You're gonna bunt Mike Lowell in that situation? When was the last time Mike Lowell bunted? He's your #5 hitter and you're gonna take the bat out of his hand? Unfortunately, he did the worst thing possible in that scenario by hitting into a double play but so it goes. He gets a hit there and no one is talking about that situation. Always easy to play Monday morning quarterback there.
"Sure 1st place"? In case you haven't noticed, the Tampa Bay Rays are a legitimate team this year. They have the second best record in baseball, have won 8 of their last 10, and are a whopping 45-17 at home. They're not going away. They're a playoff caliber team and its not Francona's fault that the Sox aren't in first. Blame can be shared by a various amount of parties; starting pitching, middle relief, failure to knock in runners on base, etc....
They don't need a complete overhaul here. I do think the time has come to get Bucholtz out of the rotation. I think Masterson might be a fix at the #5 starter spot.
Also, the Sox don't need to grab 1st place. They are in quite a good position to win the wild card as a fallback. They have a bunch of home games coming up in September and you're looking at a team who has been there before and experience will play a factor down the stretch. The Yanks just got swept and don't look good themselves. Twins are the only other team that might make a run at the wild card but I like the Sox chances there.
It just seems over-reactionary to me.
are u serious??! the twins and whitesox are breathing down our necks with 65 wins a piece and you are comfortable the wild card is a shoe in for us??
every single pitch, every play, every lineup stratgegy is crucial now. I don't care if your babe ruth, you bunt last nite and get the tying run in. With two outs you can take all the risk you want and tell bay to crank it if he pleases
We lost last nite cuz of poor execution by the manager mainly
First of all, either the White Sox or the Twins is going to win the AL central so that automatically eliminates one of them from the wild card discussion. I never said anywhere that it was a "shoe-in". I simply mentioned that I like the Sox' chances if it comes down to the Twins and them for the wild card. Sox have the experience and the favorable schedule down the stretch. Lots of home games remain and they have an incredible home record. I don't think the division race is over by any stretch of the imagination either. (After the Mets collapse last year, nothing is beyond the realm or reason but that was more so an exception than the rule). In regards to Tampa Bay, I just cared to mention that they're a legit team.
You still don't bunt Lowell there. He's not a bunter. You don't ask a veteran who probably hasn't bunted in years to take a bunt there. Bunting is a skill. You don't see everyone doing it.
Look, its a 162 game season. You can't play every game like its a one game playoff. You do that and you have burnt out starters and relievers and veterans who are run into the ground. Last year, down the stretch, everyone was complaining that Francona was resting the guys too much and it was gonna cost them the division title and hurt them in the playoffs. Look what happened? They still won the division and ended up winning the World Series. I'm giving Francona the benefit of the doubt here. There's ups and downs to every season. Don't go off the deep end everytime they hit a little bump.
Lastly, Crisp is a career .600 hitter against Denks. 3 hits in 5 at bats including a double and 4 RBIs.
Granted, not the largest sample size but still its a favorable matchup, nonetheless. Its NOT an example of Francona just "experimenting".
Topic: Redsox need to revamp their lineup now (Read 3500 times)