Joba’s FIP > Smoltz’s?

Wow, considering how important some of those other games were at NYS, this one must be a real doozy then.

Youk in LF? Color me confused.

I WANT BASEBALL NOW.

This game is on MLB Network but of course in Washington DC, MLB Network is NOT part of the basic cable package like it is EVERYWHERE ELSE I have watched TV since it premiered. So that’s fucking awesome.

It’s easy to not walk anyone when you’re content lobbing weak fastballs over the plate and letting hitters destroy you like Smoltz is doing now. That’s why he’s given up 50 hits, including 6 HRs and 14 other XBHs in 36 IP and managed to only walk 5 guys.

Francona clearly hoping Kotchman still has some Angel magic left in him.

Joba’s FIP > Smoltz’s?

Smoltz’s peripherals are actually pretty good.  He’s allowed a BABIP of .375 so far this season.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s been unlucky.  It could mean he’s reached the point where his ability to control BABIP has declined enough that he’s no longer a capable major league starter (see Brown, Kevin 2005 for a similar example).

Shouldn’t the Red Sox win probability increase drastically with Varitek sitting?

This game is on MLB Network but of course in Washington DC, MLB Network is NOT part of the basic cable package like it is EVERYWHERE ELSE I have watched TV since it premiered. So that’s fucking awesome.

Yeah, this sucks here. I accidentally got Cox instead of FIOS. Oops.

Shouldn’t the Red Sox win probability increase drastically with Varitek sitting?

You are ignoring Varitek’s superior game calling skill.

Swapping Varitek for V-Mart increases the Yankees’ probability by about 1%.

Swapping Varitek for V-Mart increases the Yankees’ probability by about 1%.

That’s a whole lotta intangibling.

NESN feed tonite. Which will be OK, I guess, unless Eck is working the game. The other NESN regulars are - I won’t say balanced, but Eck makes them look that way. Plus there’s only so often I can stand hearing a pitch described as “cheese”.

I also can’t wait to see what they do with the scripted obligatory steroids reference when A-Rod comes to bat.

Why hasn’t anything happened yet? I demand baseball!

Let’s do this thing.

[12] No kidding.

The Yankees’ probability of winning this game is: 58.2% 0%

I kid, I kid.

(see Brown, Kevin 2005 2004 ALCS Game 7 for a similar example).

STRIKE ONE!

legit double or Johnny Damon special?

Cousins wasn’t making it easy for Joba there, though.

I would like to thank the ump for squeezing Joba on the first two pitches to the elf so he had to groove one down the middle to allow that double. Thanks Ump!

Legit double, Clay. So much so that I was afraid Damon would turn it into a triple.

[18] Legit. One hop against the wall near the line.

strikes Joba, strikes.

Seriously, what I wanted for the first game of the series was to have an umpire who squeezes pitchers. That’s what I thought would work best for this series.

Joe out to the mound to make sure Joba knows the game has actually started and these count.

Not a promising start.

Mound visit already? Does he look that rattled?

My guess it was something like “this guy is squeezing you - make the adjustment.”

Please get this out, Joba.

I love when Youkilis gets out.

Alright, now he’s just got the dead DH to deal with.

Deafening boos and some “steroid” chants for Mr. Eye Drops.

Joba’s FB at 91-92.

[27] To my eye it looks like he’s trying too hard to nibble the outside corner. So, not rattled, but maybe not pitching aggressively.

I liked to see no runs in that inning.

The zone has looked ok on gameday, except for ball 2 to Pedroia, which was a strike but near the edge.

Alright.

Time to hit.

I still get a bad feeling every time Ortiz steps up to the plate.  Hooray out!

Nice.

Agreed, Pinstriper - nibbling the corner with an umpire who is squeezing you is dumb and I bet Girardi told him that.

The zombie MLBNetwork color guy, “I don’t support any of the guys caught for PEDs, but the bigger question is who is leaking these names out? Is it a problem with the legal system?” Welcome to the Spinzone!

Not bad, 17 pitches, no runs. A walk and no K though. Let’s hope he gets on track, I don’t care if his peripherals are lousy today so long as he keeps runs off the board.

By the way, you see what they’re doing with A-Rod because the Yankees lost that last game?

They lost the game, so it’s “A-Rod was 1 for 10 against the Red Sox.”

Had they won that last game, they’d be mentioning his big clutch go-ahead double. They lost, so it’s “He was 1 for 10.”

Annoying.

I liked Jeter making Smoltz work.

O’Neill’s calling Smoltz “Schmoltz.” It’s weird. You think it’s on purpose?

Dear Johnny,

Please stop fouling off ball 3 in the dirt.

Thanks

Nice AB by Damon here so far.

Well shit.

Ball one to Teix the strike Joba didn’t get to Pedroia.

Alright Teix!

Likin’ the pinpoint control there for Teix.

This strike zone has now lower right corner. Weird.

Get angry ARod, they walked Teix to face you.

Okay, now it’s our steroid guy’s turn.  Make him pay!

Is Smoltz really afraid of Teix running here?

Cousins is annoying me a lot in just one inning.

Well, 24 pitches for Smoltz, that has to be considered a minor victory.

MLBNetwork’s Tom Verducci, “Now that David Ortiz has been lumped in the same category as ARod, fairly or not…”

REALLY? Fairly or not? They were on the same frickin’ list! The failed the SAME TEST!

[58] at least ARod was a man about it and didn’t make any sort of bullshit excuses. Ortiz is pathetic.

I presume there are those who believe it will be revealed that Ortiz did not fail the test due to a PED, Ted.

Maybe Manny sneezed on Ortiz as the latter went to get his test.

Drew really knocked the crap outta that one huh?

No corner given whatsoever.

[60] So, Ortiz failed a PED test because he was what, riding a unicorn the night before the test?

squeeze, squeeze, squeeze. I hate umpires.

There is no lower right corner to that strike zone.

Gameday had three of those four balls as strikes. I’m not usually one to complain about the strike zone but that’s unacceptable if it’s accurate.

Joba needs to step up right now.

Or bottom half apparently. Joba struck him out 3 times.

[58] RoidSox RoidSox RoidSox. Pass it on.

Ok, Gameday hated that AB’s zone.

Melky had him dead to rights if he ran.

[71] Or see [67], etc.

Melky’s arm keeps Drew from advancing, Melky’s face after the play had the look of “try my arm, I dare you.”

Hey! A strike out! I’m so glad Lowrie is the Sox answer at SS.

Verducci now making excuses for the Sox about their plane getting in really late. And the emotion of this series possibly being too much for a sleep deprived team.

One more man

strike one of the Lowrie AB was the exact same place as ball 4 of the Lowell AB. wtf?!

GET AHEAD OF THE CONT JOBA!!!!

“On deck: Dustin Pedroia
In the hole: V. Martinez”

I read Pedro Martinez there at first…

pitches 2 and 3 to pedroia were strikes according to gamecast.

[78] Joba and Jorge basically both called it a strike and forced the ump into the call.

This would be a very good time to pull out a 97 mph fastball Joba.

Wow, he made Ellsbury look foolish right there.

Joba Joba Doooooooooooo!!

Way to battle back Joba!

[82] And they did it again with Ellsbury. Prowess.

that works too. Very, very nice.

I appreciate Joba going into “Lock the state” mode in these innings, but I would appreciate it even more if he didn’t put two runners on first.

[89] yeah, fewer pitches would be solid.

[87] Totally, I think Jorge sold that as strike three, the ump looked ready to allow the walk but Jorge just started celebrating and ran off the field.

Squeezing the ump right back. Yeah, workin’ it.

I am afraid that Smolz ERA corrects tonight.

No hitter gone!

Gotta love Posada battling back from 0-2 to 3-2 and then singling.

No DP Robinson.

Baserunner Cloaking Device: Engage

Damon told MLBNetwork’s zombie color guy that balls down the LF line get blown back into play. That could have something to do with Damon’s cataracts though.

Pinpoint control… walking Cano… What?

Pinpoint control!

Wow, that was amazingly retarded.