The Herald's Sean McAdam
writes what most of us were thinking:
Brad Penny's pitching line - 5 innings, five earned runs - doesn't begin to tell the story of last night's 5-1 loss to the Texas Rangers. ...
Every one of the runs could, indirectly, just as easily have been charged to shortstop Julio Lugo.
In a scoreless game in the fifth with two on and two out, Penny got Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus to hit a grounder to short. Looking like he was running in hip-deep water, Lugo seemingly took forever to get to the ball, only to have it get by him and onto the outfield grass for a run-scoring single.
An incredulous Penny, bent over at the waist on the mound, couldn't hide his frustration ...
It was more of the same in the sixth.
With two outs, Marlon Byrd hit a grounder to the left side of the second base bag. Again, Lugo threw himself on it awkwardly and again, the ball got through the infield. ...
The next base hit Lugo takes away will be the first. Seldom has an infielder thrown himself on the ground more and come up with fewer plays.
John Tomase, also of the
Herald:
Forget David Ortiz. The Red Sox may be reaching the point of no return with Julio Lugo.
Lugo butchered a pair of balls last night that turned a potential shutout into an easy 5-1 victory for the Rangers.
Nick Green was told after the game that he would be playing tonight ...
Since returning from the disabled list following knee surgery at the end of spring training, Lugo has started 21 games. The Sox are 8-13.
Conversely, with Green at short the Red Sox are 21-8. ... Green has more than four times as many RBI (17-4) and three times as many extra base hits (12-4) in only 29 more at-bats.
A 12-game stretch in late April and early May was illuminating. With Lugo and Green basically alternating starts, the Red Sox went 5-1 with Green in the starting lineup and 1-5 with Lugo there.
In the Globe, Adam Kilgore was
somewhat more polite:
Brad Penny allowed five runs, and all of them were earned. Depending on one's perspective, all of them also could have been traced to Lugo's diminished range. ...
[Lugo] left the park before reporters arrived in the clubhouse. ...
With two down, Elvis Andrus hit a hard grounder in the hole on the left side, and Lugo shuffled over. Lugo entered the game with a .733 zone rating, which means he has successfully fielded about 73 percent of the ground balls in what is considered the shortstop zone. (For comparison's sake: Andrus, his counterpart, entered with an .851 zone rating, and the four other everyday shortstops in the AL East each have at least an .815 zone rating.) ...
Penny leaned over in frustration after Andrus's single rolled through the infield ...
The Rangers added a run in the next inning after another close encounter with Lugo's glove. This time, with two outs and Hank Blalock on by a walk, Byrd rolled a ball up the middle, not hit that sharply, to the left of second. Lugo ranged and dived and watched the ball trickle into center.
During the Mets series two weeks, both Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia expressed frustration (in their own ways) at Lugo's lackluster attempt at turning a double play. Last night, Tito said similar things:
Did I think he had a shot? Yeah, I think every ball that's hit, we have a shot.
Asked whether he thought Lugo had lost a step (or more) since surgery, Jason Varitek said:
I don't know that. I just think, regardless, he's part of this team.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
17 comments:
Maybe he can take acting lessons from Jeter the cheater, so at least he looks like he could catch them...
Not only can those runs be traced to E-6 thusly. While the articles mention Penny's frustration, the fact is that he took that frustration with him to the next batter and you could see it in his very delivery. He was very OFF after both plays, and it is that which led to the runs scored.
Finally the media cunts are attacking the right player. I enjoyed reading this and I loved watching the meltdown.
We rag on the Boston press for jumping on players, but a beatdown like this, especially McAdam's piece, is fairly rare.
Ortiz defended Lugo and said he was hustling -- further proof of Flo's vision problems!
Rare yet justified. Theo needs to suck it up and dump this problem and forget the millions we owe him. How much is one victory worth in dollars?
andy said...
Finally the media cunts are attacking the right player. I enjoyed reading this and I loved watching the meltdown.
Whose meltdown.....Lugo's? you enjoy watching a player (a Red Sox)
struggle who plays for US...What is wrong with you....If I read this wrong I am sorry .......but the way I read it it seems as though you are actulally rooting against a player who wears a Red Sock uniform.....that's why I am confused...
I think he's in favour of the media's reaction, not the consistently shitty play.
I feel sorry for any player doing this badly. But I'd rather feel sorry for him while he sits on the bench, or wears a different uni.
I get frustrated and angry at him. But I can't hate a player wearing our uniform.
I didn't even hate Timlin. I just hated seeing him on the mound.
But I think it's just down to different ways of being a fan. Like the booing or not-booing discussion we've had here.
"He was very OFF after both plays, and it is that which led to the runs scored."
This part is on Penny. Anyone can fuck up any play at any time defensively and the pitcher needs to move on. Part of his job.
But the regularity with which this is happening means that Theo needs to do his job and end the Lugo Era. Its conceivable that Ortiz will turn things around -- not likely, but conceivable. On the other hand, Lugo has never been more than occasionally decent for us. I suppose you try to trade him for a low prospect instead of just releasing him. But he needs to go. He's a waste of a roster spot.
I'm not happy to see him suffer embarrassment, but it's to the point (as I may have mentioned a couple days ago) that you're almost hoping for Lugo to make obviously disastrous plays on defense just to force Theo's hand.
This part is on Penny. Anyone can fuck up any play at any time defensively and the pitcher needs to move on. Part of his job.
Absolutely agreed.
However, if you put it in perspective, you read from us how frustrated we are at Lugo and imagine now that you are the pitcher and Lugo just fucked up your out.
Twice.
AGAIN.
The whole "why is this guy still playing short" conversation takes on a different meaning. It's his job to put it out of his mind, but obviously easier said than done.
And in other news...was there really any need to drop a c-bomb in here??
"was there really any need to drop a c-bomb in here??"
We can all speak however we want here. As long as we're polite to each other, it doesn't matter what we call the outside world.
"But the regularity with which this is happening means that Theo needs to do his job and end the Lugo Era. . . . you're almost hoping for Lugo to make obviously disastrous plays on defense just to force Theo's hand."
I agree.
blogtard said...
And in other news...was there really any need to drop a c-bomb in here??
The c-bomb was dropped by the same ignorant idiot who roots against Red Sox, always consider the source......he thinks most of the time he is being witty and clever, but usually just comes off sounding like a tool....
Regardless of what 9Casey thinks of Andy, we're still allowed to say the word CUNT here. Commenters call Yankees, broadcasters, managers, umpires, etc. all kinds of names all the time.
On the other hand, we're supposed to respect other posters and not call each other idiots.
Like it or not, them's the rules.
we're still allowed to say the word CUNT here. Commenters call Yankees, broadcasters, managers, umpires, etc. all kinds of names all the time.
On the other hand, we're supposed to respect other posters and not call each other idiots.
Like it or not, them's the rules.
Sounds fair to me.
It's just a harsh word, is all. And personally, when I use it I make damn sure it's the right word to use at that time. Cuz when you use it haphazardly, it tends to devalue your opinion.
I don't use the word myself (not in this context, anyway), but I also don't use a lot of other words people say here - motherfucker, douchebag, and the endless variety of testicle-related phrases.
But many people do, and very casually.
In the UK and Australia, many people use "cunt" like we say "guy" or "dude". "That cunt over there is the one you're looking for." Not saying commenters here mean it that way, just that it's not universally considered as harsh as it might be to you.
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