Ceaseless

[Vulture]

Holy moly. I think today settles any debate that Dunning is the number three man in the playoffs beyond a shadow of a doubt, but now I'm thinking Cease might not even belong on the playoff roster. Is there any scenario where you would imagine wanting Cease in the game? I don't see one, let alone starting a game 4. We might be able to get through the first round or two with three, but Sox are obviously going to need a couple starts if you're looking at ALCS or WS. So what do sox do? Go with Gio? Bullpen game? Seems like a bad idea to burn through the bullpen in the playoffs. Probably out of the question to consider Crochet to be sufficiently stretched out, which if he were would be quite a gamble. Sox may have to go with Lopez which would have been virtually unthinkable a ten days ago. Man it is disappointing to see Cease devolve like this. He's obviously been struggling with control all along but this is just getting ridiculous.

[Tragg]

Today should also result in Detwilerless. Good thing he was exposed today v. next week.

[Mohoney]

If Lopez gets a playoff start over Cease, I want everyone responsible to be fired.

[Vulture]

So you're going to throw a guy out there who just walked twelve guys in his last eight innings in a playoff game? That's borderline Ankielian.

[MrX]

Fangraphs had an interesting look at Cease this season last week.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/dylan-ce...trange-season/

[Mohoney]

So you're going to throw a guy out there who just walked twelve guys in his last eight innings in a playoff game? That's borderline Ankielian.

Yes.

Walking people is not as bad as giving up nearly 2 100+mph rockets per inning.

[Vulture]

He literally walked the game today against a team with like a .220 batting average. It practically took divine intervention to save him against the twins. If he walks 1.5 an inning in the playoffs the Sox will be practically giving the game away. Put this into a playoff situation and it points to an implosion of epic proportions IMO.

[Mohoney]

He literally walked the game today against a team with like a .220 batting average. It practically took divine intervention to save him against the twins. If he walks 1.5 an inning in the playoffs the Sox will be practically giving the game away. Put this into a playoff situation and it points to an implosion of epic proportions IMO.

This is a problem that should have been addressed in January. No use worrying about it now.

[HomeFish]

Lopez has been good his last two starts. He definitely deserves to make the playoff roster more than Cease does.

[Vulture]

Pretty sure the Sox are going into the playoffs regardless of what they should have done in January. So the question is what are they going to do in actuality rather than a nonexistent hypothetical. Most likely the need for a fourth starter will occur in a particularly crucial game so I'd think its a relevant question that I would hope the Sox are seriously deliberating over.

Is Crochet out of the question to go eighty plus pitches?

[voodoochile]

Cease got such a live arm but simply cannot throw strikes consistently. Needs to figure it out real fast.

[HomeFish]

Most teams without a solid #4 starter these days go with a bullpen game in the playoffs. I'm not sure the Sox have that option, given that Keuchel and Dunning both cannot go long into a game.

[Vulture]

Fangraphs had an interesting look at Cease this season last week.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/dylan-ce...trange-season/

Were you the one who posted the top comment about the Sox mothballing Cease's curveball? I've been questioning this myself. Lopez is even more head scratching in this regard. When he first came up he had a plus fastball and curve, along with average at best secondary pitches, and the Sox have gradually eliminated it in favor of a mediocre slider as his performance has declined in proportion. Instead of progressing he has only devolved from his starting point. Obviously this has worked in Giolito's case, although I suspect he too would be doing better with more curveball usage, but any idea why they have been eliminating the curve from these young pitchers repertoires? In Lopez's case in particular it makes zero sense to me. It was literally his best pitch when the Sox acquired him.

[vegandork]

Cease has been extremely lucky and today was inevitable. But he's still way more talented than other options (like Lopez), so no he has to be your #4 in the playoffs. Dunning has definitely earned the #3 spot.

[ChiSoxNationPres]

Were you the one who posted the top comment about the Sox mothballing Cease's curveball? I've been questioning this myself. Lopez is even more head scratching in this regard. When he first came up he had a plus fastball and curve, along with average at best secondary pitches, and the Sox have gradually eliminated it in favor of a mediocre slider as his performance has declined in proportion. Instead of progressing he has only devolved from his starting point. Obviously this has worked in Giolito's case, although I suspect he too would be doing better with more curveball usage, but any idea why they have been eliminating the curve from these young pitchers repertoires? In Lopez's case in particular it makes zero sense to me. It was literally his best pitch when the Sox acquired him.

Cease has a really good curveball and also a good slider when he can command it. I think with younger pitchers, they want them to master one or the other because it's usually hard to have both a slider and curve going in an individual game. Interesting point about Lopez's curveball, as I don't remember him having one when the Sox first acquired him. His slider sucks, so I would be intrigued to see if that would be better for him at this point.

Regarding Lopez or Cease for a game 4, I think you go Cease and let him know he's in until he walks 3 guys. Have a Foster or Heuer ready to come in early mid inning to clean up a mess, then go to a Fry/Marshall/Cordero combo to get to the later innings. I still don't trust Lopez currently when his velocity is down like this.