Monday, June 27, 2022

Boston's Turn in the Barrel

 

Just to riff on something the venerable Doug K. was saying earlier...

How 'bout those BoSox? Huh? 

Why, this month the Carmine Hose have really hit their stride, going an incredible 19-4 .826 so far in June. They're comin' on like gangbusters, as the radio show even I'm too old to remember used to start.

I know, I know. It's too dreadful to contemplate. Our worst nightmare—of our many nightmares!—this century. Yet again rising from the dead, to spoil our gonfalon dreams.

Makes you shiver.

But let's take a closer look, shall we?

The evidence seems to indicate that much of the Red Sox' recent spree is due mostly to the fact that it has been their turn to play Dunk the Clown in the Tank.

Of the 7 clubs Boston has played this month, just two—the Cardinals, who the Sox beat two-out-of-three, and the Cleveland Traffic Guards, who they swept—have a winning record.

The others—the Angels, Mariners, A's, Reds, and Tigers—have a combined record of 147-220 .401. 

Two of them are in last place. None are higher than 3rd.

Boston has gone 14-3 against them. 

AND...in that whole, amazing, 19-4 run this month, the Sox have gone from 11 behind your New York Yankees to...11 behind your New York Yankees.

That's right.  On the champagne tour of tomato-can country, they gained absolutely no ground.

Coming up? It's Boston's turn in the tank.

Of their next 23 games, all but three gimmes in Cubland are against the Yanks, BJ's, and Death Rays.

Yes, I, too, will be sweating out every one of their 8 games against our boys.  But the chances of the Sox running up something like another, 19-4 record over these next 23...?

And if they did...if the Yanks were to win only 9 games in that same stretch—they would still be in first place.

Yes, it's a long season. No, nothing, nothing at all has been won yet. Yes, we can still tank it.

But the fact is, the 13 Days in Hell turned out to be more like...13 days at Jones Beach.  Not a revelation, but a very pleasant summer outing, in which we went 9-4 .692.

Not bad.  And that's as much optimism as you'll get from me this season!





8 comments:

ZacharyA said...

Tonight's Oakland lineup might be the worst I've ever seen. I mean that.

Players with a .250 BA or better = 0
Players with a .330 OBP or better = 0
Players with a .400 SLG or better = 0
Players with a .700 OPS or better = 0

We complain about how bad our lineups were in 2014-2015, but this is another level.

HoraceClarke66 said...

I know. Is this a dare or something?

DickAllen said...


And Zachary, watch this barrel full of ineptitude take two of three.

I fear a letdown and do not wish to take this punching bag for granted.

Parson Tom said...

Yankees were lucky not to get swept by Houston and the Cheatin' Stros. I suggest we all remain on high and cranky alert.

DickAllen said...


I see those four games differently Tom.

To have no hits for as long as they did and still come out even? That wasn't luck. Houston had an opportunity to put that last game away in the tenth and came up empty. To my mind, the ASStros blew it. The Yankees pen came through big time - and Giancarlo, DJ and Judge did the rest. It wasn't just Judge that came through. It was TEAM.

Fuck me. I'm starting to sound like Boooooone.

If you can't sweep a team after - what - no-hitting them for 16 or 17 innings - then you suck. They had a chance to bury the Yankees and came away no better than when they started.



Doug K. said...

Dick,

Yes and a lot of great defensive plays as well.

Doug K. said...

Rizzo's backhanded sliding foul ball catch comes to mind. Even though I think they lost that game it goes to a level of intensity. Playoff baseball.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

What the f--- heck?!?

Gleyber had an MRI on his *WRIST*?