I'm sitting at the 99 enjoying a prime rib and the TV is right in front of my booth. I can't not watch this collapse tonight , thankfully I rushed through the meal and escaped while it was still 4-4.
Couldn't stay quiet for this nightmare...for those who don't read the bloggers...
Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval take center stage in Red Sox debacle
Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer
BOSTON -- And this is supposed to be the new face of the franchise for the foreseeable future?
It can be argued that Hanley Ramirez is the worst left fielder the Boston Red Sox have ever had, taking Manny Ramirez off the hook for eternity, and after a burst of 10 home runs in the season's first month has become, at least temporarily, a singles hitter. He also forgot how many outs there were in the seventh inning of a tie game, running into an avoidable tag play at third, butchered another line drive in a catastrophic ninth inning and displayed a brazen lack of awareness -- or indifference, which is more likely -- toward the town in which he plays by evaporating from the clubhouse without addressing any of his failings in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Pablo Sandoval has come as affable as advertised, full of good cheer, a likeable clubhouse presence, and with a work ethic that received the Mike Napoli stamp of approval, no small thing. He was out for early work before Thursday's game. But Sandoval has lost his way at the plate, especially against left-handed pitchers, and suddenly can't field his position, either. For the second time in four days, he made two errors in a game, and in each instance botched a ninth-inning play that led directly to a Red Sox loss.
Hanley Ramirez is tagged out by the Twins' Trevor Plouffe during a seventh-inning rundown Thursday. Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Unlike Ramirez, Sandoval, with a little coaxing from the Sox PR staff, answered for his actions Thursday. So did 23-year-old catcher Blake Swihart, who should have been celebrating his first big-league home run but instead was called upon to relive his low throw to third base in the ninth inning, the one that skipped through Sandoval's 5-hole like Patrice Bergeron slipping the puck through the legs of a Maple Leafs goalie. As did third-base coach Brian Butterfield, who walked out of the coaches' room into the middle of the clubhouse so he could answer to why he sent Napoli home on Xander Bogaerts' single in the seventh, an ultimately futile mission.
Ramirez and Sandoval were supposed to be the $183 million difference-makers, yoked to David Ortiz in a feel-good "Three Amigos" scenario endlessly promoted by the Sox, one that promised a powerhouse offense and a re-energized clubhouse after 2014's last-place finish.
Instead, all three are at the center of a vortex of cynicism enveloping this underachieving team, one that seems constitutionally incapable of righting itself and is rapidly turning off its most loyal supporters. Ramirez has been a disaster afield, and if he is putting in lots of extra work in left, the way Jim Rice did when he first came to the Sox, he must be doing so under the cover of darkness. Ortiz is on a pace to hit 18 home runs, the fewest he has hit since 2001. Sandoval has a .239/.306/.352/.658 slash line that easily ranks him as the worst third baseman in a division that includes Manny Machado, Evan Longoria, Josh Donaldson and Chase Headley.
One season-ticket holder said that as he was leaving the park Thursday, he happened to run into Sox CEO Larry Lucchino. "I said, 'Larry, that was pathetic,''' the fan said. "He kept going. I said, 'I'm a season-ticket holder.' He turned around, came back to me, and said, 'I'm sorry.'''
Sorry, indeed. Red Sox manager John Farrell, in an exercise of barely contained fury, was uncharacteristically blunt in his postmortem, one in which he cited the team's "physical and mental errors" and a "lapse of concentration.''
"That's the only [way] I can explain it right now,'' he said. "They're routine plays, plays that guys have made throughout their careers consistently. That was not on display today.'' Farrell confirmed that Ramirez thought there were two outs when he jogged into third baseman Trevor Plouffe's tag in the seventh, and left no doubt that he felt Sandoval should have handled Swihart's throw, even if it was low.
"Not a difficult short hop,'' he said. "Unfortunately, it gets through Pablo and gives them the go-ahead run.''
Sandoval concurred to reporters that he should have made the play, then fended off questions about whether he was comfortable here -- "I feel comfortable, why do you ask me that?'' -- whether he was hurt -- "Everything's fine. I'm good." -- and whether he felt his approach was the right one -- "Been tough, up and down. I try to do the best I can.''
"It is, like I said, rough,'' said Sandoval, whose subpar play is practically begging for another discussion about his weight, the kind of stuff that dogged him when he was in San Francisco but will be renewed with far greater intensity here if he doesn't begin to play better. "I've got to keep my head up, keep working hard. Nothing is going to be easy.''
Butterfield made no apologies for electing to send Napoli on a mad dash to the plate after momentarily halting him at third. He didn't say so, but he could have easily noted that an attempted first-to-home journey by Napoli would have been unnecessary if Ramirez hadn't lost count and had remained at second. He also didn't mention that the next hitter was Sandoval, who was 0-for-9 in the series and 7-for-60 (.117) since May 12.
"The thing we impress on our players is, 'Stay aggressive,''' said Butterfield, who in Napoli was willing to take a chance on the team's best baserunner, even if he is not the fastest. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Today's case we ran into some outs and it didn't work.
"But you know what? This is a league where it's back to the drawing board, and we're going to get after it tomorrow.'' But tomorrow isn't going to bring a new left fielder. Farrell, asked how long he would be able to tolerate such subpar play in left, and if so, was it because his hands were tied, all but admitted it was the latter. As long as Ortiz is the DH, he said, "one has to get on the field.''
As he has said repeatedly, Farrell labeled Ramirez a "work in progress," but Thursday he added a caveat.
"We've got work to do,'' Farrell said. "There's no denying it. There is no one skirting around that. We've got to anticipate more and begin to expect more.''
Because when a manager talks about such things as a "lapse in concentration," he knows he is treading treacherous territory. An unfocused clubhouse? The blame for that often falls on the manager, as Farrell experienced in Toronto. Owner John W. Henry may have come out in full support of Farrell just two days ago, but both within the clubhouse and without, he is being closely watched on how he reconciles issues that could easily turn toxic.
That's why he didn't hesitate when asked if he takes it personally.
"Absolutely,'' Farrell said. "That was a poor display of baseball today. Those situations are addressed individually, they're addressed collectively, and we'll continue to do so.''
But as long as the center remains hollow, all talk merely bounces off of unforgiving walls.
Memo to John William Henry...you just paid the two bozos, the fat guy who can't play 3rd base, and the clown in left field, who has not a remote clue...$253,086 for just yesterday's performance. You are no longer approaching the iceberg, your team has hit it at full speed and you are seriously taking on water. I would have to say, that I wasted 2+ hours of my life yesterday watching this beautiful day in Boston, and promising 4-0 lead, turn into one of the worst horror shows I have ever witnessed in Fenway Park...yup, though I thought it impossible, I would put this fiasco right up there with the Billy Buckner event, the Aaron Boone shot and the Bucky Dent affair. Your GM (Mr. I have not a remote clue) Cherrington has saddled you with two of the highest ever paid in Red Sox history and by far worst performing players EVVVVah !! You will not be able to unload their mind-numbing salaries of $183 million over the next 4-5 years. How you could allow this to happen is to be a forever mystery to me...one would think that getting paid $135+ per game would have the left field looooooozer to know there were not two outs...perhaps he needs a raise.
Thankfully I didn't watch the entire game and ruin my evening. The Fenway Faithful have limits, and the wrath cometh. In the New England vernacular that you perhaps are not aware of, to put yesterday's experience into words that are not complimentary...your team as a whole is "wicked bad".
Disgusted beyond words...send them all to the Lowell Spinners and bring up the Pawtucket team...surely that couldn't do any worse.
GO SOX!!!!! Hey Al and Pitboss, stick together fellas it's a long season and remember it's the Sox and we are lucky we have had a few great World Series Wins! It's not like we are rooting for the pre '94 Sox or the Cubbies
They are paid ENORMOUS salaries to play a kid's game only at a very high level. When they perform as professionals I will acknowledge that, when they play like bozos, I will acknowledge that as well. Yesterday is yesterday, can't live in yesterday. The stats are dismal and only point to a losing season.
A fortunate bit of swagger in the 8th rejuvenates those on Yawkey Way. I'd wager that many left in the 7th to beat traffic and groaned as they listened to their radios. I've done that too.
Opportunity knocks with Baltimore on the horizon...we'll see...the bright spot is the new ace is on the mound.
Yankees continue to roll...and their closer, Mr. Miller is now 19-19 with an ERA of 1.08, I wonder how they let him go. Oh, Middlebrooks BTW isn't exactly headed to AAA ball. Odd how going to a new ball club makes a player sometimes much better.
Enjoy the moment, they are very few are far between.
I understand your thinking on the Red Sox but I have seen much worse in my time.
Statistics are great but not always reliable.
They have a great core of players and just need a little tweaking to make them a great team.
I will back them all the way while they make the necessary adjustments.
I will no longer make any comments to this discussion as obviously they are not desired.
I also will not miss a game this year as I am a true believer.
Let's see if you and I can get something straight...addressing the above..."much worse in my time"...really? Something make you forget I've been hanging with the Red Sox since about 1950...don't give me the hard earned dollar thing from Norwood thing...we all had tough times then...get over the "my time" thing...that is long gone...got it?
I am jaw-dropping in disbelief that you discount statistics and claim they are not reliable? What planet are you on??? Statistics are clear indicators of the team's core performance and where changes need to be made. One of your more immature sentences for sure!! Ever hear of metrics?? That's how they evaluate players. Why would they do that if the ownership/management didn't think numbers had merit? GEEZ already...and yes, I harp on RISP, because it's a key indicator of who was at bat and what happened when there was a runner on 2nd, 3rd, or worse yet, both 2nd and 3rd and none scored...a big WOW on your comment.
Necessary adjustments? I almost dropped my beer...what adjustments? Those you have touted have come up woefully short.
No more comments to the discussion huh...too hot in the kitchen?? When you write you were "sick and tired of the negativity...", you were calling me out. Did you think I wouldn't respond to your wanting to shut me up? NOT GONNA HAPPEN. So, you sit there in your Albuequerque home and cling to your remote anticipating each and every game. Don't know how you're gonna get through tomorrow, it's an off day.
You gotta learn to take the bad with the good. I'd bet about $10k that in the 7th inning today you were just about ready to swallow your remote.
Don't throw rocks, they have a tendency to come back!!! I won't comment on the true believer thing.
They are paid ENORMOUS salaries to play a kid's game only at a very high level. When they perform as professionals I will acknowledge that, when they play like bozos, I will acknowledge that as well. Yesterday is yesterday, can't live in yesterday. The stats are dismal and only point to a losing season.
We'll see if things change...I doubt it. >>
Al Im a huge critic of these guys! I think most of them are a bunch of overpaid , couldnt care less attitude babys, but most MLB players are and thats the main reason I dont even watch the games, that being said I still keep an ear to the action and check the stats, standings and other news but refuse to get emotional until they are in the playoffs or are fighting for a spot. I do cherish the World Series wins we have been lucky enough to get and keep expectations low, I am not a huge fan of these big salary signings like Hanley and Panda and disgusted with the staff they put together however at least the front office isnt afraid to throw money around although I think they could have spent their money more wisely but then again look at the '13 World Series win, they hardly spent big money on big name players and I thought they wouldnt finish close to the top and look what happened! This season reminds me of the '12 season when they paid for those bums, hopefully they can get it together again somehow because I agree the set up they have now is not working.
Everyone has an opinion...mine is more pronounced and kinda "in your face". I am hugely disappointed in this team...yet, like you, I cherish beyond words that '04, '07 and 13 WS wins, especially the '04 comeback against the Yankees when they were down 0-3.
We are in a different world now, I only recognize Ortiz and Pedroia from "then". A totally different team from the manager on down. The powers to be have made blunders (IMO) in their acquisitions. The fat guy at 3rd and the lame left fielder, both who make a sickening amount of money to play a kid's game.
I have often posted the Gordon Edes blog from the ESPN Boston website. Very informative and he's in the know. The stats, while some would think are "not always reliable, are clear, factual indicators of the temperature/performance of the team. The stats are abysmal and they don't lie, they're a barometer of performance and the performance has been pretty damn disappointing IMO. How anyone could say that stats are not always reliable is just laughable to me.
A sad time for Red Sox Nation...so thankful I don't have the baseball package (like some do) and have to endure 162 games of such inept, unprofessional, lackadaisical, non-performance. Thankfully I have a very full life with lots going on, not glued to the tube at 7PM.
I must say Paul...you sounded a bit negative, be careful !!
Take care my friend. Hit the beach and get a box of clams...ah, the memories !!!
Speaking of a box of clams Al, its a tradition for me to pick up my father a clam plate at Browns in Seabrook for Fathers day so I will be enjoying some fried clams soon enough
Hope all is well outside of Red Sox Nation my friend!
Benintendi is the only pick for the Red Sox on Day 1. The team forfeited their second-round pick to sign Pablo Sandoval and the competitive balance round pick they received from the Oakland Athletics in the Jon Lester trade to sign Hanley Ramirez. Source...ESPN.
The performance of the fat guy and whiz kid in left field are woefully short of expectations. In the last 7 days, the fat guy is hitting a whopping .154. His season totals are 17 RBIs, 5 HRs and an average of .244. Hanley OTOH is a bit better with 32 RBIs, 13 HRs and an average of .277. I classic example of why baseball has the cart before the horse in the salary department...if you have your $$ locked up, where is the incentive to excel? I guess $36m doesn't buy what it used to. But I hear stats aren't always reliable...just some kinda made up mumbo jumbo numbers that mean nothing.
Well, it's the battle for the cellar in the AL East tonight, can't wait for this one!! Oops, tonight is poker night for me...I'll be trying to hammer my buddies at 6:30.
Rodriguez pitches a gem, but the other 8 guys can't seem to get their act together...again. Utilizing the unreliable tell ALL stat...0-8 in the RISP department. Gotta be a reason why the team appears to have such consistency in getting runners to 2nd and beyond, but leave most of them stranded. Rodriguez must think he's on Planet Nowhere with the lack of support. If most of the Red Sox players were in private industry, they'd have been given the boot in May...they are truly pathetic, inept and have no spark. This despite predictions of how Swihart and Castillo were gonna roll in like Mighty Mouse...cue the song...Here I am to save the day...
While playing poker last night, I did use my voice search to check the score...and I hear..."the Red Sox are losing to the Orioles 1-0"...this in the 7th inning...dunno why I bothered, a weak moment I guess. Oh yeah, I had a good night and was the big winner.
About 36% of the season is gone, but like Elvis, The Red Sox have already left the park. Tis a sad time for Red Sox Nation...oh...remember Stephen "let's get rid of him" Drew"...he's killing it in NY...now has 2, 2-HR games as the Yankees win their 7th in a row. Amazing how Cherington's moves, or lack thereof are loaded with second thoughts.
WARNING ****WARNING****WARNING This article contains statistical information, could be harmful to your emotional state.
'Everybody's time is up at some point' -- is David Ortiz's?
Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer
BALTIMORE -- The last thing David Ortiz needs is to have his struggles at the plate laid bare on a national TV broadcast.
Just last week, Ortiz was parrying questions about whether he was “washed up,” answering with a civility that he acknowledged later took a concerted effort.
But with a chance to deflect the narrative away from Ortiz after three straight wins over the weekend and double-digit hits in each of their last four games, the Red Sox on Tuesday night were shut out 1-0 on five hits by Baltimore. That’s the 23rd time this season the Sox have been held to two runs or fewer, which, of course, has a profound impact on the team's record. The Sox are 5-18 in those games headed into ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball broadcast.
And while Tuesday night reflected a collective failure -- Sox batters were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and still rank 28th in baseball in those circumstances -- Ortiz, because of his eminence, becomes the object of the most scrutiny.
Ortiz had a ground-ball base hit in his first at-bat Tuesday night against Orioles right-handed starter Miguel Gonzalez, then lined out to left-center with two runners on to end the third. He rolled out to second against Orioles left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland leading off the sixth and in the eighth inning, again with two runners on, he took a called third strike from Zach Britton, the Orioles’ left-handed closer, who then whiffed Mike Napoli to preserve Baltimore’s advantage.
David Ortiz is just 8 for 70 against left-handers this season. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
Ortiz had previously enjoyed success against both McFarland (2 for 4) and Britton (5 for 13, including a home run), but his labors against left-handers this season have reaped few rewards. While he has put up numbers against right-handed pitchers consistent with his past performance (.278 batting average, .387 on-base percentage, .879 OPS), he is only 8 for 70 (.114) against lefties this season, which has skewed his overall numbers to an unrecognizable place: a .219/.297/.372/.670 slash line.
The Orioles on Wednesday night are starting a left-hander, Wei-Yin Chen. Ortiz raked him for six hits in 11 at-bats last season, but is hitless in five at-bats this season. Last Friday, with Oakland lefty Scott Kazmir opposing the Sox, Farrell elected to sit Ortiz and use Hanley Ramirez as DH. But Ramirez's availability Wednesday night is uncertain; he fouled a ball off his left knee and while X-rays were negative, he is likely to still be very sore.
Lately, it hasn’t mattered which hand was pitching to Ortiz. He has not hit a home run in his last 17 games, the second time this season he has gone that long without putting a ball in the seats. By comparison, Giancarlo Stanton and Albert Pujols have homered nine times apiece in that span, and 252 hitters have homered at least once since Ortiz last went deep on May 19.
Overall, since that date, Ortiz is batting just .169 (11-for-65) in 17 games, with five RBIs. The player who has set the standard for designated hitters for the better part of a decade enters play Wednesday night ranked last among all qualified DHs in batting average, RBIs and runs.
“I think guys are going to attack him a little more," manager John Farrell said Tuesday, when asked if he had detected a difference in how pitchers are approaching Ortiz. “We’ve also seen some at-bats, and this isn’t just David, where you’re not getting into hitters’ counts too often. But yeah, I think guys like to attack him more and get him into swing mode, instead of looking at pitches and trying to be a little bit more in a defined strike zone."
It’s startling to hear Ortiz described as the hitter teams are attacking, when in the past, the approach has been to avoid Ortiz whenever possible. Is that a byproduct of his not getting hot to date?
“It certainly has something to do with it," Farrell said. “You start to look at our lineup --it’s no different than us taking a look at the Orioles’ lineup. Who do you attack based on what they’re doing currently? That has a lot to do it."
Ortiz dressed and left quickly after Tuesday night’s loss, but has consistently rebuffed any talk that at 39, he is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
"What can I tell you, man?" Ortiz said in response to last week’s “washed up” question. "A lot of people looked at me like that [six] years ago, and here I am still. I don't have no timetable for [retirement]. I don't think anybody has it, either.
“If it happens, who cares, man, I'm just another player that comes in and comes out. Everybody's time is up at some point. I don't think that's my problem, though. I'll keep on trying like I normally do."
Ortiz is benched. Red Sox now locked for last in the AL East at 6.5 back. Swihart moves closer to the Mendoza line. RBIs continue to elude this team that looks so good on paper, but is so inept between the lines.
Tis sad times in Beantown. Cherington must have ulcers at this point.
As an O's fan, i say that the Sox caught the O's at a bad time, as the O's are playing good baseball as of late. But I said this before the season started, no one could have expected the Sox to do well this year with that rotation. Buchholz is having a decent season, Rodriguez has been good so far, and Miley has been ok. Kelly, Porcello, and Masterson have all been downright bad. The only position players doing anything has been Pedroia, Betts, Ramirez, and Bogaerts. Even if the offense picks it up, I do not see them being able to score enough runs for that rotation to win games. The Sox have some work to do, as does the rest of the AL East.
What I Collect:
PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 80.51% Complete)
PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.80% Complete)
PSA Basketball HOF Players Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 6.02% Complete)
Now that the Red Sox have solidified their spot in last place in the AL East...the utterings from Farrel (etal) become more pathetic and sounds very "excuse-like"...this from after last night's 5-2 loss...from ESPN.
"They came at us with some power arms," manager John Farrell said. Geez John, isn't that what they're supposed to do? This ain't High School.
"Their bullpen was able to match up with us," Farrell said, and there was no disputing that. No, they whipped your team, not just match up...how lame John, like warm beer.
"Farrell had no quibble with either Bogaerts or Sandoval trying to take an extra base, especially that early in the game." No quibble? Really? I got some quibble for ya! Oh, BTW, fat boy can't run!
"That's forcing them to throw a strike," Farrell said. "They did." "Forcing"...wow John, didn't know an opposing pitcher could be "forced" to do anything. Guess I learned something here.
"Every time we scored, they found a way to bunch a couple of hits together," Farrell said. "The shutdown inning was the difference in this one." God, what an astute observation!!
Well, I've read a lot of "Farrellisms", but those above are pretty lame. Once a big fan of Farrell, I think it's time for the Mike Timlin LOOOOOZER BUS to swing by BWI tonight before the team boards the plane and take Farrell to planet Zonk. I will be very surprised if he survives the season...I say bring in El Tiante, Tim Wakefield or, how 'bout Kevin Millar? Can't get any worse, it just can't! We want Pedro, we want Pedro...I'd sign up for the baseball package if that ever happened.
So, I see the MLB channel might feature the game tonight, but doubt I could stand seeing a sweep by the O's. More good news...Toronto awaits at Fenway.
Well, locked for last at 7 games back. Miley going off on Farrell, 2-8 in the infamous RISP department, and the fat one at 3rd base commits his 8th error of the season on a bad throw. Advice for Miley...SHUT your pie hole and deal with the manager OFF the field. Of course Farrell comes to the rescue with more Farrellisms that are so lame as to be beyond laughable. I read the ESPN blogs, where you kinda get the perspective in a few paragraphs...just click blogs and then select Red Sox...ah, it's all there to see. For those who want to get adventurous, click stats...there are no leaders or even honorable mentions of Red Sox players there...not even Castillo or Swihart...who, lucky for him, got a hit last night to move slightly away from Mendozaville.
Memo to Cherington...How are those trades/deals workin' out for ya? Looks to me like things are off the rails, now we have arguments amongst ourselves. Maybe the fat guy at 3rd could be a groundskeeper, or Zamboni drive for the Bruins. There's always the snow sweeper job at Gillette stadium. What were you thinkin' to guarantee him so much $$$ ? P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C !!
So here's a kick...I have a buddy in Atlanta who has a business, very successful business...so, one of his vendors popped two tix to next Thursday's Red Sox - Braves game in Atlanta. I was a bit reluctant to accept and even suggested he take his wife, but she has a meeting to attend. Well, he explained to me it was in a suite...you know, A/C, food, etc. Well, beings that I haven't seen my buddy in a few months and the seats are really hard to turn down, I graciously accepted. So, I'll be at the game...yup, gonna wear my Red Sox cap and cheer them on as they make me marvel at their baseball performance...can't wait.
anyone reminded of the Bobby V season with all that is happening and NOT happening? Kind of humorous if you aren't the guy writing $200 million worth of paychecks.
<< <i>anyone reminded of the Bobby V season with all that is happening and NOT happening? Kind of humorous if you aren't the guy writing $200 million worth of paychecks. >>
Well at least no one can blame Farrell for the way they spent the money. People want him fired but you sorta can't after the Miley thing. The players are already at the chicken and beer point. What kind of manager would you bring in?
Can't unload the underachievers either , if the team wanted to get rid of the big money bums they literally can't . No one would take the bums at these prices .
They need to fire all the computer geeks in the front office that got the roster to where it is.
BOSTON -- The owner already has vouched for his team, the last time things looked their dimmest. So did the chief operating officer, the general manager, the manager, the hot dog vendor, the parking lot attendant, and Wally.
Who's left, the Pope?
It's going to take an extraordinary leap of faith to continue to trust that these Boston Red Sox are better than they appear through the first 68 days of the 2015 season, especially after their latest free fall toward oblivion. The Sox crumbled 13-10 to the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night in Fenway Park, blowing an 8-1 advantage -- the biggest lead they've lost this season -- to fall eight games under .500. It's their low point to date.
Pablo Sandoval didn't stick around to address his defensive miscues after the Red Sox blew their biggest lead of the season. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
"I wouldn't write this team off," manager John Farrell said, words that are finding few converts outside the walls of the Red Sox clubhouse. "This is still a team that's got a long track record of individual performance, and we have to put some things together as a team in all phases.
"This isn't to single anyone out. You could say it was a strong offensive night tonight. It takes the other two components, the pitching and defense, to have a winning combination."
Call it a toss-up who was moving faster Friday night: the fans ready to bail on the Sox, or third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who was already fleeing the scene in a black Porsche mere moments after a grim-faced Farrell had concluded another painful postmortem with a media pack baying at the scent of blood.
This, remember, came in the aftermath of a frenzied dissection of the meaning of Farrell's run-in the night before with pitcher Wade Miley. A popular interpretation among the chattering set was that Miley's public challenge of Farrell was further evidence the manager no longer had control of the clubhouse. Never mind that, as one longtime baseball executive said Friday, "things like this happen once every 10 days somewhere in the big leagues. The whole job is just crisis management."
What set Miley's tantrum apart was he did it in full view of the TV cameras. Even teammates who privately defended Miley for caring so deeply said he shouldn't have shown up his manager, a point Miley himself acknowledged when he said Friday afternoon, "I handled it terrible ... I lost my head."
But Farrell losing the clubhouse? This is a long way from Bobby Valentine, even though this was the biggest lead the Sox have blown since that notorious afternoon in April 2012, when the Sox surrendered a 9-0 lead on national TV to the Yankees, and GM Ben Cherington was compelled to assure one and all that Valentine's job was safe, six months before firing him.
The litany of issues plaguing this team go far beyond one immature outburst from a player who regretted going that route, and told his manager so. There is no mutiny brewing, like the one that consumed Valentine and ultimately claimed Jimy Williams a decade earlier. If this team is going down, it looks like it is going down together, much to the disappointment of those critics who won't be satisfied with anything less than Farrell's dismissal.
Friday's loss, of course, exponentially increased the discontent that found its voice in the booing that swept across the Fens during Toronto's nine-run uprising in the seventh, and in the sarcastic ovation that greeted Sandoval when he turned a routine play an inning later.
This should have been a rare warm and fuzzy occasion for Sandoval, who along with Mookie Betts hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, when Boston seized a 5-0 lead. It was Sandoval's first home run in 65 at-bats, and -- combined with his two-run double the night before in Baltimore, his first extra-base hit in 24 games -- suggested he was ready to become a contributing member of the Sox offense again after a monthlong absence.
Instead, Sandoval invited ridicule by failing to execute two makeable plays during the Jays' seventh-inning uprising. He charged Josh Donaldson's bouncer, but the ball popped out of his glove long enough to render a throw pointless. Three plays later, he was unable to cleanly backhand Chris Colabello's ball down the line, the ball again failing to remain attached to leather. He probably didn't deserve the error, but when Jays third baseman Donaldson made a terrific backhanded play in the bottom of the inning, no one was inclined to offer charity to Sandoval.
Sandoval's fielding has become a much greater issue than anyone expected coming into the season.
"Didn't anticipate some of the misdirection of some of the plays, particularly on the backhand," Farrell said. "This is still about Pablo and the work he does consistently, and yet still trying to get a rhythm for him over there."
Sandoval had no inclination to address his shortcomings, on a night that battered reliever Junichi Tazawa and first baseman Mike Napoli, who struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth with a chance to tie the score, took on all comers. Napoli is 1 for his past 20 with 10 strikeouts, and was eaten up by a bouncing ground ball from Jose Reyes for one of Toronto's eight hits in the interminable seventh.
"It's frustrating," Napoli said, "but I'm going to keep working, keep grinding, every day. I'm out here early [taking] BP, my cage work, trying to keep going.
"Obviously I don't look comfortable up there, and I'm not feeling too comfortable, but just working for that at-bat where I can find it and be in a position to do something. I want to do my part, to contribute to this offense. I come here every day thinking this is the day I'm going to come to hit."
Napoli came to the plate in the eighth against left-hander Brett Cecil, who had generally handled Napoli (2-for-14, though one of those hits was a home run). Friday night, he dispatched Napoli on three pitches, the Sox first baseman looking at strike three.
"I can leave the park in one swing," Napoli said. "I could have tied that ballgame up, or hit a ball off the wall or in the gap. That was my mindset. I got a fastball first pitch, and I fouled it off. When I'm going good, I don't foul it off."
Instead of music pulsating through a victorious clubhouse, the only sound heard Friday night was that of a vacuum cleaner making its way past mostly deserted lockers.
"Tough one to swallow," Napoli said. "But we've got to keep going out there and getting after it. No one's given up in here. We're going to go out there and play the game the right way and get it done."
Gotta believe? Good luck with that.
Oh yeah...El Gordo Hombre chalks up error #9...hey, what does he care, he's got a ton of Red Sox $$$$ coming in and can always bolt in his black Porsche. A man with any stones would face the heat and talk to reporters. Of course more Farrellisms...which have little merit. That clubhouse gotta be like a funeral home.
Said it long ago, gonna say it again...cue the music Dandy Don...the fat lady has indeed sung for this season. Soon the boo birds will rain down on this debacle.
At some point Farrell is going to run out of the soft talk he is dishing out to these reporters after these losses, the guy is starting to remind me of the doormat that Francona became back in 2011, I wish he would man up and start calling out his players. I can't even imagine what that idiot Miley was yelling about the other day, was he angry that he got pulled before they hung 10 runs on him?
Today's game was theirs to lose and they managed to succeed. The bases loaded and no runs scored told the story of this game, like last night with the bases loaded, no key hits.
Boy, oh boy, I can't wait for Thursday. If my guess is right, Bucky should be pitching. I'll be sure to bring my binoculars, now that we are well into the 90 degree days, these hot summer nights at the ballpark really bring out some stunning scenery.
<< <i>anyone reminded of the Bobby V season with all that is happening and NOT happening? Kind of humorous if you aren't the guy writing $200 million worth of paychecks. >>
Well at least no one can blame Farrell for the way they spent the money. People want him fired but you sorta can't after the Miley thing. The players are already at the chicken and beer point. What kind of manager would you bring in?
Can't unload the underachievers either , if the team wanted to get rid of the big money bums they literally can't . No one would take the bums at these prices .
They need to fire all the computer geeks in the front office that got the roster to where it is. >>
not a comment intended for conclusions about the current manager, just reminded of the buffoonery on the field from Bobby V's year. This team is like that team. Tough to discern that anyone is trying their best every moment of every game. Improvement doesn't seem to be a goal.
not a comment intended for conclusions about the current manager, just reminded of the buffoonery on the field from Bobby V's year. This team is like that team. Tough to discern that anyone is trying their best every moment of every game. Improvement doesn't seem to be a goal. >>
I know I'm just thinking we are stuck with some of these stiffs for years. Who is going to take Sandoval off our hands at what hes pulling down?
BOSTON -– Xander Bogaerts couldn’t have been more blunt.
“When stuff’s going bad, it’s going real bad,” the young shortstop said, answering a question about why the Boston Red Sox have come up so fruitless against the Orioles’ and Blue Jays’ bullpens of late.
Russell Martin's solo homer in the 11th inning on Saturday sent Boston to its fifth straight loss. AP Photo/Winslow Townson
Right now, it can’t get much worse for the Red Sox -- another day, another new depth of descent. With Mike Napoli given the day off, and Pablo Sandoval leaving the game with quad soreness, the clubhouse’s gloomy mood was reflective of the woes that continue to linger following Boston's 5-4 loss -- its fifth straight -- an 11th-inning dud that put the Red Sox nine games under .500 for the first time in 2015.
Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, who turned in another serviceable start against a team he has a good history against, couldn’t help but stare off in the distance and pause, letting out a long sigh, as he was asked how tired he is of answering the same questions about the team’s struggles.
“Everybody in here knows that we’re not playing like we want to play,” he deadpanned. “To come back today, be down 4-0 and then rally back to a tie game. ... We’ve got to find a way to win, and that’s the bottom line.”
These days, no matter what the Red Sox bats do, they just can’t buy their ace enough insurance runs for a decision. They blew a prime opportunity in the seventh with the bases loaded for David Ortiz, who had homered earlier for the second time in three games. He came up empty, swinging through a 96-mph Liam Hendriks heater on the outside part of the plate. Hendriks then let out an emphatic roar after he mowed down Bogaerts to quell the Red Sox threat.
“After they bunched some hits together on him in the second inning, he threw a high number of big pitches, high-stress pitches, to minimize the damage overall,” manager John Farrell said of Buchholz’s performance (6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). “He certainly kept us in the ball game in this one.”
But things can’t get much worse for the bullpen, on the heels of a stupendous seventh-inning collapse in Friday night’s 13-10 loss. Matt Barnes kept it calm as he explained his strategy going into the 11th inning at-bat against Russell Martin that ultimately cost Boston the game.
Barnes wanted to open the at-bat by getting Martin to chase balls away, feeding him a changeup low and outside that the right-handed hitter let go. Two pitches later, Barnes tried to locate his heater away.
Instead, in yet another turn of events underscoring the Red Sox's woes, Martin turned on a Barnes 94-mph four-seamer straight over the middle of the plate and launched it high off one of the light stanchions over the Green Monster.
“I think everybody has felt really positive; we have a really good team,” Barnes said. “We have a good team, and we’re going to click.”
The players continue to preach how much of the season is left, acknowledging their talent on paper. But the way the AL East race is taking a sudden tilt in favor of just about anybody but Boston, time is running out.
El Gordo has a sore quad...probably from picking up his paycheck. We are stuck with this blimp for God knows how long. Of course the manager, "Mr. John Excuse Farrell", continues to support this nonsense instead of placing his shoe in a tender place. Well, it does eliminate the potential of the boo birds, easier to hide in the dugout.
One wonders how long John Henry will tolerate this insanity...but then again, when you're a zillionaire, perhaps he just shrugs it off and calls it "doing business". Even if they fired all the management staff, it must be acknowledged that management doesn't swing at the ball, or throw it...they just try to steer the ship...what's left of it.
Boy oh boy...this is seriously getting painful to even read about...I couldn't stand to watch this day after day after day. I wouldn't want to be in that clubhouse!! Gotta be like a funeral home, only it's their funeral.
Well, now definitely locked for last place in the AL East at 8 games back...truly no salvation on the horizon.
So, El Hombre Gordo picks up $104,938 for today's effort...and sadly, will do so until the season ends. Mr. Ramirez, OTOH is collecting a bit more of John Henry's money today at a stunning $117,284 day after day till the last game. Odd how that comes to $222,222 for the two inept performers, yet most highly paid. Wow Ben, what were you thinking???
Obviously changes have to be made and hopefully a better team will show up that can win some games.
Keep the good ones and dump the bad and see what is left so we can all enjoy watching some baseball.
To start with Victorino, Napoli, Breslow and Masterson need to depart and maybe the whole coaching staff or at least some parts of it as they have lost all control.
Ramirez and Ortiz are at least hitting now.
I do not know if there are any more kids ready to go or not from the minors but it would be at least interesting to watch them.
They should not bring in any more has beens to try and solve the problems.
Swihart and Castillo are improving as they get more comfortable.
I still like to watch them. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE JOKING !!!! Keep your head buried in the sand...this team is insanely A-W-F-U-L. Keep clinging to that remote in hopes of some miracle, but it ain't gonna happen. All your nonsense about young guy this and young guy that...the season is almost half over, nothing is gonna fix this. Where's all that spark BS about Swihart and Castillo....NADA. You are merely clinging to memories of long ago and far away...that you watch this crap night after night after night after night is really sad!!! You live in a beautiful place, go out and be adventurous...even if you've seen it all, go see it again...get out of the house man, this team is gonna fry your brain.
Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer
After another Red Sox horror show, John Farrell crooks a finger at Hanley Ramirez
BOSTON -- On an afternoon during which the Boston Red Sox were first blinded by the sun and then saw stars -- the Toronto Blue Jays knocked them senseless 13-5 -- manager John Farrell made sure no one missed what he considered an egregious mistake by the team's highest paid player, Hanley Ramirez.
Farrell never mentioned Ramirez by name, but he brought up what he clearly viewed as a base-running blunder by Ramirez, who was easily doubled off second on Xander Bogaerts' line shot to Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, cutting short a bases-loaded threat in the first inning.
On an afternoon of multiple misjudgments, misplays, mis-located pitches and misreads, this was the one Farrell brought up when asked the following: If, as Farrell claimed Sunday, the effort is still there, how can the execution be better?
Hanley Ramirez's costly baserunning error in the first inning cost the Red Sox a chance to take an early lead in their blowout loss to the Blue Jays. Gregory J. Fisher/USA TODAY Sports
"That's got to be through some anticipation of the given play," Farrell said. "We get doubled off in a big bases-loaded situation in the first inning. Head-high line drive, you're schooled to fight back and do what you can to get back safely. That didn't happen."
Ramirez had a healthy lead off second and broke toward third as soon as Bogaerts connected. He tried to reverse direction but slipped, jogged back and was thrown out easily by Donaldson, ending the inning.
This is the same player, of course, who just 10 days ago lost track of how many outs there were in the seventh inning of a tie game against the Twins that the Sox went on to lose 8-4. And who later Sunday could easily have been charged with an error in left field on Russell Martin's double into the corner, failing to play the carom cleanly.
Instead of giving an early lead to rookie left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez -- the Sox are 18-8 when they score first -- they came up empty. There was no guarantee they would have scored, of course, though the next hitter, Pablo Sandoval, singled and tripled in his first two at-bats.
But it was an indication that Farrell, whose default response is usually to assign blame in general terms, might be growing as frazzled as the paying customers, who even mocked icon Dustin Pedroia with insincere applause after he caught a popup, after Pedroia lost two in the sun earlier in the game.
We’d like to share Ramirez's reaction to Farrell’s criticism, but he wasn’t around to offer one. Like so many of his teammates, he made a quick getaway Sunday.
"We're not," Farrell said, pausing before finishing his thought, "in a good place right now as a team."
Nor, it goes without saying, is he in a good place as a manager, even with owner John Henry claiming to have his back less than two weeks ago. At the time, Henry called the team's play terrible and went a step further in front of the TV cameras by calling it "bleep."
If the Sox were bleep then, they're even worse now, after falling a season-low 10 games under .500 with their sixth straight loss and dropping eight games behind the Yankees in the division. They’re now 10-21 against the American League East after being swept in consecutive series by division rivals. The Orioles schooled them in fundamentals last week in Baltimore and the Blue Jays battered them into submission in the Fens, outscoring them 31-19 while extending their winning streak to 11 games, longest in the majors this season and matching their franchise record.
In the past 96 hours, Farrell has been publicly challenged by one of his pitchers, Wade Miley, he has presided over the biggest blown lead of the season, his team has lost a game in extra innings and he has watched Sunday's game descend into "Benny Hill" disarray.
Remember that the owner, while defending Farrell, also said he expected the team to begin playing better.
He also said this: "I think we have the right mix of veterans and youngsters, speed and defense. I think we have the right mix."
He also said GM Ben Cherington was not to blame.
"I think we’ve been on the same wavelength," he said at the time, "so you have to blame ownership as much as you blame the general manager."
So if the mix is right, and the GM is merely executing the owner's philosophy, and the team is expected to play better but isn't, where does that leave the manager?
No place where any manager wants to be.
If it weren't for spending some time with my buddy Thursday night, and the fact that I'm fortunate to be in a suite as in air conditioned, I would not go. And the tic is free. This team is in total disarray, each day brings a new event that appears to be more bizarre than the day before. Even the players are bolting after the game.
Comments
Pedroia reached the .300 BA mark today. Sweet.
He pitched eight innings, letting up just two earned runs. A great start and likely a winning start on almost any other team
They are grasping at straws.
Napoli striking out and Ortiz hitting too many balls to the right side into double plays all the time are big factors.
I would prefer him bunting to the wide open left side every at bat to that.
He is not the home run hitter any more.
I'm sitting at the 99 enjoying a prime rib and the TV is right in front of my booth. I can't not watch this collapse tonight , thankfully I rushed through the meal and escaped while it was still 4-4.
It was kind of like this
But hey, wasn't 2013 great!
Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval take center stage in Red Sox debacle
Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer
BOSTON -- And this is supposed to be the new face of the franchise for the foreseeable future?
It can be argued that Hanley Ramirez is the worst left fielder the Boston Red Sox have ever had, taking Manny Ramirez off the hook for eternity, and after a burst of 10 home runs in the season's first month has become, at least temporarily, a singles hitter. He also forgot how many outs there were in the seventh inning of a tie game, running into an avoidable tag play at third, butchered another line drive in a catastrophic ninth inning and displayed a brazen lack of awareness -- or indifference, which is more likely -- toward the town in which he plays by evaporating from the clubhouse without addressing any of his failings in Thursday's 8-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
Pablo Sandoval has come as affable as advertised, full of good cheer, a likeable clubhouse presence, and with a work ethic that received the Mike Napoli stamp of approval, no small thing. He was out for early work before Thursday's game. But Sandoval has lost his way at the plate, especially against left-handed pitchers, and suddenly can't field his position, either. For the second time in four days, he made two errors in a game, and in each instance botched a ninth-inning play that led directly to a Red Sox loss.
Hanley Ramirez is tagged out by the Twins' Trevor Plouffe during a seventh-inning rundown Thursday. Winslow Townson/Getty Images
Unlike Ramirez, Sandoval, with a little coaxing from the Sox PR staff, answered for his actions Thursday. So did 23-year-old catcher Blake Swihart, who should have been celebrating his first big-league home run but instead was called upon to relive his low throw to third base in the ninth inning, the one that skipped through Sandoval's 5-hole like Patrice Bergeron slipping the puck through the legs of a Maple Leafs goalie. As did third-base coach Brian Butterfield, who walked out of the coaches' room into the middle of the clubhouse so he could answer to why he sent Napoli home on Xander Bogaerts' single in the seventh, an ultimately futile mission.
Ramirez and Sandoval were supposed to be the $183 million difference-makers, yoked to David Ortiz in a feel-good "Three Amigos" scenario endlessly promoted by the Sox, one that promised a powerhouse offense and a re-energized clubhouse after 2014's last-place finish.
Instead, all three are at the center of a vortex of cynicism enveloping this underachieving team, one that seems constitutionally incapable of righting itself and is rapidly turning off its most loyal supporters. Ramirez has been a disaster afield, and if he is putting in lots of extra work in left, the way Jim Rice did when he first came to the Sox, he must be doing so under the cover of darkness. Ortiz is on a pace to hit 18 home runs, the fewest he has hit since 2001. Sandoval has a .239/.306/.352/.658 slash line that easily ranks him as the worst third baseman in a division that includes Manny Machado, Evan Longoria, Josh Donaldson and Chase Headley.
One season-ticket holder said that as he was leaving the park Thursday, he happened to run into Sox CEO Larry Lucchino. "I said, 'Larry, that was pathetic,''' the fan said. "He kept going. I said, 'I'm a season-ticket holder.' He turned around, came back to me, and said, 'I'm sorry.'''
Sorry, indeed. Red Sox manager John Farrell, in an exercise of barely contained fury, was uncharacteristically blunt in his postmortem, one in which he cited the team's "physical and mental errors" and a "lapse of concentration.''
"That's the only [way] I can explain it right now,'' he said. "They're routine plays, plays that guys have made throughout their careers consistently. That was not on display today.'' Farrell confirmed that Ramirez thought there were two outs when he jogged into third baseman Trevor Plouffe's tag in the seventh, and left no doubt that he felt Sandoval should have handled Swihart's throw, even if it was low.
"Not a difficult short hop,'' he said. "Unfortunately, it gets through Pablo and gives them the go-ahead run.''
Sandoval concurred to reporters that he should have made the play, then fended off questions about whether he was comfortable here -- "I feel comfortable, why do you ask me that?'' -- whether he was hurt -- "Everything's fine. I'm good." -- and whether he felt his approach was the right one -- "Been tough, up and down. I try to do the best I can.''
"It is, like I said, rough,'' said Sandoval, whose subpar play is practically begging for another discussion about his weight, the kind of stuff that dogged him when he was in San Francisco but will be renewed with far greater intensity here if he doesn't begin to play better. "I've got to keep my head up, keep working hard. Nothing is going to be easy.''
Butterfield made no apologies for electing to send Napoli on a mad dash to the plate after momentarily halting him at third. He didn't say so, but he could have easily noted that an attempted first-to-home journey by Napoli would have been unnecessary if Ramirez hadn't lost count and had remained at second. He also didn't mention that the next hitter was Sandoval, who was 0-for-9 in the series and 7-for-60 (.117) since May 12.
"The thing we impress on our players is, 'Stay aggressive,''' said Butterfield, who in Napoli was willing to take a chance on the team's best baserunner, even if he is not the fastest. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Today's case we ran into some outs and it didn't work.
"But you know what? This is a league where it's back to the drawing board, and we're going to get after it tomorrow.'' But tomorrow isn't going to bring a new left fielder. Farrell, asked how long he would be able to tolerate such subpar play in left, and if so, was it because his hands were tied, all but admitted it was the latter. As long as Ortiz is the DH, he said, "one has to get on the field.''
As he has said repeatedly, Farrell labeled Ramirez a "work in progress," but Thursday he added a caveat.
"We've got work to do,'' Farrell said. "There's no denying it. There is no one skirting around that. We've got to anticipate more and begin to expect more.''
Because when a manager talks about such things as a "lapse in concentration," he knows he is treading treacherous territory. An unfocused clubhouse? The blame for that often falls on the manager, as Farrell experienced in Toronto. Owner John W. Henry may have come out in full support of Farrell just two days ago, but both within the clubhouse and without, he is being closely watched on how he reconciles issues that could easily turn toxic.
That's why he didn't hesitate when asked if he takes it personally.
"Absolutely,'' Farrell said. "That was a poor display of baseball today. Those situations are addressed individually, they're addressed collectively, and we'll continue to do so.''
But as long as the center remains hollow, all talk merely bounces off of unforgiving walls.
Memo to John William Henry...you just paid the two bozos, the fat guy who can't play 3rd base, and the clown in left field, who has not a remote clue...$253,086 for just yesterday's performance. You are no longer approaching the iceberg, your team has hit it at full speed and you are seriously taking on water. I would have to say, that I wasted 2+ hours of my life yesterday watching this beautiful day in Boston, and promising 4-0 lead, turn into one of the worst horror shows I have ever witnessed in Fenway Park...yup, though I thought it impossible, I would put this fiasco right up there with the Billy Buckner event, the Aaron Boone shot and the Bucky Dent affair. Your GM (Mr. I have not a remote clue) Cherrington has saddled you with two of the highest ever paid in Red Sox history and by far worst performing players EVVVVah !! You will not be able to unload their mind-numbing salaries of $183 million over the next 4-5 years. How you could allow this to happen is to be a forever mystery to me...one would think that getting paid $135+ per game would have the left field looooooozer to know there were not two outs...perhaps he needs a raise.
Thankfully I didn't watch the entire game and ruin my evening. The Fenway Faithful have limits, and the wrath cometh. In the New England vernacular that you perhaps are not aware of, to put yesterday's experience into words that are not complimentary...your team as a whole is "wicked bad".
Disgusted beyond words...send them all to the Lowell Spinners and bring up the Pawtucket team...surely that couldn't do any worse.
GEEEEEEEEEZ!!!!
Sponsored Headlines
I just cannot watch these games any more.
They are paid ENORMOUS salaries to play a kid's game only at a very high level. When they perform as professionals I will acknowledge that, when they play like bozos, I will acknowledge that as well. Yesterday is yesterday, can't live in yesterday. The stats are dismal and only point to a losing season.
We'll see if things change...I doubt it.
<< <i>which Clay will take the mound today? >>
Looks like Clay Pidgeon so far:
C Buchholz 3.1 8 4 4 2 2 0 84-53 4.14
<< <i>
<< <i>which Clay will take the mound today? >>
Looks like Clay Pidgeon so far:
C Buchholz 3.1 8 4 4 2 2 0 84-53 4.14 >>
But nice comeback win today - 3 wins in a row!
Opportunity knocks with Baltimore on the horizon...we'll see...the bright spot is the new ace is on the mound.
Yankees continue to roll...and their closer, Mr. Miller is now 19-19 with an ERA of 1.08, I wonder how they let him go. Oh, Middlebrooks BTW isn't exactly headed to AAA ball. Odd how going to a new ball club makes a player sometimes much better.
Enjoy the moment, they are very few are far between.
Statistics are great but not always reliable.
They have a great core of players and just need a little tweaking to make them a great team.
I will back them all the way while they make the necessary adjustments.
I will no longer make any comments to this discussion as obviously they are not desired.
I also will not miss a game this year as I am a true believer.
Statistics are great but not always reliable.
They have a great core of players and just need a little tweaking to make them a great team.
I will back them all the way while they make the necessary adjustments.
I will no longer make any comments to this discussion as obviously they are not desired.
I also will not miss a game this year as I am a true believer.
Let's see if you and I can get something straight...addressing the above..."much worse in my time"...really? Something make you forget I've been hanging with the Red Sox since about 1950...don't give me the hard earned dollar thing from Norwood thing...we all had tough times then...get over the "my time" thing...that is long gone...got it?
I am jaw-dropping in disbelief that you discount statistics and claim they are not reliable? What planet are you on??? Statistics are clear indicators of the team's core performance and where changes need to be made. One of your more immature sentences for sure!! Ever hear of metrics?? That's how they evaluate players. Why would they do that if the ownership/management didn't think numbers had merit? GEEZ already...and yes, I harp on RISP, because it's a key indicator of who was at bat and what happened when there was a runner on 2nd, 3rd, or worse yet, both 2nd and 3rd and none scored...a big WOW on your comment.
Necessary adjustments? I almost dropped my beer...what adjustments? Those you have touted have come up woefully short.
No more comments to the discussion huh...too hot in the kitchen?? When you write you were "sick and tired of the negativity...", you were calling me out. Did you think I wouldn't respond to your wanting to shut me up? NOT GONNA HAPPEN. So, you sit there in your Albuequerque home and cling to your remote anticipating each and every game. Don't know how you're gonna get through tomorrow, it's an off day.
You gotta learn to take the bad with the good. I'd bet about $10k that in the 7th inning today you were just about ready to swallow your remote.
Don't throw rocks, they have a tendency to come back!!! I won't comment on the true believer thing.
<< <i>Paul...
They are paid ENORMOUS salaries to play a kid's game only at a very high level. When they perform as professionals I will acknowledge that, when they play like bozos, I will acknowledge that as well. Yesterday is yesterday, can't live in yesterday. The stats are dismal and only point to a losing season.
We'll see if things change...I doubt it. >>
Al Im a huge critic of these guys! I think most of them are a bunch of overpaid , couldnt care less attitude babys, but most MLB players are and thats the main reason I dont even watch the games, that being said I still keep an ear to the action and check the stats, standings and other news but refuse to get emotional until they are in the playoffs or are fighting for a spot. I do cherish the World Series wins we have been lucky enough to get and keep expectations low, I am not a huge fan of these big salary signings like Hanley and Panda and disgusted with the staff they put together however at least the front office isnt afraid to throw money around although I think they could have spent their money more wisely but then again look at the '13 World Series win, they hardly spent big money on big name players and I thought they wouldnt finish close to the top and look what happened! This season reminds me of the '12 season when they paid for those bums, hopefully they can get it together again somehow because I agree the set up they have now is not working.
Everyone has an opinion...mine is more pronounced and kinda "in your face". I am hugely disappointed in this team...yet, like you, I cherish beyond words that '04, '07 and 13 WS wins, especially the '04 comeback against the Yankees when they were down 0-3.
We are in a different world now, I only recognize Ortiz and Pedroia from "then". A totally different team from the manager on down. The powers to be have made blunders (IMO) in their acquisitions. The fat guy at 3rd and the lame left fielder, both who make a sickening amount of money to play a kid's game.
I have often posted the Gordon Edes blog from the ESPN Boston website. Very informative and he's in the know. The stats, while some would think are "not always reliable, are clear, factual indicators of the temperature/performance of the team. The stats are abysmal and they don't lie, they're a barometer of performance and the performance has been pretty damn disappointing IMO. How anyone could say that stats are not always reliable is just laughable to me.
A sad time for Red Sox Nation...so thankful I don't have the baseball package (like some do) and have to endure 162 games of such inept, unprofessional, lackadaisical, non-performance. Thankfully I have a very full life with lots going on, not glued to the tube at 7PM.
I must say Paul...you sounded a bit negative, be careful !!
Take care my friend. Hit the beach and get a box of clams...ah, the memories !!!
Al
Hope all is well outside of Red Sox Nation my friend!
The performance of the fat guy and whiz kid in left field are woefully short of expectations. In the last 7 days, the fat guy is hitting a whopping .154. His season totals are 17 RBIs, 5 HRs and an average of .244. Hanley OTOH is a bit better with 32 RBIs, 13 HRs and an average of .277. I classic example of why baseball has the cart before the horse in the salary department...if you have your $$ locked up, where is the incentive to excel? I guess $36m doesn't buy what it used to. But I hear stats aren't always reliable...just some kinda made up mumbo jumbo numbers that mean nothing.
Well, it's the battle for the cellar in the AL East tonight, can't wait for this one!! Oops, tonight is poker night for me...I'll be trying to hammer my buddies at 6:30.
Too bad the Sox offense was non-existent again
I haven't given up on this team. If they stay healthy, there's still a chance for .500.
While playing poker last night, I did use my voice search to check the score...and I hear..."the Red Sox are losing to the Orioles 1-0"...this in the 7th inning...dunno why I bothered, a weak moment I guess. Oh yeah, I had a good night and was the big winner.
About 36% of the season is gone, but like Elvis, The Red Sox have already left the park. Tis a sad time for Red Sox Nation...oh...remember Stephen "let's get rid of him" Drew"...he's killing it in NY...now has 2, 2-HR games as the Yankees win their 7th in a row. Amazing how Cherington's moves, or lack thereof are loaded with second thoughts.
Does Lebron James play baseball by any chance?
'Everybody's time is up at some point' -- is David Ortiz's?
Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer
BALTIMORE -- The last thing David Ortiz needs is to have his struggles at the plate laid bare on a national TV broadcast.
Just last week, Ortiz was parrying questions about whether he was “washed up,” answering with a civility that he acknowledged later took a concerted effort.
But with a chance to deflect the narrative away from Ortiz after three straight wins over the weekend and double-digit hits in each of their last four games, the Red Sox on Tuesday night were shut out 1-0 on five hits by Baltimore. That’s the 23rd time this season the Sox have been held to two runs or fewer, which, of course, has a profound impact on the team's record. The Sox are 5-18 in those games headed into ESPN's Wednesday Night Baseball broadcast.
And while Tuesday night reflected a collective failure -- Sox batters were 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and still rank 28th in baseball in those circumstances -- Ortiz, because of his eminence, becomes the object of the most scrutiny.
Ortiz had a ground-ball base hit in his first at-bat Tuesday night against Orioles right-handed starter Miguel Gonzalez, then lined out to left-center with two runners on to end the third. He rolled out to second against Orioles left-handed reliever T.J. McFarland leading off the sixth and in the eighth inning, again with two runners on, he took a called third strike from Zach Britton, the Orioles’ left-handed closer, who then whiffed Mike Napoli to preserve Baltimore’s advantage.
David Ortiz is just 8 for 70 against left-handers this season. AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
Ortiz had previously enjoyed success against both McFarland (2 for 4) and Britton (5 for 13, including a home run), but his labors against left-handers this season have reaped few rewards. While he has put up numbers against right-handed pitchers consistent with his past performance (.278 batting average, .387 on-base percentage, .879 OPS), he is only 8 for 70 (.114) against lefties this season, which has skewed his overall numbers to an unrecognizable place: a .219/.297/.372/.670 slash line.
The Orioles on Wednesday night are starting a left-hander, Wei-Yin Chen. Ortiz raked him for six hits in 11 at-bats last season, but is hitless in five at-bats this season. Last Friday, with Oakland lefty Scott Kazmir opposing the Sox, Farrell elected to sit Ortiz and use Hanley Ramirez as DH. But Ramirez's availability Wednesday night is uncertain; he fouled a ball off his left knee and while X-rays were negative, he is likely to still be very sore.
Lately, it hasn’t mattered which hand was pitching to Ortiz. He has not hit a home run in his last 17 games, the second time this season he has gone that long without putting a ball in the seats. By comparison, Giancarlo Stanton and Albert Pujols have homered nine times apiece in that span, and 252 hitters have homered at least once since Ortiz last went deep on May 19.
Overall, since that date, Ortiz is batting just .169 (11-for-65) in 17 games, with five RBIs. The player who has set the standard for designated hitters for the better part of a decade enters play Wednesday night ranked last among all qualified DHs in batting average, RBIs and runs.
“I think guys are going to attack him a little more," manager John Farrell said Tuesday, when asked if he had detected a difference in how pitchers are approaching Ortiz. “We’ve also seen some at-bats, and this isn’t just David, where you’re not getting into hitters’ counts too often. But yeah, I think guys like to attack him more and get him into swing mode, instead of looking at pitches and trying to be a little bit more in a defined strike zone."
It’s startling to hear Ortiz described as the hitter teams are attacking, when in the past, the approach has been to avoid Ortiz whenever possible. Is that a byproduct of his not getting hot to date?
“It certainly has something to do with it," Farrell said. “You start to look at our lineup --it’s no different than us taking a look at the Orioles’ lineup. Who do you attack based on what they’re doing currently? That has a lot to do it."
Ortiz dressed and left quickly after Tuesday night’s loss, but has consistently rebuffed any talk that at 39, he is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame-worthy career.
"What can I tell you, man?" Ortiz said in response to last week’s “washed up” question. "A lot of people looked at me like that [six] years ago, and here I am still. I don't have no timetable for [retirement]. I don't think anybody has it, either.
“If it happens, who cares, man, I'm just another player that comes in and comes out. Everybody's time is up at some point. I don't think that's my problem, though. I'll keep on trying like I normally do."
Tis sad times in Beantown. Cherington must have ulcers at this point.
And the beat goes on.
PSA HOF Baseball Postwar Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 80.51% Complete)
PSA Pro Football HOF Rookie Players Set Registry- (Currently 19.80% Complete)
PSA Basketball HOF Players Rookies Set Registry- (Currently 6.02% Complete)
"They came at us with some power arms," manager John Farrell said. Geez John, isn't that what they're supposed to do? This ain't High School.
"Their bullpen was able to match up with us," Farrell said, and there was no disputing that. No, they whipped your team, not just match up...how lame John, like warm beer.
"Farrell had no quibble with either Bogaerts or Sandoval trying to take an extra base, especially that early in the game." No quibble? Really? I got some quibble for ya! Oh, BTW, fat boy can't run!
"That's forcing them to throw a strike," Farrell said. "They did." "Forcing"...wow John, didn't know an opposing pitcher could be "forced" to do anything. Guess I learned something here.
"Every time we scored, they found a way to bunch a couple of hits together," Farrell said. "The shutdown inning was the difference in this one." God, what an astute observation!!
Well, I've read a lot of "Farrellisms", but those above are pretty lame. Once a big fan of Farrell, I think it's time for the Mike Timlin LOOOOOZER BUS to swing by BWI tonight before the team boards the plane and take Farrell to planet Zonk. I will be very surprised if he survives the season...I say bring in El Tiante, Tim Wakefield or, how 'bout Kevin Millar? Can't get any worse, it just can't! We want Pedro, we want Pedro...I'd sign up for the baseball package if that ever happened.
So, I see the MLB channel might feature the game tonight, but doubt I could stand seeing a sweep by the O's. More good news...Toronto awaits at Fenway.
Advice for Miley...SHUT your pie hole and deal with the manager OFF the field. Of course Farrell comes to the rescue with more Farrellisms that are so lame as to be beyond laughable. I read the ESPN blogs, where you kinda get the perspective in a few paragraphs...just click blogs and then select Red Sox...ah, it's all there to see. For those who want to get adventurous, click stats...there are no leaders or even honorable mentions of Red Sox players there...not even Castillo or Swihart...who, lucky for him, got a hit last night to move slightly away from Mendozaville.
Memo to Cherington...How are those trades/deals workin' out for ya? Looks to me like things are off the rails, now we have arguments amongst ourselves. Maybe the fat guy at 3rd could be a groundskeeper, or Zamboni drive for the Bruins. There's always the snow sweeper job at Gillette stadium. What were you thinkin' to guarantee him so much $$$ ? P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C !!
So here's a kick...I have a buddy in Atlanta who has a business, very successful business...so, one of his vendors popped two tix to next Thursday's Red Sox - Braves game in Atlanta. I was a bit reluctant to accept and even suggested he take his wife, but she has a meeting to attend. Well, he explained to me it was in a suite...you know, A/C, food, etc. Well, beings that I haven't seen my buddy in a few months and the seats are really hard to turn down, I graciously accepted. So, I'll be at the game...yup, gonna wear my Red Sox cap and cheer them on as they make me marvel at their baseball performance...can't wait.
Have a great weekend !!
<< <i>anyone reminded of the Bobby V season with all that is happening and NOT happening? Kind of humorous if you aren't the guy writing $200 million worth of paychecks. >>
Well at least no one can blame Farrell for the way they spent the money. People want him fired but you sorta can't after the Miley thing. The players are already at the chicken and beer point. What kind of manager would you bring in?
Can't unload the underachievers either , if the team wanted to get rid of the big money bums they literally can't . No one would take the bums at these prices .
They need to fire all the computer geeks in the front office that got the roster to where it is.
BOSTON -- The owner already has vouched for his team, the last time things looked their dimmest. So did the chief operating officer, the general manager, the manager, the hot dog vendor, the parking lot attendant, and Wally.
Who's left, the Pope?
It's going to take an extraordinary leap of faith to continue to trust that these Boston Red Sox are better than they appear through the first 68 days of the 2015 season, especially after their latest free fall toward oblivion. The Sox crumbled 13-10 to the Toronto Blue Jays Friday night in Fenway Park, blowing an 8-1 advantage -- the biggest lead they've lost this season -- to fall eight games under .500. It's their low point to date.
Pablo Sandoval didn't stick around to address his defensive miscues after the Red Sox blew their biggest lead of the season. Jim Rogash/Getty Images
"I wouldn't write this team off," manager John Farrell said, words that are finding few converts outside the walls of the Red Sox clubhouse. "This is still a team that's got a long track record of individual performance, and we have to put some things together as a team in all phases.
"This isn't to single anyone out. You could say it was a strong offensive night tonight. It takes the other two components, the pitching and defense, to have a winning combination."
Call it a toss-up who was moving faster Friday night: the fans ready to bail on the Sox, or third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who was already fleeing the scene in a black Porsche mere moments after a grim-faced Farrell had concluded another painful postmortem with a media pack baying at the scent of blood.
This, remember, came in the aftermath of a frenzied dissection of the meaning of Farrell's run-in the night before with pitcher Wade Miley. A popular interpretation among the chattering set was that Miley's public challenge of Farrell was further evidence the manager no longer had control of the clubhouse. Never mind that, as one longtime baseball executive said Friday, "things like this happen once every 10 days somewhere in the big leagues. The whole job is just crisis management."
What set Miley's tantrum apart was he did it in full view of the TV cameras. Even teammates who privately defended Miley for caring so deeply said he shouldn't have shown up his manager, a point Miley himself acknowledged when he said Friday afternoon, "I handled it terrible ... I lost my head."
But Farrell losing the clubhouse? This is a long way from Bobby Valentine, even though this was the biggest lead the Sox have blown since that notorious afternoon in April 2012, when the Sox surrendered a 9-0 lead on national TV to the Yankees, and GM Ben Cherington was compelled to assure one and all that Valentine's job was safe, six months before firing him.
The litany of issues plaguing this team go far beyond one immature outburst from a player who regretted going that route, and told his manager so. There is no mutiny brewing, like the one that consumed Valentine and ultimately claimed Jimy Williams a decade earlier. If this team is going down, it looks like it is going down together, much to the disappointment of those critics who won't be satisfied with anything less than Farrell's dismissal.
Friday's loss, of course, exponentially increased the discontent that found its voice in the booing that swept across the Fens during Toronto's nine-run uprising in the seventh, and in the sarcastic ovation that greeted Sandoval when he turned a routine play an inning later.
This should have been a rare warm and fuzzy occasion for Sandoval, who along with Mookie Betts hit back-to-back home runs in the first inning, when Boston seized a 5-0 lead. It was Sandoval's first home run in 65 at-bats, and -- combined with his two-run double the night before in Baltimore, his first extra-base hit in 24 games -- suggested he was ready to become a contributing member of the Sox offense again after a monthlong absence.
Instead, Sandoval invited ridicule by failing to execute two makeable plays during the Jays' seventh-inning uprising. He charged Josh Donaldson's bouncer, but the ball popped out of his glove long enough to render a throw pointless. Three plays later, he was unable to cleanly backhand Chris Colabello's ball down the line, the ball again failing to remain attached to leather. He probably didn't deserve the error, but when Jays third baseman Donaldson made a terrific backhanded play in the bottom of the inning, no one was inclined to offer charity to Sandoval.
Sandoval's fielding has become a much greater issue than anyone expected coming into the season.
"Didn't anticipate some of the misdirection of some of the plays, particularly on the backhand," Farrell said. "This is still about Pablo and the work he does consistently, and yet still trying to get a rhythm for him over there."
Sandoval had no inclination to address his shortcomings, on a night that battered reliever Junichi Tazawa and first baseman Mike Napoli, who struck out with the bases loaded in the eighth with a chance to tie the score, took on all comers. Napoli is 1 for his past 20 with 10 strikeouts, and was eaten up by a bouncing ground ball from Jose Reyes for one of Toronto's eight hits in the interminable seventh.
"It's frustrating," Napoli said, "but I'm going to keep working, keep grinding, every day. I'm out here early [taking] BP, my cage work, trying to keep going.
"Obviously I don't look comfortable up there, and I'm not feeling too comfortable, but just working for that at-bat where I can find it and be in a position to do something. I want to do my part, to contribute to this offense. I come here every day thinking this is the day I'm going to come to hit."
Napoli came to the plate in the eighth against left-hander Brett Cecil, who had generally handled Napoli (2-for-14, though one of those hits was a home run). Friday night, he dispatched Napoli on three pitches, the Sox first baseman looking at strike three.
"I can leave the park in one swing," Napoli said. "I could have tied that ballgame up, or hit a ball off the wall or in the gap. That was my mindset. I got a fastball first pitch, and I fouled it off. When I'm going good, I don't foul it off."
Instead of music pulsating through a victorious clubhouse, the only sound heard Friday night was that of a vacuum cleaner making its way past mostly deserted lockers.
"Tough one to swallow," Napoli said. "But we've got to keep going out there and getting after it. No one's given up in here. We're going to go out there and play the game the right way and get it done."
Gotta believe? Good luck with that.
Oh yeah...El Gordo Hombre chalks up error #9...hey, what does he care, he's got a ton of Red Sox $$$$ coming in and can always bolt in his black Porsche. A man with any stones would face the heat and talk to reporters. Of course more Farrellisms...which have little merit. That clubhouse gotta be like a funeral home.
Said it long ago, gonna say it again...cue the music Dandy Don...the fat lady has indeed sung for this season. Soon the boo birds will rain down on this debacle.
Boy, oh boy, I can't wait for Thursday. If my guess is right, Bucky should be pitching. I'll be sure to bring my binoculars, now that we are well into the 90 degree days, these hot summer nights at the ballpark really bring out some stunning scenery.
Hard to comprehend this total collapse.
<< <i>
<< <i>anyone reminded of the Bobby V season with all that is happening and NOT happening? Kind of humorous if you aren't the guy writing $200 million worth of paychecks. >>
Well at least no one can blame Farrell for the way they spent the money. People want him fired but you sorta can't after the Miley thing. The players are already at the chicken and beer point. What kind of manager would you bring in?
Can't unload the underachievers either , if the team wanted to get rid of the big money bums they literally can't . No one would take the bums at these prices .
They need to fire all the computer geeks in the front office that got the roster to where it is. >>
not a comment intended for conclusions about the current manager, just reminded of the buffoonery on the field from Bobby V's year. This team is like that team. Tough to discern that anyone is trying their best every moment of every game. Improvement doesn't seem to be a goal.
<< <i>
not a comment intended for conclusions about the current manager, just reminded of the buffoonery on the field from Bobby V's year. This team is like that team. Tough to discern that anyone is trying their best every moment of every game. Improvement doesn't seem to be a goal. >>
I know I'm just thinking we are stuck with some of these stiffs for years. Who is going to take Sandoval off our hands at what hes pulling down?
Things going from bad to worse for Red Sox
Brendan Hall
BOSTON -– Xander Bogaerts couldn’t have been more blunt.
“When stuff’s going bad, it’s going real bad,” the young shortstop said, answering a question about why the Boston Red Sox have come up so fruitless against the Orioles’ and Blue Jays’ bullpens of late.
Russell Martin's solo homer in the 11th inning on Saturday sent Boston to its fifth straight loss. AP Photo/Winslow Townson
Right now, it can’t get much worse for the Red Sox -- another day, another new depth of descent. With Mike Napoli given the day off, and Pablo Sandoval leaving the game with quad soreness, the clubhouse’s gloomy mood was reflective of the woes that continue to linger following Boston's 5-4 loss -- its fifth straight -- an 11th-inning dud that put the Red Sox nine games under .500 for the first time in 2015.
Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, who turned in another serviceable start against a team he has a good history against, couldn’t help but stare off in the distance and pause, letting out a long sigh, as he was asked how tired he is of answering the same questions about the team’s struggles.
“Everybody in here knows that we’re not playing like we want to play,” he deadpanned. “To come back today, be down 4-0 and then rally back to a tie game. ... We’ve got to find a way to win, and that’s the bottom line.”
These days, no matter what the Red Sox bats do, they just can’t buy their ace enough insurance runs for a decision. They blew a prime opportunity in the seventh with the bases loaded for David Ortiz, who had homered earlier for the second time in three games. He came up empty, swinging through a 96-mph Liam Hendriks heater on the outside part of the plate. Hendriks then let out an emphatic roar after he mowed down Bogaerts to quell the Red Sox threat.
“After they bunched some hits together on him in the second inning, he threw a high number of big pitches, high-stress pitches, to minimize the damage overall,” manager John Farrell said of Buchholz’s performance (6.0 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 7 K). “He certainly kept us in the ball game in this one.”
But things can’t get much worse for the bullpen, on the heels of a stupendous seventh-inning collapse in Friday night’s 13-10 loss. Matt Barnes kept it calm as he explained his strategy going into the 11th inning at-bat against Russell Martin that ultimately cost Boston the game.
Barnes wanted to open the at-bat by getting Martin to chase balls away, feeding him a changeup low and outside that the right-handed hitter let go. Two pitches later, Barnes tried to locate his heater away.
Instead, in yet another turn of events underscoring the Red Sox's woes, Martin turned on a Barnes 94-mph four-seamer straight over the middle of the plate and launched it high off one of the light stanchions over the Green Monster.
“I think everybody has felt really positive; we have a really good team,” Barnes said. “We have a good team, and we’re going to click.”
The players continue to preach how much of the season is left, acknowledging their talent on paper. But the way the AL East race is taking a sudden tilt in favor of just about anybody but Boston, time is running out.
El Gordo has a sore quad...probably from picking up his paycheck. We are stuck with this blimp for God knows how long. Of course the manager, "Mr. John Excuse Farrell", continues to support this nonsense instead of placing his shoe in a tender place. Well, it does eliminate the potential of the boo birds, easier to hide in the dugout.
One wonders how long John Henry will tolerate this insanity...but then again, when you're a zillionaire, perhaps he just shrugs it off and calls it "doing business". Even if they fired all the management staff, it must be acknowledged that management doesn't swing at the ball, or throw it...they just try to steer the ship...what's left of it.
Well, now definitely locked for last place in the AL East at 8 games back...truly no salvation on the horizon.
So, El Hombre Gordo picks up $104,938 for today's effort...and sadly, will do so until the season ends. Mr. Ramirez, OTOH is collecting a bit more of John Henry's money today at a stunning $117,284 day after day till the last game. Odd how that comes to $222,222 for the two inept performers, yet most highly paid. Wow Ben, what were you thinking???
And the beat goes on...
Obviously changes have to be made and hopefully a better team will show up that can win some games.
Keep the good ones and dump the bad and see what is left so we can all enjoy watching some baseball.
To start with Victorino, Napoli, Breslow and Masterson need to depart and maybe the whole coaching staff or at least some parts of it as they have lost all control.
Ramirez and Ortiz are at least hitting now.
I do not know if there are any more kids ready to go or not from the minors but it would be at least interesting to watch them.
They should not bring in any more has beens to try and solve the problems.
Swihart and Castillo are improving as they get more comfortable.
Gordon Edes, ESPN Staff Writer
After another Red Sox horror show, John Farrell crooks a finger at Hanley Ramirez
BOSTON -- On an afternoon during which the Boston Red Sox were first blinded by the sun and then saw stars -- the Toronto Blue Jays knocked them senseless 13-5 -- manager John Farrell made sure no one missed what he considered an egregious mistake by the team's highest paid player, Hanley Ramirez.
Farrell never mentioned Ramirez by name, but he brought up what he clearly viewed as a base-running blunder by Ramirez, who was easily doubled off second on Xander Bogaerts' line shot to Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson, cutting short a bases-loaded threat in the first inning.
On an afternoon of multiple misjudgments, misplays, mis-located pitches and misreads, this was the one Farrell brought up when asked the following: If, as Farrell claimed Sunday, the effort is still there, how can the execution be better?
Hanley Ramirez's costly baserunning error in the first inning cost the Red Sox a chance to take an early lead in their blowout loss to the Blue Jays. Gregory J. Fisher/USA TODAY Sports
"That's got to be through some anticipation of the given play," Farrell said. "We get doubled off in a big bases-loaded situation in the first inning. Head-high line drive, you're schooled to fight back and do what you can to get back safely. That didn't happen."
Ramirez had a healthy lead off second and broke toward third as soon as Bogaerts connected. He tried to reverse direction but slipped, jogged back and was thrown out easily by Donaldson, ending the inning.
This is the same player, of course, who just 10 days ago lost track of how many outs there were in the seventh inning of a tie game against the Twins that the Sox went on to lose 8-4. And who later Sunday could easily have been charged with an error in left field on Russell Martin's double into the corner, failing to play the carom cleanly.
Instead of giving an early lead to rookie left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez -- the Sox are 18-8 when they score first -- they came up empty. There was no guarantee they would have scored, of course, though the next hitter, Pablo Sandoval, singled and tripled in his first two at-bats.
But it was an indication that Farrell, whose default response is usually to assign blame in general terms, might be growing as frazzled as the paying customers, who even mocked icon Dustin Pedroia with insincere applause after he caught a popup, after Pedroia lost two in the sun earlier in the game.
We’d like to share Ramirez's reaction to Farrell’s criticism, but he wasn’t around to offer one. Like so many of his teammates, he made a quick getaway Sunday.
"We're not," Farrell said, pausing before finishing his thought, "in a good place right now as a team."
Nor, it goes without saying, is he in a good place as a manager, even with owner John Henry claiming to have his back less than two weeks ago. At the time, Henry called the team's play terrible and went a step further in front of the TV cameras by calling it "bleep."
If the Sox were bleep then, they're even worse now, after falling a season-low 10 games under .500 with their sixth straight loss and dropping eight games behind the Yankees in the division. They’re now 10-21 against the American League East after being swept in consecutive series by division rivals. The Orioles schooled them in fundamentals last week in Baltimore and the Blue Jays battered them into submission in the Fens, outscoring them 31-19 while extending their winning streak to 11 games, longest in the majors this season and matching their franchise record.
In the past 96 hours, Farrell has been publicly challenged by one of his pitchers, Wade Miley, he has presided over the biggest blown lead of the season, his team has lost a game in extra innings and he has watched Sunday's game descend into "Benny Hill" disarray.
Remember that the owner, while defending Farrell, also said he expected the team to begin playing better.
He also said this: "I think we have the right mix of veterans and youngsters, speed and defense. I think we have the right mix."
He also said GM Ben Cherington was not to blame.
"I think we’ve been on the same wavelength," he said at the time, "so you have to blame ownership as much as you blame the general manager."
So if the mix is right, and the GM is merely executing the owner's philosophy, and the team is expected to play better but isn't, where does that leave the manager?
No place where any manager wants to be.
If it weren't for spending some time with my buddy Thursday night, and the fact that I'm fortunate to be in a suite as in air conditioned, I would not go. And the tic is free.
This team is in total disarray, each day brings a new event that appears to be more bizarre than the day before. Even the players are bolting after the game.
By the way I still like to watch the games.
You do not know my situation here so don't try and tell me to go out and enjoy the country as it is not always possible for me to get out.
You are fortunate in being able to do the things you do so enjoy them while you can.
<< <i>When does the football season start? >>
Not soon enough!!