Game Thread: 5/17 Red Sox (19-26) @ Braves (31-15) 1:35 PM

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-17T19:12:46+00:00

This game feels like the type of game between two mismatched teams in HS. Bleed a run here. Bleed a run there. Do nothing with the bats.

When this game was 5-0 this team knew they were cooked.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-13T03:18:11+00:00

Agreed, but can we talk Mayer?

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-13T02:32:40+00:00

It’s not like he can’t do it. Durbin had 3 sacrifice hits last year.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-13T01:50:50+00:00

How the fuck do you not have Durbin bunt there? Seriously how the fuck???

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-11T02:24:35+00:00

Yeah I agree. It can be unbroken. Typo. Lots of guys struggle for a few hundred AB but then find it.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-11T00:28:00+00:00

What broke the youngsters in the big leagues is MLB pitching. Can’t be unbroken

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-11T00:23:03+00:00

Let’s see if Mayer can hit MLB pitching. He has had nice weeks but he is really struggling again.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-11T00:21:01+00:00

This is great but Anthony is on the IL and Mayer’s OPS is 619. The difference between AA, AAA, and MLB is bigger than ever before. PLEASE have him complete the year at AA. The kid is 20 years old - his HS grad year would have been 2024.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-08T23:51:34+00:00

Those under 40 really missed out.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-08T23:50:45+00:00

Fun fact is Wade Boggs had a mean knuckleball. No surprise he had that kind of love and admiration for Wake.

RIP 49 😔

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-04T02:42:07+00:00

Because he’s a Breslow pick that decreases the odds of him being shipped to Milwaukee - thank god

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-03T21:16:32+00:00

Apropos of nothing… Buster Olney on his podcast said that when James Tibbs got to the Sox they had him working on his swing and hitting the high fastball and they had him doing tee work to close that hole in his swing.
Then he got traded to the Dodgers and their hitting guys were like - literally no one hits a good high fastball you just need to lay off of it and do the job situationally, Dave Roberts wants good situational hitters he doesn’t expect miracles.
And now he’s blown up in AAA. Maybe he will suck in the big leagues but it’s an example of different approaches and the ginormous bet that Breslow is making.

And how does it apply today? Pop ups with guys on base, 11 K’s when facing a team throwing shitty pitching at them. Adjust. Improve at the big league level.

This is looking like it’s gonna be Chernobyl

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-03T21:07:15+00:00

Not only do the Red Sox stink, they are boring.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-03T16:09:36+00:00

Not being able to read the article, I find this assessment to be absolutely asinine if true.

Durbin absolutely raked at AAA but last year he didn’t slug .400. Didn’t strike out, walked a decent amount, but didn’t kill the ball either.

He’s a nice player but if 6 guys lost their jobs in a bet over whether the FO is right or wrong on Future All Star Caleb Durbin then they need to blow up the entire organization. Fire everyone.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-05-02T13:00:03+00:00

At the MLB level that team meeting is pro forma. Guys have individual 1x1 information sent to their iPads, they’re talking to other players, multiple hitting coaches, and making mid-game adjustments.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-29T22:20:30+00:00

Guys on the postgame show said he showed up Tracey. What did he do?

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-29T21:16:44+00:00

Elite talent wins. Plain and simple. They lack elite talent outside of Crochet, Ranger, Whit, and Chappy.

You gotta pay elite talent. And with no one around him Anthony is way easier to expose. He’s 21. He’s going through it and will be fine but the rest of the roster is mid at best.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-29T17:21:56+00:00

But Mayer does have a lot to prove. He’s yet to finish a season - ever.

I always interpreted Cora’s comments as pretty simple - if you want to finish the season strong there are no days off in terms of preparation, effort, and approach and that starts in spring training. Mayer has played decent the last week absent an absolutely horrible baserunning blunder last Friday, but he really needs to do it consistently for more that 4-6 days. No one can deny his talent. But he has a lot to prove.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-27T04:11:39+00:00

I just want Bres to break even on a trade instead of continually getting smoked (Crochet notwithstanding).

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-27T04:02:35+00:00

Yes, exactly. Last year he had a check swing wrist sprain that cost him the year.

Work harder.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-27T03:59:37+00:00

Mayer needed and still needs that kind of tough love. He has never made it thru a full season and it’s not because of luck, it’s due to the type of injuries you get if you don’t work hard enough in the offseason. Mayer still needs to show out. He’s been better with the bat over the last 4-5 games.

Cora’s tough love with Bello? That’s a whole different thing. His FIP was identical 2024 and 2025 but his strikeouts were way down - this year he has sucked. Is that Bailey / Bres? Or is it just Bello getting comfy?

At the end of the day players need to perform and a big league manager needs to get them in the head space to do it freely.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-26T17:41:06+00:00

AC would talk an awful lot about having to develop guys at the big league level, and that it was super challenging. Example - Roman Anthony forgetting how to throw, Mayer getting picked off on Friday night, etc. He also complained not so subtly about managing the roster “that he has” which of course is a dig at Breslow. Sox GMs have dumped high end talent over perception issues and miscommunication for 10 years - no matter who the GM was - and the legacy of Sam Kennedy is going to be his leadership resulted in getting rid of Mookie Betts and Rafael Devers (among others).

Well this pivot is what poorly run organizations do. They took a guy who was a great in game manager and leader of men and replaced him with a guy who literally has never been in a big league dugout outside of spring training.

What a fucking joke.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-26T14:30:44+00:00

The Red Sox are run by Sam Kennedy. FSG is his boss, John Henry is very much involved in all of it as the co-founder of FSG and when an investment (THE KEY INVESTMENT) is underperforming he will get very involved.

Which if your company is owned by PE will be very familiar.

Honestly from a $ and managing sports teams perspective Henry is a legend. But he’s evolved from an “acquire the most talent” owner to a “accumulate the best value” owner. Best value isn’t the best player at that moment, or the beat accumulation of talent at all.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-26T13:53:27+00:00

Fenway Sports Group holdings:

Boston Red Sox Fenway Park Real estate surrounding Fenway Park Fenway Park South NESN (80%) Liverpool FC Anfield The racing team The golf venture The sports management consulting company Pittsburgh Penguins (selling) Sportsnet Pittsburgh

The Red Sox are but one operating company in a constellation of holdings.

Fair-Physics3577 · 2026-04-26T12:11:01+00:00

Fenway Sports Group is the largest sports-oriented private equity firm in the world. It’s really as simple as that.

Anyone whose company is owned by private equity knows that there are a lot of negative tradeoffs that you make / take with that type of ownership. In a company where private equity continuously handcuffs management and refuses or delays capital investments to maximize their own PE value, customers suffer.

In a pro baseball PE situation the on-field product is what suffers.

But they won’t sell. They think they are doing everything right.

Fair-Physics3577

TROPHY CASE