Tag Archives: Yankees

Chris Sale: Boston’s MIA Ace

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 8^th, 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 1^st, 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.

Rice to Sabathia: “Lose some weight”

Next stop — Yuma

Obviously, I was right about everything. And for added nightmare fuel, the aptly named ‘Yuma Scorpions’ were Arizona’s Winter League affiliate, discovered one night at a Buffalo Wild Wing’s by bumping into their hall of fame slugger, Jose Canseco. Between B-dubs and the popular Burgers ‘N Beer hangout, there would at least be a place to watch baseball, eat poorly and drink yourself good-looking. Most Marines can afford to do that, not because of our paychecks, but because of our PT standards.

However, not everyone can go on burger and beer benders. A good example — one C.C. Sabathia. He who just last night took to the media to vent about the Nunez bunt attempt. Surely, it had nothing to do with forcing the hefty lefty to field his position.

Bosox great offers Sabathia an easy Rx

So, when the former Ace openly criticized Boston’s deadline acquisition for laying one down, Boston’s eight-time All Star, and Red Sox icon, 1978 MVP Jim Rice stepped to the proverbial plate.

“What he has a right to do is fulfill his contract, lose some weight, and go out there and pitch.” A visibly frustrated Rice fired back. Heads across Sox Nation silently nodded in acknowledgment in response to the South Carolina native. Is there finally some tension between the clubs?

Of course, the rivalry needs not be reignited between the stubborn, if not arrogant, dueling fan bases. On a club level is where it’s been lacking. With only three head-to-head games remaining and the teams separated by a mere 4 1/2, heading into September needs to have a stress factor. Passion and grit drive the rivalry on, despite the teams not meeting in the playoffs for 13 years. Remember A-Rod’s string of F-you’s to Varitek, resulting in a mitt to face collision, and Don Zimmer tumbling to the ground by the hands of a Pedro Martinez special delivery? That’s what I miss!

Tension on the field

Currently the East, Central and West division leaders’ closely contested records continue to resemble the early seconds of ‘The Price Is Right’s’ popular Plinko game. Four teams within 3 1/2 games of each other, including the Bronx Bombers, are duking it out for the two Wild Card spots. With Boston and New York with a lot to play for over the final 30 games, expect an elevated level of intensity between today and Sunday. As far as the on-field dramatics that span a full century? For now, the Rice-Sabathia jab will just have to suffice.

Sox Rookies Lead the Way in New York

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The Red Sox bounced back after possibly the toughest loss of the year Friday night to take both games over the weekend. The Sox, now 5.5 games ahead of the Yankees in the East, were led by the play of rookies Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers. Benintendi homered three times and drove in nine runners over the weekend series. His two three-run shots during Saturday’s win propelled the team to their 10-5 victory. Not only that, all of his home runs were rockets, making it out of the stadium in the blink of an eye. In Sunday’s game, Benintendi came up with the bases loaded in the 10th and delivered with the game winning hit to right field.

Devers, the 20-year-old- baby faced third baseman, collected the biggest hit of the weekend. With two strikes, facing a fellow lefty and the hardest thrower in the game, Aroldis Chapman, Devers connected for a home run to the opposite field. The pitch was clocked at 102.8 MPH, the fastest recorded pitch hit for a home run.

http://<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Rafael Devers home run was off a 102.8 MPH pitch…. Hardest pitch hit for a HR… Welp ever in the tracked velocity era. (2008)</p>— Daren Willman (@darenw) <a href=”https://twitter.com/darenw/status/896929237545832449″>August 14, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Impressive only begins to describe the game-tying home run on the biggest stage. Up again in the 10th with the bases full, Devers hit a missile to left field that turned Brett Gardner around. Gardner was able to hang with it and make the catch, but it was another illustration of Devers’ ability to hit the ball hard to all fields. The day before, Devers connected on a lined shot that hit off the center field wall for a double. In New York, Devers picked up four hits and is now batting .328 after having spent only nine games in Pawtucket.

With these two rookies, at 23 and 20 years old, I am excited to see what the future holds for them in Boston. Benintendi has been getting Fred Lynn comparisons all year long. Lynn was on a Hall of Fame path before leaving the Red Sox in free agency. If Benintendi can play like Freddy did in Boston, this should be fun. As for Devers, at 20 years old and having hit at every level of the minors despite being young at each stop, the Major Leagues has not slowed him down. I hope he doesn’t get too much pressure put on him at such a young age and can stay within himself. His future in the big leagues looks like a potential perennial all-star at third base.

Boston Sports Extra

By Boston Fans, For Boston Fans