GT: 4/1 | Sox (1-1) @ Astros (1-1) | Giolito vs. Urquidy

[Snopek]

3 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

You don't play the Astros on the road every series, and they'll win more games playing like this than they'll lose. This is the toughest possible matchup to start the season, and they aren't looking overmatched.

Thank you for finding the words that I couldn’t. This is the overall reason I’m fine with this start.

[Lip Man 1]

5 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Lots of positives that bode well for the rest of the season:  TA being TA (but he walks now??), Yo staying hot, catcher duo looking great, front 3 of the rotation are solid, team fighting back when down, improved defense, overall good hustle and health.

Lots of negatives that should improve with time: rookie manager learning the BP without 2 of our best arms, rookie OF adjusting to MLB pitching, Robert and others finding a rhythm at the plate, arms still getting a feel for their stuff and work capacity.

You don't play the Astros on the road every series, and they'll win more games playing like this than they'll lose. This is the toughest possible matchup to start the season, and they aren't looking overmatched.

The fact that we can all point to individual ABs as the difference instead of being out of it from the start because 3 core players are on the IL and we got 6ER in 3.2IP from our SP should be more than enough to dispel the idea that nothing is different.

Unfortunately, even if the team has improved...Sox fans stay the same.

Can you really blame them given the history? We're not talking Yankees, Cardinals, Dodgers, Braves et al are we?

You make some valid points. But the shortcoming are also becoming apparent, a bullpen that appears shaky and won't be getting help until May at the earliest, more "baseball stupid" baserunning and a lack of any clutch hitting with men on base.

Time will tell which side turns out to be more accurate. I honestly hope you are right...we'll see. 

[fathom]

Three games in and the bullpen is beat up.  Way to go Rick!

 

[ChiSox59]

11 minutes ago, CBJ03 said:

 

But let me cherry pick some dumb stat no one uses from a site no one but Lip has heard of to fit his narrative. Brilliance. 

Moncada is a disappointment as a former #1 prospect in the game. No doubt. He is now overpaid. No doubt. He has still been a well above average and very useful baseball player, even with the awful 2022. There is no logical debate otherwise. It’s also kind of a weird time to jump on Yoan when he’s hitting the ball pretty well so far. 

[Lip Man 1]

Just now, fathom said:

Three games in and the bullpen is beat up.  Way to go Rick!

 

And it is the most expensive bullpen in baseball! ?

[ChiSox59]

10 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Lots of positives that bode well for the rest of the season:  TA being TA (but he walks now??), Yo staying hot, catcher duo looking great, front 3 of the rotation are solid, team fighting back when down, improved defense, overall good hustle and health.

Lots of negatives that should improve with time: rookie manager learning the BP without 2 of our best arms, rookie OF adjusting to MLB pitching, Robert and others finding a rhythm at the plate, arms still getting a feel for their stuff and work capacity.

You don't play the Astros on the road every series, and they'll win more games playing like this than they'll lose. This is the toughest possible matchup to start the season, and they aren't looking overmatched.

The fact that we can all point to individual ABs as the difference instead of being out of it from the start because 3 core players are on the IL and we got 6ER in 3.2IP from our SP should be more than enough to dispel the idea that nothing is different.

Unfortunately, even if the team has improved...Sox fans stay the same.

Good post. 

[Jack Parkman]

9 minutes ago, Snopek said:

Thank you for finding the words that I couldn’t. This is the overall reason I’m fine with this start.

Yeah it's Houston on the road for 4 so a split is a win. 

Really the only things to be concerned about over the 1st 3 games are Robert/Vaughn's bat and the pen. 

 

Everything else has been pretty encouraging. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by Jack Parkman

[fathom]

5 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

And it is the most expensive bullpen in baseball! ?

I’m not jumping on the most expensive angle yet since the biggest earner is out

[Lip Man 1]

Just now, fathom said:

I’m not jumping on the most expensive angle yet since the biggest earner is out

It was the same situation last year as well though and they weren't exactly world beaters. But I understand your point.

[Lip Man 1]

2 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

Yeah it's Houston on the road for 4 so a split is a win. 

Agreed, the question is can Clevinger get it done? 

[Chicago White Sox]

14 minutes ago, Autumn Dreamin said:

Lots of positives that bode well for the rest of the season:  TA being TA (but he walks now??), Yo staying hot, catcher duo looking great, front 3 of the rotation are solid, team fighting back when down, improved defense, overall good hustle and health.

Lots of negatives that should improve with time: rookie manager learning the BP without 2 of our best arms, rookie OF adjusting to MLB pitching, Robert and others finding a rhythm at the plate, arms still getting a feel for their stuff and work capacity.

You don't play the Astros on the road every series, and they'll win more games playing like this than they'll lose. This is the toughest possible matchup to start the season, and they aren't looking overmatched.

The fact that we can all point to individual ABs as the difference instead of being out of it from the start because 3 core players are on the IL and we got 6ER in 3.2IP from our SP should be more than enough to dispel the idea that nothing is different.

Unfortunately, even if the team has improved...Sox fans stay the same.

Great post.  These last two losses have been frustrating, but I agree there is far more reason for optimism than pessimism with what we’ve seen so far.  Vaughn & Robert will eventually get going and that will make a huge difference for the offense.  And the bullpen is obviously way better than what the results have shown so far.  Diekman is the only guy in the pen who doesn’t warrant a spot on a major league roster.  Even someone like Ruiz, who I have historically been down on, is fine as your 7th or 8th reliever.  Just have to accept in any three game span you’re going to get a lot of variance and can’t panic, especially against the defending champions.

[joejoesox]

52 minutes ago, Dan Pasqua said:

We need a guy like Buster Posey to command the staff.  Until then it's just gonna be more of the same.  You can't win in the NFL without a QB, and I believe you can't win in MLB without a stud catcher.

Maldonado lol

[Spicy gar]

3 minutes ago, joejoesox said:

Maldonado lol

Kurt Suzuki?

[harkness99]

same ol team I've been seeing for awhile..

swing at bullshit pitches that the other teams don't swing at.

bullpen is always play to lose.

 

Seen this all before.

[soxfan49]

1 hour ago, Dan Pasqua said:

We need a guy like Buster Posey to command the staff.  Until then it's just gonna be more of the same.  You can't win in the NFL without a QB, and I believe you can't win in MLB without a stud catcher.

Who was Houston's stud last year?

[Dick Allen]

I thought Gio looked pretty good. When they scored 2 in the first, nothing really hit hard.  Sox are being burned by the guys you can expect them to be burned by, Diekman, Kelly, Ruiz and Santos. I think that’s a good thing. 

[Eminor3rd]

11 hours ago, Eminor3rd said:

Having a breakfast burrito this morning

It wasn’t that good

[caulfield12]

3 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said:

It wasn’t that good

And inflated prices...Egg McMuffin up 22% since last year.

[Highland]

1 hour ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Can you really blame them given the history? We're not talking Yankees, Cardinals, Dodgers, Braves et al are we?

You make some valid points. But the shortcoming are also becoming apparent, a bullpen that appears shaky and won't be getting help until May at the earliest, more "baseball stupid" baserunning and a lack of any clutch hitting with men on base.

Time will tell which side turns out to be more accurate. I honestly hope you are right...we'll see. 

Any three games are never a complete indication of anything.  They could go on a winning streak starting with tomorrow. It's just that all of this looks familiar from a team that didn't change much from last year. I will say one thing. Those two singles in the eighth inning were not exactly smashes. Sometimes luck is involved, and the Astros had it with those hits. 

[Autumn Dreamin]

10 minutes ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Can you really blame them given the history? We're not talking Yankees, Cardinals, Dodgers, Braves et al are we?

You make some valid points. But the shortcoming are also becoming apparent, a bullpen that appears shaky and won't be getting help until May at the earliest, more "baseball stupid" baserunning and a lack of any clutch hitting with men on base.

Time will tell which side turns out to be more accurate. I honestly hope you are right...we'll see. 

I mean, the annoying thing is the double standard of it always being "time will tell" before we're allowed to take away any positives while every negative is immediately treated as a season-defining constant.

If 3 games is too small of a sample size to declare that Lance/Gio are back and Yaz/Yo can hit again, then it should also be too small of a sample size to declare career .290 hitter Luis Robert a bust and the bullpen unsalvageable.

The other guys get paid to play too, and you have to accept that the team is going to lose some games. Losing to seeing eye singles from top tier hitters is just not the same as losing to yourselves because you've got Leury Garcia batting third and playing too shallow in center while Dallas Keuchel serves up 88mph meatballs. And we won 81 games with that happening!

Maybe give the boys some time. Or at least be as willing to project TA7 to sustain .500 OBP for the season as we are to project a 10ERA season for the pen.

[ShoeLessRob]

They’ll be under .500 this first month

[hi8is]

1 hour ago, ShoeLessRob said:

They’ll be under .500 this first month

Which games will they win and which will they lose? Since you have a crystal ball, I’m gonna utilize it to make a fortune.

[soxrwhite]

Robert is saving us in the field. Killing us at the plate. 

Vaughn is hitting but cant play defense.

I think Robert and Benny need to drop in the batting order, and Vaughn Moncada need to move up.

[Capn12]

2 hours ago, Dick Allen said:

I thought Gio looked pretty good. When they scored 2 in the first, nothing really hit hard.  Sox are being burned by the guys you can expect them to be burned by, Diekman, Kelly, Ruiz and Santos. I think that’s a good thing. 

I don’t even think Santos was that bad, just a victim of well placed contact, without the benefit of the old shift.

[kitekrazy]

4 hours ago, Lip Man 1 said:

Typical Moncada game...strikes out multiple times in key situations with runners on base...makes a big error and then after striking out walks gingerly back to the dugout like he's been seriously hurt.

Somehow, someway as I was told in November by sources the Sox need to cut bait with this guy.

Bullpen again fails in the later innings. Ruiz has more lives it seems then Leury Garcia. Why he is on the team still is beyoind me. 

???? That is a mystery.  He' get sent down but they need to release him and apologize to Leury.