Red Sox analysis: Was Chris Sale's usage warranted last night?

     

     Despite the Red Sox winning 9-0 over the Orioles last night, Chris Sale getting his 300th strikeout and the team clinching a playoff spot, I have a few problems with last night’s game. All of my problems are with how John Farrell managed Sale last night.Prior to the game, Farrell announced that Addison Reed and Craig Kimbrel were unavailable to pitch because they had done so in five of the last six games. Because of this, David Price was available to close and available for multiple innings. It made sense. Price has pitched well this season, pitched well on Sunday in his two innings of work and it would give the Red Sox an opportunity to see how Price feels after pitching on shorter rest than what he would get in-between starts.      The seventh inning comes and the Red Sox are winning 6-0. It is now a blowout, a sure win game. Chris Sale, the most taxed arm in Major League Baseball, is at 90 pitches. He’s struggled as of late. Sale pitched to a 2-2 record in August with a 4.38 ERA while giving up 31 hits and eight walks. He didn’t pitch well in his previous start, going only 5 2/3 innings, giving up four runs on six hits. September is Sale’s worse month statistically in his career with only an 11-15 record with a 3.67 ERA with the highest WHIP as well. The demand and strain on the arm could impact Sale by this point according to the numbers as Sale pitches more than 200 innings each year.      The situation was perfect to give Sale rest in a lopsided game, bringing in Price, whom Farrell had everyone expecting would be used for multiple innings. Three innings right there for Price, easy decision for anyone to make.      But Farrell kept Sale in the game. Not only for the seventh, but also the eighth. He threw him for 111 pitches. Perplexing. Why waste Sale in a situation where he isn’t needed? According to Farrell, because he wanted Sale to get his 300^th strikeout.     Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal mentioned that Farrell considered pulling Sale but left him in the game because he was “nearing history.” He also quoted Farrell saying, “We know what the final out represented – him getting to 300 strikeouts. I was aware of that, and you know what, I felt like he was in complete command of this game and had the ability to go out and get that opportunity, he recorded it.”     Doesn’t simple logic tell you though that you don’t throw your best pitcher until he gets his 300^th strikeout? What if he didn’t record it on that pitch? Would Farrell have brought him back out for the 9^th? I don’t put it past him.     Sale didn’t even know that he was coming up on his 300^th strikeout. When asked if he knew about it, the Associated Press quotes Sale saying, “No I didn’t. I went out there and struck out the last guy and everyone started losing it. I knew I was close, but I didn't know I needed just one more." Shows you how much he actually cared about the accomplishment.     Farrell wasn’t managing to win the game last night. He was managing to get his pitcher an accomplishment that meant nothing last night and one that he would surely achieve in his next start. It’s just not sound baseball. Time and time again Farrell has contradicted himself with his words and his actions. Can’t the Red Sox clinch the playoffs with another manager at the helm?

AppleGate gives insight into Farrell's managerial philosophy and clubhouse control

            By the title of the article, you probably assumed I suggest John Farrell has no control over the clubhouse. You’re not wrong. The latest of the “John Farrell has no control over this Red Sox team” came yesterday afternoon when news broke that the team used an Apple watch to relay signals from Yankee catchers to Boston players. According to the news, club personnel used tapes to send messages to a team trainer’s apple watch in which that trainer relayed the pitch signals to the players.

            It’s a lose-lose for Farrell in this situation. He either admits to the act, in which he gets labeled as a cheater, or says he had no idea, which paints him as having no clue what goes on in the clubhouse. Both are bad for Farrell.

            This type of behavior has been one with Farrell for as long as he has been with the Boston Red Sox. Take a trip down memory lane March of 2016 when reports came out that Jessica Moran resigned from Comcast SportsNet amidst the news breaking that she had a relationship with John Farrell. This event isn’t directly involved with how Farrell runs the clubhouse but it sets the precedence of how others will take to Farrell. Example: A player is messing around in the clubhouse, not doing his job, not doing his warm-ups and what not and Farrell must and should step in and set the player straight. Are they more willing to answer to Farrell after knowing that Farrell cheated on his wife and is messing around with the beat reporters? It makes it hard for anyone to want to take him seriously. It’s like the guy telling you what the Patriots should do because he played high school football. How are players supposed to listen to Farrell about doing the right thing when he himself is not?

            Then came the David Price incident where Farrell completely failed at wrangling in the clubhouse. He neglected to apologize for Price’s actions, didn’t take any responsibility for his player and then did nothing to reprimand Price. To me, not only does this indicate that Farrell sides with the players on the issue (which is the complete wrong side) it reeks of Farrell not wanting to discipline players either, as if he may be a little afraid to be tough on them. Maybe Farrell likes to run his clubhouse as if he is one of “they boys,” as if he is one of the players.

            But now comes the information that the team was stealing signals and Farrell did, in fact, know. But yet, Farrell did nothing about it. If you know it’s happening and you know it’s illegal to use electronic devices in the dugout, how come Farrell does nothing about it? It’s yet another sign that John Farrell has no control over the clubhouse and that he likes it that way. See, Farrell does not want to reprimand his players and personnel. He would rather let them do what they want and stay out of it.

            From a managerial perspective, it’s no sound way to run any organization. I need to break out my sports management degree for this one. I was taught that managers are used to hold workers accountable for completing their work in a reasonable and timely fashion. There’s many different theories on how to accomplish this, management by objective, leadership as persuasion, etc. A manager’s task is to use these to accomplish the work at hand. Basic, really. Can’t we say Farrell’s team is not accomplishing their tasks and Farrell’s management philosophy is failing? The team is winning games but the offense is extremely lacking. Match any projections vs production of any Red Sox hitter and the production is consistently underwhelming to the potential projections. Farrell isn’t holding players accountable to this lack of meeting demands either. He likes to stay out of the disciplinary portion of managing.

            The latest news of AppleGate is just another example of Farrell’s managing philosophy. His style is to stay out of disciplining when workers do not do their job. In return, they do what they please and disregard their manager. I'm not in the clubhouse, so I can't comment on whether players respect him or not today. But I know enough about managerial theories to say that Farrell's managerial philosophy has not historically worked. It's only a matter of time where these fissures turn into a complete earthquake.

Red Sox Analysis: Farrell finds a way to lose the game for the Sox again

For the Red Sox, last night was atrocious. Their bullpen collapsed under pressure. Brock Holt was forced into a situation that he had no idea what to do with and it was one of those games where the manager single-handedly lost the game for the Red Sox. Let’s break it down here.

So Brock Holt was playing first base because Mitch Moreland was scratched to give him a day of rest following a collision with Brett Gardner. At a position that he hasn’t played since 2015 and had never played until then, he does this:

Hammy, anyone? #RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/B7AxVkM9zG

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 22, 2017

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My first question is why play Holt at first base to start with? Holt had a total of 11 games played at first base in his life until this point. He hadn’t played since 2015, minus one inning previously this season. In 2015, he only played because David Ortiz refused to play first. Holt was having a career year too, so they gave him the time everyday in the lineup.

Putting Holt at first was the easiest switch given Moreland’s situation but it wasn’t the smartest switch. The best scenario would have been putting Hanley Ramirez at first base, Brock Holt at second and Eduardo Nunez at DH. You get all three bats into the lineup, with the best defensive player on your roster at the corresponding position. Maybe if Hanley actually listened and dies what Farrell says...but anyway, mistake number one for Farrell.

Next blunder. The bullpen.

No one was in the bullpen pitched effectively, so you can’t blame Farrell entirely for the bullpen. But where Farrell earns the blame is in which situation he brought in each pitcher. The eighth inning comes up. Farrell elects to bring in Matt Barnes, the team’s worst pitcher on the road. In this situation, one would assume the best available pitcher was Addison Reed. However, Reed was not available according to Farrell. He had pitched three consecutive days and needed a day of rest.

Casual fans and writers would both agree that the next best option in this situation was Brandon Workman. Workman has been gaining the trust of Farrell and for good reason. In the month of August, Workman had pitched 8.1 innings of no run baseball. He has a 1.40 ERA in 25.1 innings and he has been throwing strikes. In the month of August, Workman has thrown 62% of pitches for strikes. But instead, Farrell brings in Barnes.

Here, Farrell is indicating that the best pitcher for this situation was Barnes. Wrong. The statistics prove otherwise. You can’t use Barnes on the road. And then Farrell brings in Heath Hembree. Heath Hembree. The pitcher that has allowed the most inherited runs on the team. Maybe you bring in Hembree first if you have to use him. Anything but this situation.

In one of the more important games of the season, Farrell found a way to blow the game for the Red Sox. When you’re two games ahead of the Indians in the standings and when home field advantage proved the difference in last year’s ALDS, games like this prove the difference down the stretch. A game that was easily winnable and Farrell finds a way to lose the game for the Boston Red Sox.

The Red Sox have two Matt Barneses pitching for them

            There are two Matt Barneses pitching for the Boston Red Sox. There is home Matt Barnes who has five wins and a 1.47 ERA. He has 40 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. He’s given up only five earned runs on 19 hits and eight walks (0.88 WHIP). Then there is away Matt Barnes.

            Away Matt Barnes has a 5.20 ERA in 27.2 innings. He’s given up 16 earned runs on 20 hits and 18 walks (1.37 WHIP). He’s struck out only 25 batters.

            Last night, Barnes pitched effectively in a high-leverage situation. He was hitting corners, striking Luke Voit and Randal Grichuk out on three pitches each when he entered the game in the sixth inning. Seventeen of his 22 pitches were thrown for strikes.

            But then there have been times this season on the road where Barnes hasn’t been effective at all, leaving pitches up in the zone without any break. On August 13 against the Yankees in New York, Barnes couldn’t hit the side of a barn, walking two batters and allowing one hit and one run. There was a game in June against Kansas City where Barnes was completely ineffective, walking two batters and allowing two runs before getting the quick pull. On July 9 in Tampa, he threw 12 pitches, seven for balls, and lasted only one out after walking one and allowing one hit.

            It’s night and day for Barnes between pitching at home and on the road.

            There really is no explanation for it either. MassLive sports quoted John Farrell as saying he has talked to Barnes about it and that “Clearly, he’s comfortable on the home mound.” I asked Sean McAdam of the Boston Sports Journal during last night's game. He had no explanation other than a confidence thing.

            Why now though? Why this season? Last season, Barnes was actually better on the road. He had a 1.28 WHIP on the road during the 2016 season along with a 3.64 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 29.2 innings. That compares to his 1.49 WHIP at home and a 4.38 ERA. 2015 was even more drastic. Away, Barnes had a 2.01 ERA in 22.1 innings. He had a 1.57 WHIP and batters hit .304 against him, but those numbers look great compared to his home stats. At home, he had a 1.74 WHIP and a 9.15 ERA, giving up 21 earned runs on 28 hits in 15 games (two starts).

            It raises questions as to why all of a sudden he’s pitching so much better at home than away. What makes it more comfortable? How does comfortability change his deliverance?

It’s tough to see the team’s most vital pitcher outside of Craig Kimbrel have so much trouble away. It makes me wonder how Farrell will use him come playoff time. Will Barnes see time only at home? Will he still get the eighth inning role away? In Game 7 of the ALCS? The World Series? (Getting ahead of myself really).

For how dominant the Red Sox bullpen has been this season, they’ve done so without a dominant setup man. Makes you wonder how important the role really is and how the way bullpens are shaped in today’s game…

Dear Lebron James, please keep politics out of sports

Yesterday, NBA superstar Lebron James used his status to make a statement. He used his superstar name to conduct a lecture on Charlottesville. It’s puzzling. Besides the fact that, as an athlete, Mr. James has no business lecturing people on the problems happening in Charlottesville, he has no connection to the events, the people and has no inside information on the White House, United States politics and any real informative opinion on the matter. But yet, Lebron James felt the need to go to the public and lecture them on the events.

At the lecture, he called Donald Trump the “so-called President” and proceeded to say “shout-out to all the innocent people in Charlottesville” according to the Associated Press. I actually refused to publish their story in my sports section because of all the problems with what Lebron James is doing.

People rallied, cheered and cried during this. I understand that James has done a lot for the schools in the area, but to rally behind James for speaking out on a topic he has no business talking about is just baffling.

James has endorsed Hillary Clinton in the past. It’s no surprise that he doesn’t like Trump. The problem I have with the lecture is that James is injecting his ill-informed opinion on a topic that he shouldn’t be in front of people that don’t know any better. James has given to these people their entire lives with schools and scholarships and such. They don’t know any better than to just trust everything James says. Then to take down about the President of the United States of America is disrespectful to the country. As a citizen, I give the President the utmost respect, regardless if I agree with their politics (James clearly does not and is using it against the President). His comments are making the statement that Lebron James is more important than the President of the United States. James plays basketball for a living. In no way is that more important than what the President does and faces every day in the White House.

It’s another case of a liberal athlete using their status as a way to let their ill-informed opinion be heard. People follow him and his opinion because of his basketball ability, not because of how informed he is about U.S. politics. It’s unfortunate really. It’s another case of sports trying to mingle with politics, the latest fad in sports (Colin Kaepernick, Michael Bennett).

The beauty of sports is that you don’t have to deal with politics. You escape from the realities of life when you watch a sporting event. For three to four hours of your life, nothing else matters except your team winning. You can block out everything else. It’s what makes sports the best thing in the world. But now athletes are crossing the boundaries, trying to infuse politics into sports and ultimately ruining the games.

So I ask Mr. James to keep his ill-informed opinions to himself. Stick to what you do best, playing basketball and keep your politics out of the game.

Examining Rafael Devers' swing

Last night, Rafael Devers hit a 103 mph fastball from one of the best closers in the game to left-center field to tie the game at two. Devers is hitting .328 since his call-up on 7/24. At first, general manager Dave Dombrowski said Devers would platoon at third base, seeing time off against lefties. That statement has been abandoned. Can we blame the team? Devers is one of the purest hitter on the Boston Red Sox.

In 15 major league games, Devers has five multi-hit games. He’s hit safely in 12 of those games, along with four home runs, 10 RBI and nine runs. It’s unfair to compare Devers to other rookies who have played more games and have more at-bats, but out of all rookies in 2017, Devers ranks first in average, second in on-base percentage, third in slugging and second on OPS.

Devers also has the ability to put the ball anywhere in the field. The following is his spray chart for balls in play with the Boston Red Sox. Take a look at how effectively spreads the ball across the diamond and all parts of the outfield.

See how he is able to go opposite field with home run power. He can also pull the ball to right field and right-center. Also watch his textbook-like swing here.

Notice how Devers gets proper turning in the hips which create the majority of the power, not his arms. It creates an effortless swing to drive the ball, also needing little power from his legs. It’s an ideal perfect swing that give him the ability to hit 30+ homers a year.

Devers has a textbook swing with the stats to prove that he has one of the purest swings on the team. He’s going to stick around for awhile and he’s only going to produce more down the stetch.

Revisiting the 2009 Boston Red Sox

     

Kevin Youkilis (pictured) was an integral part of the 2009 Red Sox team

        2009 was a good season for the Boston Red Sox that started and ended with disappointment. It started with the pursuit of Mark Texeira, only to have him go to the New York Yankees for about $2 million more. That same offseason, they watched the Yankees sign C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to monster contracts, tying up over $423 million between the three players. The Red Sox would play out the season, winning 95 games, getting a wildcard spot in the playoffs, only to be swept by the Los Angeles Angels and to watch the Yankees win the World Series. The Red Sox also sparked interest when they announced Jon Lester would start game 4 (they never got to game 4 however) on three-day’s rest rather than pitching Daisuke Matsuzaka. The 2009 season was an interesting ride for the Red Sox. Here is to reliving that season:

David Ortiz entered the season as a question mark in the Red Sox lineup. It’s funny to think about after all that Ortiz has done, but Ortiz’s 2008 season ended prematurely after he suffered a wrist injury. He followed it up with his worst seasons in a Red Sox uniform, hitting .238 with a .332 on-base percentage. Ortiz only hit 28 home runs and hit a lowly .212 against lefties with only six home runs. The season led many Sox fans to believe that Ortiz was done, that he was old and would be retiring soon. Red Sox nation was wrong as Ortiz went on to hit another 224 homers and carry the team to the 2013 World Series, batting .688/.760/1.18.

            2009 was also the first year the Red Sox had Jason Bay in their lineup for the entire season after acquiring him in a blockbuster trade at the July trade deadline in 2008 that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Bay anchored the Red Sox lineup, hitting 36 home runs, 119 RBI and stole 13 bases while batting sixth the majority of the season. The Red Sox elected not to resign Bay following the season. He didn’t do much in the years after his time with the Red Sox, making it a good move on general manager at the time Theo Epstein’s part. I still believe that the Red Sox didn’t really want Bay in the first place, but acquired him because 1.) They needed to get rid of Ramirez asap due to the problems he caused in the clubhouse and 2.) It blocked the Tampa Bay Rays, who were inching up on the Red Sox in the standings, from acquiring him.

            Jacoby Ellsbury also solidified his place as the starting center fielder after spending time at every outfield position in 2008. Boy did Ellsbury perform. He stole 70 bases while hitting .301 with 10 triples at the top of the batting order. Ellsbury was one of the best center fielders the Red Sox have had when it comes to speed and defensive capability (Ellsbury committed two errors in 2009 and eight in the six years he spent with the Sox).

            The Red Sox were expected to have a very good bullpen and they did, seeing rank eighth in bullpen ERA with a 3.80 team ERA. The bullpen was anchored by Jonathan Papelbon, pitching to a 1.85 ERA in 68 innings along with 76 strikeouts despite pitching terribly in the postseason, getting the loss in game 3. They also had Hideki Okajima, Takashi Saito and Ramon Ramirez in the bullpen, each having one of their best seasons of their career.

            The starting rotation was a mess throughout the season. After Jon Lester and Josh Becket, every starter was a question mark. Clay Buchholz, Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield were having subpar seasons. They tried the likes of Brad Penny, John Smoltz and Junichi Tazawa to no avail. They used Justin Masterson, one of the team’s top prospects and found some success before moving him to the bullpen where he became a critical asset to the seventh inning.

Clay Buchholz looking good as usual

     At the trade deadline, the Red Sox should have targeted pitching but elected to trade Masterson away to the Indians along with pitching prospect Nick Hagadone for catcher Victor Martinez. Martinez played well, hitting 8 home runs and 41 RBI with the Sox while batting .336 in 221 at-bats. The moves became one of the most controversial moves of Epstein’s career after he elected to not resign Martinez while dealing with the “what-if” scenario of, could the Red Sox have won the World Series if they acquired some pitching help (The Red Sox were also linked to acquiring Roy Halladay that offseason, but things fell apart when the Toronto Blue Jays asked for Buchholz and Daniel Bard).

            The Red Sox began to slide in August but saved themselves by winning six of their last seven games in the month. They basically played .500 ball in September, going 15-13 while ending the month on a six-game skid, getting swept by the Yankees and Blue Jays. They would end the skid, winning all four games they played in the month of October. They then entered the post season facing the Angels.

            John Lackey silenced the Red Sox in game one, holding them to zero runs on four hits, winning the game 5-0. Lester pitched well, going six innings but a three-run home run to Tori Hunter proved the difference in the game. Game 2 was no different as Jered Weaver held the Sox to one run on two hits, his only blemish being an RBI single to Martinez. The Angels won game 2, 4-1. The bullpen fell apart for the Red Sox in game 3. Buchholz left with the 5-2, only to see Billy Wagner give up two-run double to Bobby Abreu. Papelbon then came in blowing the lead by giving up three runs—and the lead—on four hits. Their season came to an end when the Sox went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth as the Angels advanced to the ALCS to face the Yankees.

            2009 was a good regular season for the Red Sox. It was a fun team to watch every night, fun team to complain about and cheer for. Thinking about their postseason run brings back bad memories, but we’ve got Doug Fister and David Price now, so everything panned out in the end…maybe…