[Hail Cesar]

Some good things happened on the ball field this weekend for the Red Sox: (1) They swept the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, (2) They reached the .500 winning percentage mark after starting 2-10, (3) A Red Sox catcher finally hit a homerun, (4) Adrian Gonzalez is lighting it up, among many other things. So the questions still remains... are the Red Sox on their way to the .600 and above mark or will they continue to be inconsistent?

My thought is that as long as Lackey and Dice-K are pitching like crap, the Red Sox will continue to be inconsistent because I don't think their lineup is ready to carry the load every time those two guys take the hill.

[rominer]

Hail Cesar, on 16 May 2011 - 08:48 AM, said:

My thought is that as long as Lackey and Dice-K are pitching like crap, the Red Sox will continue to be inconsistent because I don't think their lineup is ready to carry the load every time those two guys take the hill.

That seems to put them at .600, then.

[Hail Cesar]

rominer, on 16 May 2011 - 10:57 AM, said:

That seems to put them at .600, then.

No one said I was a math wiz.

[Kid T]

Hail Cesar, on 16 May 2011 - 08:48 AM, said:

?

My thought is that as long as Lackey and Dice-K are pitching like crap,

Maybe I'm being a Matsuzaka apologist here, but take out his one horrendous outing (7 ER in 2 IP on 4/11) and he would be sporting an ERA of 3.48. I know he is maddening to watch at times with his high pitch counts and nibbling around the plate after getting ahead on the count, but he's actually been pretty good...especially for what would be expected from a #5 starter.

[rominer]

Kid T, on 16 May 2011 - 05:11 PM, said:

Maybe I'm being a Matsuzaka apologist here, but take out his one horrendous outing (7 ER in 2 IP on 4/11) and he would be sporting an ERA of 3.48. I know he is maddening to watch at times with his high pitch counts and nibbling around the plate after getting ahead on the count, but he's actually been pretty good...especially for what would be expected from a #5 starter.

Yes.

But you chose the wrong day to voice this opinion.

[Sox Sweep Again]

Kid T, on 16 May 2011 - 05:11 PM, said:

Maybe I'm being a Matsuzaka apologist here, but take out his one horrendous outing (7 ER in 2 IP on 4/11) and he would be sporting an ERA of 3.48. I know he is maddening to watch at times with his high pitch counts and nibbling around the plate after getting ahead on the count, but he's actually been pretty good...especially for what would be expected from a #5 starter.

I agree, but also with Rominer.

[Kid T]

rominer, on 16 May 2011 - 06:28 PM, said:

Yes.

But you chose the wrong day to voice this opinion.

Even with the bad outing, his ERA (minus the 7 run, 2IP start) would still be 3.82. More than acceptable for a 4/5 starter.

[JMDurron]

Hail Cesar, on 16 May 2011 - 08:48 AM, said:

I don't think their lineup is ready to carry the load every time those two guys take the hill.

I think this is where we differ. So far this season, the lineup has never had two hot guys together in a row to produce significant offense. First, it was just Pedroia, Youk, and Lowrie, then it was just Ellsbury and Ortiz, but now it looks like Ellsbury, Gonzalez, Youkilis, and Ortiz are all hot at the same time. Throw in some key hits/walks from Drew and Lowrie to turn the lineup over, and I think you have an "overcome the 4/5 starters" offense. The pitching carried the offense out on the West Coast in April, now it's time for the offense to do the same until Lackey gets back into the rotation.

[Hail Cesar]

JMDurron, on 17 May 2011 - 07:23 AM, said:

So far this season, the lineup has never had two hot guys together in a row to produce significant offense.

That's what she said.

JMDurron, on 17 May 2011 - 07:23 AM, said:

First, it was just Pedroia, Youk, and Lowrie, then it was just Ellsbury and Ortiz, but now it looks like Ellsbury, Gonzalez, Youkilis, and Ortiz are all hot at the same time. Throw in some key hits/walks from Drew and Lowrie to turn the lineup over, and I think you have an "overcome the 4/5 starters" offense. The pitching carried the offense out on the West Coast in April, now it's time for the offense to do the same until Lackey gets back into the rotation.

I'm not saying that I expect that the 1-9 lineup to be each bashing the crap out of the ball every night, but prior to the last couple of games, it just hasn't seemed like the lineup has "gelled". Maybe it's because only a couple of guys were hitting the ball well at any given time over the course of this season. Maybe it's the fact that there were like 3 quadrillion lineups with guys hitting leadoff one night and eighth the next. Maybe it's because the Red Sox share a keg of beer prior to each game. I don't know. Before the latest winning streak it just hasn't seemed like the Red Sox have been comfortable at the plate as a team, so that is why I thought that they weren't ready to carry the load when the 4th or 5th starter hits the mound. I think last night, however, was a great showing by the lineup and hopefully is an indication that they will be able to carry the load if need be from here on out.

[Joey Slugs]

Now that they are over .500 (especially how they came back to win last night) - I don't see this team looking back.

[Manny's PS2]

JMDurron, on 17 May 2011 - 07:23 AM, said:

The pitching carried the offense out on the West Coast in April, now it's time for the offense to do the same until Lackey gets back into the rotation.

JMD, I almost never disagree with you, but if the pitching was "carrying" the hitters in April they did a really shitty job. I would say both were grovelling around on the ground, waiting to be carried by the other.

[coloradojack]

Joey Slugs, on 17 May 2011 - 10:23 AM, said:

Now that they are over .500 (especially how they came back to win last night) - I don't see this team looking back.

Lock the thread.

[BigSlick]

coloradojack, on 17 May 2011 - 10:57 AM, said:

Lock the thread.

Better yet, change the title to .600 because that is around where they will end up.

This post has been edited by BigSlick: 17 May 2011 - 11:07 AM

[JMDurron]

Manny, on 17 May 2011 - 10:52 AM, said:

JMD, I almost never disagree with you, but if the pitching was "carrying" the hitters in April they did a really shitty job. I would say both were grovelling around on the ground, waiting to be carried by the other.

I'm not referring to the entire month, but to the 10-game stretch where the rotation gave up the fewest runs for any 10-game stretch of starts for the franchise in the past 70 years or so. Let me try to find the numbers on that.

Aha, and here is the link - link!

Quote

Since April 16, Boston’s starting pitchers have combined for a 0.88 ERA. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that’s the lowest ERA for the Red Sox rotation over any nine-game span since July 1918 (0.84).

So, it was a 9/10 game stretch from April 16 to April 25/26 where the rotation absolutely DID carry the team, because the offense was not significantly better. My argument was that, particularly now with Lackey and Matsuzaka both hurt, we need a 9-10 game stretch where the offense returns the favor.

[Manny's PS2]

JMDurron, on 18 May 2011 - 07:26 AM, said:

I'm not referring to the entire month, but to the 10-game stretch where the rotation gave up the fewest runs for any 10-game stretch of starts for the franchise in the past 70 years or so. Let me try to find the numbers on that.

Aha, and here is the link - link!



So, it was a 9/10 game stretch from April 16 to April 25/26 where the rotation absolutely DID carry the team, because the offense was not significantly better. My argument was that, particularly now with Lackey and Matsuzaka both hurt, we need a 9-10 game stretch where the offense returns the favor.

I'm sorry I only deal in specifics as in " The Red Sox Rotation Carried the Offense in the SECOND HALF of April" Because I believe the first half they were being carried by Airplanes and busses and not much else. I'll let it slide though....THIS TIME. Next time, Banned.

[JMDurron]

Manny, on 18 May 2011 - 01:00 PM, said:

I'm sorry I only deal in specifics as in

OUT ON THE WEST COAST IN APRIL.

It was actually a 9-10 game stretch, and 6 of those games were on the West Coast. I was actually TOO specific, as opposed to not being specific enough. You read my initial post like a Texan.

[Manny's PS2]

JMDurron, on 19 May 2011 - 07:27 AM, said:

You read my initial post like a Texan.

If that were the case, I'd still be trying to figure out what all those random letters are doing together, and then if those letters are gay, retarded, on deathrow or all three.