Red Sox 2025 Season

[Redz]

Dan Roche
@RochieWBZ
?
6m
Breaking News?.

Alex Cora says P Lucas Giolito won?t be on the AL Wild Card roster due to an elbow issue.

Crochet and Bello will start in G1 and G2 and then they?ll decide then.

@wbz

Oyyyy

Does that mean Early gets a Game 3 start if necessary?

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Dan Roche
@RochieWBZ
?
6m
Breaking News?.

Alex Cora says P Lucas Giolito won?t be on the AL Wild Card roster due to an elbow issue.

Crochet and Bello will start in G1 and G2 and then they?ll decide then.

@wbz

Oyyyy

Does that mean Early gets a Game 3 start if necessary?

I guess they'd better make sure they win games 1 and 2.

[Redz]

Dan Roche
@RochieWBZ
?
6m
Breaking News?.

Alex Cora says P Lucas Giolito won?t be on the AL Wild Card roster due to an elbow issue.

Crochet and Bello will start in G1 and G2 and then they?ll decide then.

@wbz

Oyyyy

Does that mean Early gets a Game 3 start if necessary?

I guess they'd better make sure they win games 1 and 2.

They just better win game 1 with Crochet! I really hate having such a top loaded rotation in a playoff series (especially such a short one).  I just think back to how much pressure there always was on Clemens, Pedro and Sale (none of whom were ever at their best in the playoffs).  I really hope Crochet can step up.  Yankee Staium seems like a better park for him than Fenway.

The Sox have eliminated the Yankees the last 3 times they've met in the postseason.  Let's keep that streak alive.  I like our chane in a longer series against anyone else in the AL.

[keevsnick]

The fact that the Sox got out of that Devers contract is a victory itself.  Removing him from that clubhouse couldn't have hurt the vibes either.

I've never really understood this thinking. Even assuming he's a 100% DH going forward 30 million a year for a guy who routinely gives you 30/100  every year seems.... fine? He's the 12th highest paid hitter in baseball right now, he finished the year with the 18th highest OPS, 9th most RBI's, 13th in HR's. He's performing pretty much in line with that contract and he just played every game this past year.

Might the last few years be bad? Sure, that's true of almost every MLB contract signed that goes into a players later 30's. But right now he's worth the money.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Dan Roche
@RochieWBZ
?
6m
Breaking News?.

Alex Cora says P Lucas Giolito won?t be on the AL Wild Card roster due to an elbow issue.

Crochet and Bello will start in G1 and G2 and then they?ll decide then.

@wbz

Oyyyy

Does that mean Early gets a Game 3 start if necessary?

I guess they'd better make sure they win games 1 and 2.

They just better win game 1 with Crochet! I really hate having such a top loaded rotation in a playoff series (especially such a short one).  I just think back to how much pressure there always was on Clemens, Pedro and Sale (none of whom were ever at their best in the playoffs).  I really hope Crochet can step up.  Yankee Staium seems like a better park for him than Fenway.

The Sox have eliminated the Yankees the last 3 times they've met in the postseason.  Let's keep that streak alive.  I like our chane in a longer series against anyone else in the AL.

Even Crochet concerns me a bit because of his recent penchant for giving up homers: He gave up no more than 4 in any full month this season ... until September, when he gave up 8 (4 in one game, 2 each in 2 other games). And I hope the offense shows up for him, which would take some pressure off.

[Vermont Green]

Philadelphia Phillies     +425
Los Angeles Dodgers   +550
Seattle Mariners          +550
Toronto Blue Jays        +650
Milwaukee Brewers     +700
New York Yankees   +800
Chicago Cubs            +1400
San Diego Padres      +1600
Boston Red Sox      +1800
Detroit Tigers            +2000
Cleveland Guardians  +2000
Cincinnati Reds          +3000

Above are the odds to win the World Series.  No big surprises.  Yankees more favored than the Red Sox.  The Yankees have been a better team pretty much all year.  Odds to win series: Yankees (-185), Red Sox (+155).  A 3 game series is a crap shoot.  I understand that bettors favor the Yankees, but I see this as closer to 50/50 than anything.  Not sure how much home field matters, but it is a factor.

Per Google AI:

Home-field advantage in the MLB playoffs matters, but less than commonly believed, with home teams winning only about 54.2% of postseason games historically and a declining rate more recently. While having the crowd and the last at-bat provides benefits, many factors like momentum, team chemistry, and the specific dynamics of a playoff series can overcome it, as seen in numerous past World Series where the visiting team won, even in decisive games.

[Goldstar88]

The fact that the Sox got out of that Devers contract is a victory itself.  Removing him from that clubhouse couldn't have hurt the vibes either.

I've never really understood this thinking. Even assuming he's a 100% DH going forward 30 million a year for a guy who routinely gives you 30/100  every year seems.... fine? He's the 12th highest paid hitter in baseball right now, he finished the year with the 18th highest OPS, 9th most RBI's, 13th in HR's. He's performing pretty much in line with that contract and he just played every game this past year.

Might the last few years be bad? Sure, that's true of almost every MLB contract signed that goes into a players later 30's. But right now he's worth the money.

It?s because Devers wouldn?t play first base! After management told him to leave his glove at home and that he wasn?t seeing the field again. 

[Vermont Green]

Guys, come on, time to give the Devers' debate a break.  We can take that back up after the playoffs.

I found this parallel interesting:

Defending AL champion New York started the season 35-20, slumped during a 25-34 stretch, then closed 34-14.

Fried was 10-2 with a 1.92 ERA in his first 17 starts before he was bothered by a blister on his left index finger and went 3-3 with a 6.80 ERA over his next eight outings, then rebounded to go 6-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his last seven.

The Yankees were good at the start when Fried was good.  Struggled in the middle when Fried struggled, then were good again down the stretch when Fried bounced back.  This does not line up exactly but I see it as pretty telling.  The Yankees are a different team with Fried pitching like an ace.

But if our ace can outpitch their ace in this one game, things start to look really good for the Sox.

[Phantom255x]

The funny thing is, the last 3 years and all season long I've hoped the Red Sox make the playoffs.

And now that they made it and the playoffs start tonight... I'm very very nervous