Abreu to slumping Sox: “We have to believe”

[Highland]

At least Abreu is trying to do something. Yet, he somewhat symbolizes what is wrong with the team. He leads or at least led the league in hits, but his power numbers are way down. He plays a solid defensive first base, but then makes silly looking errors due to a lack of concentration. I do think the team needs to let him move on after the season.

[35thstreetswarm]

20 hours ago, VAfan said:

Here's my list of the Sox players who have done their jobs this year.

1. Dylan Cease

2. Johnny Cueto

3. Jose Abreu

4. Andrew Vaughn

5. Kendall Graveman

6. Jimmy Lambert

7. Reynaldo Lopez

It's not much to build around for next year, especially since Abreu and Cueto are free agents. 

I'd add Hendriks and Kopech (when healthy and not recklessly run out there to pitch injured).

[VAfan]

6 hours ago, 35thstreetswarm said:

I'd add Hendriks and Kopech (when healthy and not recklessly run out there to pitch injured).

Hendriks has blown too many saves, including the 0-2 HR pitch he served up in Baltimore after Engels dropped the foul pop fly.  That was really the death knell game.  They haven't won since.  Kopech has won 4 games.  He usually pitches just well enough to lose.  

Ironically, the day I posted this, Graveman lost to the Dbacks.  

[Balta1701]

4 hours ago, VAfan said:

Hendriks has blown too many saves, including the 0-2 HR pitch he served up in Baltimore after Engels dropped the foul pop fly.  That was really the death knell game.  They haven't won since.  Kopech has won 4 games.  He usually pitches just well enough to lose.  

Ironically, the day I posted this, Graveman lost to the Dbacks.  

Hendriks has the 7th highest save percentage in baseball by my count among regular closers, 28 and 4. Ironically,  if he had saved 2 of those 4 games, he’d be tied with Clase for best in baseball. He also has an identical win/loss record to Clase as well. So yeah, that’s probably 1 more BS than we are paying him for, but he does get used in some odd situations as we saw this week.

[caulfield12]

1 hour ago, Balta1701 said:

Hendriks has the 7th highest save percentage in baseball by my count among regular closers, 28 and 4. Ironically,  if he had saved 2 of those 4 games, he’d be tied with Clase for best in baseball. He also has an identical win/loss record to Clase as well. So yeah, that’s probably 1 more BS than we are paying him for, but he does get used in some odd situations as we saw this week.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/boxscore/_/gameId/401437510 Blown tie

https://www.espn.com/mlb/playbyplay/_/gameId/401354473  No blown save due to inherited ghost runner in bottom 10th, 4-3 lead transforms into 6-4 loss, Buxton walked it off

 

Detroit, Cleve twice, Twins twice…3/4 actual blown saves led to losses plus these other two examples

[Lip Man 1]

Hendriks was responsible for leads being lost in the 7th inning or later and those games ending up a Sox loss five times by my count:

@ Detroit, April 8 (lost lead in both the 8th and 9th innings)

@ Minnesota April 24 (lost lead in the 10th inning)

Cleveland May 9 (lost lead in the 9th inning)

@ Baltimore August 25 (lost lead in the 9th inning)

Edited August 30, 2022 by Lip Man 1

[Stinky Stanky]

16 hours ago, Highland said:

At least Abreu is trying to do something. Yet, he somewhat symbolizes what is wrong with the team. He leads or at least led the league in hits, but his power numbers are way down. He plays a solid defensive first base, but then makes silly looking errors due to a lack of concentration. I do think the team needs to let him move on after the season.

Yep, his numbers lie.  Sixty RBI with three guys who are frequently on base hitting ahead of him.  Not good.  Lotta seeing eye ground ball singles in there too.

[hi8is]

And I also have to believe that at some point tomorrow, I’ll have to take a shit.