MLB 2022 Season Thread

[InfamousBG]

Sox lose again the the Blue Jays; after coming from behind to take the lead, they blow the save in the ninth with their closer back in Boston because he's unvaccinated and can't travel into Canada to play against the Jays. After passing the Jays in the standings this weekend, they've now fallen back behind the Jays.

-M

Ya that was a very tough loss. I thought they actually had a chance to win in the 9th but no.

The crazy thing is Trevor Story was unvaccinated before he signed in Boston. He was told all about the games in Toronto and how much they meant. He got vaccinated. Others did not do the same. Very sad.

[InfamousBG]

Pivetta is on the mound tonight for the Red Sox. Hoping they can get a win they really need it.

[InfamousBG]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ad-broke-top-3

"With one day remaining in June, the Red Sox are 20-6 this month, outscoring teams by a combined 44 runs. In that stretch, they have gone from four games under .500 to 10 games over, thrusting themselves in the heart of the wildcard race with the red-hot Yankees continuing to run away from the division. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are putting together MVP-caliber seasons, but their starting rotation has been carrying them lately. And two of their most important starters, Garrett Whitlock and Chris Sale, are nearing their returns, though Whitlock could begin as a bullpen option". -- Gonzalez

[MRP]

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...ad-broke-top-3

"With one day remaining in June, the Red Sox are 20-6 this month, outscoring teams by a combined 44 runs. In that stretch, they have gone from four games under .500 to 10 games over, thrusting themselves in the heart of the wildcard race with the red-hot Yankees continuing to run away from the division. Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts are putting together MVP-caliber seasons, but their starting rotation has been carrying them lately. And two of their most important starters, Garrett Whitlock and Chris Sale, are nearing their returns, though Whitlock could begin as a bullpen option". -- Gonzalez

And yet, they are still only 8-16 against teams in the AL East, and as the last series in Toronto showed, have trouble beating the teams in their division, which is they don't improve on that will still be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start. The Yankees are on a level of their own this season, the Jays match them in starting pitching and line up 1-9, and overall have a better bullpen, and the Rays have had some key losses but are about to get healthy as well, and at their nadir they've played better than the Sox for most of the season so can't be taken for granted once they get healthy.

The Sox have been much better yes, but again they've feasted against bad teams in that surge and have some very obvious shortcomings that good teams have been able to exploit all season long. They look to be getting healthy, and that will help, but that will also mean they have to make some hard decisions as to whether to keep/play some high proceed veterans under contract who are struggling or some young guns who still have minor league options who are performing better currently but don't have the veteran's track records. It should be an interesting summer for the Sox, but I am still leaning towards this surge being fool's gold rather than the signs they are a contender. We'll see though. I'd love to be proved wrong, but my deep seated Sox skepticism that's been being forged since '73 reminds me I've been fooled by too many Sox teams thriving in June and July but disappearing come the autumn to buy in to this team too deeply yet. Whitlock could help the bullpen, but he has to get healthy first, and he's been around long enough now that opposing teams will start putting together a book on him and he will have to make adjustments. Happens to every player in their sophomore season afte ra strong rookie campaign. The good ones adjust, the flashes in the pan don't. Whitlock has to show yet he's one of the good one in the long term. Sale hasn't looked that good when healthy the last few seasons, so hopefully the time off will help him regain form, but there's a chance he's on the decline of his career and will never be the pitcher he was when the Sox acquired him. The eggs are not in the basket yet for this team despite the May/June surge.


-M

[achilles]

The Braves longtime PA announcer since 2006, Casey Motter, died in his sleep.

[InfamousBG]

And yet, they are still only 8-16 against teams in the AL East, and as the last series in Toronto showed, have trouble beating the teams in their division, which is they don't improve on that will still be on the outside looking in when the playoffs start. The Yankees are on a level of their own this season, the Jays match them in starting pitching and line up 1-9, and overall have a better bullpen, and the Rays have had some key losses but are about to get healthy as well, and at their nadir they've played better than the Sox for most of the season so can't be taken for granted once they get healthy.

The Sox have been much better yes, but again they've feasted against bad teams in that surge and have some very obvious shortcomings that good teams have been able to exploit all season long. They look to be getting healthy, and that will help, but that will also mean they have to make some hard decisions as to whether to keep/play some high proceed veterans under contract who are struggling or some young guns who still have minor league options who are performing better currently but don't have the veteran's track records. It should be an interesting summer for the Sox, but I am still leaning towards this surge being fool's gold rather than the signs they are a contender. We'll see though. I'd love to be proved wrong, but my deep seated Sox skepticism that's been being forged since '73 reminds me I've been fooled by too many Sox teams thriving in June and July but disappearing come the autumn to buy in to this team too deeply yet. Whitlock could help the bullpen, but he has to get healthy first, and he's been around long enough now that opposing teams will start putting together a book on him and he will have to make adjustments. Happens to every player in their sophomore season afte ra strong rookie campaign. The good ones adjust, the flashes in the pan don't. Whitlock has to show yet he's one of the good one in the long term. Sale hasn't looked that good when healthy the last few seasons, so hopefully the time off will help him regain form, but there's a chance he's on the decline of his career and will never be the pitcher he was when the Sox acquired him. The eggs are not in the basket yet for this team despite the May/June surge.


-M

Again, and I will keep saying this...they are fun to watch right now. That is all that matters to me till early September and Football.

If the Sox make the Wildcard and can keep it going again it should be fun.

[MRP]

Again, and I will keep saying this...they are fun to watch right now. That is all that matters to me till early September and Football.

If the Sox make the Wildcard and can keep it going again it should be fun.

For me, other sports seasons were filler/distraction until baseball started, at least they were after the Whalers left Hartford. Now my interest in the games/leagues themselves are negligible, and I really only follow one or two teams in each sport, just checking news rather than watching actual games. The Sox are the only thing that can really raise my interest level in professional sports these days, but after nearly 50 years of following the team, my interest is guarded at best early in the season.

-M

[InfamousBG]

For me, other sports seasons were filler/distraction until baseball started, at least they were after the Whalers left Hartford. Now my interest in the games/leagues themselves are negligible, and I really only follow one or two teams in each sport, just checking news rather than watching actual games. The Sox are the only thing that can really raise my interest level in professional sports these days, but after nearly 50 years of following the team, my interest is guarded at best early in the season.

-M

Oh ya it is still very early. Too early to let this team let ya think they are getting to the World Series.

I follow everything MLB. All year round. I love baseball. I actually love all sports. Like tonight, not one Boston sport on. So whatever is on another network, could be anything, I will watch.

I am a big SD Padres fan as well as I lived there for 5 years. Amazing ballpark with perfect weather.

[MRP]

Oh ya it is still very early. Too early to let this team let ya think they are getting to the World Series.

I follow everything MLB. All year round. I love baseball. I actually love all sports. Like tonight, not one Boston sport on. So whatever is on another network, could be anything, I will watch.

I am a big SD Padres fan as well as I lived there for 5 years. Amazing ballpark with perfect weather.

What park are they playing in now? Last time I saw a game in SD it was still the Murph, which was an ugly generic ballpark and near the bottom of my list of parks I liked that I had seen games in. I know they got a new park (or more than one) since then, but haven't paid attention.

I've just gotten fed up with most sports and rarely watch any sports anymore (I'm a displaced New Englander and I do not pay for any sports channels or streaming services, so the only time I watch is when one of "my teams" wind up on a national broadcast on one of the channels we do get), baseball was the last hold out despite the game devolving into a boring morass of walks, strikeouts and shifts with little happening between solo home runs and pitching changes. And the naked greed and utter disdain for the game and the customer bases shown by both MLB and the MLBPA during the negotiations for the pandemic shortened season and the latest round of CBA negotiations just about killed any affection I had left for the game beyond following the Sox.

-M

[achilles]

What park are they playing in now? Last time I saw a game in SD it was still the Murph, which was an ugly generic ballpark and near the bottom of my list of parks I liked that I had seen games in. I know they got a new park (or more than one) since then, but haven't paid attention.

I've just gotten fed up with most sports and rarely watch any sports anymore (I'm a displaced New Englander and I do not pay for any sports channels or streaming services, so the only time I watch is when one of "my teams" wind up on a national broadcast on one of the channels we do get), baseball was the last hold out despite the game devolving into a boring morass of walks, strikeouts and shifts with little happening between solo home runs and pitching changes. And the naked greed and utter disdain for the game and the customer bases shown by both MLB and the MLBPA during the negotiations for the pandemic shortened season and the latest round of CBA negotiations just about killed any affection I had left for the game beyond following the Sox.

-M

Petco Park. It's nice.

[InfamousBG]

Petco Park. It's nice.

Yes Petco Park. Very nice. A few good spots around there as well.

[achilles]

Yeah, I know, not just baseball, but since it does affect college baseball, and I don't know where it would belong more, I'd say that having both UCLA and USC move from the Pac 12 to the Big 10 (?) is a big deal, especially since it involves every sport either of them play. As to the whys and what will happen, don't know. I suspect longer travel times for the students, at the least.

Edit: Okay, it is money! As in lots more money for the schools, much better TV presence, much bigger games. Money, attendance, evidently, the Pac 12 is a distant second fiddle to the Big Ten, at least for the players.

Interestingly, I guess it's the Pac 10 now.

Also note that I was wrong above, it isn't every team. Some waterpolo and volleyball teams may not make the trip, which is a bit puzzling. All or nothing, I'd say.

As for baseball, is the Big Whatever better than the Pac 10?

[achilles]

Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! Yes, it's that time again, when every year, Christmas comes in July to Bobby Bonilla, courtesy of the New York Mets, who give him $1,193,248.20. Yep, like Publisher's Clearing House! I wonder how he celebrates?

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Happy Bobby Bonilla Day! Yes, it's that time again, when every year, Christmas comes in July to Bobby Bonilla, courtesy of the New York Mets, who give him $1,193,248.20. Yep, like Publisher's Clearing House! I wonder how he celebrates?

Good lord! The Mess are STILL paying Bonilla? How long has it been since he retired?

[achilles]

Good lord! The Mess are STILL paying Bonilla? How long has it been since he retired?

Don't know, but whoever got him that deal should go down in some sort of Hall of Fame. That person is my hero! Now if they could just do that for me...