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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2023 15:52:58 GMT -5
I thought in the beginning of the season IF Sale and Paxton could come back they'd be a 90ish win team and compete for the last wild card.. nothing has disabused me of that notion. Could a key injury or two send them spiraling down to 70 win territory? Definitely...I think 90 wins and eeking out the last wild card is the ceiling though. I don't think 90 wins is enough to finish ahead of 2 AL East teams through, and they would need to finish at least 3rd in the AL East to have even a shot a wild card. There could be two 100 win teams in the division. And the AL West is on pace to have 2-3 90+ win teams as well. A team is going to need to be at 95+ wins to be in the playoff race this season, unless you are the team that happens to win the Central. Even with Paxton and Sale in top form, the Sox aren't a 95 win team. 85 sure. 90 if everything absolutely went right the rest of the season, maybe, but even then, they're several games out of the last wild card spot this season. While fewer games against other AL East teams might boost the Sox win total a bit, it is going to help the other 4 teams as much if not more to boost their win total, so 90 wins is nowhere good enough to sniff a Wild Card this year. -M
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2023 20:34:06 GMT -5
I thought in the beginning of the season IF Sale and Paxton could come back they'd be a 90ish win team and compete for the last wild card.. nothing has disabused me of that notion. Could a key injury or two send them spiraling down to 70 win territory? Definitely...I think 90 wins and eeking out the last wild card is the ceiling though. I don't think 90 wins is enough to finish ahead of 2 AL East teams through, and they would need to finish at least 3rd in the AL East to have even a shot a wild card. There could be two 100 win teams in the division. And the AL West is on pace to have 2-3 90+ win teams as well. A team is going to need to be at 95+ wins to be in the playoff race this season, unless you are the team that happens to win the Central. Even with Paxton and Sale in top form, the Sox aren't a 95 win team. 85 sure. 90 if everything absolutely went right the rest of the season, maybe, but even then, they're several games out of the last wild card spot this season. While fewer games against other AL East teams might boost the Sox win total a bit, it is going to help the other 4 teams as much if not more to boost their win total, so 90 wins is nowhere good enough to sniff a Wild Card this year. -M And Sale leaves tonight's start early with left shoulder soreness...so I doubt you can count on them leaning on him for the rotation for the foreseeable future. They have some rotation depth, but I'd start revising the expected win total down a few notches... Hopefully he doesn't try riding a bike home tonight... -M edit to add: Sale scheduled for a MRI tomorrow...
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jun 2, 2023 8:58:36 GMT -5
I don't think the Angels and Mariners will be any better. Texas... maybe. That would definitely make it more unlikely. I think the scenario where Boston makes the playoffs is one where all three Wild Cards are from the AL East.
I watched last night... not good, but nothing obvious. I guess we'll see.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jun 2, 2023 10:35:58 GMT -5
I don't think 90 wins is enough to finish ahead of 2 AL East teams through, and they would need to finish at least 3rd in the AL East to have even a shot a wild card. There could be two 100 win teams in the division. And the AL West is on pace to have 2-3 90+ win teams as well. A team is going to need to be at 95+ wins to be in the playoff race this season, unless you are the team that happens to win the Central. Even with Paxton and Sale in top form, the Sox aren't a 95 win team. 85 sure. 90 if everything absolutely went right the rest of the season, maybe, but even then, they're several games out of the last wild card spot this season. While fewer games against other AL East teams might boost the Sox win total a bit, it is going to help the other 4 teams as much if not more to boost their win total, so 90 wins is nowhere good enough to sniff a Wild Card this year. -M And Sale leaves tonight's start early with left shoulder soreness.. In other news, sun will be setting later today.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2023 17:30:11 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jun 2, 2023 22:49:54 GMT -5
Of course, the Rays let both of those guys go too, and they are supposed to be the best at recognizing pitching talent value in the league, so I'm not trying to knock the front office with this one, just passing along an observation Sox writers are making.
-M
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2023 8:43:52 GMT -5
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 8, 2023 18:01:20 GMT -5
Is there anything weirder in baseball history than the Seattle Pilots debacle? Probably. But it's still really weird.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jun 8, 2023 21:01:13 GMT -5
Is there anything weirder in baseball history than the Seattle Pilots debacle? Probably. But it's still really weird. You’ve read “Ball Four” right? In the immortal words of Joe Schultz, the Pilots’ only manager, “Y’know what rhymes with Friday? Beer.”
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 8, 2023 21:10:14 GMT -5
Is there anything weirder in baseball history than the Seattle Pilots debacle? Probably. But it's still really weird. You’ve read “Ball Four” right? In the immortal words of Joe Schultz, the Pilots’ only manager, “Y’know what rhymes with Friday? Beer.” I haven't. It's on the list, but it's well down the list. I'm familiar with Schultz and "pounding Buds."
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Post by Prince Hal on Jun 8, 2023 21:18:08 GMT -5
You’ve read “Ball Four” right? In the immortal words of Joe Schultz, the Pilots’ only manager, “Y’know what rhymes with Friday? Beer.” I haven't. It's on the list, but it's well down the list. I'm familiar with Schultz and "pounding Buds." And his vulgarity of choice: “S***tf***k!”
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 9, 2023 11:57:43 GMT -5
Fifty years ago today the world witnessed what may have been the most dominating victory in sports history (at least on a big stage). Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths. Now there were only five horses in the race and the best of the rest, Sham, suffered a hairline fracture during the race. But Secretariat set a track record that day...that has never been beaten.
I don't remember the race, though there's a decent chance I watched it. My mother was not a sports fan in any way. But she did watch horse racing for the Triple Crown events. I remember watching with her a few years later when Seattle Slew and then Affirmed won the Crown. So there's a decent chance that I watched this race with her. And even if I didn't it's still an astonishing victory.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2023 12:21:38 GMT -5
Fascinating. Do you follow horse racing closely, Slam_Bradley?
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 9, 2023 12:33:55 GMT -5
Fascinating. Do you follow horse racing closely, Slam_Bradley ? I don't...not any more. I'm pretty well versed in horse racing up to about 1980. After that, not so much. It was something my Mom and I did together when I was a kid, and even then only the Triple Crown races. I did grow up around horses, though not thoroughbreds. We had two horses growing up that my Dad used for elk hunting. Corky was old when I was a baby, so I'm not even sure what breed he was. But you could put a toddler on him and he wouldn't let it fall off. Vixen was my oldest brother's horse. She was 1/2 appaloosa and 1/2 quarter horse. She was a pretty good ride, though just a bit skittish. My paternal grandparents always had horses until they moved in to town.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jun 9, 2023 16:50:35 GMT -5
Slam_Bradley, if you haven’t read them, try “The Horse God Built” by Lawrence Scanlan and “My Turf” by the great William Nack, who knew both boxing and horse racing.
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