We were recently part of a blog roundtable hosted by Red Sox Monster and MassLive’s inimitable Dan Lamothe, so we thought we’d share our answers in preview of tonight’s Sox-Angels lid lifter. For those interested in the full roundtable answers, which also included bloggers from Red Sox Stat Guy, Sox & Dawgs and The Joy of Sox, here’s the spot for all your answers. Definitely a good anticipatory read.
And while we may not have hit the mark as squarely on some questions as our friends in the blogosphere, here’s our distilled question-by-question answers for your perusal. Interested to see what everyone thinks.
Isn’t it amazing how there are almost no questions about Mike Lowell heading into the playoffs? That’s how ridiculously reliable Dr. Double has been. It’s uncanny.
1) OK, let’s start with some basics. Since they clinched home field advantage in the playoffs, the Red Sox had the choice on what kind of schedule they wanted to play. They opted for “B,” which could extend the series to eight days, rather than seven. Good or bad for the Sox, considering the state of affairs for the two pitching staffs?
This seems like an obvious boost for the Sox, since it allows them to use both Josh “Don’t F@%$ with me” Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka twice. Now, a week ago, that previous sentence probably would have included using Beckett and Curt Schilling twice, but Terry Francona’s already decided to stick his neck out there before the playoffs even begin, opting for two potential Dice-K starts rather than two of the man who has enough nicknames to form a band himself: Mr. Ankle and his “Pay Me” Chorus! Still, while that might seem like a shaky move, Sox fans have to remember that Matsuzaka-san’s big-game dominance in the World Baseball Classic and throughout his Japanese career were two of the biggest reasons they were willing to shell out the GDP of a Central American nation to sign him. So what the hell, let’s roll with the Dice-Man.
OF course, if the Sox were playing the Angels, the schedule would mean two shots for both C.C. Sabathia and the operatic Fausto Carmona, which would be a VERY bad thing (good luck New York! Not!). But with the Angels, it means Jon Lackey at Fenway, where he’s been ROCKED (0-2, 8.38 ERA at the Fens) and Kelvim “Don’t Call me Kelvin” Escobar. That’s a much more palatable double dip, wouldn’t you say.
Then there’s the bullpen factor. While Hideki Okajima looked great against Minnesota over the weekend, there are bound to be some lingering concerns about the health of his arm. Having an extra day of rest between the first three games on helps things from a set-up angle.
2) The Red Sox went 6-4 against the Angels this season, but that includes a three-game sweep in April, when the Angels were struggling with injuries. How afraid should Red Sox fans be of the Angels? Would they have been better off drawing Cleveland in the first round?
The answer to the second part of this question, quite frankly, is a resounding NO! The Indians are straight up terrifying, and while the Halos can cause a lot of headaches on the basepaths, they’re incredibly over reliant on three guys for their power numbers: 1) Vlad Guerrero, who may have hurt his hand in the season’s final series, 2) Gary Matthews Jr., who DEFINITELY hurt his knee in the final series, and 3) old Boston favorite Orlando Cabrera, who has been dinged up a good portion of the season. If Boston’s pitchers can keep the O-Cab and gnats like Chone Figgins off the basepaths, there shouldn’t be too much to worry about. Certainly, the pitching seems like a distinct Boston advantage (again, see above), which wouldn’t be the case against the Tribe. We’ll see if that shakes out later, but let’s note get ahead of ourselves. Or the Red Sox.
3) Josh Beckett has been reliable throughout the season. For a second, though, let’s say he loses Game 1. Does anything change for the Sox?
Nope. If Joshie gets rocked, then Joshie gets rocked. One would hope he can find a way to avoid the kind of meltdown he had against Minny at the Fens the other day, but you never know. Down 0-1, Game 2 obviously becomes a virtual must win, but isn’t that when you want Dice-K on the mound? And any questions about his ability to come through in big games should be somewhat quelled by his performance in his last three regular season starts, which ranged from admirable to downright dominant. Ask Minnesota.
4) The Angels clinched the American League West on Sept. 23, then rested their regulars a fair amount of the time thereafter. It’s an age-old question, but advantage or disadvantage?
Neither, because while it might have helped, when Mike Sciosca played his starters they kept getting hurt! It’s remarkable. While it would have seemed like a nice refreshing bounce going into the playoffs, now LA has a handful of questions about Jr. Matthews, Vlad the Impaler, etc. (see above). So much for the rest, huh?
5) Tell us something that’s not common knowledge about this matchup. Anything the common fan has not noticed, do you think?
There’s so much talk about how the Angels run right at teams, about how they’re terror on the basebaths, you fill in your own baseball cliche here, basically. But as much as the Halos could present problems, some of that is mitigated by Tim Wakefield being left off the roster, which helps both in keeping them from running on him and also keeping Varitek as the arm behind the plate. Conversely, the Sox could be in an interesting position to turn the “run-happy” table on LA of Anaheim of Orange County of California of you get the idea. If Tito stacks the bottom of the lineup with two of Coco Crisp, Julio Lugo and Jacoby Ellsbury, you can bet those guys will be galloping trying to create runs. Ellsbury in particular could have a huge impact on the series. It’ll be fascinating to see how Tito works him into lineups and, failing that, into games as a super-sub. As good as J.D. Drew has been the last couple weeks, Ellsbury has been a revelation at the plate and on the base paths. It’s almost impossible to imagine he’s not going to get serious run, whether he’s filling in for Drew or Crisp. We do know he won’t be filling in for Manny, barring an injury. In fact, let’s not even imagine that possibility. Just forget I just wrote that. I’ll go singe the hair off my left forearm as pennance, so don’t worry, we’re all good.
As for the Angels, one HUGE dark horse to watch for is Casey Kotchman. We really can’t figure out why for the life of us, but the guy just gets Boston pitching. He hit a remarkable .343 against the Sox this year, with a handful of those hits making a difference out in Anaheim. Yes Sox fans, this is your official cue to go start digging up personal dirt to scream at him at the plate tomorrow afternoon.
6) So, who will win? What separates these two teams in the end?
Pitching separates the two teams in the end, just as it always does in the playoffs. Naturally, the Sox will have to get to the Angels’ starters, because the LA pen is pretty damn solid, what with Justin Speier and Scott Shields setting up K-Rod. It mirrors the Sox pen (the GOOD version) remarkably well, all the way down to Shields having an off year (see Eric Gagne) and Speier making up for it (see Okaji-san).
Still, with Matthews and Guerrero’s gimpiness, and with Lackey’s regular season tribulations as Fenway hanging like an albatross across Game 1, it’s hard to image the Sox go to Anaheim down 0-2, and really that’s the one way the Angels would seem like prohibitive favorites to pull out the series.
That means I’m picking the Sox, in either 3 or 4. I don’t see this puppy going full like those epic Oakland and Cleveland Divisional slates of the late ’90s. With a gun to my head I’d say 4 games as a buffer for a mediocre start from either Dice-K or “Buy my house in Medfield!”, but I would not be shocked by a sweep. Here’s hoping, right?
Maybe you’ve seen it by now, maybe you haven’t. If you’re in the latter category, you need to keep reading below.
When Boston clinched the AL East with New York’s loss Friday night, there were a number of notable Sox players who went back out onto the field to celebrate with the scattered fans who remained in Fenway Park. Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka show up in numerous photos, as do Tim Wakefield and David Ortiz, among others.
But while those players may have earned the most ink, no one could keep up with closer Jonathan Papelbon, who may have made a bigger ass out of himself than anyone since, well, George W. Bush. But don’t take our word for it, check it out yourself:
That’s right Red Sox fans, your closer of past, present and future is quite the Irish dancer. In fact, even Kevin Youkilis and Terry Francona were pretty taken with his moves, Youk in person and Tito, well, in the press, here via the Boston Globe.
“If he wasn’t, I’ll make sure Manny is aware we won today.”
But no one present last night, including Francona, missed Jonathan Papelbon’s wild Irish jig on the mound after the game.
“You mean, ‘The Riverdance’?” Francona said. “That’s one of the . . . he looked to me . . . I don’t want to call him a moron, but the only thing better than that was when he was inside dancing, wearing only a jock.
“That’s him. He’s young, carefree, a great kid. That said, when he gets on the mound, he’s all business. It’s a good mix.”
That’s right, a carefree kid with a nasty fastball, ridiculous splitter and a filthy new pitch which he calls a slutter. All puns intended, of course.
Remember a couple of days ago, when we wrote about how sometimes the best help a team can get comes from an enemy? Well, last night it just came from a different enemy, one you usually can’t count on getting help from.
Paps was in the spirit last night. Sox fans will just hope he gets back in the spirit what, three more times?
That’s right. Thank you Baltimore.
With the Orioles furious comeback and dramatic 10th inning victory over the Yankees, the Red Sox sealed their first AL East title in 12 years. This on the heels of the best Dice-K outing in a couple of weeks - a win which the Dice-man will be able to stew over and gain confidence from for a full week - and suddenly life is rosy again. Like spending a night with Marisa Miller. Sure, she’s a surfer from California, which might not seem like the best karma heading into a series against a team once called the California Angels. But who cares. Boston is the AL East champion, and Marisa Miller’s about as hot as you can get.
That’s right. It’s a celebration bitches.
And why shouldn’t it be? Sure, there were rough moments the past month. Or two. And there’s been plenty of hystrionics as a result, many of which Terry Francona and co. probably didn’t fully deserve (some of them they did).
But in the end, it’s all turned out about as well as it could have in the regular season. The Sox have a bona fide Cy Young candidate, and it’s not the one almost anyone would have thought it would be, with the notable exception of the Globe’s Gordon Edes, of couse. Dasiuke Matsuzaka has 15 wins, despite a late-season slump and at least three, if not four, games in which he should have earned a win if his team had shown up with any bats at all. Curt Schilling has looked better in his last three starts than in the rest of the season - near no-hitter not included - and despite concern about Hideki Okajima, even Eric Gagne looked strong the last couple of times out. If you can overlook the sudden loss of Clay Buchholz, who had the potential to make a serious impact as a rookie, there’s little to be upset about at the moment.
And then there’s all to be happy about. An AL East title. A 50 percent shot of the best record in the bigs headed into the playoffs. A chance to line up the rotation perfectly, while also resting Big Papi, who blasted another bomb last night, Manny and the rest of the regulars.
Mmmmm. Marisa Miller. That’s a celebration worth winning, huh?
All of that is secondary to last night’s champagne room, of course, a celebration worthy of Ms. Miller herself. Red Sox fans will be hoping to see more of her, of course, but it’s nice to see an initial appearance before the end of the regular season for a chance, isn’t it?
Red Sox fans had to know that Theo Epstein’s build from within program was eventually going to creep back around and affect the team’s success one season. The team has developed such strict pitch/inning counts on young pitchers, that it was inevitable eventually one young gun would make an impact, then be held back despite the help he could give the big league club. There’s good reason for it, and the restraint definitely is in the best interest of the franchise’s future.
This will be the lasting memory of Clay Buchholz’s first spin in a Red Sox uniform, even if Boston wins the World Series. It didn’t have to be that way.
But it’s not in the franchise’s best interest now. Not only that, in the perilous case of Clay Buchholz, it may be a crushing blow to the team’s immediate playoff hopes.
By taking Buchholz out of the playoff equation, Epstein is essentially denying Terry Francona an ultimate playoff security blanket. While the team would intend to use Buchholz as an inning-by-inning reliever (think K-Rod circa 2002), it’s eminently possible that, should Tim Wakefield or Daisuke Matsuzaka falter badly in a start, or suffer an injury, sickness, you name it, Buchholz could have served as an incredible fill-in starter.
Admit it, you know it’s true. In fact, it’s more than true. If Buchholz had been on the roster, it’s probably almost inevitable that he either would have ended up with a playoff start, or at least worked the equivalent of one, entering in the second or third inning should another starter’s afternoon/evening go horribly wrong (think Matt Clement. Or don’t think it. That one is pretty painful to dwell on.).
In the end, that’s almost certainly what Epstein, assistant GM Ben Cherrington and the front office is thinking in shutting Buchholz down before the postseason even gets going. If Buchholz had entered a game and been as successful as most Sox fans - and baseball analysts, for that matter - assume he would be, it’s hard to believe that Francona would have been able to resist using him at every corner, particularly with the fatigue in the bullpen and ineffectiveness of important role relievers like Hideki Okajima down the stretch.
Does that make the move more understandable? Absolutely. There’s not even any question. Does it make it the right move? Not necessarily. If Boston feels it’s on the precipice of a World Series, how can it possibly justify keeping a golden bullet like Buchholz sheathed in its gun. Or stands, as the case may be. How can the Red Sox turn their back on a guy who’s been little short of incredible in his first few weeks on the job, give or take one horrible toss to third base in his third start?
How can the Red Sox forget about a pitcher who may have the second best stuff on a playoff team’s entire staff, better even than a guy who Boston paid $106 million for, throws six different pitches and was called a national treasure by the guy who paid $106 million?
That’s easy. They can’t forget about that guy. If they say they can, they’re lying. And while Epstein and even Francona may move on as if they know the full impact of this decision, there’s little doubt that it’ll haunt both if it ends up playing the decisive role in the postseason that it could.
It’s a big move folks. A big move. Now the Red Sox have to hope Hideki Okajima can return to form after his respite, Eric Gagne can channel his inner Dodger and Jonathan Papelbon can pitch like the mule he wants to be.
Dice-K has been looking for something throughout the second half of the season. Now Sox fans are starting to get impatient that he hasn’t found it.
With Josh Beckett on the mound for the last time in the regular season, and with Big Papi officially reaching postseason form with a 4-4 night that included another homer, the Red Sox found a way to lose. In the process, Beckett may have lost a potential exclamation point in his Cy Young argument with Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia.
Regardless, the bigger - and more important - point is that the Red Sox lost a game while playing their starters, while that team down in the Bronx won a game at the Tropicana Terror Dome, pulling within two of the Sox with three to go. The AL East is not won yet.
Tonight, the Sox can cut that number to one with a win, just as they could last night. And just as yesterday provided Beckett with a valuable final tune-up (you judge whether or not it was wasted), tonight offers the same opportunity for Daisuke Matsuzaka, the pitcher that has looked like he could use it more than any other in recent weeks.
Matsuzaka has been impressive through the bulk of his last two outings, both of which ended in no-decisions on his behalf. But he might have to be even better tonight, facing off against Minnesota rookie rising star Kevin Slowey, a pitcher who’s stuff does anything but follow the lead of his name. Slowey has yet to lose a start this year, much like Jon Lester, though he has been almost exactly as hittable as Matsuzaka-san.
The question, of course, is whether the rookie will be more phased in his first Fenway appearance than the psuedo-rookie will be in his latest crunch time start heading toward the playoffs. In all fairness, Dice-K has not given too much to complain about as his starts have mattered more. Despite a mini-meltdown last week when he couldn’t finish off an inning, he had a terrific start against the Yankees in the game prior. A third stable start in a row, combined with what will likely be a full week of rest, and Dice-K may be in fully fine form for his playoff premiere.
But a shaky start and another loss will add more instability to a potential division title and the Sox postseason pitching plans. After the past three weeks, that’s the last thing New England’s fragile psyche needs heading into the playoffs.
It’s an easy equation really. Win two games, and the Red Sox get the Angels in the first round. Lose out, or drop three of four to Minninniesota, watch the Yankees take three of four, and play Cleveland.
The ability to use Dice-K more than once in a five-game series would be a big advantage for the Sox, no?
As much as it might seem like the second scenario bodes equally well for postseason success, the Red Sox do NOT want to go into the playoffs limping as the Wild Card. Here’s why.
1) If the Sox can finish with the best record in the AL - and the best in the majors by defunct - they get to pick when they start the playoffs. No biggie, right? Wrong. Should the Sox elect to open the playoffs next Wednesday, they would get a five game series in which they could pitch only their top three pitchers. That’s Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling and Daisuke Matsuzaka, with Beckett and either Schilling or Matsuzaka going twice, if necessary. That’s a big advantage, regardless of opponent.
2) Despite the fact that the Red Sox won the season series with Cleveland, the Indians are not the team to be tangling horns with right now. The Tribe has cruised through September, sweeping reigning AL champ Detroit out of the playoffs during a remarkable hot streak. The biggest two factors in that push have been C.C. Sabathia, i.e. Monsieur Beckett’s primary competition for the AL Cy Young, and second-year star Fausto Carmona. Wait, that Fausto Carmona? The one who gave up back-to-back walk-off hits to the Sox a year ago? The same. And if you watched him pitch against Boston earlier this summer, you know the difference between his two incarnations. No one wants any part of the Sabathia-Carmona double, particularly if you have you beat Carmona twice to advance. Yikes.
3) As much as final records serve as relatively bland trivia facts in the big scheme of things, they do have a significant impact on momentum headed into the playoffs. And let’s be completely frank, no one wants to cruise into the postseason on the brink of a meltdown. That’s the exact precipice the Sox appeared to be on a week ago, but they’ve since turned a corner behind a strong Schilling start and a patchwork outing from Jon Lester, Kyle Snyder and co. A good finish against Minnesota, a team which is finally grounded but suddenly playing like the ocntender they traditionally are, would be a great test heading into the playoffs. And the sooner the Sox can clinch the division, giving regulars a chance to rest as a result, the better.
Is any of this make or break to reach the World Series? Definitely not. After all, while Cleveland may look like the nightmare matchup at the moment, Anaheim is the team that keeps Yankee fans awake at night. Nonetheless, so much of the playoffs is about a team finding the easiest road possible. Remember 2004, when the Sox swept the Angels to set up a fully rested ALCS against the more entrenched Yankees? We all know how that turned out, and anyone who says the Yanks weren’t breathing fumes a bit in Game 7 doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
C.C. Sabathia may be a crooked-hat chunker, but he’s having an almost transcendent year for the Indians. That’s as good a reason as any to not want to play them.
So here’s hoping for a nice tidy conclusion, rather than another epic, drawn out, down to the wire race for a division title. Otherwise so much of the aforementioned three advantages will wash away like a flotilla of leaves in a September shower.
It may not be the whole enchilada, but it’s a hell of an appetizer, isn’t it? It’s a little like waking up next to Tara Connor; it might not have happened under the most holistic conditions, what with the Red Sox ongoing meltdown, but it sure looks good in the morning regardless.
Tara Connor and a nice bottle of Brut? Hard to beat, unless it’s an AL East or World Series title.
The Red Sox sewed up a playoff berth, aborting the frustrating conclusion of 2006, by mounting a ninth-inning comeback against Tampa Bay in the dome. Just when it appeared the Boston bullpen had blown a sure-fire win - again - the captain himself came to the rescue, with Jason Varitek launching a game-tying homer to start things off, then Eric Hinske knocking a double to start the game-winning explosion. Naturally, Jacoby Ellsbury had a hand in the spurt, providing the latest proof that Boston’s bounce-back is being powered by its internal youth movement, not the mediocre over-priced free agents (though Julio Lugo is making a late case for himself, isn’t he?).
Still, so much of the credit for the win should go where the win that should have been last Friday should go, too: Daisuke Matsuzaka. Suddenly, the Dice-man is back on schedule and looking like the dominant pitcher he was early in the season.
Of course there was the inevitable letdown when Terry Francona summoned Javier Lopez from the bullpen instead of the significantly more reliable Manny Delcarmen or Mike Timlin, matchups be damned.
Tara Connor gone wild. Like we hope the Red Sox will.
In the end, it all worked out, right? And what better place to celebrate than Florida?
Especially when you’re celebrating with Tara Connor.
And tonight, the great Boston resurrection continues?
Dice-K’s been in better moods at earlier points in the season.
Good question right? Last night the Sox got through Tampa Bay’s best starter and still escaped with a win, thanks to your future AL Cy Young winner Josh Beckett. Not only that, they also got some keen help from the team that spent the better part of the last week trash bagging them: Toronto. The Blue Jays beat the Yankees at Yankee Stadium, and they spent a full 14 innings doing so, wearing out some of the pinstripe bullpen in the process. Including Joba the Piglet.
Not a bad way to start a weekend.
Still, that extra game buffer will mean nothing if Boston blows game two tonight. The mercurial Japanese national treasure is back on the mound, and his very appearance will underscore just how unpredictable he may be for the rest of the year. Before his last start against the Yankees - a significant and strong outing eight days ago - Dice-K had five consecutive woeful starts, each looking more tired than the previous. Then last week he looked like vintage Dice, tossed either his best or second-best outing against the Yankees this season, and seemed destined for a win.
Of course, we know what happened after that.
Tonight he gets a significantly easier lineup, though it’s one he’s struggled with before. In fact, that up-and-down line graph is a true theme for the game, as Tampa starter Andy Sonnastine has gone through similar issues against the Sox this season.
So which starter shows up with his good stuff? And which lineup comes through with big hits tonight? The Sox looked like they were on a mission last night. Dustin Pedroia and Jacoby Ellsbury looked like MVP candidates, not rookies. Big Papi blasted a shot that was remiscent of the past three years. Mike Lowell looked like, well, Dr. Double with more power, which he’s done in leading the team throughout the second half.
Did the Sox use up their entire quota of clutch hits last night? Will Dice-K be able to overcome the stigma of traveling through international customs in a Teletubby costume? While Manny Ramirez remember that he still plays for the Sox and make a guest cameo, as if he was on a mid-90s sitcom or a new late-night MTV show hosted by Will Smith that’s a direct rip-off of Wild N’ Out?
Did that last question even make any sense? The answer to the last two questions is no. But the answers to the first two are much more significant. Now comes the time where we figure out what they are.
Or, if you’re on the other side of the pond, it’s time to watch Dice in his other role, as LaLa. Either way, enjoy.
So we’ll be brief. To be honest, we tried to kick our ass into blogging something last night, but we were too distracted by the latest Terry Francona act of incredible flexibility, stabbing himself in the back with his dinner fork, this time by leaving Eric Gagne in after his control took a late flight back to the states from Toronto.
Hey Tito, wouldn’t this one be easier to slide into your upper scapula?
Seriously, does anyone have any idea how the hell this is happening? And is there any way we can just move past this whole painful collapse thing if all Red Sox fans agree to take five giant punches to the gut at exactly the same time around the world? I’d sign on for that right now without a second thought. We really would.
Tonight the Sox get another shot at redemption … again. And again it falls on the young arm of Clay Buchholz, who’ll be starting for the first time since his no-hitter against the Orioles. In fact, the last time he pitched it was also against the Orioles, and he didn’t give up any runs then, either. Toronto may be a slightly different scene, but the stakes and pressure will be even higher, if anything.
Amazingly, the sight of a rookie on the mound is actually comforting. Buchholz has been one of the few players who looks like he’s thrived in pressure spots in the second half of the season. There have been flashes of clutch Big Papi moments and others when he looks flamed out. Dustin Pedroia has generally looked terrific, Mike Lowell has been outstanding and Jacoby Ellsbury, last night’s game-ending strikeout aside, still looks like the guy you want up with the game on the line. That, of course, doesn’t say much about Monsieur J.D. Drew.
On the mound, Josh Beckett continue to be “the man”, but outside of him, the rotation suddenly looks like a Palestinian mine field. Shockingly, Jon Lester has been the next most consistent option the past two weeks, and despite his earlier struggles of late, Daisuke Matsuzaka’s last outing against the Yankees leaves plenty of optimism about his postseason chances. It was a huge game and he pitched terrificly. It’s not his fault he got stuck with a loss.
Ummmm, anyone think we can get Kason back? We’ll take him.
That, of course, leads us to the bullpen, which is too brutal to even talk about right now. We can’t bring ourselves to do it. So we won’t.
Instead, we’ll get back to looking for that extended BBQ fork. We may not be as flexible as Tito, but it’s hard not to get into the self-mutilating action right about now.
Three out of four in Baltimore isn’t bad, right? I mean, when you go on the road, anytime you take three out of four is good, right?
Another strong Josh Beckett start was among the positives the Sox could take away from Maryland.
Normally that’s the case. And to a large extent it’s the case here, too. But with the fiery implosion of Daisuke Matsuzaka Saturday night, taking three out of four in Baltisnore, losing a half game on the lead over the surging Yanks in the process, almost felt like slipping slowly under while treading water.
And anytime you’re holding steady in the best circumstances, falling under in the worst, that’s not a good thing.
Nonetheless, there was plenty of good that came out of the Baltimore bake job. So let’s look at the positives:
1) Josh Beckett had a second-straight start back on the straight and narrow. After a solid outing marred mostly by a single bad pitch, Beckett cruised in Baltimore, getting his 18th win in the process. Not a bad bounce back season, eh?
2) The Jacoby Ellsbury experiment continued to thrive, with the outfielder coming through with a handful of terrific plays in the field, launching a passel of hits and seemingly taking a firm hold of the lead-off spot in the process. Obviously that last claim is apt to be revised depending on Terry Francona’s mental stability and the sensitivity of other Red Sox - because we all know Tito’s big on holding players’ hands - but Ellsbury has been nothing short of a revelation in his first week.
3) Clay Buchholz in relief? Looks like a good fit. We know that he can’t start because of the preseason prescribed 155-inning limit on his pitching work. But if Buchholz can be effective in two and three inning spurts, that’s another weapon in the bullpen, which with the sudden moderate ineffectiveness of Hideki Okajima and the extended injury of Eric Gagne, is a big help.
It wasn’t a no-hitter, but Buchholz’s three innings of relief on Thursday were still dazzling.
4) Big Papi finally looks like Big Papi. He was crushing balls all over Camden Yards, which was a reassuring sight, particularly with the absence of Manny Ramirez. The Sox need the power, and that takes a huge burden off of Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis, who are finally hitting simultaneously, which makes the lineup turn over a lot better, to say the least.
And now, of course, the Sox get Tampa Bay, which should be patsy No. 2 on the radar. But outside of Tim Wakefield, whose success against the Rays is more than legendary, no other games should be a lock. Carlos Pena is hitting like a machine, the young Tampa pitching staff is finally starting to click a bit, and there’s plenty of reason for the Florida flounders to be optimisitc; they’ve won five of their last six series, after all.
Does that mean that Tampa will hold off the Sox tonight? Hardly. But it does add intrigue to a matchup that’s lacked it for quite some time, doesn’t it?
We certainly think so. And that gives us more than enough reason to tune in.
