Sox can feel fairly comfortable in knowing what they will get when they face Dylan Bundy on Saturday. The veteran right-handed pitcher has a 4.50 ERA in 70 innings this season. In his last 10 starts, he has allowed between 2-and-4 earned runs in eight of those, averaging around one home run allowed per outing. However, for the Orioles, his performances are significantly improved since the start of the season. As of April 16th, he had a 7.79 ERA, which he has now managed to get down to 4.50 in the subsequent 10 starts.

HITTERS

Camden Yards should offer a chance for the Red Sox offense to have some fun. According to ESPN’s park factors, Camden Yards ranks third in runs, and fifth in home runs this season. The pitching matchups are not the easiest, especially against John Means, but this is the park for the Red Sox hitters to start hitting their groove.

Despite having the fifth best park for home runs, the Orioles offense ranks just 20th in home runs this season. In fact, scoring runs in general has been hard, as they rank 26th in that category too. Not only should this series be a good chance for the offense to find some rhythm, but the pitchers as well.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: Once again that fifth starter spot is in the limelight. Darwinzon Hernandez and Ryan Weber have both had shots, but neither has stuck. Hector Velazquez and of course Nathan Eovaldi are on the injured list. Both will return before the end of the season, but the Red Sox are not in the luxurious position of being able to afford to give away one out of every five games with their fifth starter. Hopefully, a start against the Orioles can be the kick start someone needs to make the job their own for a little while.

Hitting: Incredibly all seven of the Red Sox runs came via the home run in the final game of their series with the Rangers. The five home runs they scored in that game were even more impressive, given they averaged just one per game in the rest of the series. The long ball has been a struggle for the Red Sox this season, as they rank just 12th in the majors. For a lineup stacked with the likes of J.D. Martinez, Mookie Betts, Steve Pearce, and Mitch Moreland, that is extremely disappointing. Hopefully they can add a few more multi-homer games this weekend.

EXPECTATIONS

If the start of the Rangers series was disappointing, the way the Red Sox bounced back was encouraging. It would have been easy to have folded, especially when the Rangers jumped out to a two-run lead in the third game. However, the offense fought back in both game, and they came away with a damage control split series.

Now they need to go and cash in against the Orioles, who are the worst team in the major leagues. The Orioles sit 21-46 with a -133 run differential and having won just three of their last 10. The Red Sox will head to the red hot Minnesota Twins after this series, so it is imperative they at least take two of these three games from the Orioles

Red Sox

RED SOX – RANGERS SERIES PREVIEW

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The weekend series against the Rays was a progress stopper. After sweeping the Royals last week, the Red Sox lost 3-of-4 in Fenway to drop seven games behind the Yankees and Rays in the division. The upcoming week presents another chance to string together some wins, and that starts with the Rangers in Fenway Park.

6/10 Chris Sale vs. Mike Minor (L) 7:10 pm NESN

6/11 TBD vs. Ariel Jurado (R) 7:10 pm NESN

6/12 Rick Porcello vs. Lance Lynn (R) 7:10 pm NESN

6/13 David Price vs. Adrian Sampson (R) 7:10 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

Chris Sale threw a three-hit, 12 strikeout shut out in his last start in Kansas City. However, Sale has actually had most of his struggles at home this season. The left-handed pitcher has a 4.45 ERA in 28 1/3 innings at Fenway, compared to just a 3.49 ERA on the road. In contrast, both Rick Porcello and David Price has far superior numbers at home than on the road. If there was any pitcher of the three to bank on to turn their home form around it would be Sale.

Mike Minor is demonstrating the talent that we all knew he had this season. The veteran left-hander has his career derailed by injuries but has fought hard to get himself back on track. This season he has a career-best 2.55 ERA as a starter, striking out 87 in 81 1/3 innings. He has been slightly been more vulnerable on the road, with a 3.00 ERA, and a .310 wOBA.

The Rangers will be using two pitchers in this series who have served time both out of the rotation and the bullpen. Ariel Jurado has also been extremely good this season, both as a starter and a reliever. As a starter, he has a 3.57 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings. Adrian Sampson has been less impressive as a starter, with a 4.93 ERA, but has struck out 34 in 38 1/3 innings.

HITTERS

On the road, this season the Rangers have generally hit well. They rank in the top-10/15 of most road statistics. They have not had it all their own way, in fact, they rank second last in the majors in strikeouts on the road, with a 27.5 K%. Their road record is also pretty poor when it comes to results, as they sit just 10-18. This series should present plenty of opportunities for the Red Sox pitchers to rack up the K’s.

The Red Sox are coming off a series in which they averaged just 2.25 runs per game. It is going to be extremely hard to win games scoring that few runs, especially when they did not have to face one of the Rays best pitchers in Charlie Morton. However, the Rays do rank best in the majors when it comes to ERA. The Rangers? They rank seventh, allowing nearly two runs more per nine innings pitched.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Pitching: The Red Sox will be hoping Sale can continue his good form from last time out. They will also be looking for Porcello and Price to continue their good home form this season. However, question marks remain around the other starter in this series and their bullpen. Depth in starting pitching will likely be important later in the season, and they need their bullpen to hold its own if they are to close the gap and push for this division.

Hitting: You know you have had a bad series at the plate when Jackie Bradley Jr. is the only hitter to clear the fences. The positive is that the Red Sox really need something from JBJ’s bat, but there are more issues in that stat than positives, The Rangers rotation can be got at, and that is just the type of staff the Red Sox need to face right now.

EXPECTATIONS

The Red Sox season just rolls from frustration to frustration. Every time it looks as though they are building some momentum, it gets ripped away with a poor series. That is the case once again after this Rays series. The Red Sox are 34-32 and hovering seven games off the division lead.

There is still a lot of time to go. We have only just clicked through the 62-game mark, leaving over 100 games. In the grand scheme of things a seven game deficit when you consider that is nothing. However, the Rangers are a middle of the pack team. If the Red Sox want to be viewed as more than a middle of a pack team they need to send the Rangers packing with a series defeat.

Red Sox

RED SOX – ASTROS SERIES PREVIEW

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The Red Sox came away from last weekend disappointed to go down 1-2 to the Astros in Fenway. Now, after a trip to Toronto, they head down to Houston hoping to extract some revenge. Can the Red Sox go into Minute Maid Park and spring a surprise on the best team in baseball right now?

5/24 Chris Sale vs. Wade Miley (L) 8:10 pm NESN

5/25 David Price vs. Brad Peacock (R) 7:15 pm FOX

5/26 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Justin Verlander (R) 2:10 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

PITCHERS

The Red Sox three starters in this series have a combined 7-10 record. Rodriguez has four of those wins and three losses. In those wins he averages one earned run allowed per game. In the losses, that number is 6.67. As for Sale, he is 1-5, with all those losses coming in the first six games. Despite allowing just six earned combined in his last three starts, Sale has not managed to get a single decision. Both of Price’s wins have come when he has allowed precisely zero earned runs. If he allows any earned he has either taken the loss or a no-decision.

Justin Verlander is in the form of his life this season. The 36-year old pitcher has a 2.24 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings. To put some context on that Verlander has started 11 games this season. In eight of them he has allowed zero or one earned runs. Even when he struggles the worst he has done is allow for earned runs.

Brad Peacock and Wade Miley have not been as good as Verlander overall. However, pitching in Houston they have been incredible. Peacock has a 2.89 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 28 innings at home. Miley has 21 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings, but has a ridiculously low 2.31 ERA and a .94 WHIP.

HITTERS

J.D. Martinez started his career in Houston back in 2011. In his three seasons with the Astros he hit just 24 home runs with a .251 batting average. He has hit over 20 home runs in every season since he left Houston. In each of the last three seasons, Martinez has hit at least one home run in Minute Maid Park.

Houston’s offense has been great this season in general, but wow their numbers at home are impressive. As a team they have a .302 batting average, a .529 slugging and a .228 ISO. Leading that charge is George Springer, with his 17 home runs, four stolen bases and .313 batting average. He has seven of those home runs and a .333 batting average at home.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: Arguably this is the Red Sox first choice threesome for a playoff series. A healthy Nathan Eovaldi would also be in the conversation, but right now this would be the ideal three. However, all three have had their struggles this season. With three very good pitchers opposing them, the Red Sox starters need to at least show they can compete with the Astros starters in this series.

Hitting: The key for the offense in this series is just putting pressure on the pitchers. In Minute Maid Park, the highest WHIP among these pitchers is the 1.00 value for Peacock. These pitchers have had their way at home this season, and the Red Sox need to change that. If the offense can string hits together and put these guys in situations they are not used to, then just maybe they can break open a couple of them in their homefield stronghold.

EXPECTATIONS

After the Astros took two games in the series last weekend in Fenway there is perhaps not much optimism for this series. The Astros already seem like a very complete team, while the Red Sox are still figuring themselves out.

The key goal this weekend needs to be competitive. Obviously three wins would be great, but if that does not happen we just need to see the Red Sox be competitive. Even if the series ends with three wins to the Astros, as long as the Red Sox pitchers show promise, and the hitters put some hits together and apply pressure, there will be a lot of positives to take away from this series.

Red Sox

RED SOX – ASTROS SERIES PREVIEW

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After sweeping Seattle and then splitting the series with the Rockies, the Red Sox are looking at .500 in the rear view mirror. However, now the Red Sox embark on a huge part of their schedule. In their next five series they face the Astros home and away, square off with Cleveland at Fenway, then head to New York. This series against the Astros could lay a marker for how the coming weeks might shape up.

5/18 Rick Porcello vs. Gerrit Cole (R) 7:10 pm NESN

5/19 Hector Velazquez vs. Corbin Martin (R) 7:15 pm NESN

5/20 Chris Sale vs. Brad Peacock (R) 1:05 pm NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

Pitchers

It is nice to be talking positively about Chris Sale again! In his last five starts, Sale has allowed just seven earned runs in 33 innings pitched. There is also the small matter of the incredibly number of strikeouts. In those last five starts he has 59 strikeouts. That is as incredible as it gets, and is nearly two strikeouts per innings! In fact the guys at Fangraphs took a deep dive into Sale’s 2019 season so far, which I highly recommend you read.

Corbin Martin was very impressive in his season debut for the Astros. In 5 1/3 innings he struck out nine and allowed just two earned runs. However, the Rangers and Red Sox are very different teams. The Rangers brand of baseball right now is essentially all or nothing. They are either going to batter you, or strikeout trying. The Red Sox have a little more nuance to their offense. It will be interesting to see how Martin fairs, but more than anything it will be good for the Red Sox to get a chance to face him. There is a good chance they could be seeing him again come playoff time.

Gerrit Cole is the ace in this series for the Astros. However, he has had some struggles in 2019, especially on the road. Away from Houston this season Cole has a 4.30 ERA, but has struck out 49 hitters in 29 1/3 innings. This should be a fascinating duel between a pitcher providing mixed results, and a lineup which is starting to hit its rhythm.

Hitters

The Red Sox face three right-handed pitchers in this series in the form of Cole, Martin and Peacock. This season the Red Sox hitters rank 15th in home runs, fifth in batting average, and eighth in runs scored against righties. However, they will need to be at their peak at the plate in this series against a potent Astros team.

The Astros offense is lighting up the stat sheet this season. Heading into this series they rank first in the majors in batting average, OBP, runs, home runs and slugging percentage. Their offense is a juggernaut. Either this team is going to have to pitch well, or the hitters are going to have to go toe-to-toe with them.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Rotation: The news that Sale is back close to his old self is a massive relief, but their are still question marks. Porcello is just meh, and the Red Sox are going to need him to be better come the end of the season and during the playoffs. Velazquez has been promising, but he has only gone five innings once this season, mostly serving in a relief role. Now would be a great time for Sale to show us he is right back at the height of his powers, and for Porcello to step up and demonstrate he can be a contributor in the playoffs this year.

Hitting: Now that J.D. Martinez is finally starting to find his power legs things feel a little more comfortable. Martinez already has five home runs this month, and his power being a factor means that this lineup can go head-to-head with anyone. On top of that Andrew Benintendi has three home runs this month, and suddenly this team is not being carried by the power of Mitch Moreland and Michael Chavis, which is a huge relief. Now it would be great if this lineup can take apart a good rotation and settle any remaining concerns.

EXPECTATIONS

The three game cushion over the .500 mark provides some consolation that if things go wrong here, the Red Sox are still above water. However, this series is about so much more than just this series. The way the Astros are playing there is a good chance that the Red Sox will meet them again in the Postseason. That series is also more likely to be on the road right now, so losing to them at home would be less than ideal.

This series is the first part of an Astros double, with a trip to the Blue Jays filling the sandwich. The Red Sox have a legitimate opportunity to stamp their authority back on the AL over the next week. If they can win series both at home and on the road against the Astros, everyone will be back to taking them seriously. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now getting out of Boston with a win in this series would be a major accomplishment.

Chris Sale Pitches A Gem

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While you were busy watching the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals, or the Celtics ping pong balls, Chris Sale was dealing. After striking out 9 in his first four innings, he proceeded to finish with 17 in seven. Not bad being shoulder to shoulder with Pedro Martinez in 2000.

A twisting ball in the corner evaded JD Martinez to end his no-hitter bid, but Sale bounced back with weak fly ball to left and 2 more strikeouts.

It didn’t hurt to have yet another moonshot from Michael Chavis to lift Sox fans spirits:

In his last inning he gave up a single to Trevor Story, then a Green Monster homer to Arenado. But those guys came in destroying left handed pitching all year.

Chris Sale rallied back to strikeout 17 in seven innings. That’s a new career high, so it’s safe to say he’s back on track.

Brandon Workman did his best to lose the game, allowing a two run homer to Charlie Blackmon in the 8th to put the Sox down 4-3 and deny Sale the win. Moreland knocked in Devers in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game, but Mark Reynolds of the Rockies singled in a run to give the Rockies a lead in the 11th and the Red Sox lost. But don’t let it besmirch a performance like this.

Red Sox – Rockies Series Preview

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When we last took an depth look at the Sox they were starting their road to recovery. On May 1st they had gone 8-4 in their last 12 to meet last year’s .667 winning percentage. Since then they’ve gone 8-2. Mash that together and it’s 16-6 since April 19th. That’s a .727 winning percentage for the math geeks out there. Can they keep it going against the 19-21 Rockies?

Pitching Matchups/Schedule (TV)

5/14 – Chris Sale vs Kyle Freeland (NESN)

5/15 – Eduardo Rodriguez vs German Marquez (NESN)

Notable Numbers

+27: That is the Red Sox run differential. On April 19th the Red Sox were 29th (of 30 teams) in baseball in run differential at -42. Now they’re 9th at +27. This team is clicking on all cylinders.

.217: This Rockies batting average on the road this year. That’s the fourth lowest in the league.

What To Watch For

Every Chris Sale start is notable, and this one is no different. The Rockies power bats (Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story) are right handed, and destroy left handed starters (.400 for Arenado, .314 for Story). With the cooler weather, and that kind of right handed power in the lineup, the Rockies will be a challenge. It’s another good test for Sale, despite the Rockies low road average. Sale has a 2.61 ERA over his last five starts. But every start is another step forward or back. A good start would be further encouragement that Sale is back.

Eduardo Rodriguez was celebrated a little too much for finally pitching seven innings in a start for the first time since September 23rd of 2017 his last time out. Will he pull it off in back to back starts? If he does, it could be a harbinger of a true step forward from the mercurial Rodriguez.

Expectations

The Rockies have a lot of potential, and their 10-10 road record is actually an achievement. But the Red Sox are red hot. The Rockies will show better than the reeling Mariners did in the last series, but the Sox should continue to dominate. Expect a brief two game sweep by the Sox before the schedule tightens up in the next couple of weeks.

Red Sox-Yankees Series Preview

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When the Red Sox and Yankees usually meet it is a contest of an immovable object vs an unstoppable force. In this case the immovable object is a losing record for both teams, the unstoppable force injury on one side and mediocrity on the other.

The Yankee injuries include Stanton, Severino, Gregroious, Betances, Sanchez, Hicks and Andujar. That’s an All Star team. Not for nothing, but Aaron Judge seems like the only important piece not injured. They’re record is 6-9 and there’s a very good reason for it.

And then there is the 6-11 Red Sox. If I have to hear ‘It’s early’ one more time I might just burn one of my many Red Sox towels. The ravens have flown, it is officially spring. This team is sleep walking right now and it has to stop. On to the preview:

Image per Larry Brown Sports

Pitching Matchups/Schedule (TV)

4/16 Chris Sale vs James Paxton 6:35 NESN

417 Nathan Eovaldi vs J.A. Happ 6:35 ESPN

Notable Numbers

1.93: That is the ERA for both Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi against the Yankees in the last three years. They’re certified Yankee killers. Could this be just what the doctor ordered to get these guys on track? Who can say?

Against Paxton, J.D. Martinez should continue his hot start to the season. He’s hit .500 against Paxton in his career. Both Brock Holt and JBJ have gone 3-7 against him as well. That short porch in right at Yankee Stadium might be beneficial to the Sox slumbering bats.

The Sox may hit Happ to a measly .212 as a team, but Steve Pearce has shined: .344 lifetime with 6 home runs.

What To Watch For

How about a little life from the boys? How about a glimmer of hope that the team is here to play this year? If you listened to Cora after Patriots Day he seemed to sense that maybe it’s not so early. On paper the Sox should sweep the two game series.

Expectations

It’s anyone’s guess right now. Even if the Sox sweep these two games it will be against half the Yankees. Look for signs of life. If we see grind it out at bats and pitchers hitting locations early we’ll know the Sox are waking up. But Nathan Eovaldi has a 8.40 ERA, Chris Sale a 9.0 ERA. The team is hitting around .230 overall right now.

Again, on paper, this is a Red Sox sweep. But the flesh and blood Sox are teetering on the precipice of irrelevancy. The fact the Yankees are reeling is the only light in our collective Sox universe.

I’m hoping for Cora to put on his cape and cowl and give us another super hero managerial performance. To save this team from themselves. But it sure looks like the Night King has set up residence in the clubhouse.

Featured Image via HBO screen grab

Red Sox

RED SOX – ORIOLES SERIES PREVIEW

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This weekend is one of my favorite as a Red Sox fan, culminating in Patriots Day. Hopefully this year, the Patriots Day series can inspire the Red Sox to turn their season around.

PITCHING MATCHUPS/SCHEDULE (TV)

4/12 Eduardo Rodriguez vs. David Hess (R) 7:10pm NESN

4/13 Rick Porcello vs. Andrew Cashner (R) 1:05pm NESN

4/14 David Price vs. John Means (L) 1:05pm NESN

4/15 Chris Sale vs. Dan Straily (R) 11:05am NESN

NOTABLE NUMBERS

In what is becoming the weekly Chris Sale report, we enter another stage of this saga. Sale’s average fastball velocity was back at 92 mph, after being 89.9 in the previous start in Oakland. The results against Toronto still were not what we want to see, and the fastball still sits a couple of mph below his career average. Let’s see what Monday brings.

The Orioles enter this series after losing their last series 1-3 to the Athletics. Offensively they struggled in the last three games, averaging just 3.33 runs per game. Overall this season the Orioles rank 22nd in OBP, 21st in home runs and 21st in slugging percentage this season.

The Red Sox offense is continuing to heat up over the last few games. Now they face up against an Orioles pitching staff which ranks 29th in ERA, WHIP and batting average against.

None of the pitchers scheduled to start for the Orioles have much history against the Red Sox. The Oriole with the most appearances against the Red Sox is first baseman Chris Davis. In 595 PA against the Red Sox, he owns a .220 batting average, .299 OBP, .393 slugging percentage and 23 home runs.

Mitch Moreland went deep again in the first game of the Blue Jays series. Entering the second game of that series, he leads the Red Sox with four home runs on the season. With another three right-handed pitchers on the slate, he could play a big part once again in this series.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

The Bullpen: With a three run lead in the ninth on Tuesday Matt Barnes got the save opportunity, but after giving up a run the save was completed by Colten Brewer. It will be interesting to see who sees the next save opportunity. The smart money is likely on Ryan Brasier, but it is interesting that he did not get a shot on Tuesday.

Starting Pitching: There are still a lot of questions around this rotation, with all five starters having an ERA over five right now. After six games against the relatively slow starting Blue Jays and Orioles it would be good to see the rotation show some promising signs. Hector Velazquez was interesting in his spot start and could have a shot at the rotation if these struggles continue.

EXPECTATIONS

If the Red Sox can finish of the Blue Jays series with a win and then sweep the Orioles they could be close to .500. After starting 3-8 on the road, they need to at least win four these six games. They have already lost one, meaning they can only really afford one more loss in this home stand.

If they head into New York next Tuesday much worse than 7-10, then questions are really going to start to be raised. We are by no means too far into the season for this to turnaround. However, losing series to the Orioles and Blue Jays would be pretty concerning for a team with World Series ambitions.

Via google image search for Chris Sale

Stop It: Chris Sale Will Be Fine

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All over the airwaves I’m hearing concern about Chris Sale. His velocity was the lowest of his career last start. You can’t pay Frank Tanana or Jamie Moyer or Koji Uehara $30 Million a year. He’s got to be injured.

Would the Red Sox let Chris Sale pitch if he were injured? Not a chance. They shut him down the whole second half last year because of shoulder discomfort. Every single pitcher in baseball has shoulder discomfort. Cora and his merry men would not risk Sale’s health.

Here is Sale’s career broken down by month from Baseball Reference:

The first thing you notice is he usually starts out slightly slow. Yes, his record is sterling, but his ERA and strikeout ability are down.

The second thing you notice is the sweet spot for Sale’s performance in terms of pure stuff is June and July. Best ERAs, best SO/W.

The third thing you notice is he has a losing record in September and October. He still strikes guys out, but he also walks a few more, which leads to more runs and a higher ERA. By the time he reaches the playoffs, Sale’s ERA balloons to 5.76.

Cora is trying to convince Sale to change June and July to September and October and the playoffs. This is a big change for Chris Sale, so they’re figuring it out.

We’ll find out if Sale is still on board, if he is in control, today. With all the pomp and circumstance, the feel of the Fenway mound on opening day, the smell of Buffalo Chicken Totchos in air, rings, bunting, and Super Bowl trophies, it’s a tall task.

But if he is throwing in the low 90’s, even 89, it’s all according to plan. It’s that simple.

Alex Cora Solved The Red Sox Puzzle Yesterday. He Should Keep It Up

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This is one of those times as a Red Sox fan and follower that feels so familiar and foreign all at once. It’s like a long lost thought from limbo in Inception. When one win seems like the glorious sound of God, coming down like a lightning rod. This Red Sox puzzle seems to make no sense. The team won 108 last year, it’s the same team, what is happening?

There is trouble. There’s the World Series hangover effect, there’s concern about contracts. And Alex Cora and his staff have their plans that they want to stick to for long term success. What to do when the team isn’t winning?

Play every game like it’s Game 7 of the World Series.

Pitchers

Five pitchers. In one sense it was a bullpen game. In another it was no different than many games this year when the starter only goes three innings. The difference was Velazquez put up zeroes.

Cora needs to do more of this. Keep the pitchers accountable. Every win is important right now or there won’t be a playoffs. Motivate the pitchers to get over their malaise and focus on every pitch in any way possible. Once these guys get on track the bullpen can rest. Most of the starters have their money. Take innings away from them before they blow up, not after.

Little did we know the bullpen would be the strength of the team. Lean on them.

The Everyday Lineup

One of the pillars of Cora’s plan is resting players. He especially loves to give players a day off before scheduled days off. But there is rest, then there is overkill.

It seems insignificant, but that small note, “Betts in right field”, speaks volumes. Betts was scheduled for the double rest, but Cora put him in the field to protect a one run lead in the 9th.

This is a big change for Cora and the staff that should continue. In the past, Cora has refused to pinch hit resting players, much less put them in the field. It signals to the players that these games matter.

It seems like Cora has found an answer to the puzzle of resting players, but not being afraid to use them if needed. We’ll see how Chris Sale does tomorrow to see if he’s still in on Cora’s plan for a slow buildup. And if Sale falters early if Cora will pull him. That will show the pitchers that every win is important.

These are subtle but important changes that the team should stick to to get the ball rolling in 2019. Before yesterday, the team would have to play .600 ball the rest of the way to reach 93 wins. They might miss the playoffs with 93 wins, so they have to pick it up. They played .667 ball last year, we know they’re capable.

But time’s wasting.

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