2005: Mid-Season Random Red Sox Ramblings

[Providence A's]

oh, and here is the stat of the night!

Inherited runners / inherited runners score
Bradford 13 / 9
Witasick 2 / 0

[Fishercat]

I was looking at baseball-prospectus' stats, and they show Bradford with a 2.08 ERA (which would be 3 ER instead of 4 in 13 innings) My hunch is that BP gave him an UER that was officially credited as an earned run by mistake and that explains what I saw in Bradford's ERA, a 2.08.

Jay Witasick's ERA is lower than I saw, but conversely, whether by his own doing or uncharacteristically bad difference, his runs allowed average is a 3.86, meaning that when push comes to shove, with errors and miscues, on his watch he has allowed around 4 runs per 9 innings compared to Bradford's (rounded up) three.

Homeruns aren't everything. Is Kapler better than Payton? I don't believe I said that. However, this was Payton's line as a part time player with the Sox in 2005

.263 .315 .429

Here is Kapler's line in same scenario.

.283 .333 .396

Very similar. In their speicific role for the Sox (and if you say that Payton should have started over Nixon, I should just end this conversation right here because that would asinine), they were similar players, the Sox didn't lose much. I don't know if he was dogging it in Fenway (he was clearly upset and caused shit to get out), but that's how it was and that's how I can project it to be if he didn't play every day in Oakland.

I was misled by one website's stats that I checked (which is incorrect in the VORP ranking which I using for a different purpose at the time, but was open for my convenience), big deal. I still would do the trade again.

[Providence A's]

I wasn't saying don't do the trade (I like how it's worked out for the A's). I was just saying that it seems like the A's got the best of the way the situation has worked out. Payton is playing a little more than he probably would have because Kotsay was out with an injury, Kielty has been stinking lately, and Swisher was out recently due to a death in the family. Kapler also isn't a backup now as Nixon is out. I never said Payton was better than Nixon or even hinted at that, so I don't know where come up with that.

[Fishercat]

From the way it worked out...you're right.

Funny enough, Francona's being too devoted to a player as Kapler is still a backup. Millar is getting a chunk of time in RF while Olerud or Petagine (3 1Bs on the roster not including Ortiz).

I just said the Nixon/Payton thing because people did say that on another forum I go to and I wanted to exaggerate. (Yes, people said they'd take Payton over Nixon).

[Providence A's]

from the games I've seen lately and the highlights, I was under the impression that Kapler was playing more...though today Millar moved to RF...

Why do they still have Millar? He hasn't done much this year and has also complained about playing time and with the crowded OF and now 1B, he's not going to play more.

[Fishercat]

I haven't looked at the stats for GS, so Kapler might play more often in right.

As for Millar, I really have no clue. He hasn't hit a HR in a little less than his last 200 ABs and he's simply unproductive. I think there are at least 4 better OF (Kapler, Nixon, Ramirez, Damon) and three 1B (Ortiz, Olerud, and Petagine) available when all are healthy on the roster.

[Fishercat]

Good game by the Sox today. Papelbon looked very good and challenged Vlad at times (and got him out a couple times), Renteria is actually performing somewhat like a SS you'd expect for his money in the last few days, and Ortiz bunted for a single. Oh, and Manny.

Considering with the Angels dominant pitching, they could've swept, I'll run away with a tied series.

[Providence A's]

The "experts" on NESN predicted a split and that's what happened...too bad my boys couldn't take advantage...and of course, right on cue, Witasick sucked today

[Fishercat]

I would say something, but Witasick is better than all but one bullpen guy (say, Timlin) including Schilling and Bradford (well, I'll call it a tie with Bradford), and the Sox have the Royals next and anything can happen.

The Sox got lucky in this series.

[browntown653]

Wait a minute...did I just read the words "Ortiz bunted for a single"?

(Jason Giambi, pay attention.)

[Fishercat]

Yep, the Angels had the shift on him every single time and he was having real trouble with that, hitting into the SS a lot. So he bunted.

[Fishercat]

Well...the Sox beat Detroit. Not pretty, high scoring game, but it was a win.

[Providence A's]

Not pretty tonight either as Charles Bronson blew a 6 - 0 lead...12 - 8 Tigers now in the top of the 8th.

[Fishercat]

If you look up the word "suck" in a dictionary next year, you'll see the pitching boxscore for the Sox tonight. That was ugly. No other comments.

[Fishercat]

Be vewy vewy qwiet, the Saux awe winning...