Any forum regulars at Fenway tonight? (Wakefield: salary, live, title)

[lrfox]

I can’t sleep.

[redplum33]

Me either.

[redplum33]

https://twitter.com/PeteAbe/status/1052795329182146560

[CaseyB]

Why are all these tweets being posted?

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

How about 8 runs?

24 hours later, the same post is appropriate. I don't think 8 runs is going to happen tonight against Verlander. Here's hoping for a David Price on short rest redemption game. If the game gets out of hand, I'd expect to see Mitch Moreland on the mound for a few innings to save the bullpen for Fenway.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

24 hours later, the same post is appropriate. I don't think 8 runs is going to happen tonight against Verlander. Here's hoping for a David Price on short rest redemption game. If the game gets out of hand, I'd expect to see Mitch Moreland on the mound for a few innings to save the bullpen for Fenway.

Agreed. In a perfect world, you'd have a healthy Sale going tonight with a charged up Sox team ready to put it away. But obviously given the pitching situation tonight is, at least on paper, very much a game the Astros should win. And if it does go that way, I would also expect Cora to just let it go and rest his guys (we have one fewer pitcher than any other team left).

That being said, I'm really excited for the Sox tonight. Verlander is great. A hall of famer without a doubt. But this is a great hitting team and I am hopeful that they can get to him the 2nd time around. I also think that by not having Sale in there, there's actually less pressure on the Sox. They're up 3-1. They go home if they lose and still have two chances to clinch it. If the combination of Price and Rodriguez (big if, I know) can be serviceable (not great, just serviceable), I think that this team can get comfortable and (forgive me), do some damage. Especially since being down 3-1 with the prospect of having to win 3-straight (and the final 2 on the road) on the road is uncharted for the Astros who, between last year and this year have never been down more than one game and still had homefield advantage. They're the favorites, and they're used to winning and winning their way. We'll see how they respond.

Of course, we all know that 3-1 (or 3-0) and having to win the final two on the road isn't necessarily a death sentence. The Astros are excellent. They're defending champions with both the talent and chemistry to roar back in this thing. But I like where we are now, and I really like the chemistry of this team that just has no quit in them. I know we won't get 16-1 again, but it would be great to shock the world and crush Verlander tonight and end it.

[ben young]

Originally Posted by redplum33

https://twitter.com/PeteAbe/status/1052791390474620928

There are Lies, damn lies and Line scores .,😀

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Agreed. In a perfect world, you'd have a healthy Sale going tonight with a charged up Sox team ready to put it away. But obviously given the pitching situation tonight is, at least on paper, very much a game the Astros should win. And if it does go that way, I would also expect Cora to just let it go and rest his guys (we have one fewer pitcher than any other team left).

That being said, I'm really excited for the Sox tonight. Verlander is great. A hall of famer without a doubt. But this is a great hitting team and I am hopeful that they can get to him the 2nd time around. I also think that by not having Sale in there, there's actually less pressure on the Sox. They're up 3-1. They go home if they lose and still have two chances to clinch it. If the combination of Price and Rodriguez (big if, I know) can be serviceable (not great, just serviceable), I think that this team can get comfortable and (forgive me), do some damage. Especially since being down 3-1 with the prospect of having to win 3-straight (and the final 2 on the road) on the road is uncharted for the Astros who, between last year and this year have never been down more than one game and still had homefield advantage. They're the favorites, and they're used to winning and winning their way. We'll see how they respond.

Of course, we all know that 3-1 (or 3-0) and having to win the final two on the road isn't necessarily a death sentence. The Astros are excellent. They're defending champions with both the talent and chemistry to roar back in this thing. But I like where we are now, and I really like the chemistry of this team that just has no quit in them. I know we won't get 16-1 again, but it would be great to shock the world and crush Verlander tonight and end it.

This is the kind of game where you wish Steve Wright was on the roster. Hope the knuckler is working and he eats up a bunch of innings.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

This is the kind of game where you wish Steve Wright was on the roster. Hope the knuckler is working and he eats up a bunch of innings.

You got that right. He is the perfect spot starter or long relief when behind role guy.

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

This is the kind of game where you wish Steve Wright was on the roster. Hope the knuckler is working and he eats up a bunch of innings.

Yup! I refer to them as "Wake Games" because it's exactly the role Tim Wakefield would have played. The knuckler is a departure from the norm and can really throw a team off if it's fluttering. And if it's not, he's not going to tire so he eats innings sets the team up for the rest of the series. It's a shame Wright hasn't been able to regain the form he showed a few years ago.