Does Boston even deserve to make the playoffs? (Not a troll thread)

[Fury]

Let's be honest here. This team was just swept by the Yankees. They have pretty much done pretty much nothing since June and are only in playoff contention due to the huge lead they jumped out to. Now, I'm not one to place an entire season on the first months of games (like Body) but just looking at Boston's play over the last few months has not left me with the belief that they are a playoff team. Not only have the Yanks swept them, but teams like Detroit have also at one point in this season. They've played mostly .500 ball since the all-star break. Just not a very good team if you ask me. I suspect they'll be bounced in the first series, if they even manage to hold on.....

I think this is where Body comes in and tells us that he doesn't care about being swept in late August. 

[headhuntersix]

Ok 5 games....now what..we have an easier schedual. yeah its sucks..yeah its a concern. I'll worry when we're tied.

[Hedgehog]

Deserve?

Wrong question IMO. But rather, will they be able to anything come playoff?

Some questions needs to be answered:

How does the bullpen look?

Defence?

Closer?

Pitching rotation?

Those are in general the questions that decides whether a team will do well in the playoff or not IMO.

If Red Sox are able to get it together for the Playoff's, then they will be legit contenders.

[Fury]

Ok 5 games....now what..we have an easier schedual. yeah its sucks..yeah its a concern. I'll worry when we're tied.

I'm not talking about the Yanks winning the division. Does Boston seriously deserve to be in the playoffs? I suspect the Angels, Mariners, Yanks and Indians would all bounce Boston right out at this point. This team really has done nothing but barely stay afloat since June. Their pitching has been mediocre (as shown in this series), their bats have been "a little off" for over 3 months now, and they're just not playing that well. On top of that, Manny's going to be out for a bit now with a strained oblique.

I'm just not convinced that this is a playoff caliber team. They kind of remind me of the Brewers this year, only slightly better, jumped out to early lead and have been riding that since before the all-star break. 

Deserve?

Wrong question IMO. But rather, will they be able to anything come playoff?

Some questions needs to be answered:

How does the bullpen look?

Defence?

Closer?

Pitching rotation?

Those are in general the questions that decides whether a team will do well in the playoff or not IMO.

If Red Sox are able to get it together for the Playoff's, then they will be legit contenders.

They've barely been able to keep it together since June. Why would you expect them to change anytime soon? Looks like a sinking ship to me.

[headhuntersix]

In your vast baseball experience right

[Fury]

In your vast baseball experience right

Like you know more?

Another typical Boston fanboy trait: Thinking they're god's gift to everything sports. 

[body88]

Should we ignore the Yankees atrocious play when they went through there bad stretch? They just got stomped 16 -0 by the Tigers in a series they lost over 4 games. They are playing great baseball and they swept the sox. The sox did the same to them several times at the start of the year. They lost last nights game by a run.

[Fury]

Should we ignore the Yankees atrocious play when they went through there bad stretch? They just got stomped 16 -0 by the Tigers in a series they lost over 4 games. They are playing great baseball and they swept the sox. The sox did the same to them several times at the start of the year. They lost last nights game by a run.

Lost by a run and didn't have a hit until the 7th inning. Great playing! How shocking that you bring up a series at the beginning of a year! 

[body88]

Lost by a run and didn't have a hit until the 7th inning. Great playing! How shocking that you bring up a series at the beginning of a year! 

They played the tigers last week bro. I would not call a team that got beat 3 out of 4 games being outscored 16 - 0 in the final game deserving of anything.

[Fury]

They played the tigers last week bro. I would not call a team that got beat 3 out of 4 games being outscored 16 - 0 in the final game deserving of anything.

Funny, I remember Boston getting SWEPT by Detroit this season. Let's not forget the Yanks have been the best team in all of baseball since the all-star break, while Boston has done next to nothing since June. Your bitterness is cute, though. Keep at it, tiger!

[Grape Ape]

Should we ignore the Yankees atrocious play when they went through there bad stretch? They just got stomped 16 -0 by the Tigers in a series they lost over 4 games. They are playing great baseball and they swept the sox. The sox did the same to them several times at the start of the year. They lost last nights game by a run.

We shouldn't ignore it, but instead try to explain it.  As I've shown statistically, the Yankees had deep injuries to their staff at the beginning of the year, trotting out the likes of Karstens, Rasner, Wright, and DeSalvo.   Around ASB time, they acquired Clemens, Hughes, Betemit, Molina and Shelley Duncan.    The Yankees as currently constructed are not near the team that was assembled at the beginning of the year.   They went from a weak starting staff, poor bullpen and no bench, to a solid staff (well, excluding Mussia), a much stronger bullpen, and one of the best benches in MLB.  Plus, everyone's healthy, and the results are following.

But, to stay on topic, do the sox deserve to be in the playoffs?  Well, since they have the best record in MLB, they definitely do.  Once the playoffs start, it's the hot team that wins, not necessarily the best, as we've seen as recently as last year, when an 83 win team won the whole thing.