Can't Catch A Break by Jared Carrabis
Sox release Bard, Lugo goes under the knife, USA triumphs and more


It appears as if though the Josh Bard era here in Boston has come to a close for the second time, only this time, he never got the chance to step on the field at Fenway.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox officially released the catcher that was brought on board to take the workload off of captain Jason Varitek's back. With Bard's release, George Kottaras will be named the number two catcher for the Red Sox in 2009.

The two Boston backstops aiming to take the backup catcher role had 14 at bats each during spring training. In Bard's 14 at bats, the catcher hit .429, with 1 HR, 5 RBI and a .529 OBP. In the small sampling provided by Kottaras, which also consisted of 14 at bats, the switch-hitter batted just .286 with 1 HR, 2 RBI and a .375 OBP.

You may be scratching your head wondering why Bard's numbers weren't impressive enough to keep his job here with Boston, especially since they were better than Kottaras' numbers, but what it comes down to is one simple thing: catching a knuckleball. While Kottaras is almost certain to make the Opening Day roster with the Red Sox, do not count out the possibility that the Sox may look for another catcher to increase their depth via trade.

The starting catcher for Boston on Opening Day will be none other than the captain, Jason Varitek. On Tuesday, St. Patrick's Day, Varitek was one of four Sox to belt a home run against the Minnesota Twins. Joining in on the fun were Jacoby Ellsbury, David Ortiz and Jason Bay in the 9-5 victory over the Twins.

Since the disappointing exit from the World Baseball Classic made by the Dominican Republic team, Ortiz is 3-for-8 in three games since returning back with the Red Sox. Two of those three hits have landed somewhere outside of the ballpark in fair territory.

Another exciting story of this spring has been the pitching of Japanese pitcher, Junichi Tazawa. The right-hander hurled two perfect innings against the Twins on Tuesday in impressive fashion. Tazawa has logged 7 innings this spring giving up just one run on three hits for a 1.29 ERA. He is also third among Red Sox pitchers this spring racking up 8 strikeouts. Although he will likely start the year at Double-A Portland, if he keeps this up, it won't be long before he joins the Major League club.

Josh Beckett tossed 4 innings to earn a victory in Tuesday's match-up with the Twins. The Boston ace did give up three earned runs on six hits, but he managed to pitch his way out of jams to keep the game from getting out of hand. Beckett now leads the Red Sox staff having pitched 13 innings with a 2.08 ERA.

Red Sox shortstop, Julio Lugo, underwent surgery on Tuesday to repair the damage in his right knee. According to manager, Terry Francona, Lugo will not be ready to play on Opening Day. As many fans have already speculated, Jed Lowrie will be the starting shortstop on Opening Day, guaranteed.

"It looks like he’s certainly not going to be ready to start the season," Francona said. "That’s stating the obvious." The recovery process will take anywhere from 3-4 weeks, which sets up Lugo's return for some time in late April.

In my personal opinion, Lowrie should not feel like this starting position was "handed" to him. His numbers speak for themselves. Lowrie has had the third most at bats on the team, and in those 35 at bats, he has hit for a sizzling .429 batting average with 2 HR and 7 RBI. With a strong spring and hopefully an even greater start to the regular season, Lowrie can prove to the organization that he is the man for the job, which could ultimately resort Julio Lugo's role to being a $9 million utility man.

In one of the best finishes yet to be seen in the World Baseball Classic, Team USA stormed back after being down 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth inning. Team USA would not have been that close if it weren't for a 2 out solo home run off the bat of Red Sox first baseman, Kevin Youkilis, in the third inning.

"To me, the fan support was the best it's been the whole entire tournament," Youkilis said. "I think that it was unbelievable, the feeling of the 'USA!' chants, and it just actually felt for once that we were the home team, and that was a great sign."

The thrilling three-run comeback in the ninth was capped off with a clutch two-run single by David Wright to move Team USA forward and send Puerto Rico packing.

Proud to be an American,
-Jared Carrabis

Published on March 18, 2009

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