EAST W L PCT GB RS RA Exp W-L
Boston 23 10 .697 -- 176 110 23-10
Baltimore 17 18 .486 7.0 157 160 17-18
New York 16 17 .485 7.0 192 168 18-15
Tampa Bay 14 20 .412 9.5 154 210 12-22
Toronto 13 21 .382 10.5 156 178 15-19
May 10, 2007
Standings, May 11
G33: Red Sox 8, Blue Jays 0
Wakefield (7-3-0-1-5, 93) gets support! And we sweep the collapsing Blue Jays! (box)
Red Sox 3rd (leading 1-0): Mirabelli strikes out looking. Cora singles to left. Lugo grounds out second to first, Cora to second. Youkilis singles to left, Cora scores (2-0). Ortiz doubles to right-center, Youkilis scores (3-0). Ramirez singles to right, Ortiz scores (4-0). Drew singles to center, Ramirez to second. Lowell homers to left, Ramirez, Drew and Lowell score (7-0). Crisp doubles to left center. Mirabelli grounds out shortstop to first.
With one out in the fourth, Lugo singled, stole second and scored on Youkilis's second double of the game (and third hit). Youkilis scored the Sox's first run in the first on Ortiz's ground out. ... Lowell homered in each of the three Skydome games.
Halladay was seriously pwned (5-11-8-7-0-2, 86). His last two starts: 10.1 innings, 23 hits, 17 runs (16 earned). Since last Saturday, his ERA has ballooned from 2.28 to 4.37. (The Jays got even worse news before the game began -- B.J. Ryan had Tommy John surgery today and will be out until sometime next season.)
In the first, Wakefield retired Rios, then allowed singles to Lind and Wells, and walked Glaus. Bases loaded, one out. But he whiffed Thomas and Mirabelli picked Glaus off first to end the inning.
Wakefield retired the next 15 Jays hitters and 18 of the next 19. His 1.79 ERA leads the American League.
Boston (23-10) has a seven-game lead over the second-place Yankees (16-17, 14-2 losers this afternoon) in the East. ... And it's home to face the Orioles.
***
Tim Wakefield (2.11, 205 ERA+) / Roy Halladay (3.59, 123 ERA+)
In Wakefield's last 11 starts -- going back to July 17 -- the Red Sox have scored 16 runs while he's been in the game. This must stop.
Halladay allowed nine runs on 12 hits in 5.1 last Saturday in Texas. In 15.1 innings against Boston this year, he has allowed five runs (2.93).
The best hitter of all time (well, since 1977) against the Blue Jays? Mike Lowell. Among Toronto opponents with more than 100 at-bats, he is hitting .380 (49-for-129), with 17 doubles, nine home runs and 30 RBI in 34 games.
Boston has won 15 of its last 20 games. Toronto has lost eight straight.
Tala is sick, so we're not going to the game tonight. Which means only one thing ... BuffyVision.
Red Sox 3rd (leading 1-0): Mirabelli strikes out looking. Cora singles to left. Lugo grounds out second to first, Cora to second. Youkilis singles to left, Cora scores (2-0). Ortiz doubles to right-center, Youkilis scores (3-0). Ramirez singles to right, Ortiz scores (4-0). Drew singles to center, Ramirez to second. Lowell homers to left, Ramirez, Drew and Lowell score (7-0). Crisp doubles to left center. Mirabelli grounds out shortstop to first.
With one out in the fourth, Lugo singled, stole second and scored on Youkilis's second double of the game (and third hit). Youkilis scored the Sox's first run in the first on Ortiz's ground out. ... Lowell homered in each of the three Skydome games.
Halladay was seriously pwned (5-11-8-7-0-2, 86). His last two starts: 10.1 innings, 23 hits, 17 runs (16 earned). Since last Saturday, his ERA has ballooned from 2.28 to 4.37. (The Jays got even worse news before the game began -- B.J. Ryan had Tommy John surgery today and will be out until sometime next season.)
In the first, Wakefield retired Rios, then allowed singles to Lind and Wells, and walked Glaus. Bases loaded, one out. But he whiffed Thomas and Mirabelli picked Glaus off first to end the inning.
Wakefield retired the next 15 Jays hitters and 18 of the next 19. His 1.79 ERA leads the American League.
Boston (23-10) has a seven-game lead over the second-place Yankees (16-17, 14-2 losers this afternoon) in the East. ... And it's home to face the Orioles.
***
Tim Wakefield (2.11, 205 ERA+) / Roy Halladay (3.59, 123 ERA+)
In Wakefield's last 11 starts -- going back to July 17 -- the Red Sox have scored 16 runs while he's been in the game. This must stop.
Halladay allowed nine runs on 12 hits in 5.1 last Saturday in Texas. In 15.1 innings against Boston this year, he has allowed five runs (2.93).
The best hitter of all time (well, since 1977) against the Blue Jays? Mike Lowell. Among Toronto opponents with more than 100 at-bats, he is hitting .380 (49-for-129), with 17 doubles, nine home runs and 30 RBI in 34 games.
Boston has won 15 of its last 20 games. Toronto has lost eight straight.
Tala is sick, so we're not going to the game tonight. Which means only one thing ... BuffyVision.
A Little More on Schilling's Bonds Apology
Nick Cafardo, in today's Globe:
Cafardo:
A player's blog is simply another outlet from which to get information. It could be your only source of news -- you could also decide to follow the Red Sox by reading nothing but the CHB (not recommended for most fans; please consult your doctor before beginning an all-CHB diet) -- but it doesn't have to be.
Schilling's apology/post was 484 words. No media outlet -- including Cafardo's employer, the Globe -- would have given Schilling that much space to explain himself. (Cafardo quoted 88 words from it.)
This way, Schilling can say exactly what he wants in as many words as he feels he needs to say it (and it was about as far away from the oft-heard "I'm sorry if anyone was offended" as you could get). And Schilling has no fear that a journalist will quote him inaccurately or distort his words so they end up meaning the opposite of what he said -- as some did with his recent comments about Clemens and the Red Sox.
Reporters like athletes who talk. It would be hypocritical to say we wanted a gag order on Schilling, because his responses are thoughtful and enlightening, and cause for great fodder."Reporters like athletes who talk." .. Which, in my opinion, is a big reason why some members of the Boston media don't give (and will never give) Manny Ramirez a fair shake.
Cafardo:
[Y]ou're not going to see a groundswell of athletes starting blogs like Schilling's. I jokingly asked Tim Wakefield yesterday when we'd see his blog, and he said, "You'll never see that from me." Sure, this is the 21st century and communication has come a long way. Mainstream media doesn't have to be the only way to get the message across. Fans enjoy hearing things directly from the athlete. There's no spin. Of course, there's no objectivity, either.Riiiiiiight, and the Boston sports media, and mainstream sports journalism in general, is just overflowing with objectivity. You could drown in it.
A player's blog is simply another outlet from which to get information. It could be your only source of news -- you could also decide to follow the Red Sox by reading nothing but the CHB (not recommended for most fans; please consult your doctor before beginning an all-CHB diet) -- but it doesn't have to be.
Schilling's apology/post was 484 words. No media outlet -- including Cafardo's employer, the Globe -- would have given Schilling that much space to explain himself. (Cafardo quoted 88 words from it.)
This way, Schilling can say exactly what he wants in as many words as he feels he needs to say it (and it was about as far away from the oft-heard "I'm sorry if anyone was offended" as you could get). And Schilling has no fear that a journalist will quote him inaccurately or distort his words so they end up meaning the opposite of what he said -- as some did with his recent comments about Clemens and the Red Sox.
Credibility: Bloggers > MSM
Another baseball announcer caught making stuff up. From Aaron Gleeman:
During Saturday afternoon's game against Boston, FSN showed highlights of the Red Sox hitting back-to-back-to-back-to-back homers off Yankees starter Chase Wright earlier this season. Once the clip ended, play-by-play man Dick Bremer immediately began telling a story about how the Twins also hit four straight homers back in 1964. Thanks to the miracle of TiVo, here's an exact, word-for-word transcript of what Bremer said ...
That's a fascinating story and Bremer told it very well, but unfortunately it's apocryphal. ... the climax is an outright lie. ... It's amazing that [Bremer] has somehow remembered the events so wrongly given that he supposedly was at the game in question while working for the Twins. Beyond that, not only has he apparently been telling a fictionalized version of the story to people, Bremer was perfectly willing to relay it to what is a relatively substantial television audience without so much as checking the tale's most basic elements, all while doing his very best to play up the story's made-up drama.
The whole thing struck me as too good to be true when Bremer said it Saturday and within about 30 seconds my suspicions were effortlessly confirmed via multiple sources. Setting aside [Bremer]'s faulty memory, it's a shame that Bremer and FSN couldn't have taken the same amount of time that I did to confirm his story before passing it off as reality. Then again, I suppose not everyone can be expected to have the same sort of credibility as a blogger.
Hey, Papi: Start A Blog
Two days ago, David Ortiz's comments about Barry Bonds and steroids were printed under a Boston Herald headline: "Papi: Unwitting 'Roid User?"Ortiz, who quipped in March 2005 that any steroid test he took would turn up nothing but "rice and beans", said he stopped drinking protein shakes in the Dominican Republic when he realized he didn't know what was in them: "I don't know if I drank something in my youth, not knowing it."
It became a topic for the national sports media yesterday. Terry Francona was pissed off:
I've got a writer from Toronto who comes in last night, and he was on a mission. He goes, 'Ortiz fessed up to taking steroids.' That's how he starts with me. I almost carried him by his collar out of here. That's not true. That's being unprofessional. I lose respect for the profession. It's probably not fair but ... I've got to go through the next 10 cities trying to defend David. That should never happen.I looked at the websites of the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, the Toronto Sun and the National Post, but found nothing written about Ortiz's comments. I guess once Tito gave the guy the bum's rush, there wasn't much of a story.
Ortiz wondered if he should just clam up: "Maybe it's better not to say anything." He spoke to television reporters after last night's game, but not the print media.
Papi: Your comments are always welcome here.
Jays Hope To Open Dome Against Wakefield
Knowing that Tim Wakefield's knuckleball is often more effective in dome, the Blue Jays are hoping they will be able to play tonight's game with the dome open. There is rain in the forecast, however.
Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi:
Jon Lester threw for the second straight day on Wednesday, tossing from 90 feet for 12 minutes, and will likely throw again on Friday in Boston. Francona: "He's chomping at the bit. And he probably is fine, but better safe than sorry."
Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi:
We'd be stupid not to open it. ... You can call it gamesmanship or whatever but if it works to the advantage of us and we can do it, we'll do it. Unfortunately, it looks like it's going to rain.At 12:50 PM, it's warm and quite sunny a few miles west of Toronto.
Jon Lester threw for the second straight day on Wednesday, tossing from 90 feet for 12 minutes, and will likely throw again on Friday in Boston. Francona: "He's chomping at the bit. And he probably is fine, but better safe than sorry."
OMG!! MLB Responds To My Email!
Previously on Joy of Sox:
On April 5, I discovered that fans who have paid for, downloaded and burned individual games from MLB's Digitial Download Service are now unable to watch them. I emailed MLB, which promises a reply to any email within 24-48 hours, asking for an explanation.
On April 16, I spoke with a Customer Service person. His suggestion? Wait -- because at some future date, I'll probably be able to watch the games I paid for.
Guess what? I got an email reply from MLB.com 10 minutes ago:
It took MLB 35 days to answer my email -- 840 hours -- and the only assistance they offered was "Call us".
Is it any wonder MLB is so hated by fans?
On April 5, I discovered that fans who have paid for, downloaded and burned individual games from MLB's Digitial Download Service are now unable to watch them. I emailed MLB, which promises a reply to any email within 24-48 hours, asking for an explanation.
On April 16, I spoke with a Customer Service person. His suggestion? Wait -- because at some future date, I'll probably be able to watch the games I paid for.
Guess what? I got an email reply from MLB.com 10 minutes ago:
Dear Allan,MLB promises to reply to any emails within 24-48 hours.
Thank you for sending your email.
I apologize for the difficulty experienced. Please call our Customer Support department at 1-866-800-1275 so we can do some troubleshooting and improve your experience.
If you are calling internationally, please call (925) 798-8100.
Thank you for taking the time to write!
Regards,
JS, MLB.com Support
It took MLB 35 days to answer my email -- 840 hours -- and the only assistance they offered was "Call us".
Is it any wonder MLB is so hated by fans?
May 9, 2007
G32: Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 3
Dice was rolling tonight (7-5-1-3-8, 108; box), handing Toronto its 8th straight loss.After Alex Rios singled in the first (he finished the night 4-for-4 with a walk), Matsuzaka kept the ball in the infield for the next 13 batters. Along the way he struck out four consecutive batters, including the side in the second. His only blemish was Lyle Overbay's solo home run off the right field pole with two outs in the sixth.
Matsuzaka had no "trouble" inning. Toronto had two men on base in an inning only twice in his seven innings. In the first, Rios singled and (with two outs) Thomas walked. With two outs in the fifth, Rios doubled and Lind walked. ... Dice went to a three-ball count on only six of 29 batters. ... We're going to see a lot of starts like this from Matsuzaka.
For the second night in a row, the Red Sox hit four home runs: Lugo, Ortiz, Manny and Lowell did the trotting this time. Tizzle's was a line drive to right, Manny's a bomb to dead center -- it's great jumping up to cheer a no-doubt Ramirez HR seemingly as the ball is just soaring out of the infield.
Ortiz was 4-for-5, including a double to left; Lowell was 3-for-4 with a walk; and Pedroia had two more hits (and a couple of great fielding plays). ... In addition to scoring nine runs, the Red Sox left the bases loaded in the first and fifth innings.
When Lugo and Crisp batted in the sixth, their OBPs were .299 and .279, respectively. Why are these guys batting 1-2?
Dear Bats: Can we get nine runs for Wakefield, too? Please???
(Also, we met longtime Red Sox fan and JoS commenter woti-woti, who is in town for all three games.)
***
Daisuke Matsuzaka (5.45, 80 ERA+) / Tomo Ohka (5.50, 81 ERA+)
Tonight is the fourth time in major league history that two Japan-born pitchers face each other. The others:
May 7, 1999: Hideki Irabu (Yankees) beat Mac Suzuki (Mariners) 10-1.
July 2, 2000: Hideo Nomo (Tigers) beat Suzuki (Royals) 2-0.
June 19, 2002: Ohka (Expos) beat Suzuki (Royals) 6-3.
Matsuzaka had a long side session in the hopes of breaking his habit of rushing his delivery when in the stretch, which causes him to lose command of the strike zone. Francona: "He's trying to make pitches happen, instead of allowing them to happen. I do think there have been times with runners on base, he's tried to be too quick and got ahead of himself."
Fifteen of the 23 runs Dice has allowed this season have come in six individual innings.
Kevin Youkilis is tired of getting hit by pitches. Last night, Casey Janssen drilled him in the left quadriceps -- six inches above where he was hit last Sunday in Minnesota. Several observers, including Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy, believed it was intentional. Yook, who was 3-for-3 at the time:
I don't know if it was intentional, unintentional ... It gets old after a while, getting hit, but what are you going to do? I can understand if some pitches, you're diving, but I wasn't diving there.Both teams were warned after the HBP. Youkilis may sit out tonight's game.
Which may give Jays fans more chances to boo Eric Hinske -- which they do to a ridiculous degree. What's the deal with that? He was traded to Boston, right? Did I miss something? Did he tell all the fans to @&*% his #$^% while he *&%#@-ed their mothers? I don't get it.
What Will Schilling Apologize For Tomorrow?
Firebrand Has Some Pitching #s
From a post about William:
The Yankees 3 best pitchers, Wang, Pettitte and Mussina have been good this season. Going into Tuesday's game, they have a collective ERA of 3.74 and a WHIP of 1.35. Even so, the Red Sox best 3 pitchers, Schilling, Beckett and Wakefield, have been even better. They have a collective ERA of 2.74.
As further evidence of why Roger Clemens isn't a necessity to the Red Sox, the Red Sox entire staff, 1-5 has outperformed the Yankees best 3 starters to this point. The entire Red Sox rotation going into Tuesday's game has an ERA of 3.79 and a WHIP of 1.22 even with Matsuzaka struggling and Tavarez starting.
Rubdown
Gordon Edes asked Sexy Lips why Manny Ramirez was rubbing his head on Sunday. Partial quote:
Speaking of turning your head, on Monday's off-day, Terry Francona and performance-enhancement coach Don Kalkstein went to the top of the CN Tower. Francona walked on the glass floor of the observatory -- 1,815 feet high -- despite his height phobia. "I hated every minute of it. I was stupid for doing it."
Still, he did it. I'll never go up there. Being on the roof of one of the World Trade Center towers was one thing (that was much easier the second and third times), but a transparent floor more than a quarter-mile above the ground?!?!
He did that to try to make me go to sleep. I was mad at him because he was fooling around. Day off. He wasn't watching the game.Francona: "We have a close team but there are times when it's best to turn your head."
Speaking of turning your head, on Monday's off-day, Terry Francona and performance-enhancement coach Don Kalkstein went to the top of the CN Tower. Francona walked on the glass floor of the observatory -- 1,815 feet high -- despite his height phobia. "I hated every minute of it. I was stupid for doing it."
Still, he did it. I'll never go up there. Being on the roof of one of the World Trade Center towers was one thing (that was much easier the second and third times), but a transparent floor more than a quarter-mile above the ground?!?!
Beckett: 7-0 ... And He's Pitching Well
Josh Beckett has received credit for a win in each of his seven starts this season. But what's more impressive is that he's also pitching extremely well. That might seem redundant, but an attractive win-loss record by itself tells us next-to-nothing about a pitcher's actual performance.
Beckett won 16 games last year, tops on the Sox. I have heard sports announcers point to that fact as proof that Beckett pitched quite well in his first American League season. Of course, any Red Sox fan worth her salt knows that, after his first three starts in 2006, Beckett was pretty much horrible. He allowed a career-high 36 home runs (previous high: 16), walked 74 batters, hit 10 more, threw 11 wild pitches, and finished with an ERA of 5.01. Beckett pitched 1/3 of an inning more than Curt Schilling, but allowed 30 additional runs. Beckett's ERA+ in 2006 (92) was about the same as Manny Delcarmen's (91).
The Red Sox have scored an average of 8.39 runs per game in Beckett's starts. On the other hand, Tim Wakefield, who has outpitched Beckett this season and may be the top moundsman in the AL, has received only 3.4 runs per start. His record is 3-3. Obviously, having your teammates score five more runs in any of your outings will increase your chances of getting a W.
But has Beckett's gaudy run support helped him post a better record than he should have, given his performance?
The important thing is not his 7-0 record, but his 2.51 ERA, 6th best in the AL. He has allowed only two home runs in 46.2 innings. At last year's pace, he would have given up 8.2 home runs by this time.
As I mentioned, Wakefield's record is 3-3, despite being #2 in ERA (2.11), #1 in fewest hits allowed per 9 IP (6.57), and #1 in both lowest opponents' batting average (.197) and slugging percentage (.303). Wakefield's only weakness has been walks (18 in 38.1 innings).
Daisuke Matsuzaka has also pitched better (3.46 ERA) in his "losses" than in his "wins (4.95). Dice got saddled with his losses in games Boston dropped 3-0 and 2-1.
One of the most amazing stretches of pitching well with no support I've ever seen happened in 1999 to Randy Johnson.
Last July, Seth Mnookin wrote about Beckett's poor performances:
He's been relying on his breaking pitches much more often -- throwing them in counts that would normally lend themselves to a fastball -- with fantastic results. He did just the opposite last year, pitching as though he thought if he could just throw the next pitch a little harder, he'd be okay.
Beckett has also slowed his delivery down and no longer lifts his hands over his head when beginning his delivery. And when pitching from the stretch, he barely moves his hands from his belt. He is also pitching from the middle of the rubber. All of this has helped him improve his command.
What will happen when Beckett really gets hammered? Will he implode like he was prone to do last year? Or will he be able to minimize the damage? In that game against the Yankees, he did not let things spiral out of control, keeping the game tied until his mates could grab a lead.
Last night at Skydome was another test. After Youkilis's home run had given Boston a 1-0 lead, Beckett came out and surrendered a home run to Rios on his very first pitch. His third pitch was ripped for a double -- and Vernon Wells was up. But Beckett calmed down and got out of the inning. When he took the mound again, he had a 4-1 lead. The next inning, it was 8-1. And he was able to keep the Jays off the board for the rest of the night.
Beckett won 16 games last year, tops on the Sox. I have heard sports announcers point to that fact as proof that Beckett pitched quite well in his first American League season. Of course, any Red Sox fan worth her salt knows that, after his first three starts in 2006, Beckett was pretty much horrible. He allowed a career-high 36 home runs (previous high: 16), walked 74 batters, hit 10 more, threw 11 wild pitches, and finished with an ERA of 5.01. Beckett pitched 1/3 of an inning more than Curt Schilling, but allowed 30 additional runs. Beckett's ERA+ in 2006 (92) was about the same as Manny Delcarmen's (91).
The Red Sox have scored an average of 8.39 runs per game in Beckett's starts. On the other hand, Tim Wakefield, who has outpitched Beckett this season and may be the top moundsman in the AL, has received only 3.4 runs per start. His record is 3-3. Obviously, having your teammates score five more runs in any of your outings will increase your chances of getting a W.
But has Beckett's gaudy run support helped him post a better record than he should have, given his performance?
Date Opp IP H R ER BB SO ScoreAny pitcher can lose a 1-0 game, but the only game that really stands out as poor is April 21 against the Yankees. Beckett struggled in the first two innings (plus one batter into the third), allowing six hits and four runs. Fortunately for him, his teammates also scored four runs in the first two innings. Beckett settled down in the third and Boston got three more runs in the fourth. (In his next start, Beckett trailed 2-1 to the Orioles in the eighth, but Wily Mo Pena's grand slam got him off the hook.)
0404 @KCR 5 2 1 1 4 5 7-1
0410 SEA 7 2 1 1 0 8 14-3
0416 LAA 6 6 1 1 1 5 7-2
0421 NYY 6.2 9 5 4 2 7 7-5
0426 @BAL 8 8 2 2 0 3 5-2
0502 OAK 7 6 3 3 2 7 6-4
0508 @TOR 7 5 1 1 1 5 9-2
The important thing is not his 7-0 record, but his 2.51 ERA, 6th best in the AL. He has allowed only two home runs in 46.2 innings. At last year's pace, he would have given up 8.2 home runs by this time.
As I mentioned, Wakefield's record is 3-3, despite being #2 in ERA (2.11), #1 in fewest hits allowed per 9 IP (6.57), and #1 in both lowest opponents' batting average (.197) and slugging percentage (.303). Wakefield's only weakness has been walks (18 in 38.1 innings).
Date Opp IP H R ER BB SO Score DecWith a little more run support, there is no reason why Wakefield could not be 6-0 right now. Yet some of the top baseball "analysts" in the country would look at his W-L record and say Wakefield has been "average" while Beckett has been "perfect". (Nick Cafardo disses Wake's in today's Globe: "With all due respect to Curt Schilling's fine start, Beckett is the team's top starter.")
0406 @TEX 6 3 2 1 2 4 0-2 L
0413 LAA 7 5 1 1 2 3 10-1 W
0418 @TOR 7 4 1 1 3 4 4-1 W
0423 TOR 6 8 4 3 2 5 3-7 L
0428 @NYY 5.1 5 3 3 6 3 1-3 L
0504 @MIN 7 3 0 0 3 2 2-0 W
Daisuke Matsuzaka has also pitched better (3.46 ERA) in his "losses" than in his "wins (4.95). Dice got saddled with his losses in games Boston dropped 3-0 and 2-1.
One of the most amazing stretches of pitching well with no support I've ever seen happened in 1999 to Randy Johnson.
IP H R ER BB K ArizonaThe first three of those outings were complete games (in the first one, Jose Jiminez threw a no-hitter). Johnson's ERA in those five starts was 1.13, but he was 0-4.
0625 STL 9 5 1 1 2 14 Lost 1-0
0630 @CIN 8 7 2 2 0 17 Lost 2-0
0705 @STL 8 4 1 1 4 12 Lost 1-0
0710 OAK 7 3 2 1 4 11 Lost 2-0
0715 @TEX 8 6 0 0 2 8 ND, lost 3-2
40 25 6 5 12 62
Last July, Seth Mnookin wrote about Beckett's poor performances:
Here's one theory, and it's one that's at least been discussed within Yawkey Way: Beckett has never learned how to pitch.Or maybe not so much time at all. This season, Beckett has made some changes in his delivery and pitch selection that has given him the type of success we expected when he came over from Florida.
At first blush, that probably seems like a ridiculous statement. ... [In the NL] Beckett could, more often than not, rely on his natural ability to overpower and overwhelm the opposition. In the AL, he'll get his share of strike-outs, but he'll also find that there are plenty of hitters who can use the power he generates to smash a ball into the stands. ... When he's not blowing pitchers away, he's often getting lit up.
So what does that mean going forward? When it's working for him, Beckett has a jaw-droppingly nasty curve, and there's no reason he can't learn to mix in a little Greg Maddux with his Nolan Ryan. ... But that transition is going to take a bit of time.
He's been relying on his breaking pitches much more often -- throwing them in counts that would normally lend themselves to a fastball -- with fantastic results. He did just the opposite last year, pitching as though he thought if he could just throw the next pitch a little harder, he'd be okay.
Beckett has also slowed his delivery down and no longer lifts his hands over his head when beginning his delivery. And when pitching from the stretch, he barely moves his hands from his belt. He is also pitching from the middle of the rubber. All of this has helped him improve his command.
What will happen when Beckett really gets hammered? Will he implode like he was prone to do last year? Or will he be able to minimize the damage? In that game against the Yankees, he did not let things spiral out of control, keeping the game tied until his mates could grab a lead.
Last night at Skydome was another test. After Youkilis's home run had given Boston a 1-0 lead, Beckett came out and surrendered a home run to Rios on his very first pitch. His third pitch was ripped for a double -- and Vernon Wells was up. But Beckett calmed down and got out of the inning. When he took the mound again, he had a 4-1 lead. The next inning, it was 8-1. And he was able to keep the Jays off the board for the rest of the night.
May 8, 2007
G31: Red Sox 9, Blue Jays 2
Back from Skydome. Having the roof open makes a huge difference in my enjoyment of a game. As does Boston being on the winning side of a 9-2 score.
Beckett was once again great (7-5-1-1-5, 88), although Alex Rios did tattoo his first pitch of the game for a home run to left. ... After that HR, Adam Lind doubled on a 0-1 pitch and I'll admit I was a tad worried (having seen Beckett get shelled at Skydome last season) But he settled down. Working with an 8-1 lead helped, I'm sure. After allowing a one-out double in the second, he retired the next 11 batters on only 37 pitches.
The Red Sox played long ball, too. Youkilis hit a solo shot in the first, Pedroia had a three-run job in the second, Lowell hit a three-run bomb in the third, and then Varitek followed Lowell by pounding Zambrano's next pitch over the wall in dead center.
Devern Hansack made his 2007 debut in the eighth and had some control problems (he walked 3 of 6 batters), but only one run scored.
Varitek went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored three runs. Youkilis was 3-for-3 before leaving the game after getting plunked in the sixth.
Before Lugo doubled home Boston's last run in the eighth, he had a .301 OBP and a .299 SLG (now it's up to .306 and .314). It might be time to move him out of the leadoff spot. ... Then again, we're 21-10. We can afford to wait and see if he comes out of this slump.
***
Josh Beckett (2.72, 159 ERA+) / Victor Zambrano (5.63, 79 ERA+)
Against Beckett: Vernon Wells is 7-for-15, with 4 home runs, Overbay 3-for-14, Thomas 2-for-11, and Glaus 2-for-10.
Aganst Zambrano: Manny is 4-for-26, with 7 strikeouts, Hinske 6-for-23, Varitek 3-for-15, and Ortiz 5-for-12, with 2 home runs (also 7 walks for a .632 OBP).
If you're at Skydome tonight, swing by Aisle 116, Row 16, Seats 7 & 8 and say Hi. It's been a sunny, beautiful day today; I hope they open the roof.
Beth has NESN's "Cuddle Cam" clip of Manny and Sexy Lips. (Remy may be giggling harder than Orsillo, which I didn't think was possible.)
Beckett was once again great (7-5-1-1-5, 88), although Alex Rios did tattoo his first pitch of the game for a home run to left. ... After that HR, Adam Lind doubled on a 0-1 pitch and I'll admit I was a tad worried (having seen Beckett get shelled at Skydome last season) But he settled down. Working with an 8-1 lead helped, I'm sure. After allowing a one-out double in the second, he retired the next 11 batters on only 37 pitches.
The Red Sox played long ball, too. Youkilis hit a solo shot in the first, Pedroia had a three-run job in the second, Lowell hit a three-run bomb in the third, and then Varitek followed Lowell by pounding Zambrano's next pitch over the wall in dead center.Devern Hansack made his 2007 debut in the eighth and had some control problems (he walked 3 of 6 batters), but only one run scored.
Varitek went 4-for-4 with a walk and scored three runs. Youkilis was 3-for-3 before leaving the game after getting plunked in the sixth.
Before Lugo doubled home Boston's last run in the eighth, he had a .301 OBP and a .299 SLG (now it's up to .306 and .314). It might be time to move him out of the leadoff spot. ... Then again, we're 21-10. We can afford to wait and see if he comes out of this slump.
***
Josh Beckett (2.72, 159 ERA+) / Victor Zambrano (5.63, 79 ERA+)
Against Beckett: Vernon Wells is 7-for-15, with 4 home runs, Overbay 3-for-14, Thomas 2-for-11, and Glaus 2-for-10.
Aganst Zambrano: Manny is 4-for-26, with 7 strikeouts, Hinske 6-for-23, Varitek 3-for-15, and Ortiz 5-for-12, with 2 home runs (also 7 walks for a .632 OBP).
If you're at Skydome tonight, swing by Aisle 116, Row 16, Seats 7 & 8 and say Hi. It's been a sunny, beautiful day today; I hope they open the roof.
Beth has NESN's "Cuddle Cam" clip of Manny and Sexy Lips. (Remy may be giggling harder than Orsillo, which I didn't think was possible.)
Not Everyone In New York Thinks The Pennant Has Been Clinched
John Harper, Daily News:
The whole column is well worth reading. Raissman is not a fan of Suzyn Waldman, John Sterling or Michael Kay. ... Meanwhile, Kei Igawa was demoted all the way down to Single-A.
First, Clemens won't be the savior for this ballclub that his grand unveiling would lead you to believe. Undoubtedly he'll fill a significant hole in the starting rotation, but Clemens is a six-inning pitcher who is sure to be worn down by the return to the American League, which means he'll need help from the so-far underwhelming bullpen ...Bob Raissman quotes Tim McCarver's on-air comments about Clemens:
During Clemens' five seasons in the Bronx, from 1999-2003, his lowest ERA was 3.51, his highest was 4.60 ... [E]very scout or GM asked to weigh in on the subject the last couple of days seems to believe Clemens is due for a hamstring or groin pull.
"He has a leg problem every couple of years, like clockwork," insisted one scout. "And the older he gets, the more susceptible he is to them."
I have been skeptical when Roger Clemens says he wants another World Series ring. If he really wanted a World Series ring he would've chosen the best club, before spring training started, and been with that club at the beginning of the season so he could do something about it. ...McCarver is making sense. ... I need to go lie down.
I mean what a gig, to show up in early June and, in Houston's case over the last few years for the most part, pitch in only home games where he could drive to work and not go on the road. I mean I understand what his agents are saying. They're saying that money is no matter. Well, if that's the case, sign for nothing.
The whole column is well worth reading. Raissman is not a fan of Suzyn Waldman, John Sterling or Michael Kay. ... Meanwhile, Kei Igawa was demoted all the way down to Single-A.
Pinning Your Hopes On A 45-Year-Old Pitcher
There is little question that if Roger Clemens stays healthy (no ill-timed "hamstring" issues), he will make the Yankees' starting rotation better, but the important thing is that he doesn't make the Red Sox worse.
As long as the Sox keep doing what they are doing -- winning 2 out of every 3 games even with some offensive setbacks -- William will be watching the playoffs back home in Texas with Kody, Kacy, Kodak and Kleenex.
Clemens needs to eat innings to give Joe Torre's bullpen a break. Can he do that if he gives them only about 100 pitches a start (his average for Houston last year)? It's questionable. Here are his ERA+s since using his illegal side deal to force a trade from Toronto to New York:
The Yankees are already trying to dampen fans' expectations:
Someone on Baseball Tonight said that with the luxury tax implications, William will cost the Yankees $6.3 million a month. I read something (where?) that estimated his starts/pitch count for this season and figured he would be getting about $8,000 per pitch.
SoSHer The Gray Eagle:
As long as the Sox keep doing what they are doing -- winning 2 out of every 3 games even with some offensive setbacks -- William will be watching the playoffs back home in Texas with Kody, Kacy, Kodak and Kleenex.
Clemens needs to eat innings to give Joe Torre's bullpen a break. Can he do that if he gives them only about 100 pitches a start (his average for Houston last year)? It's questionable. Here are his ERA+s since using his illegal side deal to force a trade from Toronto to New York:
AGE IP ERA+Clemens was a bit better than league average in his last two seasons in the Bronx. His stats were helped quite a bit with a move to the NL.
1999 36 NYY 187.7 97
2000 37 NYY 204.3 137
2001 38 NYY 220.3 128
2002 39 NYY 180.0 101
2003 40 NYY 211.7 112
2004 41 HOU 214.3 145
2005 42 HOU 211.3 221
2006 43 HOU 113.3 197
The Yankees are already trying to dampen fans' expectations:
Several Yankees remained cautious yesterday. Although injuries have forced Clemens to miss only a few starts the past few seasons — a pesky groin has troubled him occasionally since his days with the Yankees — he has become a five- or six-inning pitcher. Despite often breezing through National League lineups, Clemens pitched into the seventh inning only six times in 19 starts last season and has not thrown into an eighth inning since August 2005.Everyone is writing that Clemens will likely face the Red Sox in the June 1-2-3 series at Fenway. But I wonder. After the weekend series in Boston, the Yankees play four in Chicago before interleague games begin. I would not be at all surprised if William missed the Red Sox series (a fictional hamstring problem delaying his return?) and make his grand reentrance against Pittsburgh.
Manager Joe Torre will still need three or four innings from his increasingly worn relievers to preserve the leads Clemens may bequeath. ... According to Inside Edge, a statistical scouting service used by many major league clubs, Clemens's fastball has slowed to 91 miles an hour from about 93.5 m.p.h. five years ago.
Someone on Baseball Tonight said that with the luxury tax implications, William will cost the Yankees $6.3 million a month. I read something (where?) that estimated his starts/pitch count for this season and figured he would be getting about $8,000 per pitch.
SoSHer The Gray Eagle:
How long should his next standing ovation be in Fenway? He's only had a couple of those in a Yankees uniform, so he should probably get another one. Maybe the Red Sox should put together another video for him, wishing him well with his new team.Ken Rosenthal:
Clemens wasn't going to save the Red Sox, who already boast a rotation of right-handers Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka — not to mention righty Tim Wakefield, who currently is second in the AL in ERA, and lefty Jon Lester, who is expected to become the No. 5 starter soon. In fact, Clemens might have gotten lost in that group — a potential turnoff, considering how much he likes being the center of attention.Meanwhile, in Houston:
No one was surprised when Clemens re-signed with the Astros last year, and no one was at all shocked that he's headed to the Yankees this time.
"There are two kinds of people," Lance Berkman said. "Those people who aren't surprised, and morons."
As soon as Andy Pettitte signed with the Yankees last December, Berkman said, Clemens was as good as gone. "I've been calling it loud and clear," Berkman said.
Asked if he thought the Yankees' desperation for more pitching played into it, Berkman said, "Even if they had a set rotation, that's where he was going -- there's no doubt about that."
The rest of the players approached on the topic were a bit less forceful with their responses, but nonetheless, it was clear that the overwhelming majority of uniformed personnel were: a) not at all surprised Clemens signed with the Yankees, and b) not all that upset that he's gone.
Mike Vaccaro: That Was Then ...
Mike Vaccaro, New York Post.
January 13, 2004:
January 13, 2004:
SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER THAN TO TRUST THIS RATMay 7, 2007
We knew better, dammit. That's what's so galling.
We spotted Roger Clemens from eight miles away. We'd seen him pour kerosene all over his Boston exit, never once thanking fans who'd invested 13 years in him. We'd seen how he strong-armed his way out of Toronto.
We figured him for a phony, fingered him as a fraud. He wasn't going to be able to put his act over on us. Not on New York. We're too savvy, too smart. We saw him for what he was: a disingenuous double-talker who spoke poetically about wearing pinstripes but sure seemed a lot sweeter on George Steinbrenner's checkbook. You were slow to accept him, slower to embrace him.
"I want to be a Yankee for life," Clemens declared, in March of 1999. "I want to retire a Yankee," Clemens insisted, in April of 2000. "I want to go in the Hall of Fame as a Yankee," he swore in June of 2003.
And you know what? We fell for it. Fans. Sportswriters. Yankee brass. ...
Look, Clemens did nothing illegal by deciding to end his retirement after 78 days. He wants one more summer in the sun with his pal, Andy Pettitte? Hey, you can do worse than work every fifth day for $5 million. Godspeed, Rocket. Have a plate of brisket on us.
But we'd better not ever hear him pipe up about the pinstripes tattooed on his soul anymore, OK? We'd better not ever listen to his dream of making the Hall of Fame as a Yankee. That's over. That's done.
"Somebody told me there are some people who don't have a hat on [on their plaques]," Clemens told us last June, "but that would be disrespectful to Mr. Steinbrenner, who gave me the opportunity to continue my career, to achieve these goals and become a true Hall of Famer."
He can officially spare us this tripe from now on. ...
Clemens is one of the most shameless athletes of all time ... Let him go. Let him go home. Let him try to figure out the National League, and let the fans of Houston fall prey to his wicked charms. We're done. We've been there. ...
"I played 20 years, they aren't going tell me what hat I'm wearing on my plaque," Clemens had said in June. "There might be a vacant seat there if they do."
Just like the 56,000 vacant seats that would accompany any Roger Clemens Day at Yankee Stadium. He wants to come back? He can buy a ticket. Just like any other Texas tourist.
SETTLING SCOREand
You don't always get the chance to redeem yourself this way, but that's the opportunity Roger Clemens has now. He can make things right in a place where he badly needs to make things right. He can rectify his place of prominence in the Yankees firmament. And maybe earn that Yankees cap he swears he wants to wear into Cooperstown. ...
This is a different team Clemens joins this time around. He is no carpet-bagger anymore, rolling his dice with a shoo-in favorite.
May 8, 2007So, Mike, he's not a greedy gasbag anymore? You seemed pretty sure about it three years ago. What happened to make you forget the tripe and embrace the Rat?
HOW ABOUT THAT! A POP-QUIZ AS YOU PREPARE FOR THE RETURN OF ROGER
Well, we have about a month to re-calibrate ourselves, to get ready for All Things Rocket, to re-familiarize ourselves with those wonderfully kooky Elton John lyrics ("Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. In fact it's cold as hell ...) that'll accompany his weekly marches to the mound. ...
We have a month to allow Yankees fans to painstakingly remember how to love this merciless mercenary again, at precisely the point when they’d written him off as another greedy gasbag.
To help hasten the process, let's offer up a quick primer, a little nine-inning quiz to see exactly where you are in terms of your Rocket-Readiness. Eyes on your own paper.
Just The Two Of Us ...
I ask:
Video and NESN sound (because still pictures don't do this tender moment any justice), couresty of Beth.
At one point, NESN showed Manny and Sexy Lips on the bench, Manny with his arm around Tavarez, softly petting his head like he was a cute dog. They seemed quite cozy. (Maybe SG will offer us a screen shot; they recently blessed us with the DP Hug.)And Red delivers:
Between this and the pizza tossing last month, NESN is bringing back the golden age of television. What's next? Remy and DO in full KISS make-up?Yes, it would. (Don has to be Gene.)
Man. That would be awesome.
Video and NESN sound (because still pictures don't do this tender moment any justice), couresty of Beth.
Papelbon-Lester Hypothetical
A week or so ago, I was wondering about the Red Sox's 5th rotation spot and instead of just blogging about it, I sent my question to Ian Browne, the redsox.com beat writer. It appeared yesterday in his mailbag:
With Lester expected to replace Julian Tavarez in the starting rotation, I was wondering what would have happened if Papelbon had stayed in the rotation. Who would Lester have bumped? Certainly not Curt Schilling, Josh Beckett or Matsuzaka, and it's highly unlikely that Wakefield would have been moved. Would Papelbon have been moved back to the bullpen anyway? Or would Lester spend 2007 in the 'pen, getting spot starts if anyone had been injured?
-- Allan W., Mississauga, Ontario
That's definitely the best hypothetical I've had in a while. Honestly, I think Lester would have had to wait in the Minor Leagues until an inevitable injury occurred. Schilling, Beckett and Wakefield are all pitching at a very high level, and Matsuzaka is bound to figure it out soon. So it's hard to believe Lester would have bumped any of those guys had Papelbon wound up pitching out of the rotation.
However, I never really felt like Papelbon was going to be a starter for keeps. It always just seemed like he'd do it until he got medical clearance. Perhaps it would have worked out that Papelbon would have returned to the closer's role as soon as Lester returned. All I know is that in baseball, these problems always seem to work themselves out. Anyway, I felt like this hypothetical game was good mental exercise.
G38 re CHB on TCM
38pitches:
CHB can sob all he wants, Rocket coming here gave him something legitimate to actually write about for the next 4 months. Now he can stick to the bitter style he's perfected and talk about how bad we suck because we failed to get Rocket.There are occasional typos in Curt's posts, but why do I think this isn't one of them?
Contrary to CHB's belief, and she may find it hard to believe, I LOVE pitching with Daisuke, I love to be able to see first hand what he brings to the team and the organization.He's clearly baiting Shaughnessy -- a fantastic sub-subplot to the season.
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