I hate to sound like a typical Sox fan......

[Double G]

but I'm going to anyway. This team is a train wreck right now, they are BEHIND their pace of last year when they finished out of the playoffs. We may be witness to the greatest regular season collapse in baseball history, from 14 1/2 games up to finishing out of the playoffs. Losing two of three to the pathetic Royals is, well, pathetic. Last nights starter was a last second addition, he looked like Cy friggin young out there, this team is brutal against stiff pitchers, end of story.

Bottom line is this team is just not a clutch team as their BA with runners in scoring position of about 220 will demonstrate. The Yankees are righting the ship and we are going down faster than a 5.00 hooker, this is painful.

Training camp can't start fast enough for me......................

 

[Foley]

They were never 14.5 games up in the division, only 14.5 games up on the Yankees. Their biggest division lead was 11.5.

Exactly one month ago the Red Sox had a 8 game lead in the division. Since then the Sox have gone 12-13 while the Yankees have gone 13-12. So in the span of a month the Sox have lost one game off the standings. This same thing happened a little while ago when the Yankees went on a hot streak while the Sox were slumping and everyone was panicking. Everyone knew that the Yankees have finally gotten back on track, and it was only a matter of time before they overtook the Sox in the standings. And then what happened? The Sox gained back some ground, the Yankees started to cool back down, and people stopped whining. How is this situation any different?

Be concerned about how this team will be in the playoffs, not about whether or not they make them.

 

[Brady'sButtBoy]

I think you meant to say, "be concerned how this team will make the playoffs."
(no panic here, I've been saying most of these same things since May)

The Sox show no spark, have a leadcore albatross named JD Drew around their necks, and a nimwit manager telling them the standings show the Sox are the best team in baseball and they should consider their .500 record since June 1 to be but a "bump in the road." (One second Francoma says, look around the league - no one seems to be playing better. Then turns around and says, it's how we play for the whole season that counts, not 40- or 50 games...)

Going 5-5 is a bump in the road, not 23-23. Francoma has convinced this team not to worry about anything when a real manager would occassionally challenge the boys to play like they're the best team in baseball, not just talk about it and sit on their record for a month and half.

Over the last six weeks the Sox could have buried the Yanks, BJ's, etc., instead they scuffled around shrugging their shoulders; now they wake up with a race on their hands...

If you have any doubt how stupid and useless Francoma is, then just watch Tuesday night's press conference. Asked why he doesn't tell Manny to play back just a step or two (to where he used to play so well last year and before), Tito the Numbnut said - "you can't make a guy play where he's uncomfortable. he'll just do worse..." What? The player calls the shots, Tito? So if Drew is most "comfortable" sitting on the bench will Tito keep him there? - we can only hope.

Did you see tonight's pre press conference blip? Francoma looked liked he was about to jump out of his skin. Why so nervous, Terry? Afraid the rest of world will realize you have no control over your team?

 

[Foley]

What race? The Sox may have been a .500 team the past 2 months but New York and Toronto have been the same. This division sucks. They have practically the same lead now that they did a month ago. They have practically the same record as the Yankees over the past month.

What makes you believe that the Yankees are going to overtake Boston? What makes you believe that this hot streak is any different from the other hot streaks they've had this year that they followed up with prolonged losing streaks?

 

[DarrylS]

I do not like the fact that they are below .500 since may 31, there has only been one significant late game rally to win.. the offense is not in sinc and beginning to get concerned.

 

[patriotspride]

but I'm going to anyway. This team is a train wreck right now, they are BEHIND their pace of last year when they finished out of the playoffs. We may be witness to the greatest regular season collapse in baseball history, from 14 1/2 games up to finishing out of the playoffs. Losing two of three to the pathetic Royals is, well, pathetic. Last nights starter was a last second addition, he looked like Cy friggin young out there, this team is brutal against stiff pitchers, end of story.

Bottom line is this team is just not a clutch team as their BA with runners in scoring position of about 220 will demonstrate. The Yankees are righting the ship and we are going down faster than a 5.00 hooker, this is painful.

Training camp can't start fast enough for me......................

i don't mean to nit pick but the biggest lead they had over the second place team was 11 1/2.they had a 14 1/2 game lead over the yankees but they weren't in second place at the time.other than that your right on

 

[Double G]

The team I am concerned with is the MFY, forget about the Blow Jays, that is why I said 14 1/2 games up. It is now down to 7, 6 1/2 in the loss column, yet you are not concerned? Good for you if you're not, because I sure as **** am.

Keep whistling past the graveyard, this team is not clutch at all, other than the Mothers Day miracle, name some late inning combacks, how many friggin one run losses are we going to see this year and how many losses are we going to see to some ham and egger fifth starter/AAA call up stiff?

Youk and Lowell have carried this team all year, Tek started out hot and cooled down, Drew is pathetic, Lugo and Crisp are finally hitting. David is hurt, no doubt about it; how many times am I going to hear how Manny will break out of it soon, it's almost August.

After their 36-15 start, this team has been under 500 since, pretty mediocre. IF they get to the playoffs and continue to play this way, they are out after one round.................

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

Excuse me while I don't panic. The team is in a rut. If you really think they're going to lose 8 out of 9 1-run games and that they're going to hit .200 with RiSP for the rest of the year feel free to rip up your Sox tickets.

While they may now be behind last year's pace, they're ahead of '04. They have a 7.5 game lead. They have two great starters and a fantastic bullpen.

Francona knows the season is a marathon and he doesn't make shortsighted decisions. The flip side is that he's painfully slow to adjust to slumps (wasn't Lugo still leading off in early June?). I'd just like to see him shake up the lineup, primarily by putting Youks where he freaking belongs in the 2-hole.

 

[Double G]

I admire the fact that you are not panicing, if you feel 22-24 over the last month and a half is a "rut", more power to you...............

 

[Lifer]

They were never 14.5 games up in the division, only 14.5 games up on the Yankees. Their biggest division lead was 11.5.

Exactly one month ago the Red Sox had a 8 game lead in the division. Since then the Sox have gone 12-13 while the Yankees have gone 13-12. So in the span of a month the Sox have lost one game off the standings. This same thing happened a little while ago when the Yankees went on a hot streak while the Sox were slumping and everyone was panicking. Everyone knew that the Yankees have finally gotten back on track, and it was only a matter of time before they overtook the Sox in the standings. And then what happened? The Sox gained back some ground, the Yankees started to cool back down, and people stopped whining. How is this situation any different?

Be concerned about how this team will be in the playoffs, not about whether or not they make them.

this is ironically the same myth that exists about 1978. In 1978 the Red Sox never had a 14 game lead. It was 14 on the Yankees but, like this year, their biggest lead i believe was 10 1/2 over Milwaukee while the Yankees were in 3rd, 14 back.
this is right up there with the myth that had Buckner made the play the Red Sox would have won the WS. Game 6 was already tied at the point.

 

[sdaniels7114]

Watch Joe Contreras roll on in here tonight and right his personal ship even though he's like 47. Ozzy swears he's in his 50's.


They need to call on Jobu from Major League. Bats are very afraid.

 

[Double G]

Ok, so the lead they blew in 78 was only 10.5 games and this year, only 11; boy, I feel better already. Thanks for clearing that up; in the meantime, they have lost yet another game to a stiff team and a stiff pitcher............................

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

I admire the fact that you are not panicing, if you feel 22-24 over the last month and a half is a "rut", more power to you...............

The fact they went 34-15 before that has something to do with it.

So you think they're going to continue hitting .200 with RiSP for the rest of the year? You think they're going to continue losing every 1-run game? If that's the case I can't at all blame you for panicking. That just requires completely ignoring the beginning of the season when they didn't absolutely suck in both areas.

Besides, Wakefield is in a bad stretch and Schilling is hurt. Wake could go on a great run at any time (like at the beginning of the year) and Curt is on his way back. It's not like I'm suggesting Tavarez could turn it around (he can't).

 

[sdaniels7114]

Pitching isn't the problem though. We must wake up them bats.

 

[Double G]

The pitching is not the problem, the hitting is not the problem, it's CLUTCH hitting that is the problem. How long will they hit around 200 with RISP, only time will tell.

This team has been in a funk ever since that rainy Sunday night game on ESPN when Payfraud hit the home run in the 9th to win the game, they flew to the left coast that night and played the next night and have been a train wreck ever since.................

 

[sdaniels7114]

Lets keep in mind that the 'problem' isn't all that bad, at least as of now. They still have the best record in Baseball and the only E-number in the 50's. Sure we'd all like to see the return of Big Papi, as opposed to this one-knee'd little Papi that we have as well as other unfortunate situations; but as a wise man once said:

"You are what your record says you are."

Its amazing what 4 straight wins from Kayson Gabbard will do to the ol' confidence level eh?

 

[Foley]

The pitching is not the problem, the hitting is not the problem, it's CLUTCH hitting that is the problem. How long will they hit around 200 with RISP, only time will tell.

Take a look at their season stats and tell me they are really all that unclutch:

Men On
.282BA (5th in AL)
.369OBP (2nd)
.443SLG (3rd)
.812OPS (2nd)

RISP
.270BA (8th)
.369OBP (2nd)
.438SLG (3th)
.807OPS (3rd)

RISP, 2 out
.264BA (5th)
.380OBP (2nd)
.440SLG (4th)
.820OPS (2nd)

So despite being on a cold stretch the past month or so in terms of hitting with RISP, they are still among the league leaders in that category. Does that tell you that they are unclutch, or that they are doing perfectly fine in the clutch but are just slumping? They may be hitting .220 with RISP for whatever sample size you picked that number from, but the fact is despite all that they are still among the league leaders with RISP for the season. They clearly hit well with RISP not that long ago, so to expect them to continue hitting that poorly through September and beyond is silly and alarmist.

IF they get to the playoffs and continue to play this way, they are out after one round.................

Sure, If you look at them in a vacuum and think that every other team has no flaws. Harp on the Sox problems if you want, but don't pretend that everyone else is perfect and a sure bet to beat them.

Cleveland:
Offense is in the bottom half of the AL for all RISP stats.
Team ERA of 4.52, fourth worst in the AL.

Los Angeles
.677OPS ranks third worst in AL since the ASB. Tied with Royals for worst in the AL in Homeruns.
7-13 in their last 20 games.

Detroit:
Offense has a .233BA, .308OBP, .362SLG and .670OPS in close and late situations. All of those stats rank in the bottom 2 in the AL.
Their bullpen has a 4.74ERA and 1.49WHIP, good for 4th and 3rd worst, respectively.

So in other words, every team who is currently slotted to get a playoff berth has some very, very big flaws. Not just Boston.

 

[DarrylS]

Past couple of nights looked a little better, however there is still much to do, Manny looks dead.. he needs to go on one of his tears where he carries the O for about two weeks. Very impressed with our young arms, not sure if they can stand up to the rigors of October.. but, we are locked and loaded.

 

[Foley]

Manny hasn't looked dead since April.

May: .327BA .393OBP .577SLG
June: .322BA .444OBP .494SLG
July: .339BA .442OBP .613SLG

He may not be hitting as many homeruns as we're used to, but he is still a very productive hitter and should not be one of the concerns for this team.

 

[frankiesfly]

but I'm going to anyway. This team is a train wreck right now, they are BEHIND their pace of last year when they finished out of the playoffs. We may be witness to the greatest regular season collapse in baseball history, from 14 1/2 games up to finishing out of the playoffs. Losing two of three to the pathetic Royals is, well, pathetic. Last nights starter was a last second addition, he looked like Cy friggin young out there, this team is brutal against stiff pitchers, end of story.

Bottom line is this team is just not a clutch team as their BA with runners in scoring position of about 220 will demonstrate. The Yankees are righting the ship and we are going down faster than a 5.00 hooker, this is painful.

Training camp can't start fast enough for me......................

LMAO> I'm not laughing at you, it just made me laugh because you sound like me about 3 weeks ago when the Mets were doing the same thing. I'm a Mets fan and they were doing the same thing the Sox have been doing of late. I might have said nearly the same exact words about the Mets, thats why i found it funny to read. Since that horrible slump they have been better, and see the Sox getting better too. They will start winning those close games they been losing. I have to say i really like that Gabbard guy you guys have pitching. Is he with you guys to stay?