Jack Parkman

Probably. They're probably going to get Banuelos ready for the 5th and 6th.

Leg issues can lead to arm issues. Something to watch. Remember Jake Peavy.

I didn't see it? God I hope he's not seriously injured.

Fucking SOB mother fucker.

Gee, who's been saying that forever??? I wonder?

Uh, yeah. ? It's really obvious to see why Gio when he had a consistent 96-97 mph fastball was once the top pitching prospect in the game.

Um, stick with this slider, Gio. Just disgusting.

Me neither.

This is the best 1st inning he's had since 2017.

Nice Start, Gio.

A lot of my posts depend on what my mood is at the given moment. My life generally sucks, but there are positives. I've been pretty vocal about having high functioning autism, so I deal with a lot of those problems in my personal life. It is why I'm either super negative or very positive. A lot of time there is no middle ground in my thought process(a very autistic trait). I've been working on trying to see gray areas, and it is helping in many ways. It's tough to force yourself to see gray when your default is black and white.

I don't think he ever gets one at this point. If he stays healthy and a really good but not quite Cy Young worthy pitcher I wonder if they keep him out of the HOF because he never won one. 2018 was probably his best chance, but he got injured.

We all know that Kopech getting hurt sucked. If his elbow was going to go, I'm glad it happened early in the process during a non-competitive season than during the midst of the window.

He's batting second today. idk what you're complaining about.

It is going to be really hard to win an AL MVP for the foreseeable future. There is this guy named Trout that plays in that league.

Yeah, we have to see this for a larger chunk of the season, but should the early trends continue this is looking very positive. It seems everything that went wrong the last two seasons is going right this season. TBH I think the bullpen could be really good this year. Fry got lit early? So what. When a pitcher has a bad outing early in the season his stats make him look worse than he actually is. You could say the same for Giolito and Lopez. I've liked what I've seen from Giolito so far and from Lopez yesterday. I think the results will be there soon enough for both guys. This might be crazy, but Hahn could end up looking like a genius not signing Machado and maintaining payroll flexibility if this season goes well. Harper OTOH....

Lots of positive vibes here. I like this version of SoxTalk.

^^^^^ I personally think the pitching is better than everyone thinks. I have a feeling by the end of the season the path to contention will be clear, pitching will no longer be seen as a weakness but a strength, and everyone will be extremely excited about 2020. I could see the Sox winning 80-85 games this year. I could also see them in the 70-75 range. So much of this season depends on continued development from Lopez, Giolito, and Fry, as well as decent pitching from Jones. Rodon is back, and he should anchor the rotation. It isn't hard to squint and see an 80-85 win team this year. This team could either be the 2014 Cubs, or the 2015-16 Astros. Either way the arrow is pointing waaay up. Get pumped, people.

Which is what makes the NHL so great. I can't stand the NBA, because for the most part the season and the playoffs are just a formality. 85-90% of the time, you could hand out the Larry O'Brien trophy before one regular season game has been played, and you'd be correct. What is the point of that and how in the hell is it even entertaining?

Yeah it was a seriously small sample size but either way it is was too early to make any sort of grand conclusion. That being said, Moncada's 1st week was great, his 2nd was really bad and his 3rd is really good again. It's still too early for anything, but.....signs are there that this team could end up surprising. I don't see 75 wins as the ceiling for this team. I see like 68 as the floor, but I see the ceiling in the 81-83 win range. The pitching looks worse than it is because of an early season seriously small sample size. They got crushed by a couple of hot teams, but they're nowhere near that bad.

They have a plus differential against teams not named the Mariners and Rays. They ran into two hot teams, and they put the asswhipping on the Sox.

At least 75, IMO. I think it's going to be somewhere between 76-83 wins. If they get to 80 that is huge.

Not even looking to win the division, just approach or exceed .500. They don't have enough to win more than 80-83 games.

I don't think you guys are giving the pitching enough credit. Rodon, Lopez and Giolito are talented pitchers, and could put it all together at any time. Nova is a fine #4-5. Even the bullpen has talented pitchers. Despite their starts, Fry and Jones still have good stuff. Cease is on the way. They were all top 40 prospects at one point, with Rodon and Giolito once top 25. Have they done anything individually or as a group yet? No, but they're all young and extremely talented. Rodon is 26, Lopez is 25 and Giolito is 24. This could all come together really quickly. Not out of the question. If they go on a win binge vs. shitty teams and start believing in themselves, it could give them the confidence to get. Is it likely that it happens? Not really, but it isn't impossible. Lost in the weeds is that Giolito, while still struggling with command, has his fastball almost all of the way back to where it was as the top pitching prospect in the game. It might actually return completely once he gets comfortable with his new motion, which would be a huge development.

Dare I say the Sox might be competitive this year???