Brad Penny is surprising me. I really didn't expect that much out of him. I figured between him and John Smoltz, maybe you get lucky with one, maybe not. But, I have to say he's throwing the hell out of the ball. He looks motivated and seems to get a bit stronger each time out. And, he's pitching tough with runners in scoring position. The velocity is coming back, first few starts he was at 89-90, now the heater is 95 consistently. Certainly, I think there is something to the shoulder program that many of the Sox pitchers are on. Now, if they can only get Dice K on it.
Speaking of Dice K, this was the perfect way to handle the situation. Send him somewhere (preferably not too close to McDonalds) where he can get his arm, body and mind in shape. They do not need him right now. I figure we won't see him at all until August 1 or beyond. By then, we'll know where we are with Smoltz and Clay Buchholz is waiting in the wings if anyone falters. I really think it's put up or shut up time for Matsuzaka. There's a lot of mileage on that arm. He is a tremendously gifted pitcher, but I'm not sure he ever really bought into the American way and better yet, the Red Sox way. The Sox are lucky in that their strength and conditioning team and John Farrell are top notch. There is more to pitching than just throwing tons of pitches each day. Let Dice take all the time he needs to get everything going.
It has been impressive to see the Sox winning consistently with Youkilis, Bay, Pedroia and Varitek all struggling at the plate. David Ortiz has picked it up and Ellsbury and Green have contributed a ton. It's only a matter of days when Julio Lugo is handed his pink slip. Green has earned his spot and is making Sox fans forget about Alex Cora.
Finally, it appears that Manny Ramirez will take the next 10 days or so to get back in playing shape by appearing in Triple A games. I understand that there's no rule against this, but there should be. It's a disgrace that he gets to play minor league ball while suspended from Major League ball. I understand that Albuquerque will prosper from this at the box office, but it's still a farce. Manny should not be allowed on a pro field until his suspension is up, then it's up to him and the team on how they get the rust off.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Dice K
The Red Sox are being coy about their plans for the rotation going forward. John Smoltz has made 5 rehab starts and is stretched out reasonably enough so as to not be a huge burden on the Sox's bullpen. While it's possible they have Smoltz make one more rehab start at Pawtucket, sooner or later they are going to have to make a decision on the rotation and also the roster.
Lester and Beckett (other than yesterday) have been pitching well and it's probably too early to work in some sort of break for them. Wakefield certainly deserves to keep pitching as does Brad Penny. Though I think they could definitely move Penny closer to the deadline, I don't believe they'll do it right now. They need to play the cat and mouse game a bit longer. A tweaked groin, a blister or a strained oblique is what the Sox are looking for right now where the decision is made for them.
Assuming none of this takes place, this leaves Dice K as worthy of a few hundred words of discussion. First off, the fact that he was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic was a joke. I watched him pitch twice and he resembled the DiceK we've been seeing here. A lot of scrambling, middling velocity and high pitch counts. He was dominant at the WBC in '06, but not this time. I don't think he had his legs under him at any point this year.
Take a look at the guy. I see a puffy looking dude. He almost looks like one of those kids a year or so before puberty. Chubby face and features. He's such a legend back home in Japan. I just have to wonder about his conditioning. He looks 15 pounds heavier than last year. He probably slacked off during the offseason, accelerated his program for the WBC too quickly and simply does not have the foundation to build off of right now. He's already been on the DL for a "fatiqued" shoulder. His velocity has ticked up a bit since coming back, but is still less than what we are accustomed to. He still works slowly and looks almost lethargic out there.
Assuming nothing happens with a tweak or a pitcher isn't given a break or traded, the best move for the Sox would be to send Dice K to Florida for 2-3 weeks and get him back to basics. Conditioning, longtossing and plenty of shoulder work should be incorporated. It would be a shame to see the Sox trade Penny right now or invent an injury to Wakefield or something along those lines. Disabling DiceK would also save the likely roster spot of Daniel Bard or even Justin Masterson who still have options.
Lester and Beckett (other than yesterday) have been pitching well and it's probably too early to work in some sort of break for them. Wakefield certainly deserves to keep pitching as does Brad Penny. Though I think they could definitely move Penny closer to the deadline, I don't believe they'll do it right now. They need to play the cat and mouse game a bit longer. A tweaked groin, a blister or a strained oblique is what the Sox are looking for right now where the decision is made for them.
Assuming none of this takes place, this leaves Dice K as worthy of a few hundred words of discussion. First off, the fact that he was named MVP of the World Baseball Classic was a joke. I watched him pitch twice and he resembled the DiceK we've been seeing here. A lot of scrambling, middling velocity and high pitch counts. He was dominant at the WBC in '06, but not this time. I don't think he had his legs under him at any point this year.
Take a look at the guy. I see a puffy looking dude. He almost looks like one of those kids a year or so before puberty. Chubby face and features. He's such a legend back home in Japan. I just have to wonder about his conditioning. He looks 15 pounds heavier than last year. He probably slacked off during the offseason, accelerated his program for the WBC too quickly and simply does not have the foundation to build off of right now. He's already been on the DL for a "fatiqued" shoulder. His velocity has ticked up a bit since coming back, but is still less than what we are accustomed to. He still works slowly and looks almost lethargic out there.
Assuming nothing happens with a tweak or a pitcher isn't given a break or traded, the best move for the Sox would be to send Dice K to Florida for 2-3 weeks and get him back to basics. Conditioning, longtossing and plenty of shoulder work should be incorporated. It would be a shame to see the Sox trade Penny right now or invent an injury to Wakefield or something along those lines. Disabling DiceK would also save the likely roster spot of Daniel Bard or even Justin Masterson who still have options.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Radar Gun at Fenway:
Is it just me or have they tweaked this thing lately? My theory is that since they've gotten Daniel Bard, they've been playing some games out there. Bard throws hard, that's for sure. But, I'm seeing Ramon Ramirez hit 95 all of a sudden. I've seen 97-98 from Jon Lester. And, I'm seeing the same from Brad Penny. I think they must have rehired the people in charge of the gun in the 1999 All-Star game when Pedro Martinez was hitting 98-99.
Musings on a Friday:
Nice series by the Sox sweeping the Yanks. Francona, Farrell and company always seem to be one step ahead of Joe Girardi and the Yankees. Last night's game was a game they should have lost, but they found a way and head into this weekend's series against the Phillies in good shape.
Kevin Youkilis is turning into a superstar in front of our eyes. He needs to stay in that 3rd spot the rest of the year. He does everything very well. Though not regarded as a speedster, he might be one of the top Red Sox base runners. He's hitting for more power, taking his walks when they don't pitch to him and is playing great at first base.
Jason Bay is leveling off a bit. He's down now under .280, but he's still taking his walks. He is incredibly vulnerable to low and outside sliders. They are pitching him there more and the strikeouts are starting to pile up a bit. Here's hoping he makes an adjustment to either lay off these pitches or start hitting the ball to right a little bit.
Speaking of adjustments, JD Drew is locked in right now. He's been hitting the left field wall on a regular basis lately. Though I think their best alignment for the long haul is having Ellsbury leadoff followed by Pedrioa, Drew is well suited to hit 2nd. He takes a lot of pitches, has some power and runs very well. Pedrioa is wasted a bit in the leadoff spot in Francona's current lineup. Ellsbury just hasn't walked enough to get his OBP up in that .360 range which is what they have to have up there.
I give Johnny Damon a lot of credit. He's a fine player and really hasn't slipped much. He'll garner a nice contract from someone in the offseason. I can see the Yanks going hard after Jason Bay if he doesn't sign with Boston. Bay's value appears to have eclipsed Matt Holiday's at this point.
As soon as Jed Lowrie is ready and he proves he's healthy, I think Julio Lugo will be designated for assignment. I'm amazed at what Nick Green has been able to do.
It puzzles me to think about what the Sox will do when John Smoltz is ready next week. I just cannot see them trading Brad Penny now, at least not until they are sure Smoltz will be able to handle the load. Do they put Dice K back on the DL to build up arm strength? Do they give Beckett or Lester a blow? Do they invent some sort of 6 man rotation where Beckett and Lester stay in turn, and the other 4 guys get additional rest? Yes, these things always have a way of working themselves out, but this one is going down to the wire.
Justin Masterson hasn't pitched much. He's kind of the odd guy out right now. And, he doesn't slot in real well with the Phillies this weekend. The Phillies are very lefty based and have a lot of switch hitters who tend to have pretty good success against Masterson.
Kevin Youkilis is turning into a superstar in front of our eyes. He needs to stay in that 3rd spot the rest of the year. He does everything very well. Though not regarded as a speedster, he might be one of the top Red Sox base runners. He's hitting for more power, taking his walks when they don't pitch to him and is playing great at first base.
Jason Bay is leveling off a bit. He's down now under .280, but he's still taking his walks. He is incredibly vulnerable to low and outside sliders. They are pitching him there more and the strikeouts are starting to pile up a bit. Here's hoping he makes an adjustment to either lay off these pitches or start hitting the ball to right a little bit.
Speaking of adjustments, JD Drew is locked in right now. He's been hitting the left field wall on a regular basis lately. Though I think their best alignment for the long haul is having Ellsbury leadoff followed by Pedrioa, Drew is well suited to hit 2nd. He takes a lot of pitches, has some power and runs very well. Pedrioa is wasted a bit in the leadoff spot in Francona's current lineup. Ellsbury just hasn't walked enough to get his OBP up in that .360 range which is what they have to have up there.
I give Johnny Damon a lot of credit. He's a fine player and really hasn't slipped much. He'll garner a nice contract from someone in the offseason. I can see the Yanks going hard after Jason Bay if he doesn't sign with Boston. Bay's value appears to have eclipsed Matt Holiday's at this point.
As soon as Jed Lowrie is ready and he proves he's healthy, I think Julio Lugo will be designated for assignment. I'm amazed at what Nick Green has been able to do.
It puzzles me to think about what the Sox will do when John Smoltz is ready next week. I just cannot see them trading Brad Penny now, at least not until they are sure Smoltz will be able to handle the load. Do they put Dice K back on the DL to build up arm strength? Do they give Beckett or Lester a blow? Do they invent some sort of 6 man rotation where Beckett and Lester stay in turn, and the other 4 guys get additional rest? Yes, these things always have a way of working themselves out, but this one is going down to the wire.
Justin Masterson hasn't pitched much. He's kind of the odd guy out right now. And, he doesn't slot in real well with the Phillies this weekend. The Phillies are very lefty based and have a lot of switch hitters who tend to have pretty good success against Masterson.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Anyone else excited about John Smoltz?
John Smoltz had another successful rehab outing yesterday at Class A Greenville. He pitched 5 innings giving up only one run. He struck out 6 without walking anyone and threw 73 pitches. The plan from here is for him to have 2 more rehab starts for Pawtucket and if all goes well, he'll be with the Sox probably by the middle of the month.I am excited to see him pitch. Kid and wife duties may interfere, but I intend on getting somewhere near Fenway the night he debuts for the Sox. If I can't get in the ballpark, I'll pull up a stool at Game On or Boston Beer Works and watch the show. I have no idea whose spot he'll take. Maybe Dice K goes back on the DL, maybe they invent a boo boo for Beckett or Lester. Maybe Wake takes a breather or they trade Brad Penny. Doesn't matter to me.
In quickly persuing the Red Sox schedule, if all goes to plan, he would likely make his first start at home against the Yankees around June 10th or so. The old yard will be hopping that night. And, the very next weekend, the Sox host the Atlanta Braves, Smoltz old team which he pitched 21 years for. Wouldn't that be appropriate and I wouldn't doubt that Smoltz is pushing for the opportunity to pitch against an organization that didn't show him much love in the offseason. Can you tell that I'm excited?
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