How Confident Are You in this Years Red Sox?

[IcyPatriot]

Just curious as we approach the home stretch ... are you confident the Sox can find their way to the World Series? I'm not conident at all to be honest. Right now the Angels and Rays have better records and IMO are better teams than the Sox.

I think we can get there if we catch fire .. certainley possible ... but I just don't see us getting there as we are too inconsistent a team given our talent.

To get to the series we need:

1: Beckett to get to ace pitcher form.
2: Mike Lowell to get healthy.
3: David Ortiz to stay healthy.
4: Jacoby to get over the hump.
5: The bullpen to consistently hold a lead.

Those are just 5 ... there are more. Every team can make a list .. we know this. I won't be sure until we can take a few series on the road before the playoffs begin ... that at least has to be the start for this team.

Not passing any blame here ... luck is a huge part of making it to the dance. Theo has made good moves ... I mean Pedroia & Lowrie are carrying this team .. that's Theo. Francona is doing his best as always ... we're just a day late and a dollar short of putting a run of wins together.

Okay ... mini rant is over ... had to vent after 2 disturbing losses in a row.

 

[CMcCartney]

This team is a mystery right now.. Just when they have a good series (I know, the Rangers suck), they look flat against Toronto. Don't know what happened with Beckett today.. He had a great game his last time out, and then this.. Their bullpen is just horrid, outside of Pap and maybe Okajima, who seems to have turned it around. I heard on the radio that they're something like 8-17 since the All-Star break against teams with better than .500 records, and their remaining schedule is not easy record-wise.. At this moment they're 1/2 game ahead in the wild-card.. I'd say Tampa has to collapse for the Sox to make the play-offs.. I don't think they'll get the Wild Card.. I give them a 33% chance of getting in right now..

 

[scout]

I think they overtake the Rays and if they faced them in the playoffs would beat them, not so as far as the Angels (tho, I guess you never know till that final out, hee hee). One of the starters is going to the pen come playoff time, that may help. Its not like its the Patriots who Have to Win this Year.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I think they overtake the Rays and if they faced them in the playoffs would beat them, not so as far as the Angels (tho, I guess you never know till that final out, hee hee). One of the starters is going to the pen come playoff time, that may help. Its not like its the Patriots who Have to Win this Year.

The Angels team is loaded ... sick with talent ... outside of a collapse it's their year. Hopefully not ... but they are like we were last year.

 

[Run DMC]

I am sorry to say I don't think this team will even make the wildcard.

 

[IcyPatriot]

I am sorry to say I don't think this team will even make the wildcard.

Varitek playing penis olympics is not helping either.

 

[Foley]

Thank you for this. No Red Sox team can win the world series without an ample supply of chicken little threads. Like this one. And this one.

Remember last year? This team won't win win Lugo and Crisp. Manny is having a bad year. The bench is completely awful. JD Drew is a choker who can't succeed in Boston. Tavarez is terrible. Gagne is terrible. Snyder is terrible. Okajima has been terrible in the second half. Matsuzaka is too inconsistent. Wakefield is injured. Lester is unproven. The Yankees are a better team.

This team played .500 baseball for 3 months last year. They went 1-5 in their last 6 games against NYY. Got swept by Toronto in Septmeber. Had a losing record against LAA in August. Lost a series against Baltimore in August. They were losing to good teams, and they were losing to bad teams. All teams, regardless of how good they are, have stretches where they look like crap.

Losing two in a row sucks, but they went 9-3 in their previous 12 games. Losing to a crappy team sucks, but they've done that before and it didn't effect them. It's a long season, so focusing on a 2 or 3 game losing streak is silly.

 

[Disco Volante]

I love me some good posting, thanks Foley.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Thank you for this. No Red Sox team can win the world series without an ample supply of chicken little threads. Like this one. And this one.

Remember last year? This team won't win win Lugo and Crisp. Manny is having a bad year. The bench is completely awful. JD Drew is a choker who can't succeed in Boston. Tavarez is terrible. Gagne is terrible. Snyder is terrible. Okajima has been terrible in the second half. Matsuzaka is too inconsistent. Wakefield is injured. Lester is unproven. The Yankees are a better team.

This team played .500 baseball for 3 months last year. They went 1-5 in their last 6 games against NYY. Got swept by Toronto in Septmeber. Had a losing record against LAA in August. Lost a series against Baltimore in August. They were losing to good teams, and they were losing to bad teams. All teams, regardless of how good they are, have stretches where they look like crap.

Losing two in a row sucks, but they went 9-3 in their previous 12 games. Losing to a crappy team sucks, but they've done that before and it didn't effect them. It's a long season, so focusing on a 2 or 3 game losing streak is silly.

It's more than that Foley ... this team is under performing. It's not a case of chicken little either. We have not dominated any good teams in a series all year ... last year we did that at times. In any case ... this is not a Red Sox sucks thread ... just a question of confidence ... which btw ... the team does not seem to have either except for perhaps 3 or 4 players.

 

[Foley]

It's more than that Foley ... this team is under performing. It's not a case of chicken little either. We have not dominated any good teams in a series all year ... last year we did that at times. In any case ... this is not a Red Sox sucks thread ... just a question of confidence ... which btw ... the team does not seem to have either except for perhaps 3 or 4 players.

Playing .500 baseball for 3 months isn't under performing?

They've been killed by LAA (which has been happening to everyone), but they've been doing fine against the other playoff teams. Taking 2 of 4 on the road in Chicago was pretty impressive (outscoring them 19-14). Tampa looked like garbage in their 2 series in Boston, and overall they have outscored Tampa 61-41 in the season series. They've outscored Minnesota 47-35 this season. And have outscored NYY 59-56. Among playoff teams, only LAA has had the advantage this year over Boston. Overall this team has the best run differential in baseball.

And what makes you think that they have no confidence? They are professional baseball players, most of which were on the team last year that nearly lost an 11 game lead. Unless you have some inside info on the players, saying that only 3 or 4 of them are confident is unfounded.

 

[jmt57]

With the question marks on all three AL East teams, and the fact the three face each other so often in September, I think the wild card will probably come out of the AL Central. Tampa Bay has injuries but they also have two gus who could get hot that have under achieved this year - Pena and Upton. Plus, Percival being injured may help them - that Balfour guy looked tp me to be a lot better closer than Percival was. I can't believe how much better their bullpen is this year than it was last year.

The Sox need somebody in the bullpen to step up in the 7th and 8th inning. Look at it as an audition for next year, because if the Sox don't make the playoffs, half those guys should be gone. The day the season end Theo should look at the Holds leaders and make a list and go after at least one of those guys.

Right now I would say this is the Angels year, not the Sox. But as Hendu Henderson (and Donnie Moore, RIP) know, once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen.

 

[patsfanofNC12]

Foley thanks for posting some sense on this topic, I know the Sox are looking bad at the moment, but lets start waiting on saying how unconfident we are until the beginning to middle of september have come

 

[tedylb]

Foley thanks for posting some sense on this topic, I know the Sox are looking bad at the moment, but lets start waiting on saying how unconfident we are until the beginning to middle of september have come

Amen. By mid September, Francona should have them running on all cylinders, as he did in '04 and last year. My only playoff concerns are our bullpen and the Angels.

 

[Run DMC]

You're dreaming. Have you noticed that we cannot beat any team(in a series) that has better than a .500 average? We do not have the bats or the pitching to hang with the Rays or LAA. Papi is a non-factor, Manny is gone and on a tear in the NL, Dice-K, Lester and Paps are the only bright spots in our pitching staff. You gotta love DP and KY but they cannot carry this team like Manny or Papi have done. This not our year. This Blow Jays series should answer any questions about our viability.

 

[363839]

I can't say I'm too confident in this team to even get to the play offs.

Say what you will about Manny's behavior but when he went to LA, he took some pop out of this lineup that hasn't been replaced.

 

[ausbacker]

I'm more concerned with the bullpen relief than anything else.... Delcarmen especially. I'm a wrap but he has been as useful as a punctured tyre this season.

 

[scout]

The Rays lost thier rookie third baseman (prob. ROY) and now have just lost Crawford. I don't see the Rays hanging on to first. The Sox have some players coming back from DL, and still have an impressive front end of a rotation.

 

[Foley]

You're dreaming. Have you noticed that we cannot beat any team(in a series) that has better than a .500 average? We do not have the bats or the pitching to hang with the Rays or LAA. Papi is a non-factor, Manny is gone and on a tear in the NL, Dice-K, Lester and Paps are the only bright spots in our pitching staff. You gotta love DP and KY but they cannot carry this team like Manny or Papi have done. This not our year. This Blow Jays series should answer any questions about our viability.

They swept the Twins last month, swept the Rays both series in Boston, and won a series against NYY (split two others). They only managed a split against Chicago, but a split on the road against a playoff team is a heck of an accomplishment. And as I said before, the Sox have outscored each of those 4 teams in the season series.

Masterson has been a bright spot. He's been great since going to the pen (2.57ERA, 1.00WHIP). Wakefield has pitched very well this year, and all reports indicate that he wont be gone for much longer. In 15 games against NYY, LAA, Chicago, Minnesota and Tampa, Okajima has posted a 0.56ERA and 0.875WHIP over 16IP. He has actually been very good against any potential AL playoff rival.

Ortiz is a non-factor? He has a .902OPS since returning from the DL. He's been doing great. And why exactly is Youkilis unable to carry the team? Youkilis is 10th in baseball right now in OPS, 16th in RBI and 9th in BA. His SLG (.572) is higher than Manny's SLG (.564). He has been one of the best hitters in baseball this season. All in all, Boston has scored the 2nd most runs in baseball this month (ie. since Manny was traded). I can understand the concerns about the pitching, but there is no reason to be concerned about the offense.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

I'm very confident.

 

[Run DMC]

Anyone notice we got dusted by LAA not once but twice-3 games in a row!? That is pathetic. Splitting against the yankmees? They suck, we should be sweeping them. Toronto made us look silly in that 2 game series. We beat up on chump teams like KC and the O's and people get excited? Wait until we play TB and the Yankmees next month-6 games apiece. I don't have a good feeling about our prospects. If we manage to sqeak our way into the wildcard, we are going down in the 1st round. We'll probably have LAA to deal with and they will crush us. Period.

BTW, anyone notice TB beating up on the angels? That is truly impressive.