It wasn’t great!"2. The rotation was not that fun to watch

in this series and it turns out that the “give up a ton of home runs” strategy did not pay off. I’m fine with Edwin Encarnaci贸n and Ryon Healy doing their damage Chase Utley Jersey , but Tim Beckham, Mallex Smith and Omar Narvaez — who hit 23 combined home runs in 1,268 plate appearances last season? Not a great look to start the season. I am choosing to look at this as extended spring training for Nathan Eovaldi, Chris Sale and Rick Porcello — who pitched a combined 28 innings this spring — and I’d encourage anyone feeling doubtful to do the same. This all seems to be part of Cora’s plan to rest his starters throughout the spring and regular season and to be honest, I am okay with that. The end goal for this team is another championship — not a hot start. You just have to hope these guys keep getting better from here and that it doesn’t take too long. 3. I am not worried about Sale or Eovaldi but I cannot say the same for Eduardo Rodriguez. There are going to be more eyes on lefty than ever before and Cora said as much when he called out the 25-year-old during spring training for being inefficient. This will be his fifth full season in the majors, so we definitely shouldn’t be hearing from Dana LeVangie that he didn’t execute the game plan in his first start, per the Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. Not exactly the way you want to start your prove-it tour. E-Rod threw 31 pitches in the first inning Saturday and was replaced when he finally got an out in the fifth after allowing the first four batters he faced to reach base. He threw 105 pitches (61 strikes) altogether. Scattered thoughts after the reported Xander Bogaerts extensionMark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY SportsWe know this has been a constant theme throughout his career, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating. Of Rodriguez’s 89 career starts, he has failed to make it through the fifth 16 times and recorded an out in the seventh inning only 18 times. When he pitches six innings, he’s 24-4 in his career with a 2.28 ERA, per Saturday’s NESN broadcast. He should definitely try to do more of that in the future, especially with free agency approaching. Rodriguez will be a free agent in 2022 and the Red Sox don’t have a dime to waste http://www.dodgersfanproshop.com/authentic-max-muncy-jersey , especially once the Bogaerts extension is final. He’s not going to get the contract he wants in Boston if he continues to struggle implementing the game plan. I get that it’s easier said than done, but he is going to make $4.3 million this season, so the least he can do is follow the game plan. 4. So maybe we all overreacted about the bullpen. The rotation was clearly the problem in Seattle, but the bullpen looked solid. Matt Barnes earned his first save since 2017 and it appears that he may be the closer now (I guess?). The rotation accounted for just 15 innings in Seattle, giving up 8 home runs, 22 earned runs and 11 walks, while relievers covered 18 innings, gave up five earned runs, eight walks and posted a .200 batting average against with 25 strikeouts. Tyler Thornburg, Brandon Workman, Colten Brewer and Ryan Brasier all turned in at least one solid appearance and displayed some nasty stuff. It was just the start this bullpen needed to build confidence, especially after an offseason filled with doubt. Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports5. I touched on Boston’s lack of success in Seattle recently and I’d like to revisit that thought quickly. The Sox are now 9-13 at T-Mobile Park/Safeco Field since 2014 and continue their stretch of losing/splitting series in Seattle that began in 2013. I’m not making excuses Maury Wills Jersey , but it has just not been an easy place for Boston to play in recent years for whatever reason. I am not necessarily happy with the results because it was a frustrating weekend all around, but I am definitely glad they got this one out of the way early.6. It’s really awesome to see Blake Swihart start games for this baseball team — especially after the offseason he had. There was a time not that long ago when I was sure we had screwed that one up irrevocably. It was sad to see Sandy Leon get waived, especially considering his success with each member of the pitching staff last season, but a solid year from Swihart would make the move worth it. The 26-year-old has been waiting for an opportunity to prove himself and it looks like he’s finally getting his chance. I am excited to see what he does with it. Alright, we got the first one out of the way and now we are on to Oakland! The Rockies’ second baseman of seven seasons signed with the New York Yankees on Friday."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Scaling the RocksPebble ReportRockpileRockies Game ThreadsRockies Fan ExperienceRockpileRockies officially bid adieu to DJ LeMahieuNew,87commentsRockies news and links for January 12, 2019MSTShareTweetShareShareRockies officially bid adieu to DJ LeMahieuReport: DJ LeMahieu leaves Rockies to join New York Yankees | Mile High SportsThe Rockies officially bid adieu to their second baseman of seven seasons on Friday as DJ LeMahieu signed a 2-year, $24 million deal with the New York Yankees. As Rich Kurtzman of Mile High Sports notes, LeMahieu will reunite with another former Rockies’ infielder in the Bronx, joining shortstop Troy Tulowitzki up the middle. While it hurts to see the loss of a Gold Glove second baseman and fan favorite, the move does provide a clearer path to playing time for Ryan McMahon, Garrett Hampson and Brendan Rodgers. We Fernando Valenzuela Jersey , of course, wish DJ the best.An Analysis of Pitch Movement at Coors Field | FanGraphs Community ResearchAdam Maahs of FanGraphs’ Community Research explores pitch movements at Coors Field.Baseball Hall of Fame countdown: Despite Larry Walker’s greatness, Coors Field could affect chances | USA TodayAmong USA Today’s voters, Larry Walker came in seventh in their Hall of Famer power rankings, as Steve Gardner writes. While the team at USA Today feels Walker is worthy of induction, they acknowledge that the effects of playing at Coors Field will make it a stretch for him to reach the 75% threshold for induction.MLB Spent Less On Player Salaries Despite Record Revenues In 2018 | ForbesDespite pulling in record revenues in 2018, Maury Brown of Forbes reports that Major League Baseball teams spent less on player salaries compared to revenue (54.2%) since 2012. It comes at an interesting time for baseball as Yasmani Grandal recently signed a 1-year, $18.25 million contract with the Milwaukee Brewers, with many saying he deserved a more lucrative multi-year deal. Top free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are also seeing a shortage of suitors for their services. Relief pitcher Sean Doolittle of the Washington Nationals expressed his thoughts on Twitter.