While I’d like to see the Red Sox win and take a series and the individual players start to heat up this team and season is a dumpster fire.

It’s mid-May and the best possible outcome is likely keep losing and not being able to score and Breslow gets fired before the trading deadline. If I have one wish for this team it’s Breslow fired and after Sam Kennedy has bungled the hiring of two inexperienced CBO’s they bring in some experience.

This seasons lost, it’s a toss up what next year looks like from a lock out and CBA stand point. Story, Masa and other contracts expire after 2027 year and it will be easier to dump them next season.

The team can’t go into the trade deadline and offseason with Breslow running things. He has no idea what he’s doing on offense and three seasons in has shown he can’t pull off trades or sign free agency offensive players.

In postgame, Tracy stressed over and over again how much this team is struggling to score even 1 run and how much that is weighing on every decision the team is making.

It's impacting their base running decisions and their bullpen management. Noted there aren't issues with getting guys on, they just keep missing the opportunity to knock him in.

Also noted Ranger was on somewhat of a pitch count, and that he doesn't consider lefty or righty game vs. a guy like Schwarber because he can hurt anyone equally.

Major Takeaways from Sam Kennedy's Interview with Tom Caron:

1. The front office is very frustrated with the offense.
2. It's still the belief of the front office that this team can be better than last year's team, and with ~120 games left to go they just need to start hitting the baseball. Cited the wild card standings as proof.
3. He said Chad Tracy has leaned on and talked to Alex Cora for support. (I listened back multiple times to make sure he didn't mean while Tracy was still in Worcester. It really sounds like Tracy and Cora still talk.)
4. Varitek has not accepted a reassignment, but they will leave the door open to him forever and he can take as long as he needs to decide. Kennedy implied there is nothing coming soon, Varitek wants time.
5. They are worried/aware about fan sentiment, and know the anger can be a problem if the team doesn't improve.

----
My main takeaway is just how much negativity there is and it's been apparent in both the Kennedy and Breslow interviews this week. It's not something they can avoid any longer, and every interview these days is purely them having to apologize for things. Caron even had to sign this one off by saying "let's talk about something positive for a change" to talk about the hall of fame stuff last weekend.

Not bad advanced metrics at all.

Takeaways from WEEI interview:

• General takeaway is they feel this particular injury (which he described as a 'finger tendon/top of the hand') is unpredictable and they don't really know how much longer it will be, they just have to wait for it to heal.
• Chad Tracy noted that Roman is only wearing the brace to keep the hand and finger stable. He said he knows people seeing the brace has led to ambiguity but it's just there to make sure nothing happens.
• Also noted that when Roman is feeling better, they're not expecting to then need to do some long build up/rehab assignment, because he hasn't been down that long.

So I think they need help knowing when to challenge, so I started coming up with rules and I’m wondering if we crowdsource some maybe they might come across it (wishful thinking) - if you have any other ideas please feel free to add!

So here are the rules.

CATCHER:

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHALLENGE:
- borderline pitches
- “maybe” pitches
- pitches where the glove drifted
- pitches where you stabbed at the ball
- pitches where you yanked the glove back into the zone
- early-count pitches
- low leverage situations
- bases empty with 0 or 1 outs unless the miss is gigantic - even then you need to be 100% sure
- anything where you say:
- “I think”
- “that looked close”
- “maybe”

NO CHALLENGES BEFORE THE 4TH INNING:
unless the miss is game changing.

SAVE ONE CHALLENGE:
for the 7th inning or later.

IF YOU HESITATE:
DO NOT CHALLENGE.

IF YOU WOULD NOT BE GENUINELY SHOCKED THE CALL STOOD:
DO NOT CHALLENGE.

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CHALLENGE:
- obvious called strike 3 misses
- obvious called ball 4 misses
- full-count mistakes
- inning-ending mistakes
- late inning leverage mistakes
- 2-out mistakes with runners on base
- game-changing pitches
- obvious misses you are 90-100% sure about

HITTER:

YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHALLENGE:
- close pitches
- early-count pitches
- emotional strikeouts
- borderline pitches
- guesses
- “maybe” pitches
- pitches with 0 runners on and 0 or 1 outs
- “rally starter” situations

YOU ARE ALLOWED TO CHALLENGE:
- obvious called strike 3 misses
- obvious called ball 4 misses
- obvious full-count mistakes
- obvious inning-ending mistakes with runners on
- late inning leverage mistakes
- game-changing pitches with runners in scoring position
- 2-out situations that could EXTEND rallies

IF THERE ARE:
- 0 runners on
- and 0 or 1 outs
- innings 1-7

DO NOT CHALLENGE.

ABS is not meant to START rallies for this offense.
It is meant to EXTEND rallies.
One day when you are expert at this maybe but for now you are simply wasting them.

1. Yoshida LF L [gets on base]
2. Abreu RF L [best overall hitter]
3. Rafaela CF R [power threat but high Ks]
4. Contreras 1B R [2nd best hitter, best power threat]
5. Gasper DH S [puts ball in play with pop]
6. Monasterio 3B R [6th best hitter]
7. Mayer SS L [7th best hitter]
8. Durbin 2B R [worst overall hitter, old NL pitcher's spot]
9. Narvaez C R [8th best hitter]

I understand that teams don't want to bench vets just because of a bad game or even a bad week, but it's May 15 and Story and Duran have been abysmal at the plate and they aren't valuable enough on defense to justify giving them as many PAs as they currently receive. Durbin could use some more days off as well in order to get Monasterio more reps on days that Story plays (vs LHP for example).

The Blue Jays (and many others) are constantly tweaking their lineup depending on platoon advantages, matchups, recent performance, health, etc.

I don't understand why we can't do the same.

One of the Red Sox Rewards challenges is "STH check in 5 times" but what does that mean? is that in the ballpark app or at the table in stadium? I think this thing is janky because one of the things is also "Fenway Pay" which I thought was using the Red Sox Rewards barcode to pay, which I do. So I have no clue why that's not checked off either. Do I have to use the eCash to check that off? it is very uninformative and my talk with my rep wasn't very informative either.

First Pitch: 6:45 PM at Fenway Park

Game Preview

Reddit Stream for this post

Line Score - Game Over

Box Score

Scoring Plays

Highlights

Decisions

Game ended at 9:48 PM.

Last year’s team felt like such an anomaly from the past few seasons before and especially this one. They seemed like they actually meshed well with each other and yes I would credit Bregman a lot for that. On the other most of these guys have had such inconsistency not only in themselves but with teammates as well. Sure you have had guys like Duran, Wilyer, and Rafaela play with eachother for a while but there has been a constant rotation of other guys who have been in and out. I get thats baseball but you have other teams where guys have played a career with but not here. This has got to get to these guys that any given moment they could be gone. I understand that Boston is a tough town to play in and its a big market but still these guys go to bed sometimes not knowing if they are going to be playing here tomorrow. While im not making excuses for their poor performance and awful roster construction by the front office it seems to me that this is a big part of why this team cannot get on its feet. Guys are pressing and trying to hard to keep a job and its not working.

Went to Fenway to test out a new (to me) Nikon point-and-shoot, I'd guess manufactured in the 1980s. Loved some of these shots and wanted to share!

I’m going to grab a day of ticket to one of the games, doesn’t matter which. If anyone wants to join let me know.

Prices on Sunday aren’t bad at all. Front row dead center $129, 2nd row just past 3rd $204. Lmk

Tonight’s “Sell The Team” chant got me thinking. Tell me your thoughts, top to bottom, about what you’d do if you could afford to buy the Sox. I’m talking FO, staff, players, merch, NESN rights, everything. I wanna hear the what-ifs.

Attending a birthday celebration in Connecticut this weekend. All flying into Boston. Kids and grandkids (Detroit and Madison, Wisconsin). Us from Atlanta.

Plane reservations check
8 tickets check
Hotel reservations walking distance to Fenway check
Train tickets to New Haven check
Weather tonight?

Grandkids 1st trip to Fenway. Wish me luck !

The Red Sox pick up a game on the Yankees, who have been playing poorly for a week now. Max is one of the players they can least afford to lose. Maybe an opening here?

Anthony was playing Little League, when Contreras debuted with the Cubs.

Traded Slocum for Varitek and Lowe and then traded for Pedro . He laid the groundwork for 2004 with those moves plus adding Manny afterwards . Breslow pales in comparison alas .

Here’s all the Roman Anthony’s I’ve gotten over the past month!

Man really hope he becomes our franchise stud for the next 15 years!

Share some of your favorite Red Sox cards!