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Can The Red Sox Get To 116 Wins?

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While the Red Sox have an unprecedented 85-35 win loss record, can they catch up to a record only two teams have ever achieved before?

116 wins, something only two teams have ever won that many games in a single season. The 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 1906 Chicago Cubs. The only difference… the 1906 Cubs played 152 games that year. This 2018 Red Sox team currently holds a .708 win percentage, however, there are still 42 games to be played.

The path to 116

With 42 games left in the regular season, the Red Sox would have to go 31-11 to finish the season. With 7 games against the Indians, 6 against the Yankees, and 3 against the defending champs as the hard part of the remaining schedule. Can this team achieve a .739 winning percentage during the last stretch? It’s definitely up for debate.

Who can help?

The numerous games with teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, and Toronto Blue Jays should be a promising sign, as long as they don’t lose easy games. Although there will be more frequent rest periods, ( including innings limits for starters), Alex Cora will still manage this team to be more competitive and hungry than the game before.

With MVP candidates Mookie Betts and J.D Martinez still staying hot at the plate, is there any wonder to how this team became so amazing? We cannot forget to mention David Price, Xander Bogaerts, Chris Sale, and all of the other guys who keep this team competitive. This team really has adapted the New England Patriot way of next guy up mentality. They way Boston sports has evolved into team equality has been astonishing to see.

What are the odds?

While finding the exact odds are improbable, they do have some numbers on their side. Out of their remaining schedule, 24 of the games are at home,  while owning the leagues best home win loss record. The team has a 9-1 record throughout their last 10 games. They have never lost more than three games consecutively all season long.

No matter what happens a strong playoff run looks imminent. as long as the team comes out of the regular season as injury-less as possible, I and fellow members of Red Sox nation can sleep well at night.

What do you think?

Comment,share,tag,tweet,like, and follow to let us know what you think! Let your opinion be heard.

Alex Cora Assessment (So Far)

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Firing John Farrell was obviously a change in direction for the Red Sox. Of course Farrell won a World Series and back to back division titles in his five-year tenure as the Sox manager, but he made questionable decisions and was a very dull personality in the clubhouse.

When the Red Sox hired Cora, I, like many others, was extremely excited to see what changes he’d bring. I was really looking forward to seeing how the 2018 season would start and the decisions Cora would make.

2018 has obviously gotten off to a great start, but let’s examine how Cora has done in managing all aspects of the game:

STARTING PITCHING

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There’s not much that Cora can do in terms of situational starting pitching. He basically constructs the rotation, and it’s up to the rotation to how they pitch. This is the harder phase of the game to determine how well a manager is doing.

One thing that Cora has done very well with his starting pitching is workload. We saw in the playoffs last year how gassed Chris Sale was by the time the season ended. Even Sale himself admitted that he burnt out by time the playoffs rolled around.

In 2018 Cora has done a great job of lowering the total amount of pitches that the starters throw during their outing. An extra 10-15 pitches doesn’t seem like much now, but it will pay dividends later in the season.

THE LINEUP

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The lineup is definitely an area that I think Cora could improve upon. I think the 1-2 punch of Betts and Benintendi is a perfect fit. I’m glad that he stuck with the idea of Betts in the lead-off role.

As far as other parts of the lineup, I think there are some improvements to be made. The DFA of Hanley Ramirez came as a surprise to many, including myself. That being said, I am not going to be talking about the first base situation, because Mitch Moreland is without a doubt our everyday first basemen going forward.

One thing that I want Cora to shy away from is using Eduardo Nunez often. I understand that we signed him to a contract this off-season, but I really don’t like watching him play. In his time with the Red Sox last year, he was absolutely fantastic. But he just doesn’t seem to have it this year. This will be easier because Pedroia is back in the lineup, which is another point. If Cora does have to rest Pedroia, I would prefer to see Brock Holt over Nunez, as Holt has had a terrific start to the season.

The catching situation is another interesting story for the Red Sox this summer. So far Cora has used a platoon of Christian Vasquez and Sandy Leon. It makes sense because certain pitchers in the rotation like throwing to certain catchers. I’d rather see a platoon of Leon and Swihart. Vazquez is sometimes good, but I have not been impressed by him on either side of the ball. If I was Cora, I would use Leon as the everyday catcher, with some Blake Swihart starts two or three times a week.

Overall, Cora has done a decent job with the lineup, all things considered.

BULLPEN

One of the most challenging parts of being a manager is dealing with the bullpen. This is an area that Cora has been very good with, but also questionable at times.

Something to consider when assessing how Alex Cora has managed this injured bullpen. Tyler Thornburg, Austin Maddox, and Brandon Workman have yet to throw a pitch in 2018 for the Red Sox.

One thing that Cora has done poorly with is giving certain guys the ball when he shouldn’t. He has repeatedly given the ball to someone like Heath Hembree or Brian Johnson when a starter comes out and men on base. Then things get ugly quickly.

Another mismanagement by Cora is not utilizing the long relievers like Hector Velazquez. There were two straight games in Toronto when there was a perfect opportunity for Velazquez to come in, but Cora gave the ball to Brian Johnson instead.

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One thing Cora has done very well with the bullpen is not being afraid to use Craig Kimbrel when he needs to. He has put Kimbrel in the eighth inning a few times to face the heart of the order, which is a great move.

Another favorable move by Cora is to put faith in Joe Kelly in high leverage situations. Joe Kelly has posted an 0.37 ERA since Opening Day, and I love the fact that Cora has been riding him into the ninth night in and night out.

Overall, considering the injuries the Red Sox have faced, I think Alex Cora has done a tremendous job. He has some areas to improve upon, but you can’t be mad at someone who is managing the best team in baseball.

Why the Red Sox Will Need Bullpen Help

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State of the Bullpen After Day One

What happened yesterday, March 29th, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg Florida was a blatant disgrace. All of Red Sox Nation had been waiting for Opening Day since the final out was recorded in last year’s playoffs. The day had finally come, with new manager Alex Cora at the helm. And the bullpen let us down.

The Red Sox jumped out to an early lead, and had a 4-0 advantage going into the bottom of the 8th inning. The combination of Joe Kelly and Carson Smith got hammered, allowing six runs in the frame. The Rays went on to win the game, 6-4. It was a gut-wrenching defeat, especially on Opening Day.

There were a lot of people on social media already throwing in the towel, which is absolutely ridiculous if you ask me. There are still 161 games in the season, and one loss isn’t indicative of how the entire season will unfold.

One glaring issue that I do not see going away is the bullpen. I am not writing these guys off already, but it was the team’s biggest weakness going into the season, and showed itself yesterday. Here are two reasons why I think the bullpen will need some help by the trade deadline:

Injury History

This sounds so cliché, but it is a reality in this Red Sox bullpen. Dave Dombrowski said on WEEI today that Carson Smith could be back in a month (shoulder injury). Joe Kelly has had injury history in previous seasons, and Carson Smith also just got back last season from arm surgery.

Those names listed above are arguably the three best relievers the Red Sox have besides Kimbrel. When the backbone of your bullpen has a chance to collapse at any moment during the season, it is a problem. I am not trying to say that this will for sure happen, but if it does, we could be relying on Matt Barnes to set up for Kimbrel. Ouch.

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Lack of Versatility

This issue is even bigger than the injury history, which is the lack of versatility in the bullpen. What that means is that the Red Sox currently only have one lefty, who is a rookie named Bobby Poyner. Alex Cora said in the post-game interview that he did not want to use Poyner in such a big spot. Now THAT is a problem. We only have one lefty in the pen and our manager doesn’t even trust him to record one out against a lefty.

The Red Sox will not be able to make a playoff run with only one lefty in the bullpen, it will just not work. Especially if that lefty is a rookie. Not knocking on Bobby Poyner, I think he has a ton of potential here, but he is no Andrew Miller.

So What Do the Red Sox Do?

The Red Sox are in a sticky situation considering they do not want to go over the $237 million threshold. I think at the trade deadline Dave Dombrowski will try to use a young and controllable player to get a lefty for the pen. Look out for a potential Sam Travis or Blake Swihart trade.

Sam Travis Should Be on the Opening Day Roster

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Opening Day is only a few days away, and teams are finally starting to shape the opening day roster. For the Red Sox, pretty much everything is set into stone except for the bench. Yesterday, Deven Marrero was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks, suggesting Brock Hold will be on the bench.

One of the candidates for the Red Sox bench that I was most excited about was Sam Travis. After a tough past few seasons battling injuries, he finally started to hit the ball this spring. I thought for sure he would be on the bench to start the season. However, recently the Sox optioned him to AAA Pawtucket. Here are a few reasons why he should be on the bench Opening Day:

Sam Travis FINALLY BREAKING THROUGH

As I mentioned before, Sam Travis had a tough road to this point. Up until recently he’s been plagued with injuries. However, this spring he has looked great at the plate. He has started to look like the Sam Travis that the Red Sox organization was so high on.

So far in 2018 Spring Training, Travis has hit .274 with six home runs and 17 RBI. He is the team leader in home runs and RBIs with those totals. A lot of people like to make the argument that Spring Training numbers do not mean anything and they aren’t important. But I do not think that these numbers are luck. The numbers that Travis has put up this spring is a direct result of him finally being healthy.

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WHO ELSE?

If this had happened before the trade of Marrero, I suppose it would have made a little more sense. But after that deal, I start to wonder who will actually be on the Red Sox bench.

Obviously Brock Holt will be kept, who is also poised for a better season once that he is now healthy. Blake Swihart is also another guy that I believe will be on the bench to start the season. Just like Travis, he is putting up monstrous numbers to fight for his spot on the team, which he will more than likely get.

After those two, I really have no clue why anyone would want another option besides Travis. Realistically, the only other choice is Leon, which is understandable. You would not want to just have Vasquez and Swihart, two young catchers. It is always nice to keep a veteran at that position.

Considering that there are no other options besides those three, it looks like the Red Sox are running with three guys on the bench and eight guys in the bullpen. This is assuming they use a five man rotation.

You could make arguments for both sides, but I think the Red Sox are making a mistake here. I think Travis could have had the opportunity to give this team character and production to start the season. Hopefully he gets another chance at the major league level sooner rather than later.

 

Cover image courtesy of Baseball Hot Corner.

Boston’s Biggest 2018 Lineup X Factor: JBJ

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We all know what Jackie Bradley Jr. is capable of doing in the outfield with his sick defensive prowess. However, on Opening Day at Tropicana Field he will without a doubt be the most streaky hitter in the lineup. The inconsistency for JBJ throughout his career has always been there, especially showing in 2017. How much would it mean to the 2018 Red Sox offense if he could put up consistent numbers? A lot. Here are a few aspects of how much of a consistent JBJ could bring to the club:

BOTTOM OF THE LINEUP

Whenever someone talks about a deep lineup, they are referring to the fact that everyone has the potential to consistently do damage. Based on what new manager Alex Cora has revealed about the lineup so far, JBJ will more than likely be hitting at the bottom of the lineup, 7-9. If JBJ could channel his power and be a consistent hitter at the bottom of the lineup, it would make this offense a much bigger threat 1-9. The bottom of the order could have a perfect combination of speed, consistency, and power, (assuming the bottom is JBJ-Vasquez-Nunez).

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TABLESETTER

Jackie also has the potential to be an amazing table setter for the top of the lineup. This was exactly the case in 2016, his best hitting year of his career. He hit for the highest average of his career (.267). He also scored the most runs of his career (94). I truly believe that this is no coincidence, it is common logic. The more times you get on base at the bottom of the lineup, the more opportunities the big boys have to drive you in.

SPEED-STEALING BASES

One attribute of JBJ that does not get talked about enough is his speed. Obviously he shows it off when he is tracking and chasing down fly balls in CF. However, we do not talk about his potential on the basepaths either. The most stolen bases that he has had in his career is nine, which is pathetic for someone with as much speed as him. If Alex Cora and Jackie are both willing to be aggressive on the base paths in 2018, it would make him even more of an asset to the offense.

CHEMISTRY

Obviously this cannot be measure in a stat, but Jackie Bradley is one, if not the most likeable player on the team. When he is doing well and making plays, it seems as though it lifts up the rest of the team, which can be very important in the dog days of summer. I think that if Jackie can be playing well throughout the whole season, it will pay dividends for the atmosphere in the clubhouse and the dugout.

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When it is all said and done, I think Jackie Bradley Jr is the biggest x factor when it comes to the 2018 Red Sox. I can’t wait to see some more ski jumping after a win!

The David Price-Boston Story

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David Price is definitely an interesting character when talking about his career. He has been dominant for so long, but his relationship with the media and the postseason have always been sour.

A lot of people question whether or not he should be considered a top-tier pitcher because of these problems. He has always put naysayers to rest they had the most to say in Detroit, Toronto, and Tampa. However, Boston is just a different animal between the media and the passion of the fans.

A New Start in Boston

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After the 2015 season, new Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski, who was familiar with Price in Detroit, signed the prized lefty to a massive 7 year, $217 million contract. This was the biggest contract for a pitcher in MLB History. Red Sox fans could not wait to see Price in their uniform after he single-handedly dominated them out of the bullpen in the 2008 ALCS.

2016 was a very good and underrated year for Price in Boston. From Opening Day, Price was consistent and at times dominated for the Red Sox. He finished with a 17-9 record, with a 3.99 ERA. Not great numbers for a pitcher of his caliber. However, he ate up a lot of innings and was arguably the most important pitcher of the staff.

Price was not so good in the playoffs. He got knocked around all around the park against the Cleveland Indians in Game 2 of the 2016 ALDS, and his postseason problems continued to haunt him.

2017 Woes

If people thought it couldn’t get any worse for Price after the end of 2016, they were very, very wrong. Before spring training it was announced that Price had issues in the elbow tendon of this throwing arm. There were so many rumors going around on whether or not he would pitch in 2017, or even 2018 for that matter.

After meeting with Dr. James Andrews, it was determined that Price would not need the dreaded Tommy John surgery. This was a huge bullet Price and the Red Sox were dodging, but nobody really knew what he could contribute to the club in 2017.

David Price made his return to the Red Sox pitching staff, just not as a member of the starting rotation. He made his debut out of the pen against the White Sox on May 29th. He had a solid return, getting in 5 IP with 3 ER. Better than the no inning and no runs that were expected when the elbow news broke surface.

Price eventually made his return to the rotation, and actually had a few very solid games. One notable game was against the Yankees, where JBJ made one of the best catches in Fenway Park history, robbing Aaron Judge of a homerun. He went 8 IP, only giving up one run to split a crucial doubleheader. I remember watching this game on vacation and thinking to myself “He’s back.”

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2017 Postseason Campaign

The 2017 playoff push was one of the most stressful times that I’ve experienced as a Red Sox fan. I remember waking up every morning checking my phone to see if the Yankees had won their game or not and constantly checking the standings. Even when the Red Sox were ahead by three or four games, it felt like we were back five.

On Saturday, September 30th, the Red Sox were on their way to a second straight division title. Late in the game, seventh inning, things starting to get a little shaky.

David Price comes trotting into the game, the Fenway faithful behind him. Before you know it, he’s facing George Springer with two outs, and K’s him up on one of the nastiest pitches I’ve seen in a long time: unhittable fastball from Price. Consequently Fenway roared as Price let out a monstrous yell.

I remember watching the moment with my friends and thinking, “Holy shit, this David Price bullpen thing is for real.” David Price was slowly starting to win me back, and starting to win back the fans.

The ALDS

Game 2 against the 2017 ALDS against the Astros was one to forget, just like Game 1. Ugly. But that is not the point. The highlight of the game was Price coming in out of the pen, and just absolutely mowing down the Houston hitters. Price threw 2 1/3 innings of scoreless ball against a Houston lineup that murdered Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale in that series. Price was once again excellent, and it was becoming apparent that the old David Price was coming back.

Game 3 of the ALDS was in my opinion Price’s defining moment of his Red Sox tenure. October 8th, 2017 at Fenway Park was one of the craziest days of my life, thanks in big part to DP24. In a do or die game, I was lucky enough to be sitting in the front row out on the bleachers, where tensions were running high. There was a feeling in the atmosphere that something big was going to happen, and that someone was going to step up to save 2017 Red Sox baseball.

The Astros jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, and the ballpark was silent. Everyone was pissed. But Boston battled back, and was able to take a 4-3 lead into the fourth inning when Price came in.

Pure dominance to say the least. Price threw four scoreless innings and allowed the Boston bats to explode. Price was so amped on the mound it felt like Houston had absolutely no chance to score any runs.

Even though Houston ended up winning the series, the ALDS was a big time coming out party for Price. He once again showed why he is one of the game’s big time pitchers.

What Does 2018 Have in Store?

2018 is the most crucial year for David Price in a Red Sox uniform. Now healthy, he needs to prove for a full season that he is a Cy Young caliber pitcher and he is worth the contract that he is under.

I cannot wait to see the next chapter that DP writes in his Red Sox story.