Red Sox Report: Can Boston Be Saved?
Monday, April 09, 2012
Raise your hand if you thought that the Red Sox were not going to miss Jonathan Papelbon this season.
Okay. John, Tom, Larry and Ben, you can all put your hands down now.
The Boston Red Sox may be just 3 games into the 162-game 2012 regular season, but they are already in desperate need of a closer.
Red Sox ownership and upper management may have thought that Papelbon was expendable during the offseason, but the results tell a completely different story.
Andrew Bailey was brought in from Oakland for the purpose of being the team’s closer. However, Bailey came to Boston with a history of minor injuries and had only performed well in the weaker hitting American League West. And, let’s face it, when you play for the A’s you play to the sound of one hand clapping, which is to say friends and family only. Translation, there was no guarantee that he would be able to fill the big shoes vacated by the flamboyant Papelbon.
We still don’t know whether Bailey will be able to do that because he has been placed on the 60-day disabled list. What we do know, however, is that the other cast of characters Boston has in its bullpen cannot get the job done.
With the team’s best option for the closer’s role – Daniel Bard – in the starting rotation, the team handed the closer’s role to the versatile Alfredo Aceves. While Aceves’ versatility has shown that he can be an effective starter and middle reliever, it has not shown that he can be a closer by any stretch.
In just two appearances so far, Aceves has faced a total of 5 batters and has yet to record a single out. He gave up the game-winning walk-off single to Austin Jackson in the opener on Thursday. Sunday he couldn’t protect a 3-run lead in the 9th giving up a pair of singles and then a game-tying 3-run homer to Miguel Cabrera.
The man Boston brought in to be another option for the closer’s role – Mark Melancon – has also been a disaster. In his two appearances thus far, Melancon has pitched a total of 1 inning and has allowed 5 hits and 4 earned runs. He blew a 2-run lead in the bottom of the 11th Sunday by giving up a 3-run walk-off homerun to Alex Avila. Melancon now has a blown save and two losses to his credit in the two games he has appeared in.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, Papelbon has made one appearance pitching a perfect inning while striking out 1 and registering a save. But Boston didn’t need to keep him!
Now’s the time when I’m supposed to write that it’s too early to panic and remind you that the Red Sox started the season 0-6 and then 2-10 before playing better than any team in baseball for almost a 3 month stretch. The problem is that the chances of this team repeating that feat appear to be slim.
One thing seems certain at this point, and that is that Daniel Bard must be convinced that he is needed desperately in the bullpen as this team’s closer. It may be the bullpen’s only hope. After Sunday's loss, manager Bobby Valentine wouldn't rule out a quick move of Bard to the bullpen.
It’s amazing that a team with a payroll of just under $174 million this season couldn’t afford to pay one of the game’s best closer’s $50 million over 4 years. Or, more accurately, it’s amazing that a team that is spending nearly $174 million on payroll this season DIDN’T WANT TO pay one of the game’s best closers $12.5 million a year.
Ben and the boys made their bed. Now they have to lay in it!
NOTES:
-In the history of the Red Sox organization, the team has only lost a game where they have score 12 runs 7 times. Sunday's loss was the first time in 42 years that it has happened.
-While Jon Lester turned in a solid performance on opening day, Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz did not in their season debuts. The two pitched a combined 8 2/3 innings. They allowed 15 hits and 14 earned runs. They walked 3 and struck out 5. Needless to say, of this team is going to go anywhere this season, their performances will have to improve dramatically.
-Beckett said that his injured thumb was not an issue in his poor performance on Saturday. Instead, he simply explained that too many of his pitches found too much of the plate. While that may be true, Beckett’s velocity seemed to be down from what it was a year ago when he topped out more regularly in the 93-95 mph range. Instead, he was more around 90-91 mph with his fastball. The concern here is that the difference in velocity between the fastball and change-up wasn’t as great as it has been in the past making it easier for hitters to adjust to both pitches. This bares watching moving forward.
It will be very interesting to see what type of reception Beckett receives from the Fenway faithful when he takes the mound for the home-opener on Friday.
-Vincente Padilla pitched very well Sunday in relief of Buchholz (4 IP 2 H 0 R 0 BB 4 K). He was virtually the only bright spot for Boston’s otherwise atrocious bullpen.
-Kevin Youkilis was not in the line-up Sunday as Nick Punto got the start at third. Youkilis, who looked horrible at the plate all spring, continued his poor offensive performance in games 1 and 2. In those two games he went a combined 0 for 8 with 4 strikeouts and, as usual, complained to the umpires when he was rung up for strike three.
-While the Red Sox offense came to life on Sunday, it hit just .188 in the first two games going just 12 for 64. The team also had only 4 extra base hits in the first two games. However, Sunday, the Sox pounded out 18 hits in 49 at-bats (.367), 5 of which went for extra bases.
-If there was any good news for Red Sox fans over the weekend, it was that the rival New York Yankees also started the season 0 and 3. The Yanks were swept by the Tampa Bay Rays.
-Monday night the Red Sox travel to the Rogers Center in Toronto to take on the Blue Jays. Felix Doubront gets the start for Boston. He will be opposed by Henderson Alvarez. First pitch is slated for 7:07pm.
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