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3 Worth Reading

January 3, 2015 Leave a Comment

Happy new year, fans. We’re finally into double digits as we count down to Opening Day 2015.

Here are some noteworthy stories from around the web for Red Sox fans:

With all that’s gone on this offseason it has been easy to lose sight of Rusney Castillo, the Sox’ $72 million man. Castillo went 15-for-37 (.405) with two doubles, a home run, two walks, and only four strikeouts in the Arizona Fall League and has just finished 10 games of Winter Ball under manager (and former Red Sox) Alex Cora in Puerto Rico. Cora’s views are positive on Castillo both offensively and defensively.
Everyone’s favorite utility man, Brock Holt, says he’s ready for anything in the 2015 campaign. Holt hit .281 with four home runs, 29 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and a .331 on-base percentage in 106 games last season. He says he’s talked to GM Cherington and Manager Farrell: “They told me that it’ll probably be kind of similar to what I did last year. Move around, give guys days off whenever they need them.” For his part, Holt is “just kind of happy to help out however I can.”
BleacherReport.com is out with their power rankings for 2015. As things stand they peg the Red Sox at No. 13 of the 30 Major League teams (with AL East mates Rays at No. 26, Yankees at No. 21, Orioles at No. 11, and Blue Jays at No. 7) and the Cardinals topping the list altogether. While they acknowledge plenty of questions for Boston as of today, they conclude “the Red Sox have a real shot at contending for what looks to be a suddenly wide-open AL East division.”

3 Worth Reading

September 9, 2014 Leave a Comment

Some noteworthy stories from around the web for Red Sox fans:

Of 929 matchups at Fenway since 1914, Monday’s was just the 33rd time the Orioles have shut out the Red Sox at home, and the first time since September 24, 2000. It’s a game best forgotten. Still, WEEI’s Alex Speier has some worthwhile thoughts about what that game can tell us about 2015.
The 2015 Red Sox schedule was released this week. It’s a later start than usual, with Boston opening in a National League matchup vs the Phillies on April 6. It’s the first Opening Day between these two clubs since the Red Sox faced the then Philadelphia Athletics on April 19, 1949—a 3-2 Phillies win. Some other notes on the 2015 schedule. You can download a printable version of the 2015 Red Sox schedule, too.
Even a New York newspaper paused to praise a 12-year-old Red Sox fan this week who did an unselfish thing: he decided he’d rather make a little girl happy than take home a ball from the game. “Well, I’ve seen people do it before and I thought it was a nice thing,” he said. “And it’s good to make people happy.”

And a bonus,

MLB exec Joe Torre issued a memo to umpires and all 30 clubs clarifying Rule 7:13 on collisions at the plate. While the new rule for 2014 has not been without controversy, Torre noted that it has achieved its primary objective: “MLB has experienced virtually no collisions at the plate in 2014, and not one catcher has suffered a concussion or otherwise has been injured as a result of a collision.”

In a season filled with disappointments, Sunday’s may well have been the toughest loss so far for the 2014 Red Sox, who overcame a 5 run deficit in the 7th inning only to lose to the Orioles in extra innings. And with Sunday night’s win by the Rays, the Red Sox are now officially in last place in the American League East.

Red Sox pitcher Jake Peavy gave a solid performance, working out of trouble from time to time, and ultimately allowing two runs, one earned, the other on a throwing error by Xander Bogaerts. In all, Peavy went 6.0 innings, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3.

Peavy’s teammates, meanwhile, lived up to expectations, particularly when he’s on the mound. He entered the game with an average of 3.01 runs of support per outing, the 2nd-lowest rate among qualifying American League pitchers. When he left the game he was in sole possession of the top spot for that dubious record.

After Peavy left the game things got interesting. [Read more…]

Done with losing

May 28, 2014 Leave a Comment

A 4-game home and away sweep against a good Braves team and the Nation’s relief is almost palpable. No longer preoccupied with the prospect of going 20-142, it’s now time to consider how historic the 10-game losing streak really was.

Setting aside for a moment how great the 2013 team performed, with their much-discussed ability to never drop more than 3 in-a-row, the just concluded 10-game losing streak was the longest for the club in nearly 20 years when they lost 11 straight from June 8–19, 1994.

But as defending World Series Champions the lackluster performance of the team so far has been all the more tough to watch. The Sox came one loss from tying an ignominious record: the most losses in a row by a defending champ (11). It’s happened three times in MLB history: first by the Royals in 1986 and then next by the Marlins, who managed it TWICE in the 1998 season.

In perspective

Since 2000 this was the 4th time Boston has lost more than 6 games straight:

In the forgettable 2012 season they lost 7-in-a-row August 28–September 3 followed by…
An 8-game stretch from September 25, 2012 through the end of the season.
The Red Sox lost 9-in-a-row September 25–October 3, 2001

The 10-game Red Sox losing streak from May 15–25 this year is the 5th-longest in franchise history since 1914. The longest was a stretch from August 20–September 7, 1926, an agonizing 17 games.

As bad as that is, a 17-game losing streak is only the 6th longest in MLB history since 1914. The longest ever in that time was 23 games by the Phillies starting July 29, 1961. The Philadelphia Athletics also claim the National League’s 2nd longest losing streak, 20 games in 1916 and 1943 (as did the 1969 Montreal Astros).

The longest in the American League was a 21 game stretch by the Orioles that began April 4, 1988.

Where we stand: 13 games in

April 15, 2014 Leave a Comment

Casual fans (and significant others of avid ones like us) tend to remind us it’s so early in the season that it’s hardly worth fretting about our team’s performance here in mid-April. And to some extent, they’re right. Teams go through hot and cold streaks throughout the year and every game counts equally. Still, in the hotly contested American League East, where literally every team is a viable contender, wins matter and losses hurt in the overall March to October.

With an off-day after the club’s first 13 games of the season, I thought we could take a look at we’ve seen from our 2014 Boston Red Sox. What can we learn little more than 8% of the way through the season?

No way around it, a weak start

2014-04-14_16-32-28 Even casual fans can’t be impressed with the Red Sox win percentage at this early point in the season. Boston’s 5-8 record is only marginally better than the 4-7 record held by the Royals, the team with the lowest win percentage in the American League. The Cubs, Reds, and Diamondbacks are the only MLB clubs off to a worse start.

Still, we probably can’t take away much from what we’ve seen so far given the early injuries (Breslow, Middlebrooks, Pedroia, Uehara, Victorino) that have kept a consistent Red Sox lineup from appearing on the field.

The Red Sox have used the MLB average of 27 batters over their first 13 games. The Dodgers have used the most (31), the Brewers the least (24). BOS has fielded 26 players (one off the MLB average of 27). The Dodgers have used the most (29), the Brewers the least (24). 13 Red Sox pitchers have made appearances, which is the MLB average. The Dodgers and Indians have used the most (15), the Brewers have used the least (11). [Read more…]

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