- yesterday
Felger and Mazz, with Matt McCarthy, react to the Red Sox avoiding a series sweep against the Chicago Cubs with a Sunday victory at Wrigley Field
Thumbnail photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
Thumbnail photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
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00:00Red Sox take one of three from the Cubs in Chicago over the weekend.
00:04We start with the Alex Bregman pinch hit home run to make it a 5-1 game late in yesterday's ball game.
00:10Matt, I'll start with you. Why do we break out that play to start?
00:14I'm sorry, which play to start?
00:15The Bregman home run.
00:17As Lou said, he's a gamer. He's right in the middle of everything for this team.
00:21And that's the difference between this year and last year, guys.
00:25The Red Sox have pretty much the same record that they've had for years straight now.
00:30So the question you have to ask yourself is, are they just doing what they've always done?
00:34Or is it different? And it's different specifically because of guys like Alex Bregman.
00:38Right in the middle of that game yesterday, right in the middle of everything.
00:42It feels like Bregman is in the middle of everything good that the Red Sox do, at least offensively.
00:47And on the pitching side, you have Garrett Crochet, who's a stopper.
00:50When things are not going well, the Red Sox have star players who can step up and make a difference.
00:57A true difference.
00:58There might be a stat out there that says, oh, well, you can get 90% of the player that Bregman is for 90% of the money.
01:06Or whatever that thing is.
01:08But you can't replicate players like this.
01:11And he showed it again yesterday.
01:13He's just a big moment kind of guy.
01:15And that's the difference between this year and last year, this year, and years prior to this.
01:20He's a badass.
01:22He's something they desperately needed.
01:24And that moment yesterday, I think that's, to me, their second biggest win, second biggest win of the season.
01:28I still put the Raffaella walk-off against the Rays a couple of weeks back as the biggest.
01:31But that, I mean, yeah, they're up a run.
01:33But that game was still kind of in the balance there against the Cubs.
01:36You don't want to get swept.
01:38This schedule he's on, this rest schedule he's on, is pretty rigid, right?
01:41Like, you know, he was not supposed to even see the field yesterday.
01:44And I tend to believe, like what you heard from Lou on the call there, he's in core his ear in the dugout saying,
01:49look what Pomeranz is doing.
01:51I can hit this bum.
01:52Put me in.
01:53Let's break this game open.
01:54You put me up.
01:55I'm going to get a hit off this.
01:56Drew Pomeranz, by the way, and I know we saw him Friday, too.
01:59But when I saw him Friday, I'm like, what street corner did they find this bum from?
02:01I didn't know he was even still in the game.
02:03But removed from it for three years, okay.
02:05I know he's having a good year.
02:06But whatever.
02:06Bregman saw something.
02:07I'm convinced of it yesterday.
02:08He's like, put me in.
02:10I'm going to open up this game.
02:11And it's exactly what he did.
02:12Okay.
02:12You thought yesterday was a legit win, Jim.
02:15You're just back from a week off, yeah?
02:17Yeah.
02:17So you've softened up a little bit in the week.
02:20Yeah, I'm refreshed.
02:20It's like I get away from you two ghouls.
02:23Your whole email was about how legit that win was yesterday.
02:26I put more stock.
02:27Believe me.
02:28Because that 10-win streak, and then once they swept the Rays, I'm like, okay.
02:32I know I came in here after a little bit more time off, and I discounted what they had done against the likes against the Rockies in Washington.
02:38And I think rightfully so.
02:38Like, what am I supposed to do with this?
02:40But you sweep the Rays, and they did it in the fashion they did.
02:42And I'm like, okay, you got a baseball team.
02:44This is for real.
02:45And then, okay, and I listened a little bit when Maz was in.
02:48He was starting to freak out.
02:49I think you were in on Friday, that day game against the Cubs.
02:52And he's like, no, they look flat.
02:53They look flat.
02:54And they did.
02:55They look flat.
02:55But, I mean, the other, like, and listening a bit over the weekend, like, the people really, the Cubs are good.
03:00The Cubs are in a war for the NL Central with your Brewers, 10-game winning streak, by the way.
03:05Congrats on that.
03:06Oh, get me started.
03:06Go ahead.
03:07But the Cubs are a good team.
03:08And you kept hearing Lou talk about it over the weekend, like, how good they are defensively.
03:12They hit a lot of home runs.
03:13The Cubs are legit.
03:14And even with some of my dopey friends, like, oh, here it goes again.
03:16Like, dummies.
03:16Like, the Cubs are good.
03:17They're not playing suck teams again.
03:19And they're home.
03:20And you had to expect there was going to be a bit of an air out of the balloon after a 10-game winning streak, the long all-star break.
03:27You got young players out, like Meyer and Anthony, on, you know, on the doing circuit.
03:32Like, you had to expect that there was going to be some sort of come down.
03:34There was.
03:35So I don't put too much stock into that.
03:37Yesterday, had they lost, I would have been a little worried, okay, you don't want to get swept, that they got off the mat the way that they did.
03:43And that their two marquee acquisitions this offseason, and I'm no Breslow guy, and I don't like their front office,
03:47but if they want to blow me and dance in my face today, do it.
03:50Because between Crochet and Bregman, that's why you won that game.
03:53And they were still stupid.
03:55They made a bunch of dumb errors and were doing a lot of dumb things in this series, and Duran specifically yesterday.
04:00But the way that they ended up coming back, opening up that game yesterday, shows me a lot.
04:03They're a legit team.
04:04So you think there are different Big Jim Murray outside of Bregman and Crochet?
04:10I mean, they still make stupid mistakes, but yes.
04:12Yeah.
04:12Like, again, three months ago, two months ago, they lose that game yesterday.
04:16Even with Crochet on the mound.
04:17Outside of Crochet and Bregman, are they different?
04:19No.
04:20No, but that's enough.
04:21That's a difference, right?
04:22I mean, in a bad American league, and to your point, Jim, I mean, the Cubs are a better baseball team than the Red Sox.
04:28The Phillies are a better baseball team than the Red Sox.
04:30The Dodgers are a better baseball team than the Red Sox.
04:33And you're going to see that over the course of the next six games.
04:36This is still going to be a rough re-entry for the Red Sox coming out of the All-Star break.
04:41But because of the star power, Mike, because of the stopper and crochet, because in close games you feel good about having a guy like Bregman at the plate, you are not going to collapse.
04:52They are going to do just enough.
04:53But the team around those guys, no, that's still the same.
04:57They still have the same culture problems.
04:59They're still fundamentally really poor.
05:01They still play baseball like a bunch of cavemen.
05:04They're dumbasses.
05:05Let's talk some examples, please.
05:07Abraham Toro on Friday.
05:08That was so bad.
05:10Running into an out.
05:11I mean, getting doubled up.
05:12At first, he realizes he's going to get doubled up.
05:14And then his mind literally shuts down.
05:16He's like, no, go third.
05:17Keeps going to third.
05:19Proceed.
05:19Like, what the hell are you doing, guy?
05:21That was so bad.
05:22Cora doesn't care.
05:24I mean, in that moment, Abraham Toro should have been benched.
05:26That's easy.
05:27Like, we can't be doing this first day back from the All-Star break.
05:32We're going to set the tone here that this is unacceptable.
05:34But the tone has been set that that type of stuff is totally acceptable.
05:38The difference is you just have enough players like Crochet, like Bregman,
05:43because of the offseason additions and the acquisitions.
05:46You have enough guys who are just good enough, who are really good,
05:51that you will not collapse the way you have in previous years.
05:54More dumbass stuff.
05:55Yesterday, Duran, does he?
05:56Duran almost smashes into Masataki Yoshida.
05:59Almost.
05:59I mean, that thing was a calamity.
06:01And then the other thing, too, which I felt like got overlooked
06:03because he ended up drawing a walk, he lost track of strikes and balls and strikes.
06:07He took off his shin guard.
06:08I saw that.
06:08Yeah, at the plate.
06:09Like, that's not a difficult thing to pay attention to when you're the batter
06:13at, you know, facing the pitcher.
06:15Pay attention to balls and strikes.
06:17It's like the easiest part of the job, dummy.
06:19No, he almost took out Yoshida.
06:22Lost track of balls and strikes.
06:23I also think, was he the one that rounded third and got the interference call?
06:27Obstruction.
06:28Obstruction.
06:29Yeah.
06:29Lucky call, I thought.
06:31No, that was obstruction.
06:32Whether it was right or wrong, I don't know.
06:34It's still fortunate.
06:35He was going.
06:35I think by that point, whoever got in front of him had realized he was going to third.
06:40He was going to be out.
06:41I don't know.
06:41I thought that was a lucky play for the Red Sox.
06:43I don't know.
06:43There's still, I still see a bunch of stupid stuff.
06:46Oh, yeah.
06:46Oh, there's definitely a bunch of stupid stuff.
06:48And that's going to continuously show up because they're not going to be a better fundamental
06:53baseball team.
06:54They're just not going to.
06:55I mean, they have too many guys on this roster who are complete and total dumbasses.
06:59But Crochet isn't.
07:01And Bregman isn't.
07:02And in a weak American League, that's enough.
07:06And if they add at the deadline, like the more veteran players they bring in from outside
07:11the organization, the better.
07:12Because they've allowed this to fester for years.
07:14The guys who have come up don't know how to play the game.
07:18Cora is certainly not going to hold anybody accountable for the right way to play the
07:21game.
07:22So you have to bring in guys from the outside who are going to make enough of a difference.
07:26Bregman talked his way into that game yesterday.
07:28That's an outside influence.
07:30Crochet obviously is a stud.
07:32They haven't developed anything like that.
07:34That is an outside influence.
07:35The more outside influence you can get to the Red Sox, you can kind of get some of this
07:40thing out.
07:41But trust me, it still exists with this team.
07:43And you saw it this week.
07:44Just from the optics alone with Bregman, even when he was on the IL, how many times have
07:47I said, like, when the camera panned to the dugout, he's in someone's face with the iPad.
07:51And I said, it's almost like he's more manager than the manager.
07:54What happened yesterday, I think, is proof of that.
07:55He's more manager than the manager.
07:57Like, listen, I'm looking at what's going on here.
07:59Put me in.
08:00I'm going to get a hit.
08:00It's exactly what happened.
08:01And if they have that, like Matt says, I think that might be enough, at least compared
08:05to prior years.
08:06You guys keep saying or implying that Bregman knew what was coming?
08:10Oh, well, yeah, there's that whole thing.
08:11I mean, it sort of feels like you're saying that, like, no, I'm not actually even applying
08:15it.
08:15I think he just was looking at Pomerantz and like, this guy's still a bum.
08:18I can hit him.
08:19Yeah.
08:19I think that's what Jim was saying.
08:20I wouldn't, I wouldn't imply that in this situation.
08:22I would maybe more imply that when the Red Sox are at home, Mike, and we can break down
08:26some of their stats, their home road splits, which I can pull up for you later in the show
08:30if you're interested.
08:31Okay.
08:31There is some, there is something going on there.
08:33All right.
08:33Back to how they're playing.
08:34You don't give Cora what your thoughts on Cora, Matt, I'll start with you.
08:39Yeah.
08:40Credit where credit is due.
08:41He made the right decision in yesterday's game.
08:44He pinch hit for Yoshida and went to Bregman.
08:48Bregman's influence has a lot to do with that.
08:49I agree, Jim.
08:50I mean, he's the type of guy who's going to talk his way into the game, but Cora did not
08:54stick to the plan.
08:55So I have to give the manager credit.
08:56I still think the manager is a net negative on this team because of the culture problems,
09:02because of the lack of fundamentals.
09:03When you say culture problems, what do you mean?
09:05They don't play baseball the right way.
09:07They run into outs.
09:08They drop counts.
09:10They forget the number of outs.
09:12And Cora just goes, what do you want me to do about it?
09:15I don't know.
09:15Manage.
09:16Okay.
09:16Players are accountable.
09:17Cora's too busy drunk dialing Carl Ravitch during the Baseball Tonight broadcast.
09:21How do we know his level of inebriation?
09:23Just a hunch.
09:24Okay.
09:24What happened with Carl Ravitch during the broadcast to inform our audience, please?
09:30So I'm sitting there last night.
09:31I'm watching Scooble pitch, and I've just got the game on in the background.
09:34Texas, Detroit, Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN.
09:36I hear Ravitch and the guys in the booth making cracks about the Coldplay concert, and they
09:41say, oh, Alex Cora is there.
09:42And I hear Ravitch say, Cora just tried to call me.
09:45So I went back and I re-watched it.
09:46Yes, Alex Cora, after they mentioned that Cora was at the Coldplay concert on Wednesday,
09:52Cora then tried to call those guys live on the air to say, I don't know what, but he's
09:59obviously sitting in his hotel room in Philly watching Sunday Night Baseball.
10:03The second they mention him on the air, he starts dialing them.
10:06What the hell is that?
10:07Well, no one should be surprised.
10:09He's got rabbit ears.
10:10He's very, you know.
10:12Weird.
10:12Interesting.
10:13Strange.
10:14I don't want to make too much of it, but that's just weird.
10:17And it was really innocuous, too, because the Red Sox were on ESPN against Philly on Wednesday
10:21night.
10:21So I saw this, too, and they're talking about it.
10:23So this bothers you?
10:25I just think it's a little odd.
10:26What an odd thing to be sensitive about.
10:28I'm quickly going to call Carl Ravitch.
10:29I wasn't there.
10:30That's what I assumed it was.
10:32I was at a different show.
10:33No, no.
10:34He's been pretty open.
10:35He talked about a pregame on Friday about being at that concert.
10:38Yeah.
10:38So I don't know if he just wanted to say, yeah, I was there.
10:42Add to something.
10:42Hey, what's up, Carl?
10:44Hey, you want some dirt on the baseball team?
10:48And you think that leaves a Sunday night baseball crew what?
10:51Oh, they're compromised.
10:53We all know they're compromised.
10:54But we've known this for years, right?
10:56Yeah, he's just filthy with those ESPN guys.
10:58Just another reminder that he's close with those guys.
11:00I don't know.
11:01I just found it weird.
11:01Like, if you guys mention me on the program, do I, like, pick up my phone, like, in the
11:05middle of a second?
11:06Yeah, Mike, what's going on?
11:08Hey, hey, heard you mention me in my take there.
11:11I just want to say I'm listening.
11:14Thanks.
11:14Of course I was at the concert, dude.
11:16It was fun.
11:16You wrap it in the overall commentary on Cora?
11:19That he pays attention to everything and he's a little bit too focused on other things?
11:24Yes, I agree with that.
11:25I believe that's the case as well.
11:26I do.
11:27I believe that.
11:28Yeah.
11:28I mean, are you doing work on Zach Wheeler tonight?
11:31Or are you wanting to call up Carl Ravitch in the middle of a broadcast to talk about
11:35your experience in Coldplay?
11:36So, the culture problem is, I'm with you, it's just have to define it.
11:42Like, I think the Devers trade has helped them in some regard with that, but it's a different
11:49sort of branch of it.
11:51The culture you're talking about is playing tough, smart, disciplined baseball.
11:56They just don't do it.
11:58And they haven't done it for a long time with him.
12:01And it continues.
12:03Even when they're winning, it continues.
12:05So, that I'm with you.
12:06And as much as I've been down on him, at least earlier in the year when I was calling for
12:09his job, like, there's some guys that are just hammerheads I don't think you're going
12:12to be able to get through to.
12:13And that means Jaron Duran is like A number one of that.
12:16And then guys that suck like Connor Wong, there's only so much you can do.
12:18I don't know if you can manage them to be better if they are what they are, you know?
12:21No, you can't do that.
12:21But if your veteran journeyman first baseman runs into an out.
12:26That Abraham Toro thing.
12:27I mean, that's easy, guys.
12:29What are we doing here?
12:30And that crap happens all the time.
12:32It really does.
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