9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (ancientsoxfogey) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:52:02 PST

I have a bit of a semantics issue here.

These may have been among the shortest-distance HR of the year, but they may not have been the cheapest. It's quite possible that a number of Yankee Stadium HR this year were hit less well but traveled further in the wind tunnel to the relatively short RF area. And "lucky" may not quite be the word either. If a batter is being pitched relatively tough low outside or high outside but is able to get enough of the bat under the ball and loft it near the opposite-field line and out (whereas a weaker or less skilled hitter would, say, foul out to the 1B or 2B) that might be considered a quality HR of a sort, with some type of tools and skill involved.

"Lucky" HR, or "unlucky" non-HR for that matter, come in all shapes and sizes, especially in a quirky ballpark like Fenway, where a foot or two one way or the other gets you into a much deeper or shallower part of the park, or a much lower or...

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (bishop) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:25:47 PST

gregblossersbelly wrote:

templeUsox wrote:
According to Hittracker, Bay's HR was the cheapest HR hit all year in baseball.

He hit one earlier in the year at Fenway against Detroit. I think E.Jackson. Looked like a pop-up off of the bat. About 5ft inside the LF (Fisk) foul pole. Barely scraped the top of the wall on the way down. We have the feet at 310. Didn't the Globe do satellite imagery about 20yrs ago to show that it was 299ft?

It was off Fu-Te Ni, not EJax. http://www.hittrackeronli..._dist&sort=asc And according to that, it's actually Ortiz with 6 lucky HR's who leads the league (Bay tied for 2nd with 4).

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (charliezink16) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:29:03 PST

Wow thats wierd, when you mentioned cheap homers, I was going to bring up Green's walk off one, and Bay's off EJackson, but they were both mentioned allready. Don't worry though, Matt Holliday hit bigger and better homers than Bay.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (gregblossersbelly) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:09:18 PST

templeUsox wrote:
According to Hittracker, Bay's HR was the cheapest HR hit all year in baseball.

He hit one earlier in the year at Fenway against Detroit. I think E.Jackson. Looked like a pop-up off of the bat. About 5ft inside the LF (Fisk) foul pole. Barely scraped the top of the wall on the way down. We have the feet at 310. Didn't the Globe do satellite imagery about 20yrs ago to show that it was 299ft?

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (Bury the Hammer) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:44:37 PST

It's especially unrealistic if/when they get more breathing room between themselves and Texas. They don't care about winning 100 games (nor should they) and their management of the team will reflect that.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (TWilliams4649) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:50:28 PST

Maybe the 100 wins but the sox just won 7 out of 10 against the Rays and White sox who have better records than the Royals, Orioles, Blue Jays, and the Indians. Only the Yankees and Angels have better records than them. I think they can win 7 out of 10 twice to end the season (14 out of the remaining 20) to win 98 games.

Lester is unhittable, Buchholz has been great, Beckett apparently was battling the flu over a couple of his poor starts. I guess tomorrow night with Dice-K and how Wake feels after his cortisone shots will tell us a lot.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (DCRi) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:11:43 PST

Yes. The team has only three reliable SPs since we cannot count on Dice-K yet.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (TWilliams4649) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:03:02 PST

In all reality the Red Sox can finish with 98 wins (if they go 14-6) which they haven't done since 2004. Maybe 100 games (16-4) which they have never done. The only good games we have left are 6 which is 3 home games against the Angels and 3 road games against the Yankees.

Then on the road it is just 3 against the Orioles and 4 against the Royals. So I would like to predict 98 wins and I think it is possible for 100 wins --- provided we don't get swept in Yankee Stadium.

Is this too unrealistic?

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (norbit14) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:44:16 PST

Just like the man himself Nick Green earlier this year for a walk-off, back when he was a gold glove candidate.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (Cem21) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:55:43 PST

Bay's homer has to be one of the cheapest in a while. It was shocking to see a ball hit so bad end up as a homer.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (templeUsox) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:49:32 PST

According to Hittracker, Bay's HR was the cheapest HR hit all year in baseball.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (MLBDreams) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 10:18:32 PST

Great job by RS for sweeping TB, it was too bad that Jason Bay's 8th inning HR (from 3-0 to 4-0) ruined Bill Wagner's chance for his first AL save. Maybe he'll get ones when Paps is unavailable or once the team is clinch for WC berth.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (amfox1) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:38:48 PST

One year ago today (+ / - wins) [Note that on average in 2008 2.5 more games had been played through this date]

+13 Hankees
-4 Boston
-6 Baltimore
-15 Toronto
-16 Tampa

+6 Detroit
-8 Kansas City
-11 Minnesota
-11 Cleveland
-12 Chicago WS

+17 Seattle
+7 Texas
-5 Oakland
-6 LA Angels

+8 Atlanta
ArodSucksAtLife wrote:

DCRi wrote:
I'm finally optimistic about the Sox post-season chances.

It has been a given since spring training this team was going to the post-season.

This is not even close to the same team that showed up in ST. There's no way the original 25 guys on the opening day roster carry this team to the post-season.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (DCRi) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:55:46 PST

Before the season began I thought the Sox would win 100 games or more. We were expecting a lineup that included Lowrie at SS and a recovered Ortiz at DH. The starting pitching looked to be the best in modern Sox history. Except at catcher, the team appeared to have no lineup holes, and on the field it appeared to be equal to, or even better - because of Lowrie - than last year's team. There was concern about Lowell coming back from his surgery but he seemed to be doing OK in spring training.

So what happens? Lowrie goes down, Papi doesn't hit, Lowell can't move, Dice-K can't pitch, and, in fact, the entire starting pitching staff under performs. Varitek hits pretty well early on. Youk hits a ton, along with Bay. Somebody named Nick Green, who never has been a SS, takes over for Lowrie, and hits pretty well, makes some great plays in the field and also some awful ones but is better than Lugo, and the bullpen is lights out. With all their problems the Sox...

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (Bury the Hammer) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:23:37 PST

mpaxisa wrote:
Greinke's been unreal this year. He's been worth 8.3 WAR, which is the best by a pitcher since RJ in 2004 (9.9). If he doesn't win the Cy, it'll be worse than when Colon got it over Johan a few years ago.

Well, going by WAR, Greinke has been about 2 wins better than Lester this year in. In 2004, Santana was 7 wins better than Colon. So, not really.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (Bury the Hammer) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:14:32 PST

^ truth.

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (ArodSucksAtLife) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:14:52 PST

Mainly because I said so, that and the level of talent was without the shadow of a doubt a top 4 AL team. It was top 2 MLB, pre injury(attrition).

Re: 9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (mpaxisa) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:09:02 PST

ArodSucksAtLife wrote:

mpaxisa wrote:

ArodSucksAtLife wrote:

DCRi wrote:
I'm finally optimistic about the Sox post-season chances.
It has been a given since spring training this team was going to the post-season.

You should never consider the playoffs a given. One bad weekend and Texas is right back in the WC race.

I don't care who got/gets fiesty over the course of the 162, this team was going to the post season from day 1.

Because you say so?

9/11-9/13 Red Sox vs. Rays Series Thread

feeds@kickapps.com (jsinger121) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 22:17:16 PST

9/11 Red Sox (Jon Lester 12-7 3.44) vs. Rays (James Shields 9-10 4.02) 7:10 pm ET, NESN/WEEI

9/12 Red Sox (Josh Beckett 14-6 3.87) vs. Rays (Wade Davis 0-0 1.29) 7:10 pm ET, NESN/WEEI

9/13 Red Sox (Clay Buchholz 5-3 3.92) vs. Rays (Matt Garza 7-9 3.85) 1:35 pm ET, NESN/WEEI

American League Standings