*OFFICIAL* 5-8-21 Bats Barbecue Royals in 1st Inning; SOX 9 KC 1 Postgamer

[Frater Perdurabo]

Get the sweep tomorrow!

[HomeFish]

Yasmani Grandal has tied an MLB record by taking 13 walks over his last 4 games.

https://twitter.com/StatsBySTATS/sta...16568319844358

Over his last 4 games he has an OBP of .800 and a wRC+ of 269, all with zero hits

[FielderJones]

Very satisfying game, good hitting, good pitching, good enough defense. Getting the sweep tomorrow should put the KC contender mirage in the rear view mirror.

[shingo10]

On the radio they said Kopech was working in the bullpen after his 2 innings of work. They speculated because they are stretching him out for a start? I have no problem with them using him I just wonder if they are intending to stick to his innings restrictions or not. Seems like you wouldn't want to front load the innings early on.

All that aside great bounceback these last 2 nights after Wednesday's disaster!

[TDog]

It's possible Kopech was working today with a game not on the line because he has to work something out after his Wednesday outing and that he continued to work in in the bullpen toward the same end. Ideally, you would have liked to see Lynn go six, and, with a huge lead, bring in Foster and Marshall and maybe Ruiz. Lynn hasn't had sharp control since being activated.. Today, I don't know if he was unable to focus with the big lead or he physically lacked command.

I don't know of any starting pitchers, though, who wouldn't take the first three hitters in their lineup each getting two hits before taking the mound. The next time someone complains about the Sox not hitting a starter they've never seen before, tonight's game should be cited. Impressive about tonight's offense may be that what appeared to be a pad-your-stats night at the outset really wasn't. The Sox scored as much as they could in the first, certainly, but it wasn't garbage time. Even when they scored again, it was after the Royals scored, with two out hitting from the only two starters who didn't have hits in the game, with official at bats anyway. I don't read that as a lack of intensity.

Some nights you need a break from the pressure.

[voodoochile]

It's possible Kopech was working today with a game not on the line because he has to work something out after his Wednesday outing and that he continued to work in in the bullpen toward the same end. Ideally, you would have liked to see Lynn go six, and, with a huge lead, bring in Foster and Marshall and maybe Ruiz. Lynn hasn't had sharp control since being activated.. Today, I don't know if he was unable to focus with the big lead or he physically lacked command.

I don't know of any starting pitchers, though, who wouldn't take the first three hitters in their lineup each getting two hits before taking the mound. The next time someone complains about the Sox not hitting a starter they've never seen before, tonight's game should be cited. Impressive about tonight's offense may be that what appeared to be a pad-your-stats night at the outset really wasn't. The Sox scored as much as they could in the first, certainly, but it wasn't garbage time. Even when they scored again, it was after the Royals scored, with two out hitting from the only two starters who didn't have hits in the game, with official at bats anyway. I don't read that as a lack of intensity.

Some nights you need a break from the pressure.

I assume Kopech gets the second game start on Friday. Lynn is pitching the first one according to ESPN.

[Lipman 1]

That's certainly the way to take the suspense out of a game, which is fine by me.

Now if somebody will beat the damn Indians.

[voodoochile]

Old adage in baseball - well at least it should be - when your leadoff hitter bats twice in the first inning it's a good start. When your leadoff hitter scores twice in the first inning you probably are going to win...

[ChiTownTrojan]

I had to miss this game, but when I saw the box score I had to go to the replay and watch the first inning. That was fun. It’s nice to humble the Royals.

For those that watched, how did Mendick look in RF? Did he make any plays, and if so did he look comfortable? He’s definitely got a more potent bat than any of the other OF options except maybe Eaton (when he’s 100% healthy).

The last time the Sox starter gave up an ER was a week ago (Sunday).

[voodoochile]

I had to miss this game, but when I saw the box score I had to go to the replay and watch the first inning. That was fun. It’s nice to humble the Royals.

For those that watched, how did Mendick look in RF? Did he make any plays, and if so did he look comfortable? He’s definitely got a more potent bat than any of the other OF options except maybe Eaton (when he’s 100% healthy).

The last time the Sox starter gave up an ER was a week ago (Sunday).

I admit I was only half paying attention after the first inning. Mendick did get some plays in RF but nothing dramatic. I don't think he misplayed anything out there that would have led to bigger problems in a tighter game. Certainly he contributed more than he cost us obviously.

[TDog]

I admit I was only half paying attention after the first inning. Mendick did get some plays in RF but nothing dramatic. I don't think he misplayed anything out there that would have led to bigger problems in a tighter game. Certainly he contributed more than he cost us obviously.

What happened in the Dodgers-Angels game tonight might provide some on how well the Sox played after the first today. The Dodgers tacked on five in the fifth after scoring eight in the fourth to take a 13-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth. They took Kershaw out after 4, rested a few of the starters (the Angels replaced Trout with Jon Jay for that matter), and the final score ended up 14-11. It wasn't that it was a wild game. It was a wild game because the Dodgers lost their focus, acting after five as if they had already won.

Consider that tonight's Sox game was a nice game to have Mendick in right, but but keep in mind that it was nice in no small part because the Royals given their nine innings never made a game of it, even with Mendick in right. Tonight they scored enough runs in the first to win, but they didn't win it in the first.

[Frater Perdurabo]

Mendick actually tracked down and caught a few fly balls that were hit nowhere near him. For instance, against a particular RH Royals batter, the outfielders were playing him to pull, and Mendick was in right center. The batter hit a ducksnort toward the right field foul line. Mendick ran quickly to his left and made the catch without any drama.

For playing RF for the first time in a major league game, backing up a pitcher who gives up a lot of weak fly balls, I thought Mendick did well.

[Dumpjerry]

Now this was the Royals we all know and love.........

[BigKlu59]

Now this was the Royals we all know and love.........

Yes, the Royals I love to see the Sox beat the crap out of.

BK59

[longtimefan]

I was happy with Mendick's play in RF but it was a small sample size.

If I was forced to have a criticism of the Sox, it would be that the bats seemed to go to sleep after beating up on the KC starter. The danger to that is as TDog referenced above. On the other side of the equation, The Sox have been playing good defense, great pitching, and timely hitting. All this with two stars out and a more than capable backup OFer sidelined.