First Pitch: Blue Jays vs. White Sox
https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1539014020052787200
https://twitter.com/whitesox/status/1539014773819449346
https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1538983331605491713
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Josh Nelson is the host and producer of the Sox Machine Podcast. For show suggestions, guest appearances, and sponsorship opportunities, you can reach him via email at josh@soxmachine.com.
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Jeez, I hope Mendickโs okay ๐
I like Eloy occasionally (which is what we occasionally get) but this is the best defensive outfield no question.
Rob Manfred must like all these dumb jerseys.
Hereโs something that MLB could do next year: let the home team choose the visiting teamโs jersey. I think most home teams would choose either the Motherโs Day or City Connect jerseys for their opponents.
I hate just about everything Manfred has touched, but our city connects have grown on me so much. They are great
Engel one day late with that fly out. Yesterday itโs in the Crawford boxes
Harrisonโs hearing the DFA footsteps
Not Harrison though. Ride away sir!
For Harrison vs. Mendick today, Tony has chosen … wisely.
Mendick would have hit that pitch a few rows farther.
More Harrison coming! Yeah!
And Robert, yeeeesss!
Harrison is now 4 for 7 against Berrios, so it was a good choice.
Iโm sure you were in TLRโs corner when you saw the lineup this evening.
I didnโt realize how large a sample size it was.
I’m not a huge fan, but it was a good time for a Josh Harrison start.
Youโre in the minority I think. Most people wanted a Mendick start at 2nd.
Mendick is 1-11 against Berrios. Easy call to give Josh Harrison the start.
I want your easy Josh Harrison call before the game starts next time.
Who’s this rando in the booth? I missed when they explained it.
They said itโs a contest through Fanatics. Think itโs a donation deal.
He did a nice job for someone off the street.
Yeah thinking of someone that mellow getting tossed at a little league game gave me a chuckle
they always seem to play well in these slick city connects
Uniforms worn should be part of the split stats
Right. The split stats would help the home team pick the uniform of the road team.
That shot by Robert, damn that left quick!
Really hope TA was just hanging his head for being picked off and not any bad feelings
Josh Harrison really does not want to get DFA’d
Iโm starting to believe his agent that was replying on Twitter knows exactly what heโs talking about. On fire!
Theyโre doing a nice job of not leaving empty frames tonight.
Wow, horrible missed strike three by the ump. I hope that doesn’t hurt.
Sox mightโve been victimized by the worst two calls this year. Cease on the upper half and Lynn on the bottom
Of course it does. Brutal miss, center cut.
I think Lance deserves an unearned run for shitty umpiring there.
With Hahn’s heavy off-season investment in the bullpen, one should feel totally secure with a 4 run lead in the sixth.
I love what Lopez has been able to do lately. He is giving us exactly what we have needed this week.
Is Burger still at third? He’s poor defensively and I hope he won’t come up again. I would put in Mendick at second and shift Harrison to third.
Larussa takes a lot from people, but that was the correct and forward thinking move with graveman in the 8th. Best weapon vs heart of the order, save be damned
I donโt want to be incorrectly inferring here, but by you prefacing that comment with โLa Russa takes a lot from peopleโ I canโt help but point out that 100% of that โitโ that he takes from people is completely warranted. Heโs been an abomination, unequivocally
See there I disagree sir. This team is flawed. Itโs not like he can just show up like Boone and win.
Once leury is signed to 3/15, is he supposed to not play him? Yesterday 4/9 if the lineup was out. Earlier in the year it was 5 or 6. Take 5 of the 6 best hitters from any lineup then say ok work your magic and win. Why arenโt these lineups any good? I gave you Engel and McGuire and Harrison so go.
Also the 1 starter is out. Also bullpen pieces drop like flies. Thereโs only so much he can do. People say he overused the pen. Yeah well when he trotted out Sousa and Banks in high leverage people said this guys an idiot. Canโt be both ways.
Iโm gonna say it. Heโs done a fine job. The team is united. Theyโve praised each other and theyโre fighting. Look at San Diego last year as an example the other way.
I think people understand Leury playing, but hitting 3rd? Pitching to Buxton with 1st open? Walking guys in 1-2 counts? The team is flawed and Hahn deserves more blame imo, but Tony is also a train wreck.
You’re right that TLR has dealt with poor injury look and crappy FO moves (though it’s worth considering the extent to which TLR’s love of Leury influenced the signing). But no one here is blaming all of the Sox misfortune on TLR. What we are saying is that TLR has done more harm than good. I, for one, don’t think he’s been “an abomination, unequivocally.” But he hasn’t been good.
@Qubort lists just a few of the times he’s made tactical mistakes. They aren’t the only times. And like Jim and others have pointed out, these aren’t just tough calls that get 2nd guessed: they are getting first-guessed, and even leaving Sox loyalists and employees (Jason, Steve, Merkin) confounded. Plain and simple, he’s not been tactically sharp.
But, like you suggest, tactics aren’t the only thing that make a good manager. You also point to ways he influences attitudes or cohesion in the clubhouse. This is notoriously difficult to nail down, of course. But it seems like insofar as it’s is worth anything or worth noticing, it would be when a team is getting more out of the guys than you’d otherwise expect. You could argue that happened last season. But that’s manifestly not been the case this season. 75% of the team is underperforming relative to career norms or projections.
What exactly do you think TLR has brought to the table? Saying, “the team is united” or “they’ve praised each other” hardly commends TLR’s managing abilities.
” (though itโs worth considering the extent to which TLRโs love of Leury influenced the signing)”
Leury was in the org for 8 years before TLR got here and in his first year here everyone gets hurt except the guy who plays everywhere, Leury Garcia. Is it surprising he got a lot of playing time? And even then, he got more playing time under Rickie than under Tony. And before anyone says, but this year, well this year he’s your primary 2nd baseman which was Hahn’s decision not TLR’s and the alternative Harrison was as bad if not worse.
Has TLR been slow/tentative in his decisions with an unhealthy amount of 2nd guessing this year? Yes, and that’s why he wont be back next year.
He’s also been poorly served by an organization that has failed to scout and teach fundamentals, a GM who has also been slow/tentative (2 1/2 mos to replace Eloy with Goodwin and 1 1/2 mos to replace Lynn with Cueto) or worse, (thinking he’s the smartest guy in the room (Kimbrel) and a staff he didn’t pick and haven’t don’t their job (prepare the team to play).
But I know, TLR is the worst ever, carry on….
I think Tony chose Cairo as his bench coach and Iโm guessing he was in favor of retaining McEwing as well. I think (donโt know of course) that the only hire Jerry allowed Hahn to make was Katz.
Cairo was an org choice to replace TLR not assist him, and even then he wouldn’t have been the choice if Omar Vizquel hadn’t f$@#$#d it all up. Honestly, he’s not even that good. When is the last time you’ve even seen him? Have you ever seen him even once talking to TLR even though the entire baseball world thinks TLR’s making horrible choices? Or talking to Katz about his pitchers throwing strikes or Menichinno about his (non)hitters? I know we were a little spoiled with Ozzie and Joey Cora but I’m thinking even Mark Parent was better than Cairo and that’s not even a low bar.
I never stated an opinion on Cairo, only that I thought Tony chose him as bench coach based on their history and relationship
My intended point was I believe Tony has plenty of sway in the composition of the roster. Heโs stated multiple times that Leury is a โsuperstarโ and bristled at the idea of anyone daring to argue otherwise.
I really donโt have an opinion of Cairo, he seems about as anonymous as a bench coach can be ~230 games into his tenure