Category: Red Sox

David Price Officially Opts Into Red Sox Contract

By on • ( 1 Comment )

NESN – David Price’s redemption tour will continue right where it began. The Boston Red Sox pitcher removed any uncertainty about his future Wednesday, declaring ahead of the team’s World Series championship parade he won’t exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and will remain with the team. “I’m opting in,” Price said, via Chris Mason of the The Eagle-Tribune. “I’m not going anywhere. I want to win here. We did that this year and I want to do it again.” Price has four years and $127 million remaining on the seven-year, $217 million contract he signed with Boston in 2016. He had until midnight Wednesday to decide whether to continue on that contract or to opt out and hit free agency, but it appears he’s already made his decision.

This should come as no surprise because the guy finally conquered his biggest demons on in the postseason, which has been the bane of his existence for the past 3 years. He’s finally figured it out in the playoffs, why leave now? All the grief David Price has taken over the years has been almost entirely rooted in his postseason failures. It would not shock me one bit to see him have a John Lackey type turnaround with Red Sox fans.

But theres also the fact that over his first three seasons with Boston, Price has gone 39-19 with a 3.74 ERA.

  • 2016
    • 17-9
    • 3.99 ERA
    • 228 K’s
    • 35 Starts and 230 IP
  • 2017
    • 6-3
    • 3.38 ERA
    • 76 K’s
    • 11 Starts and 74.2 IP
  • 2018
    • 16-7
    • 3.58 ERA
    • 177 K’s
    • 30 Starts and 176 IP

Not terrible numbers, but not exactly elite. Sure some of those ERA numbers are inflated by a few horrendous starts, but they all count. Price has shown he is prone to streaky pitching though where he follows up a bad month with stretches of being untouchable.

Those numbers coupled with the fact Price is now 33-years-old would make it unlikely for him command the same $127 Million over 4 years on the open market. Plus it seems like his teammates genuinely like the guy so you put all those factors together and it’s no surprise David Price chose to stay with the Sox. Not to mention with 2 straight years of health issues for Chris Sale down the stretch, the Sox are in no position to be jettisoning starters.

David Price does indeed hold all the cards now.

Five Thoughts From the Red Sox Five-Game Gentleman’s Sweep of the Dodgers

By on • ( Leave a comment )

1. It’s better to be lucky than good, but Alex Cora was both in October and during the World Series. From starting Nathan Eovaldi in Game 3 of the ALDS in Yankee Stadium, to sticking with David Price in the ALCS and pinch hitting Eduardo Nunez in Game 1 of the World Series, Cora could do no wrong. There was, however, a brief break to Cora’s heater when the World Series shifted to LA.

The first 24 innings in LA weren’t great for Cora. There was no way that Cora could have predicted that Game 3 would go 18 innings, but it felt like he seriously mismanaged the pitching staff that night. The team went to sleep without naming a starter for Game 4 and it felt like the use of the “rover” had finally caught up with them.

Eduardo Rodriguez pitched well in Game 4, but it seemed that Cora got greedy and left him too long. The Red Sox found themselves down 4-0, and it looked like the series was going to have to go back to Boston. Then Cora and the Red Sox caught some breaks. Dave Roberts made some questionable pitching moves of his own, Mitch Moreland got the offense going, Steve Pearce tied up Game 4 and the rest is history.

2. Steve Pearce is the modern day Bernie Carbo. If Game 3 of the 2018 World Series evoked memories of Game 6 in 1986, Game 4 evoked memories Game 6 in 1975. I watched the Red Sox Home Run Heroes video enough times as a kid to belt out Joe Garagiola’s call of Carbo’s home run as soon as Pearce hit his.

3. Nathan Eovaldi was Boston’s most reliable pitcher all month. In his seventh big-league season, he was spectacular in his first postseason. It’s a shame he had to take the loss in Game 3 of the World Series. Had the Red Sox found a way to win that game, a serious case could have been made for Eovaldi to be the series MVP. Still, Eovaldi will get his ring and a hopefully a nine-figure deal this winter. The Red Sox don’t hoist the commissioner’s trophy without him this month.

4. It was very interesting to see Chris Sale close out Game 5 instead of closer Craig Kimbrel. It’s entirely possible that Kimbrel was simply out of gas, having thrown 56 pitches over the last two nights. However, it could also be possible that Cora had seen enough of the high-wire act.

Kimbrel recorded six postseason saves and finished eight of Boston’s 11 postseason victories. He didn’t blow a save or lose a game but he looked very shaky at times, allowing at least a run in his first four postseason appearances. After that, he did settle down to retire 13 of the next 16 batters he faced without allowing a run. But with a five-run lead in Game 4 of the World Series, he gave up a two-run bomb before shutting the door on the Dodgers.

The only Red Sox victories Kimbrel didn’t finish were non-save situations, but he still finished out two World Series games that weren’t save situations. Of course Cora could have just been trying to slam the door in Game 5, but it’s noteworthy that he didn’t think his closer was the man for that job. I don’t think we’ll seeing Kimbrel in a Red Sox uniform next season.

5. The 2018 Boston Red Sox team is the best Red Sox team of all time and the 2018 World Series was the most exciting World Series they’ve played this century.

The 2004 World Series was akin to the 1980 US Olympic hockey team beating Finland in the gold medal game. They did not trail for a single inning that entire series and there was not much drama. The 2007 team was a well-oiled machine, but it was impossible to top the ride from 2004. The 2013 World Series went six games and that team meant a ton to the city, but there weren’t too many guys on that team that stuck around in Boston for much longer.

The 2018 team was loaded with homegrown talent and guys that should be in Boston for years to come. The 2007 team came the closest to repeating, getting to Game 7 of the 2008 ALCS, but the 2018 team has the best chance of repeating of any Red Sox champion this century.

The Red Sox Are Boom Roasting Everyone on Twitter Who Doubted Them

By on • ( Leave a comment )

**checks my Twitter mentions with one eye closed**

I am a huge proponent of being petty. Holding a grudge is what makes winning all that sweeter, rubbing it in the faces of Yankees fans and haters alike. So I can respect this from the Red Sox. Hall of Fame petty move by the team here, just smoking fools on Twitter who doubted the team after one game.

And I have to admit, I was certainly one of those guys.

Welp, thats why they play for seven months. From Opening Day disaster to World Series Champions!

These Are the Best Red Sox World Series Videos (So Far)

By on • ( Leave a comment )

These videos will be rolling in for awhile, and thats before we even get to Wednesday’s Duckboats parade, but as of right now these are the best Red Sox World Series videos (so far).

Is Dave Dombrowski the Smartest Man Alive or Did He Kinda Sorta Get Lucky?

By on • ( 1 Comment )

This will be one of the most fiercely debated questions when we look back at the 2018 World Series. Is Dave Dombrowski the smartest man alive for the way he built this team or is he just lucky?

Before the playoffs started everyone, myself included, ripped Dombrowski for not making the “big name” move and getting an arm for the bullpen at the trade deadline. And it was a completely justifiable question as this team’s relievers were struggling bad down the stretch. The only guy that you could trust was essentially Craig Kimbrel, who ironically enough you could not trust in the playoffs. Then the playoffs come and they turned into the ’98 Yankees. Some real Freaky Friday shit.

Ryan Brasier, formerly of the Japanese League, became a dominant 7th/8th inning guy out of absolutely nowhere. Joe Kelly went from blowing the first game of the year to excellent to benches clearing brawl spark plug back to awful during the season and almost didn’t even make the postseason roster. Kelly morphed into a triple digit hurling shutdown setup man. And Nathan Eovaldi, who was coming off his SECOND Tommy John Surgery and who the Sox acquired for the immortal Jalen Beeks(!), became “The Rover.” The ultimate weapon out of the bullpen. I honestly don’t know if the Sox win the Series without Eovaldi. For my money (literally) he should have been World Series MVP, which he probably would have won if the Sox took the 18 inning affair in Game 3.

Now my main point is whether we’ll look back at this championship and praise Dombrowski for being a genius with moves like adding Eovaldi and World Series MVP Steve Pearce. Incredible moves. Or will we look back and say wow I can’t believe that actually worked out.

I can’t help but imagine Dealer Dave as Happy Gilmore after this championship run though. Looootta luck involved.

Dave Dombrowksi:

Plus I would argue most, if not all, of the credit should go to Alex Cora. The way he managed that bullpen was absolutely flawless, if not dangerous. I heard Cora use the phrase “All in, all the time” and it just perfectly captures what this team was doing. From the very first game in the ALDS, Cora was bringing out starters rather than trust it to a traditional bullpen guy. He had David Price starting, relieving, or warming up in just about every single World Series game, then brought in their ace in Chris Sale to close it out. You just don’t see that.

So yes ultimately Dombrowski’s moves paid off in the end, but without Alex Cora and all the shrewd managerial moves he made, I think this team falters much earlier on and Dombrowski is on the hottest of hot seats.

PS – Jon Wallach made a great point on Toucher and Rich this morning. It looks like Cora may have established the new norm for how to manage a bullpen in the playoffs. You never see this habitual usage of starters in the playoffs outside of Game 7 scenarios. Now, as Wallach said, you could very easily wreck your staff by the sheer amount of usage, but hey it worked.

The Top 5 Most Important People to This Red Sox World Series Win

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Some things really do feel pre-ordained. This championship is certainly among them. As soon as we crossed off the Yankees and, apart from an 18 inning long intermission, made fairly easy work of Houston, I just didn’t see a way we lost this. So here is my list of the 5 most important people to this championship, the five we owe it to the most.

5.) Nathan Eovaldi

I remember the first time we saw this guy get up in the pen in the fall and said aloud, “Our answer is Nathan Eovaldi, we are completely fucked.” He was a rolling stone of a pitcher who gave us a few good starts down the stretch but should  not have been anywhere near a bump come the playoffs. Well, all that rolling stone did was give us every drop of blood, sweat, and tears he could , eating inning after inning to keep the rest of our staff (somewhat) in tact.

4.) Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley has sort of been accepted for what he is. He covers an entire outfield on his own, has a rocket of an arm, but at times might as well head to the plate without a bat. That changed this post-season. Although he was played less in the LA series, JBJ had a number of key hits, including the game tying HR in the 18-inning  loss that will now be forgotten. We owe a huge part of this banner to the Sentinel in Center.


3.) David Price

David Price is a whiny, maddening, inconsistent weirdo. He also just won us the World Series. He got hot when he needed to get hot and because the ruthless, flame-spitting starter, the descendant of Schilling and Beckett, that we needed him to become. And not a moment too soon. Cheers, David.


2.) Steve Pearce

Think I forgot about him? Stevie Longball just refused to let his opportunity at a ring slip away, channeling all the magic his 35 year old body could and slugging his way to  eternal October glory.


1.) Everyone

This is sort of a cop out but needs to be said. The truth us the Red Sox are raising their 4th banner in 15 years because of a classic Boston sports effort. Everyone did their part, everyone had their moment. From Barnes to Nunez, from Kimbrel to Devers, from Kelly to, yes, Ian fucking Kinsler. They all came together when it mattered most.

 

I’m Making November 1st a Fast Food Holiday

By on • ( Leave a comment )

Business Insider – Taco Bell is giving away Doritos Locos Tacos on November 1.

Before the World Series, Taco Bell announced it would bring back the “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion: If a player steals a base, Taco Bell will give away tacos across the US.

Taco fans didn’t have to wait long for the free tacos to be unlocked. On Tuesday, the first night of the series, the Red Sox’s Mookie Betts stole second base.

Taco Bell’s “Steal a Base, Steal a Taco” promotion has always seemed a bit tacky to me. Has there ever been a World Series without a stolen base? Just one, actually. As Phil Rosenthal of the Chicago Tribune wrote last October:

Only once in 112 World Series has no one stolen a base. That was in 1944 when the St. Louis Cardinals downed the St. Louis Browns in six games.

Nevertheless, I’m not one to say no to free food.

Related image

I’m also not one to pass up deals. Right now there are plenty of deals in the fast food world, and I’m not talking about $5 boxes. I’m talking about even better deals. So on November 1st, in honor of Taco Bell giving out free tacos, I’m going to take advantage of all of them and hit for the fast food cycle. What is the fast food cycle, you ask?

Image result for burger king nuggets $1

Image result for wendy's fries $1

Image result for mcdonalds $1 soft drink

That’s 10 nuggets, a large fry, a large Coke and a Doritos Locos Taco all for three bucks (plus tax) on November 1. Name a better fast food meal with more variety for a better price. I’ll wait.

Before you complain about having to drive all over town to hit for the cycle, keep in mind that at least two of these four restaurants are probably right next to each other in your town. I have a Taco Bell literally next to a Burger King on my way home from work. The Burger King in my home town was across the street from the McDonald’s. Hitting all four restaurants will not be as challenging as you think. Even if it is a bit more challenging than just plunking down $8 for a Quarter Pounder meal at McDonald’s, how could you say no this kind of deal?

Image result for cheapness is not a sense george

Make no doubt about it, there has never been a better time in history to enjoy fast food in this country. And don’t look now, but the McRib will soon be back, too.

Top 5 Takeaways from Game 2 of the World Series

By on • ( Leave a comment )

The Red Sox took a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series last night as the series shifts back to LA for the weekend. The Sox will look to do exactly what they did in 2004 and 2007 with a World Series sweep of the Dodgers. Last night was David Price’s night though as he proved his impressive start in the ALCS was not an anomaly. Lets breakdown the Top 5 Takeaways from Game 2 of the World Series.

David Price Learned How to Putt

Similar to Happy Gilmore at the Tour Championship, David Price has seemingly learned how to fix his biggest weakness and now the competition is shook. Admittedly a sentence I wasn’t sure I’d ever type, but numbers don’t lie. Price gave up 2 runs over 6 innings and struck out 5 while looking dominant at times. After going more than a decade without getting a postseason win as a starter, Price now has 2 in less than a week. Incredible.

The real question is, what did David Price figure out in that ALCS Game 4 bullpen session?

It was while going through his warm-ups that Price discovered a new trick — one he wasn’t divulging — that he believed helped his start Thursday.

“I threw 40 pitches in the bullpen [Wednesday],” Price said. “I figured something out warming up in the bullpen, and it kind of just carried over into the game.”

Who taught David Price how to putt? Who was his Chubbs?

The 2018 Boston Red Sox are Lethal With Two Outs

This is a very good Red Sox team led by statistically the best offense in baseball, but get 2 outs on them? They’re even better. After getting 2 quick outs in the 5th inning it looked like the Dodgers would be able to hold onto a mid-game 2-1 lead. You didn’t think it would be that easy did you? It’s like any horror movie you’ve ever seen. Always make sure the killer is dead because if you’re not sure, if you don’t see his cold dead body then he will come back to haunt you. The Red Sox have become Jason Voorhees this postseason.

So with two outs Christian Vazquez singled, then Mookie Betts singled, then Andrew Benintendi walked, then Steve Pearce walked, then JD Martinez singled to drive in 2 runs and put the Sox up 4-2. Bingo. Bango. Game over.

Joe Kelly Has Morphed into 2007 Jonathan Papelbon 

For the second night in a row, Joe Kelly was just blowing guys away. It wasn’t just his triple digits fastball either though, Kelly had impeccable control on his breaking balls. He was just dropping pitches in wherever he wanted and the Dodgers couldn’t touch him. Kelly finished the night with 2 K’s in his lone inning pitched.

Andrew Benintendi May Have Been the Smart Bet for World Series MVP

After racking up 4 hits in his first career World Season game, Benintendi came back and flashed the leather in Game 2 to continue building his case against my bankroll.

I’m still holding out hope for my guy Nathan Eovaldi who came in at +5000 to win MVP. He looked excellent yet again last night striking out one in a 13 pitch 1-2-3 8th inning, but with the way this series is going I worry he just might not get into enough games. Especially with Rick Porcello getting the nod for Game 3, it looks like Eovaldi has gone from Rover to setup man for Boston.

The Dodgers Are Softer Than Charmin

First we had the Dodgers pitching coach Rick Honeycut complaining that the Boston bullpen is too close to the fans. Dude it literally has not moved in over 50 years. Then last night we saw Ryan Madson come into a 2 outs bases loaded jam and proceed to immediately walk in a run and then give up a 2-run single before recording the 3rd out.

The final blow was this shot of Yasiel Puig:

This came after any and every Dodgers player went out of their way to say the chilly New England temperatures don’t make a difference to them. Picture’s worth a thousand words.

PS – The Red Sox bullpen retired 16 straight Dodgers hitters to end the game. Duct tape and bubblegum aside, this bullpen is money right now.

Top 5 Takeaways from Game 1 of the World Series

By on • ( Leave a comment )

The Red Sox took a 1-0 lead in the World Series after a thrilling Game 1 last night. After jumping on Clayton Kershaw early it seemed like the Sox were going to throttle the guy who had never pitched in a game below 50 degrees before. With 1 out and 2 runs already in, JD Martinez got picked off at first and Xander Bogaerts popped out to end the inning though and Kershaw settled in. The Sox were able to pull out the W with contributions from pretty much everyone, so lets look at the Top 5 Takeaways from Game 1 of the World Series.

1.) Alex Cora Practices the Dark Arts

Big Z and I joked on The 300s Podcast preview of the World Series that Alex Cora has a horseshoe firmly shoved where the sun doesn’t shine. This guy can do no wrong. It seems every move he makes, despite all evidence to the contrary, is the right one and he proved it again last night. Like most of Red Sox Nation I groaned at my TV when I saw Cora pinch hit for Rafael Devers with Eduardo Nunez. Devers was second on the team in batting average this postseason heading into last night, already had an RBI on the night, and Nunez had been struggling mightily. What does Nunez do? Proceeds to SMOKE a three run home run to put the Red Sox up 8-4. Incredible.

2.) Chris Sale Still Isn’t Right 

Don’t get me wrong, the guy was throwing gas to start the game and actually ended up with 7 K’s in 4 innings. But it took him 91 pitches, only 54 of which were strikes, to get through 4. His K/9 IP remain elite, but he doesn’t have the stamina or the health or whatever you want to call it to go deep into games. Perhaps the Sox can use Sale out of the bullpen in this series and just squeeze whatever magic they can out of him, but I am still concerned about his ability to bounce back considering everything he’s dealing with.

3.) The Red Sox Bullpen Continues to Feel Its Way Through the Dark 

As we all know, the Boston bullpen was a huge concern heading into the playoffs and Cora has made it work relying primarily on Ryan Brasier, Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly, and Craig Kimbrel. Last night it was those four guys once again leading the way. Joe Kelly was throwing freakin wiffleballs last night as he had arguably his best outing since he’s been in Boston. Oh and Craig Kimbrel was absolutely filthy with 2 K’s to shut it down (thanks Eric Gagne).

4.) We Officially Have a Name for the Swingman Starter/Reliever

Before Game 1, Cora officially gave a name to what I had been referring to as a swingman/super utility bullpen arm all month. The Rover. For guys like Nathan Eovaldi and Rick Porcello who have started games, pitched in long relief, emergency relief, as setup men; basically doing whatever it takes despite the role. Henceforth, this shall be known as The Rover.

5.) The Red Sox Remain Undefeated Against Instant Replay

Steve Pearce grounded into an inning ending double play and it was a real rally killer. Bummer. Only to come back from the commercial break to find out that Cora was challenging the play at first. And wouldn’t you know it, Pearce beat the throw by a hair and was safe at first to extend the inning. What happens next? JD Martinez absolutely smokes a ball to center field to score Pearce and put the Sox back on top 3-2.

Looking Ahead to Game 2

Tonight we get David Price back on the mound for his first start since his excellent outing in the ALCS. Has he truly exorcised those playoff demons and is he ready to give the Sox a commanding 2-0 lead in the World Series? Or will he revert back to the shaky guy we’ve seen all too much?

Either way, jump on the train now and buy a YUCK sticker before they’re all gone.

The Dodgers will counter with Hyun-Jin Ryu who is 1-1 with a 4.40 ERA this postseason. First pitch is tonight at 8:09 pm. Make sure to grab a coffee on your way home after work because it’s gonna be another long night!

PS – Don’t forget about your free lunch today.