Tag: David Price

For a Team That Just Won 108 Games, Red Sox Fans Don’t Seem Super Confident

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For a team that set a franchise record for wins with 108, it doesn’t seem like many of us are exactly brimming with confidence heading into the playoffs. Is it just negative overload with all the toxic sports radio, the shaky bullpen, the feeling they peaked too early, or are fans worried that the Red Sox merely beat up on weak competition all year long?

Granted the Orioles were the worst team in baseball this season with 115 losses (getting that hardass Buck Showalter fired in the process), the AL East seemed to regain its stature as one of the best divisions in baseball. The AL East was the only division in all of baseball that had three 90 win teams, let alone two 100 win teams.  The Yankees won 100 games and still finished 8 games back in the division. Tampa Bay Rays won 90 games and finished EIGHTEEN games back and had one of the best pitchers in the game in Blake Snell who may win the Cy Young.

So is it the shaky bullpen? We’ve all been here before and seen this team get its doors blown off in the playoffs the past two years. Chris Sale is obviously less than 100% and David Price’s next quality start in the postseason will be his first. Add all that together with an anxiety inducing bullpen and some Sox fans may just be safeguarding themselves against getting their hopes up. Matt Barnes? Ryan “Brazzers” Brasier? Maybe Steven Wright the goddamn knuckleballer as our setup man? Oh boy. At least Joe Kelly can whoop a guy’s ass if the situation calls for it.

The Sox essentially held open tryouts in September for key bullpen guys as they trotted out Wright, Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brian Johnson and a whole cast of characters, which for a team that won 108 games is massively concerning. It would not be a surprise at all to see this team get booted in the postseason after a couple of bad nights from the pen because thats all it takes.

Obviously the offense was excellent this year with Mookie Betts and JD Martinez vying for the MVP, but can a team really mash its way to a World Series title? I doubt it, mainly because they’ll be going up against the best starting pitching and the most micro-managed bullpens so it would be foolish to bank on 7-10 runs a night from the Sox.

I’ll be honest though, the No. 1 reason I’m less than confident heading into Friday night is 100% Chris Sale’s health. The guy is just not right. According to Felger and Mazz yesterday, his average fastball velocity went down every single start over his last four starts. That is BAD. He was throwing off of flat ground earlier this week, just days before he’s supposed to take the ball in Game 1. Thats something a rehabbing pitcher does, not a guy who is ready to open the ALDS. Maybe he comes out and he’s totally fine, but I’m not counting on it. Even if he does, I’d be concerned about how he bounces back. Remember when he came off the DL and struck out 12 Orioles and was hitting 99 on the gun? Yea well that was on August 12th and he’s thrown a grand total of 12 innings since then.

So if Sale isn’t 100% and gets bounced out of the game early? Welp lets hand it over to that disaster of a bullpen we’ve all been railing on all year long.

Then if the Sox lose Game 1 they have the absolute headcase in David Price taking the mound for Game 2 with TONS of pressure. He literally might puke on the mound. Get your YUCK shirts ready.

Listen, this team won 108 games for a reason, despite some games against “weak” competition. Maybe they can just mash their way to the World Series, but for a team that set a franchise record for wins I don’t feel nearly as confident as I would like.

The Yankees and all their degenerate fans thats refuse to button their goddamn jerseys come to town for Game 1 of the ALDS on Friday night.

The Sox will have Chris Sale on the mound and the Yanks will turn to a starter to be named later after smoking the A’s in the Wild Card game. I would expect Tanaka after Luis Severino went last night, but the Yankees have yet to officially name a starter. First pitch is at 7:32 pm.

Drink up boys, we’re in for a wild weekend.

David Price Continues Good Will Tour, Rips 69-Year-Old Red Sox Reporter Jonny Miller

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Just to set up this blog, I’m not going to bury the lede (thats a Big J Journalism term) so you can see what David Price has been up to lately.

I really don’t want to keep doing this, David. It brings me no joy. I don’t enjoy the, often deserved, reputation of Boston as an overly critical and negative town.

It drives away plenty of players before they even give the city a chance. But it also breaks people, which is why Boston is such a die-hard city. If you can make it in the media fishbowl that is Boston, then you are forever a folk hero in the city that founded America. Not a bad trade off I’d say.

So I can understand to a certain extent some of the resentment David Price harbors for the Boston media. When he doesn’t perform he gets raked over the coals. But hey, thats the tradeoff when you make $30 Million a year. I’d let people be mean to me on the radio if it meant I could clear $30,000,000 a year.

Where Price gets into trouble though is he goes looking for these problems, drumming shit up with the media. I can hold a good grudge so I get it. But, buddy you’re (potentially) here for four more years. You get more bees with honey than vinegar. Build bridges, don’t burn them. Etc. Etc. So just when he’s starting to pitch well the past several starts the talk around Price dies down and people start to wonder if hey maybe he’s turning a corner.

Then he tries to roast 69-year-old Jonny Miller, a guy who has been covering the Red Sox for 40 fucking years. Yuck.

Now for most guys in the media they can take it and probably deserve it. You wanna throw a tantrum and yell at Evan Drellich in the clubhouse? Have at it. You wanna grandstand and yell at MLB Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley because you don’t like what he says on TV? Sure. Does that make you a dickhead, yup, but sure. Do you really need to shit talk Jonny Miller? Especially after the guy asked why you were pitching so WELL?

Whatever, pitch lights out in October and you can be a glorious dickhead a la John Lackey or Josh Beckett. Until then, pipe down.

In the meantime though, buy a YUCK shirt.

MLB Trade Deadline Day: Red Sox Trade for Second Baseman Ian Kinsler

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In the midst of walking off with their 75th win of the season, the Red Sox and Dave Dombrowksi were working the phones and acquired second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Angels while most of us were sleeping.

The Sox PR team wasted no time in announcing the trade as I got this email at 1:02 AM.

Now I know what you’re thinking, no, Ian Kinsler is not a relief pitcher. The Indians, Astros, and Yankees continue to load up on bullpen arms while the Sox are doubling down on whats gotten them this far; hitting the shit out of the ball. So while I would like to see the Sox acquire some arms for the pen, barring any deadline day deals it doesn’t seem to be a top priority for them.

I guess the thinking is you can just take whoever doesn’t make the playoff rotation and throw them in the pen with the rest of that motley crew. So take Nathan Eovaldi, Drew Pomeranz, and Hector Velazquez and have them handle some innings in the playoffs. It worked with David Price last year, but I’m also not crazy about throwing starting pitchers into high leverage relief situations in October and hoping for the best.

Anyways, Kinsler is a big name and a 4-time All-Star with more pop than your typical second baseman. Similar to my old favorite Dan Uggla, except Kinsler is actually a pretty slick fielder having won a Gold Glove in 2016. He’s not the same guy he used to be as he’s now 36-years-old, but I like the addition.

He’s batting a weak .239 on the year, but if you factor out a slow start to the season he’s been pretty good the past 2 months.

“In 51 games since May 29, the right-handed batter has hit .286 (57-for-199) with an .866 OPS, including .417 (20-for-48) with a 1.137 OPS in his last 13 games.”

Incredible irony in the move though as Kinsler is taking over for the injured Dustin Pedroia at second base, years after Pedroia took Kinsler’s job.

“Pedroia and Kinsler were teammates in college at Arizona State, where Pedroia took over Kinsler’s starting shortstop spot in 2002. Kinsler then transferred to Missouri the following year.”

For all the hype “Dealer Dave” gets he sure does love trading for the same players over and over again, having traded for Kinsler when he was with the Tigers in 2013.

Unfortunately this probably takes the Sox out of the running for old friend Adrian Beltre as the Kinsler move frees up Brock Holt and Eduardo Nunez to platoon at third in Rafael Devers’ absence.

We’ve got just a few hours before the Trade Deadline so we’ll keep our eyes peeled for any additional moves the Red Sox make today.

Red Sox to Close First Half with 10 Games in 10 Days

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What a difference [not even] a week makes. After last weekend’s let down in the Bronx, the Red Sox appear to be back on track. Here are some thoughts as the Red Sox close out the first half of the season with 10 games in 10 days.

  • The Red Sox are in Kansas City this weekend for a three-game series with the last-place Royals. It’s the first of six-straight series for the Red Sox against sub-.500 teams. Their next 20 games will all be against sub-.500 teams, and nine of those 20 games will be against the three last-place teams in the American League. As Saul Goodman would say, it’s time to make hay while the sun is still shining.
  • David Price’s performance last Sunday night against the Yankees was the biggest disappointment of the weekend. The Red Sox did well to put it behind them as they went to Washington and swept the Nationals. Now Price will have a chance to put it behind him as he takes the mound Saturday night against the Royals. The Royals would seem to be a good team for Price to rebound against, as they’ve scored the fewest runs in the American League this season.
  • After the All-Star break the Red Sox will open the second half of the season on a six-game road trip. After that road trip, though, 34 of their final 58 games will be at home. The Red Sox have a .700 winning percentage at home so far this season.
  • If Price can get back on track against the Royals and then Blue Jays before the All-Star break, Cora could start him the second game after the All-Star break. That would set him up perfectly to miss the four-game series against the Yankees August 2-5. It’s crazy to think about managing opponents for a pitcher making $30 million this season, but that might be where we are with Price at this point. [Incidentally, that would also set him up to miss the series in New York in mid-September if the rotation stays on track.]
  • If the Red Sox finish the regular season with the best record in the American League, they could be on a collision course with the Yankees… in the division series. The team with the best regular-season record faces the winner of the Wild Card game in the division series. If the Red Sox have a chance to get “creative” down the stretch, they may want to remember that the division winner with the second-best record will likely get to face the winner of the American League Central in the division series.

Crushed Price

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It strains the imagination to conceive of Price pitching any worse than he did. He allowed eight runs courtesy of five – yes, five – home runs in 3 1/3 innings of an 11-1 laugher that left the Red Sox and Yankees tied once again atop the AL East.

After nine career starts against the Yankees with the Red Sox, Price’s ERA is 8.43. At Yankee Stadium, he is 0-5 with a 10.44 ERA.

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I don’t how much else there is to say about David Price and last night’s game. Another disastrous outing against the Yankees for him. If I were Alex Cora, though, I’d start thinking about finding ways to limit Price’s appearances against the Yankees. Seriously.

The Red Sox have ten games left against the Yankees in the regular season. Those ten games include a four-game series in Boston the first weekend of August, a three-game set in the Bronx in mid-September, and another three-game set in Boston to close out the regular season. At the very least, Cora should find a way to make Price miss the series in New York.

That’s more difficult with both Drew Pomeranz and Steven Wright on the disabled list, but it’s still a proposition worth exploring. If the Sox have an extra off day the week of a Yankees series, maybe move up Price to miss the Yankees series. If the Sox are playing 12 straight days going into a Yankees series, maybe bring up a minor leaguer to “give everyone an extra day of rest,” and push Price back.

Cora shouldn’t embarrass Price, but he should get creative. It shouldn’t matter to Cora how much Price is getting paid. Do what’s best for the team by putting Price in the best positions to succeed.

Price is 9-6 through 17 starts this season, and the Red Sox are 11-6 in the games he’s started. If he could repeat that in the second half of the season, the Red Sox would take it. Wins against the Yankees in the regular season don’t count extra. If Price can give more for the team against the Rays, Blue Jays and Orioles, take it.

Red Sox Reliever Carson Smith Hurt His Shoulder by Throwing….His Glove

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ESPN – Boston Red Sox reliever Carson Smith suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder when he threw his glove in the dugout Monday night, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told reporters Tuesday. Smith was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday, but Dombrowski said there was no timetable for his return. Dombrowski called the injury “unfortunate” and said Smith is seeking a second opinion. “It’s got the potential of being a major injury,” he said. Smith allowed an eighth-inning home run to the Athletics’ Khris Davis in Boston’s 6-5 loss Monday night. When Smith left the mound he threw his glove in frustration, causing the injury. Smith is 1-1 with a 3.77 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 14.1 innings pitched. Left-handed pitcher Bobby Poyner has been called up from Triple-A Pawtucket.

Can’t make this shit up guys. As much as the Patriots have been filling the tabloids this offseason, the Red Sox literally are never not a soap opera. How a professional athlete can dislocate his shoulder throwing a small piece of leather yet is fine repeatedly throwing a baseball 95 mph is beyond me.

If this wasn’t comical enough, Carson Smith then came out and essentially blamed how the team has used him for the injury.

“I think fatigue played a factor in my shoulder. My shoulder just couldn’t handle it.”

Carson Smith, the guy who has pitched a grueling 14.1 innings this season is complaining of being overworked. Granted 3 of his last 4 YEARS in the majors have been more or less on the shelf throwing 6.2 IP, 2.2 IP, 70 IP and 8.1 IP each of the last 4 years. So he may have been feeling a little fatigued, but you gotta start throwing the ball at some point.

Which brings me to my next point, its time for Dave Dombrowski to face the music a little bit. This guy has failed time and time again to build a respectable bullpen. Trading for Craig Kimbrel has been a huge plus as he’s been dominant, but that obviously taxed the farm system for future trade chips or depth. Acquiring one of the best closers in all of baseball by trading a ton of prospects isn’t exactly a groundbreaking chess move. After that though? He’s traded for guys with known injury histories like Carson Smith and Tyler Thornburg, who we STILL haven’t seen on the mound for the Red Sox yet despite having traded for him 17 months ago. Dombrowksi trades for these guys that are always injured and is then surprised when they get injured, leaving the team in a shitty spot. Same thing with Drew Pomeranz who was great last year, but is constantly on and off the DL.

Anybody can trade the farm for guys like Craig Kimbrel and Chris Sale and then sign the top free agents in David Price and JD Martinez. But its the little moves that make a great GM and ultimately build a championship team. Dombrowski has botched all of those little moves thus far and unless the Sox do something about it before the trade deadline, I worry this bullpen will be the weakness that ultimately sinks any World Series aspirations.

Red Sox vs Yankees IV: Pomeranz Battles a Broken Fingernail but Giancarlo Goes Yard Twice in a Yanks Win

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Giancarlo smoked two solo dingers to lead the Yankees to a 3-2 win over the Red Sox and Drew Pomeranz avoided a nail filing disaster to finish with a solid stat line: 6 IP, 2 Runs, 6 Strikeouts. As predicted, Luis Severino was not going to implode against the Sox twice in a row though as he went 6 IP while surrendering 2 Runs and striking out 11.

I gotta give props to Pomeranz though, I was legitimately typing the tweet getting ready to blast him for bailing on a start in the 2nd inning 2 hours after David Price got scratched. But after calling over the trainers and doing a little nail filing maintenance he was able to get back out there and pitch well. Trying to throw junk with a broken fingernail cannot be fun.

Down 2-1 the new best player on the planet Mookie Betts dragged the Sox back into a tie with a triple in the 7th to knock in a run, but that lead wasn’t meant to be.

Despite the two mistakes served up by Pomeranz to Giancarlo:

This game was more on the bullpen than anything else as Alex Cora figured the first guy out of the pen after an off day should be Heath Hembree! He got the first guy out but then gave up a double and then walked Gleyber Torres. After a mound visit Hembree immediately is called for a balk so now theres runners on 2nd and 3rd. He then proceeds to walk Brett Gardner before getting yanked for Joe Kelly, who gave up a single to put the Yanks on top for good.

Wednesday night’s projected starter *was* David Price but he was sent back to Boston yesterday because the numbness in his fingers returned so I’m in full blown panic mode.

We’ll have more on that later this morning.

So instead tonight we get Frederick Alfred Porcello (5-0) 2.14 vs  Masahiro Tanaka (4-2) 4.39 and Porcello has been on a roll to start the year so I’m picking the Sox to right the ship and regain their lead in the AL East.

Red Sox vs Yankees II: THE RIVALRY IS OFFICIALLY BACK

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It took yearrs, but the Red Sox Yankees rivalry is officially back after last night. That game had everything. A ton of hits, a few four baggers, wild momentum swings, oh and Joe Kelly inciting a legitimate benches clearing brawl after nailing that dickhead Tyler Austin. The benches cleared once earlier in the game after Austin spiked Brock Holt on a takeout slide at second. That was really more guys arguing than anything else.

But, Joe Kelly don’t play that shit. After nearly hitting Austin in the top of the 7th, Kelly went right back to it and nailed him two pitches later. Austin smashed his bat in his rage and after taking a few steps towards Kelly he charged the mound. But Kelly, this man goes into the GIF Hall of Fame with an all-time reaction.

Before we move on, I have to just touch on this guy Tyler Austin. A motherfucking star was born last night. Just look at this guy.

Incredibly hatable. This guy is destined to be the next great dickhead Yankee that we all love to hate. In the same roid rage filled vein as Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield. The dude clearly and deliberately spikes Holt breaking up a double play and then flips out when Holt calls him out for it.

Then rather than taking his medicine like a man after getting beaned, he smashes his bat and charges the mound before getting body bagged by Joe Kelly. This kid may only be a career .239 hitter, but if he can stay in the lineup I will take great joy in booing him all year long.

Back to the actual game!

I gotta give the Sox credit for not only physically assaulting the Yankees, but for fighting back from an early 8-1 hole to make a game out of it.

Andddd David Price might be hurt. He got hammered for 4 runs in the first inning, getting slapped around like he was Fredo going against the family. After getting out of the inning he immediately walked down the tunnel and the Sox trainers raced after him. Still no idea what actually happened, but he left the game apparently after experiencing “sensation in his left hand.”

So what was supposed to be another pitching duel was yet again derailed in Game 2 of this series. After Price left the game the Sox trotted out basically everyone in the pen: Bobby Poyner, Heath Hembree, Matt Barnes, Joe Kelly (my man), Brian Johnson, and Carson Smith.

(This is what I wrote during the game BEFORE Kelly beaned Austin): For the first time in what seems like years there appears to be some genuine dislike between these two teams and that is awesome to see. It was bound to happen as both teams have been up and down, but now both are starting to get really good at the same time with a core of young players that came up in each team’s farm system. This is what this rivalry needs. Both teams being good helps, but both teams legitimately disliking each other is what will ultimately light the fuse.

After the Austin/Holt slide you could tell Pedroia was just itching to get out there and scrap it up as cameras caught him giving an absolute death stare to the entire Yankees bench since ya know his knee is still fucked after being on the receiving end of a very similar play last year.

El Gary was beating the Sox brains in all night with 2 dingers including a 2-run HR in the first and another 2-run HR in the 4th to put the Sox in an 8-1 hole, but luckily for us Masahiro Tanaka imploded in the 5th giving up 5 runs.

How about JD Just Dingers Martinez breaking out in a big way too? 24 hours after missing his first grand slam as a member of the Sox by the length of a hotdog, he crushed one to center field to claim what was rightfully his.

The Sox then proceeded to throw the ball around like a bunch of assholes though. Vazquez chucked a ball into CF on a steal attempt and then a pass ball that smoked the ump in the facemask trickled away, which gave the Yankees a free pass to third base twice. Those immediately came back to bite the Sox in the ass for 2 easy runs, and that 10-6 lead was ultimately what put the nail in their coffin.

I know its early, but if the first two games of this series are any indication this year of Red Sox vs Yankees is going to be a lot more fun than its been in a long time. And for that I am thankful.