Second Half Blues

[doogiec]

Why do the Sox always do better in the first half?

The Sox have dominated in interleague play for years.

Interleague play takes place in the first half of the season.

Move interleague play to the second half of the season, and the thread title would change to “First Half Blues”.

I only went back five years, but it you eliminate interleague games, the Sox have averaged 36 wins and 35 losses in AL games in the first half, and 36 wins and 37 losses in AL games in the second half (using B-R’s definition of “half” being the ASG). The Sox have been dominant over the NL for most of the ten years originally mentioned, so I’d think a longer analysis would find the same thing.

Now this year is different, as the Sox were 9-9 against the NL, and I do believe the team was simply playing over its head for a while and finally hit reality in September, combined with an inexperience pitching staff. But in previous years, they’ve gotten fat off the NL and played around .500 against everyone else- first half and second half.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter what order you win the games in. I know that a team that plays poorly in April and May and plays well in August and September is more highly regarded than a team that does the opposite, but why?

[WhiteSox5187]

Originally Posted by doublem23

Absolutely, I think many people had very legitimate fears that Sale wouldn't be able to hold up for the entire season, it's stressful for any pitcher let alone a twig like Sale who fell to the Sox in the draft precisely because there were some legitimate concerns if he had the build to hold up as a starter. He really progressed as a pitcher this year who used location and pitch selection to get guys out rather than relying on pure velocity. It's was a very, very encouraging year.

I think going into this year, anyone who would have projected Sale for 29 starts and 192 innings with an ERA under 3 for almost the entire season would have been labeled as a polyanna. He pretty much exceeded every realistic expectation.

He did an outstanding job and perhaps for once I am blinded with optimism but MLB Network super imposed Sale's motion over Randy Johnson's awhile ago and they were almost exactly the same. Sale has the same sort of build as Johnson and Johnson didn't have any arm problems until he was in his late 30's, so hopefully Sale can have the same sort of luck.

[SCCWS]

Originally Posted by doublem23

It'd be like complaining why Viciedo can't be more like Frank Thomas; the Big Hurt, in his prime, was probably the best right handed hitter in baseball history. You can't set the bar at that level, no one will ever measure up.

Well, how about best in American League. There was this guy named Hank Aaron.............................

[SCCWS]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

Vulture:

The Sox apparently "ran out of gas" in 2003, 2006, 2010 and now 2012. The individual circumstances may be different from season to season but the end result is the same. Perhaps the Sox would do well to try to find some common threads in those four seasons and then try to repair them or eliminate them.

Lip: Very easy. In 2003, 2006, 2010 and now 2012 there are very few constants. Kenny Williams is one and so is Don Cooper. Do you want to repair or eliminate either one????

[Lip Man 1]

SCCWS:

Well if the reports are true Kenny is going to be "replaced" but I was thinking more along the lines of:

*injuries
*little help in the minor leagues
*"House of Horrors" syndrome
*losing to many games to "bad teams / bad pitchers" more than teams that did make the playoffs.

I'm working on these areas for a future story. Early research shows that in the four seasons I was talking about, there are at least two and usually three of these four areas in play.

Lip

[SCCWS]

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

SCCWS:

Well if the reports are true Kenny is going to be "replaced" but I was thinking more along the lines of:

*injuries
*little help in the minor leagues
*"House of Horrors" syndrome
*losing to many games to "bad teams / bad pitchers" more than teams that did make the playoffs.

I'm working on these areas for a future story. Early research shows that in the four seasons I was talking about, there are at least two and usually three of these four areas in play.

Lip

Just a thought. has anyone broken down offense vs pitching stats pre All Star vs post for this period where the Sox fade down the stretch.

[gosox41]

Originally Posted by JB98

They did, but they are 29 and 28 years old, respectively. In the prime of their careers. When Paul Konerko was that age, he was enjoying some of his finest seasons. He led us to a World Series title at age 29. Now, Paul is 36 and more prone to injury. He's not the only older player in the Sox lineup who struggled down the stretch either.

It is worth noting Alex Rios led the Sox in games played with 157, and he did not fade at all. He played some of his best baseball down the stretch while teammates were crumbling around him. Rios is 31, a little older than Cabrera and Fielder, but still young enough to handle a huge workload. Two of the five games Rios did not appear in this season were the final two meaningless contests in Cleveland.

As for Verlander, check his August and September numbers for his first full year in Detroit's rotation. That was 2006. I think you'll see he had some struggles as a young pitcher, much like a couple young pitchers in the Sox rotation this year. It takes a little time to build up the kind of arm strength where a pitcher can handle a 200-plus innings haul. He's at a much different place in his career than say, Chris Sale.

As a matter of fact, Detroit's best players are all in their primes. The Sox best players are mostly on the back end of their careers, or in the case of a few pitchers, just getting started. That makes a difference.

Good points.

[Falstaff]

see below

Originally Posted by Lip Man 1

SCCWS:

Well if the reports are true Kenny is going to be "replaced" but I was thinking more along the lines of:

*injuries
*little help in the minor leagues
*"House of Horrors" syndrome
*losing to many games to "bad teams / bad pitchers" more than teams that did make the playoffs.

I'm working on these areas for a future story. Early research shows that in the four seasons I was talking about, there are at least two and usually three of these four areas in play.


Lip I have done lots of thinking/drinking and it occurs to me that those stupid black jerseys they sometimes wear must be hot as hell, especially
for sunday day games in august. I am thinking their record while wearing the black must be like .358 or so, and its not just the heat, its the humidity. Maybe management ought to look at this from a scientific pov
and get cooler duds for the dudes.

Lip

[billyvsox]

Lip,

What I agree with most in your post is the bench problems. In the WS year we had guys like Willie Harris, Geoff Blum, Chris Widger and of course TIMO. While that dosent seem like much, they all knew their roles and were very productive when called upon.

Our bench has stunk for a few years now, and the insistance of using 12-13 pitchers on the roster limits the guys we have on the bench.

I am not sure if this equates to guys tiring out and needing rest that the bench players can provide or not, but what I do know is that all great teams have productive bench players for whatever role needed.