Flushgarden 0 Posted March 28, 2009 Share Posted March 28, 2009 The pitching staff is looking stronger by the day. Here's a little something from Gammons... Now that Buchholz is driving his fastball down in the zone with power and can use his multiple curveballs and changeups for strikeout pitches, he looks like the front-of-the-rotation starter Boston dreamed he would be two years ago. But as the Red Sox get ready to leave The Fort, two major stories are: (1) the potential of 22-year-old Junichi Tazawa (three balls in three innings Thursday); and (2) the depth in the pen leading to Jonathan Papelbon, with Takashi Saito, Justin Masterson, Ramon Ramirez, Hideki Okajima, Manny Delcarmen and Javier Lopez. "There are a lot of teams sniffing around on guys like Delcarmen and Ramirez," one NL GM said. "But they want a premium young catcher or bat in return. When they're ready to bring Buchholz and [John] Smoltz into the equation, they may be dealing from a position of strength because of their pitching depth and the fact that they are so far under budget." Link to post Share on other sites
checkymcfold 0 Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 The pitching staff is looking stronger by the day. Here's a little something from Gammons...the pen is the best in the league, i'd argue, and although the rotation isn't the best, it's near the top and probably the deepest, at least. i wish that wakefield would become the long relief guy, but it's probably not gonna happen. i'm quite pleased with everything else, though.the lineup, however... Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 i wish that wakefield would become the long relief guy, but it's probably not gonna happen.You are dead to me. DEAD.Seriously though, I think there's a good chance that it will happen. Dice-K, Beckett, Lester, and Wake, but then you've got Buccholz, Penny, and Smoltz for the 5th spot. I think a decent guess is that Wake might spend the season going back and forth from the pen to the starting rotation, which of course is one of the things that makes him so valuable. Link to post Share on other sites
Flushgarden 0 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Its hard to have Wakefield in the pen...it just creates problems. He can't come in in the middle of an inning with runners on base, and Tek can't catch him. When you think about that, and then think about all of the other talent they have, you can't help but think he might be the odd man out soon. I really think this could be Wake's last year...at least in Boston. I'm sure he can be just as effective in 2009 as he was in 1999, that's not the problem. He can probably pitch at his current level for several more years, and I'm sure there are other teams that would love to have his services. They only way I see him staying in Boston is if they trade a couple of their young guys. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Its hard to have Wakefield in the pen...it just creates problems. He can't come in in the middle of an inning with runners on base, and Tek can't catch him. When you think about that, and then think about all of the other talent they have, you can't help but think he might be the odd man out soon. I really think this could be Wake's last year...at least in Boston. I'm sure he can be just as effective in 2009 as he was in 1999, that's not the problem. He can probably pitch at his current level for several more years, and I'm sure there are other teams that would love to have his services. They only way I see him staying in Boston is if they trade a couple of their young guys.I disagree, there are always injuries. I honestly find it unlikely that they would let him go unless he drops off. Having extra starters is just way too valuable - 5 is definitely not enough. Link to post Share on other sites
Moneyball16 0 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Yeah I dont think they need to trade any of their young arms or move Wakefield to the pen to make this work.I would go with Beckett, Matsuzaka, Lester, Wakefield and Penny in the rotation and if by some miracle these guys are all still healthy by June when Smoltz comes back I would move Penny to the pen instead of Wakefield. While doing this I would use Buchholz as the 7th starter and keep him in the pen when the teams healthy, use Bowden as the 8th starter, which they will probably have to use as some point, while keeping him in the minors and I would keep Masterson in the pen for the whole year unless some disaster happened.Since Buchholz's innings probably have to be limited and Beckett, Penny and Smoltz are all big injury risks I think there will be quite a few starts to go around for everyone.Since when healthy there could be quite the roster crunch I would probably be heavily shopping Javier Lopez since he would probably be one of the odd men out and looking for good value on trades for Delcarmen or Ramirez and even maybe Masterson.Its a great problem to have though cause that pitching staff is so so sick. It would be pretty cool to see that bullpen with everyone healthy.Also how awesome is Wakefield's contract. Recurring 4 million dollar options for as long as the Red Sox pick it up. Link to post Share on other sites
Flushgarden 0 Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Why keep a 4 in the rotation when he can be replaced by a young 2 with potential to be a 1? The 2010 rotation should look something like this:BeckettLesterDice-KBuchholzBowden...MastersonI'm not going to let guys like Buchholz, Bowden or Masterson not get the chance to reach their full potential as major league starters just to keep a mediocre starter on the back end of his career. All 3 should be given their chance to start at the major league level soon. It would be an outright tragedy to have one of them get stifled in the bullpen or at AAA for too long.Also, there is the potential for Penny to fully recover and be what he was, which is close to All-Star caliber. You'd rather have Wakefield over Penny at his best?They have the potential to have 7 dominant starters...so why do you want to keep a mediocre one? If its viable to keep Wake in the bullpen then ok, but I don't think he's going to be more effective than anyone we have there already. Yes, reliability and consistency counts for something, but you have to understand that the Red Sox have a unique opportunity to have a pitching staff that could be more dominating than any in a long time, maybe one of the best in history. A 42 year old 11-11 starter with a 4.35 ERA is just not needed, and indeed hinders the development of somebody who has a chance to be much greater than he ever was. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share Posted March 31, 2009 Also how awesome is Wakefield's contract. Recurring 4 million dollar options for as long as the Red Sox pick it up.Yep, and I think they have basically a word of honor agreement that they will continue to re-sign him every year until he's done or stops being effective. He's the longest tenured Red Sock, I'm pretty sure he isn't going anywhere. Anyways we need him around to train Charlie Zink!They have the potential to have 7 dominant starters...so why do you want to keep a mediocre one?Because potential is just that - potential. They don't have 7 healthy dominant starters, and they almost certainly never will. A 42 year old 11-11 starter with a 4.35 ERA just not needed, and indeed hinders the development of somebody who has a chance to be much greater than he ever was.Just for the record, his ERA last season was 4.13, decently below the league average. In 2007 he won 17 games. That is a lot. Oh also we won the World Series that year . COME ON! Remember the 12th, 13th, and 14th innings of game 5 of the 2004 ALCS?? That alone should be enough! Link to post Share on other sites
Moneyball16 0 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Dude Brad Penny had a 6.27 ERA least year with a K/BB ratio of 51/42 in the NL West. He has been better in previous years, and might rebound, but I wouldn't be so sure after all the injuries. I would rather have Wake at this point than Penny. And like you were saying before Wake is a very bad fit for the pen where Penny would be a much better fit.Also I am still a big Buchholz fan but he has never thrown more than 76 innings in the majors in a season before and is coming off a season where he battle injuries and ineffectiveness. I think its just better for him to ease him into the rotation. Being the "7th starter" on this team and starting out in the bullpen he is still going to get probably 12-20 starts.With Bowden I wouldn't be so sure that he would be more effective than Wakefield. Also he has only 7 starts above AA so some time in AAA could do him good and with as injury prone as this rotation having Bowden in AAA giving the Sox that much more depth is a very good thing.And with Masterson I just think he is more effective this year as a reliever since the Sox already have so many starters and Masterson's results have been so much better in the pen. Things will probably be much different next year and if they don't have so much depth in the rotation I wouldn't have a problem with them making him a starter again.If Penny and Smoltz can establish themselves as healthy and effective before the trade deadline then it might be best to trade Wakefield, but right now I think the depth he gives them is very valuable. Also your 2010 rotation looks good, but I don't think having Buchholz in the pen for a bit and giving Bowden some more time at AAA will slow down their development and I actually think Clay will be better off long term if he starts in the pen. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 Sox set Opening Day rosterEmail|Link|Comments (4) Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff April 5, 2009 04:05 PM The Red Sox today set their 25-man roster for Opening Day by selecting infielder Nick Green to join the big club, Theo Epstein announced. Chris Carter also made the team as an outfielder.The roster includes 12 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders and five outfielders. Five players (righthanders Miguel Gonzalez and John Smoltz, infielder Julio Lugo, and outfielders Mark Kotsay and Jonathan Van Every) will begin the season on the 15-day disabled list.The Red Sox’ 2009 Opening Day Roster is as follows:Pitchers: Josh Beckett, Manny Delcarmen, Jon Lester, Javier Lopez, Justin Masterson, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Okajima, Jonathan Papelbon, Brad Penny, Ramon Ramirez, Takashi Saito, Tim WakefieldCatchers: George Kottaras, Jason VaritekInfielders: Nick Green, Mike Lowell, Jed Lowrie, David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin YoukilisOutfielders: Rocco Baldelli, Jason Bay, Chris Carter, J.D. Drew, Jacoby EllsburyAnd on another note, if Nomaaah can stay healthy he is set for his Fenway return on July 6. Link to post Share on other sites
serge 904 Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Bring it Sox fans....The Jays are gonna rock you this year..We arent expected to do much, but watch out.. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 Opening day is rained out . Link to post Share on other sites
serge 904 Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Opening day is rained out .lol..get a dome..We will play ball this evening... Link to post Share on other sites
Flushgarden 0 Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 Bring it Sox fans....The Jays are gonna rock you this year..We arent expected to do much, but watch out..Pffft. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 8, 2009 Author Share Posted April 8, 2009 Great win yesterday!Mike Greenwell at the Diamond Dinner last month:Question: Who was the best MLB player you faced, and how did it turn out?Mike Greenwell: I would say the best pitcher I faced was Randy Johnson, and on my 30th birthday he hit me in the head at Fenway Park. But the great part of the story is, we played them 2 weeks later, and I walked in and I wasn't in the lineup. I walked in to Joe Morgan's office and I said, "Joe, put me in the lineup." He said, "Naw, you haven't had a day off in 2 months." I said, "I'll take a day off tomorrow but I'm gonna play today." He put me in the lineup, so I started joking around the clubhouse and said I was gonna knock one off [Johnson's] head...First pitch he threw me - a fastball away and I hit him in the elbow and they took him outta the game. <3 Mike Greenwell. Link to post Share on other sites
Flushgarden 0 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Totally ****ed over by the home plate umpire today. If the strike zone hadn't been expanded by 8 inches on either side of the plate when Tampa Bay was pitching and the Red Sox had played better defense then this game could have been won.I think we learned something about Jed Lowrie today when he didn't catch that ball because there was a slight hint of danger. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 9, 2009 Author Share Posted April 9, 2009 Totally ****ed over by the home plate umpire today. If the strike zone hadn't been expanded by 8 inches on either side of the plate when Tampa Bay was pitching and the Red Sox had played better defense then this game could have been won.I think we learned something about Jed Lowrie today when he didn't catch that ball because there was a slight hint of danger.Yeah Rick Sutcliffe on the ESPN2 broadcast was alllllll over the home plate ump, and rightfully so. It was funny though (Rick Sutcliffe, not the 4 foot strike zone). Re: Jed Lowrie, yeah my initial reaction was 'Hmm, can I even remember a Sox SS who wouldn't make that play? Other than the horrible Edgar Renteria? Pokey Reese makes that play with his eyes closed.' But on the other hand, it was just one play and I don't think it's fair to assume he's just a pussy. Plays like that are notoriously difficult, and with the shallow left-fielder and the zero foul ground, he might just need to get used to Fenway. But again, Nomar, Cabrera, Gonzalez, Pokey, and probably Lugo make that play, and almost always make it look really easy. Renteria of course drops it, picks it up, and then commits a throwing error. Link to post Share on other sites
Speed Limit 0 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Yeah Rick Sutcliffe on the ESPN2 broadcast was alllllll over the home plate ump, and rightfully so. It was funny though (Rick Sutcliffe, not the 4 foot strike zone). Re: Jed Lowrie, yeah my initial reaction was 'Hmm, can I even remember a Sox SS who wouldn't make that play? Other than the horrible Edgar Renteria? Pokey Reese makes that play with his eyes closed.' But on the other hand, it was just one play and I don't think it's fair to assume he's just a pussy. Plays like that are notoriously difficult, and with the shallow left-fielder and the zero foul ground, he might just need to get used to Fenway. But again, Nomar, Cabrera, Gonzalez, Pokey, and probably Lugo make that play, and almost always make it look really easy. Renteria of course drops it, picks it up, and then commits a throwing error. LOLProbably more ammo to shoot at Lowrie after today as well. Link to post Share on other sites
slink 1 Posted April 11, 2009 Share Posted April 11, 2009 Why did the Red Sux deal Nomah is 2004 during their "Historic" run.Was he a cancer in the locker room? Link to post Share on other sites
Speed Limit 0 Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Was he becoming inconsistent and contracting an injury plague? Link to post Share on other sites
Flushgarden 0 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 I was at the game in Anaheim today. So many squandered opportunities. Nobody is coming up with any big hits when we need them.I got absolutely cooked in the sun. Don't ever forget the sunscreen. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 15, 2009 Author Share Posted April 15, 2009 Hell yeah Tim Wakefield, throwing 7.1 no-hit innings. Final line:T. Wakefield (W 1-1) 9.0 4 2 2 2 4 Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 Helluva weekend, go Sawx!I never understood why the Sox wanted Masterson in the pen and not in the rotation. Safe to say I still don't understand..Oh and I notice all the Wakefield haters shut their mouths when he almost threw a no-hitter last week. BOOOOOOOOM!This is a graph of the break on all of Wakefield's pitches over the month of April 2008 (note, 2008). How the fuck you gonna hit that? The author compares it to the same graph of Dice-K's pitches, to give an idea of how uniquely unpredictable the knuckleball is. Link to post Share on other sites
Flushgarden 0 Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Oh and I notice all the Wakefield haters shut their mouths when he almost threw a no-hitter last week. BOOOOOOOOM!Nobody here is a Wakefield hater. It was a great start, but it's not like he went out and did something he's never done before or something we didn't think he was capable of doing. He's been an extremely important part of this team over the years, nobody is denying that. I still don't feel any differently though. Due to the injury to Dice-K and the ineffectiveness of Penny, Wakefield is not in danger of being the odd man out at the moment, but there will come a time when the issue will arise again. When there are 5 or 6 healthy guys who are better than him what do you suggest the Red Sox do? Again...Wakefield has not gotten worse, the team around him has gotten better. If he can keep his ERA in the mid 3s then maybe it wont be an issue this year. If he's in the mid 4's with an occasional disaster then there are better options.I never understood why the Sox wanted Masterson in the pen and not in the rotation. Safe to say I still don't understand..Me too...me too.I hope they consider moving Penny to long relief and keeping Masterson in the rotation when Dice-K returns. Of course when Smoltz is ready there are more decisions to be made. Then there is also Buchholz (and eventually Bowdin) waiting. He had a bit a hamstring issue I think...but its not serious.Also, Baldelli to the DL with a sore hammy. I love how this organization is so deep that they can instaDL anybody at the first sign of a problem and not really miss a beat. Link to post Share on other sites
timwakefield 68 Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 Nobody here is a Wakefield hater. It was a great start, but it's not like he went out and did something he's never done before or something we didn't think he was capable of doing. He's been an extremely important part of this team over the years, nobody is denying that.Oh I know, I was just kidding .And on that note, Wakefield threw a second consecutive complete-game-win this afternoon (after last week's run at a no-hitter). The game was called in the bottom of the 7th so he didn't pitch 9 innings, but he is continuing to murder opponents. 7.0 5 1 1 1 4 Link to post Share on other sites
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