This is getting ridiculous. Of the five scenarios I laid out a few days ago, two have been eliminated. Sox and Yanks will enter the final series within 2 games of each other. Really disappointing night, given the thrashing the Yanks received.
Sunday's finale: Mussina vs. Schilling. Whoop-de-fuckin'-doo.
Speaking of pitching problems, did I mention that I hate our bullpen?
ReplyDeleteThis is classic:
ReplyDeletehttp://seattlepi.nwsource.com/sports2day/permissionslip.pdf
Is there any doubt that this thing is headed to a one game playoff in the Bronx on Monday?
ReplyDeleteAgreed; hilarious; agreed.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of our bullpen, what's your thought X -- does the bullpen suck, or is Tito horribly mismanaging it? Comments in the blogs all say the latter, which seems utterly ridiculous to me. I'm getting in a bit of an argument with someone over here.
Yeah, basically as you stated here and I affirmed about a week ago - damned if you do. Damned if you don't.
ReplyDeleteI think there is some level of percieved mismanagement, but a lot of it is forced. He obviously doesn't trust the pen and pushes to get a lot out of his starters. He did it last week with Wake (in Tampa) except that was bringin him out for the 8th. He did it tonight. sure 100 pitches, but he was getting swings and misses tonight. He had pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning. And exactly like you said - who would he have brought in?
In hindsight it is easy to say maybe he should have given guys a clean inning.
Sox fans are not always the brightest. and the Sean o guy did not even answer your question of what he would do differently - other than to say he would have had someone warming up. Or did he say he would have relieved Curt. He just said Tito is an idiot. I wouldn't sweat any of that nonsense.
Could things have been done differently? sure. does our pen have a 5.5+ ERA. Yes. Roll the dice with Tito is the newest reality show on NESN.
Can't say I totally BLAME Theo. Embree went south in a hurry.
Foulke was hurt (who knows the real story there on who said what when about surgery).
That is about 120-150 tense innings that they had been counting on.
He tried a few things - Remlinger, Harville.
I do think he waited to long on the kids - I was clamoring for them to audition the likes of Papelbon and Lester well before the trading deadline.
And the price was way to high for an impact arm (Guadardo, Baez - these guys would have cost a Papelbon and a Hanley Ramirez).
I think that there is some mismanagement, and I think that there is some scoreboard watching. While I know that we are trying to win the whole division thing, I think that Francona looked at the scoreboard last night and saw the Yankees getting pummelled and Cleveland's loss. I think he was also thinking that we might get another run or two.
ReplyDeleteI think Hansen did a pretty damn good job in a very tough spot. The sac fly was tough, but he didn't get lit up. And talk about handling pressure. For a second I thought I saw the deer-in-the-headlights stare, but he got out of it.
Bradford also got us out of a very tough situation. However, bringing him in to start the next inning was a very bad move. If Hansen starts that inning, you are probably in much better shape.
Then Harville in the ninth? Not sure about that one...especially after he walked Hillenbrand (4 Ks already in the game) on 4 PITCHES...He should have been gone then. Bring in Delcarmen and go for the Ks...Gonzales is a long relief guy.
Getting back to scoreboard watching. Francona knows that we still have two more games against Toronto and that some of these guys are going on short rest against the Yankees this weekend. He saw that he could take some chances in this game without giving up any ground in the race(s). That's my theory. They were already trailing, and (in his defense) the game didn't ever get out of reach.
I know you are supposed to play for the win, but last night's game is not as important as the last 5...Let's hope the O's can get in to that Yankees pen again today...And can Tampa do it again?
Lilly tonight. Slowly but surely the Sox have been figuring him out.
I'm not sure how much Terry's scoreboard watching affected his judgement on the moves he made.
ReplyDeleteSure there are questionable moves, but he really does not have much to work with. And everyone one will second guess him on everything.
Hansen and Bradford both did very well in pressure situations. Although, I'm not sure what is going on with Delcarmen. Obviously there is something Terry doesn't trust there. He hasn't pitched in over a week - even though he K'd the side in his last appearance.
I think Terry just has so few options and none that he really trusts.
Right...I agree. But, Harville? Could Delcarmen really be worse? Not that I've seen.
ReplyDeleteThe scary thing about this upcoming weekend is that we only have Myers to face lefties. That means when Matsui comes up in a key situation we get to use Myers once and that is it...
I was looking at some PawSox numbers (and I know it is AAA) but I am surprised that Alvarez and Mark Malaska aren't here for some additional lefties in the pen. We expanded to 40, but I'll be damned if I see 40 guys on the roster...
I'm a little surprised not have seen Alvarez. He is on the 40 man roster. and he has already been brought up so his 3 year clos ic ticking.
ReplyDeleteMalaska is not on the 40 man roster - although they could (now) move Kapler to the 60 day DL.
Can Dinardo come out of the pen and face Matsui? I seem to recall Tito using him in that role last year in the stadium.
From another board:
ReplyDeleteAnd as for Delcarmen, Wallace and Francona said a few days ago he's been having difficulty with his breaking pitches, and he probably won't be used in a high pressure situation because the hitters are sitting on his fastball (which doesn't have as much movement as Papelbon's and Hansen's. Not yet, anyway.)
That was in the Globe yesterday as well.
ReplyDeleteInteresting...but then again, Francona said he wouldn't use Hansen in any tight situations. And, so far, sitting on the Delcarmen fastball hasn't done much for the hitters he's faced...
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, the Yankees keep marching Embree, Sturtze, and company out there...Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't...
And would using Delcarmen be worse than Harville even if people are sitting on his pitches? At least people have to try to catch up with the heat rather than watching it bounce in the dirt or off the backstop...
Is Sunday really Mussina v Schilling? I do feel good about that...Especially if Mussina pitches like he pitched yesterday...
ReplyDeleteWells v Wang isn't too bad, either...
Johnson v Wake...And I am guessing that, just like in last year's ALCS that everyone will be available...
If our bats come to life (PLEASE!!!) I have no problem believing that we can take 2 of 3...