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We Need Backup, Now! by Jared Carrabis
Time for Theo to deal in some reinforcements
I don't mean to cause a Nation-wide panic, but the Red Sox have a problem.
"We've hit a spot where we haven't been swinging the bats well," said Jason Varitek. "The good thing is that hopefully those days are in front of us. We can't really swing the bats any worse."
The Red Sox have now lost their last four straight games and haven't been able to score more than three runs in any of the four losses. Josh Beckett, who had been 6-0 following a Red Sox loss, was beaten by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night after turning in a complete-game effort.
The last time Beckett got charged with a loss after hurling seven innings or more after allowing three runs or less was almost a year to the day, when the right-hander tossed seven innings against the New York Yankees on July 25, 2008, allowing just one earned run, but suffered the 1-0 loss to the Bombers.
It goes without saying that the Red Sox offense has struggled mightily as of late, but this is simply just a slump in unison. With the exception of Kevin Youkilis, who is batting .400 over the current four-game slump, this offense needs to get their act together. The higher your salary, the brighter my blame spotlight will shine on you.
The highest paid player on the team, JD Drew ($14 million), is batting a very disappointing .239 this season. Even worse, Drew is batting just .137 in the month of July after posting a .292 batting average in June. He's hitless (0-for-18) since the All Star break hasn't driven in a run since July 11 against Kansas City.
Jason Bay has been struggling beyond belief since late June. All we can do is hope that his pending contract and/or free agency due this off-season was what was weighing on his mind and hindering his performance. Since Bay ended negotiations with the club until after the season, hopefully his numbers will start to rise. Since June 23, Bay's average has plummeted from .286 to .254 after Tuesday's loss. He hit .230 in June and is currently hitting .184 in July.
If this Red Sox offense is going to reach its full lethal potential, Jason Bay and JD Drew have to turn it on, and they have to turn it on fast.
Before the game, the Red Sox announced that Tim Wakefield had been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. This back injury isn't the same one that cut Wakefield's season short in 2008. His '08 back injury was behind his pitching shoulder, this injury is further down, but painful enough to result in two, maybe even three, starts that Wakefield will have to sit out.
In his place, the Red Sox have recalled Clay Buchholz from Triple A Pawtucket. Buchholz will get the start in place of Wakefield on Wednesday and will continue to make Wakefield's starts every fifth day until the eleven-game winner is healthy enough to return.
Are the Red Sox showcasing Clay Buchholz? Absolutely not.
You can follow the crazy Roy Halladay trade rumors all you want for an entertainment value as a baseball fan, but just know that any chance of the Red Sox becoming involved in the Halladay sweepstakes are more dead than Jose Canseco's image; and I'll tell you why.
You may not realize it now, due to the fact that Buchholz just rejoined the team, but the 24-year-old that will turn 25 next month just may be the X-factor in this Boston rotation. With Wakefield on the shelf until further notice, Brad Penny losing his pace of consistency, John Smoltz simply not getting the job done and Daisuke Matsuzaka being just as useful as a beard trimmer in the Yankees' clubhouse, Buchholz just may be relied on as Boston's third starter behind Beckett and Jon Lester.
This point in the season right now in late July is what Theo Epstein and baseball operations prepared for when there was snow on the ground this past off-season. The pitching depth that this team possesses and other teams envy, just may keep this team afloat despite their offensive struggles.
My solution to the Red Sox' short-term and long-term offensive struggles would be to package together a prospect package headlined by Clay Buchholz and send them to Cleveland in exchange for Victor Martinez. He can play first to give either Kevin Youkilis or Mike Lowell a day off, he can DH to give David Ortiz a day off and he can catch to give Jason Varitek a day off, and eventually take over once the aging captain calls it a career.
However, such a trade has become unrealistic in light of Buchholz's new found importance to this 2009 club. Regardless of if Buchholz is staying or going, the Red Sox need to make a deal to bring in a bat.
A few weeks ago, I was all in favor of keeping Brad Penny right where he is. Now, if anyone is going to be dealt, it has to be Penny. The burly right-hander signed a one-year, $5 million deal this past winter with the Boston Red Sox, but will not enter the upcoming off-season as a Type A or Type B free agent. The Red Sox have no intentions of re-signing Penny beyond 2009; he was just a one-year rental, as Theo hoped he could get some bang for his buck. If and when the Red Sox let him walk at the end of the year, they will get no draft picks in compensation for his signing elsewhere.
The solution: trade Brad Penny while you can still get something in return for him. A straight up trade of the Colorado Rockies' Garrett Atkins for Brad Penny may be just what the Red Sox need. Penny has an ERA over five, and Atkins is batting just .226, but make no mistake about it, this guy can hit. He's a career .291 hitter, and while playing 157 games in 2006, Atkins raked for a .329 average, 48 doubles, 29 HR, 120 RBI, and a .965 OPS. Just three seasons prior to this, Atkins was about as good as it gets in the National League.
Though he primarily takes the field as a third baseman, Atkins has plenty of big league experience at first base. A change of scenery and the wild race for the American League pennant may be just what Atkins needs to return to his 2006 form. Theo, make it happen.
So tonight, after one bad inning by Josh Beckett, the Red Sox lost their fourth straight, as the Yankees pulled ahead by one game in the American League East. Yankee fans can pop their bottles all they want tonight, but when they wake up and realize that it's July 22 and the Tampa Bay Rays are only 4.5 games out, they'll put away their party hats until they can win a game that matters. Need I remind you of your record against the Red Sox this season...
Things you'll need to know to impress your friends
The Red Sox are a team that notoriously struggles against rookie starting pitchers. Boston has now scored just three runs in their last 26 innings against rookie pitchers. They have also collectively batted a measly .188 against rookie starters since June 25.
Even though it was for a losing cause, Josh Beckett hurled back-to-back complete games for the first time in his career.
The Red Sox, as a team, are hitting just .194 since the All Star break.
Wednesday's pitching match-up:
On Wednesday, Clay Buchholz will be making his second start of '09. After defeating the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, tossing 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, Buchholz will be looking to build on his only career start against the Texas Rangers. In his lone start against Nolan Ryan's club, Buchholz tossed six shutout innings, giving up five hits and struck out six. In 17 minor league starts with Pawtucket, Buchholz was 7-3 with a 2.36 ERA. His opponent, Vincente Padilla, is 2-3 with a 4.84 ERA in his career against the Red Sox.
-Jared Carrabis
Final Score: Red Sox 2, Ranger 4
Published on July 22, 2009
Time for Theo to deal in some reinforcements
I don't mean to cause a Nation-wide panic, but the Red Sox have a problem.
"We've hit a spot where we haven't been swinging the bats well," said Jason Varitek. "The good thing is that hopefully those days are in front of us. We can't really swing the bats any worse."
The Red Sox have now lost their last four straight games and haven't been able to score more than three runs in any of the four losses. Josh Beckett, who had been 6-0 following a Red Sox loss, was beaten by the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night after turning in a complete-game effort.
The last time Beckett got charged with a loss after hurling seven innings or more after allowing three runs or less was almost a year to the day, when the right-hander tossed seven innings against the New York Yankees on July 25, 2008, allowing just one earned run, but suffered the 1-0 loss to the Bombers.
It goes without saying that the Red Sox offense has struggled mightily as of late, but this is simply just a slump in unison. With the exception of Kevin Youkilis, who is batting .400 over the current four-game slump, this offense needs to get their act together. The higher your salary, the brighter my blame spotlight will shine on you.
The highest paid player on the team, JD Drew ($14 million), is batting a very disappointing .239 this season. Even worse, Drew is batting just .137 in the month of July after posting a .292 batting average in June. He's hitless (0-for-18) since the All Star break hasn't driven in a run since July 11 against Kansas City.
Jason Bay has been struggling beyond belief since late June. All we can do is hope that his pending contract and/or free agency due this off-season was what was weighing on his mind and hindering his performance. Since Bay ended negotiations with the club until after the season, hopefully his numbers will start to rise. Since June 23, Bay's average has plummeted from .286 to .254 after Tuesday's loss. He hit .230 in June and is currently hitting .184 in July.
If this Red Sox offense is going to reach its full lethal potential, Jason Bay and JD Drew have to turn it on, and they have to turn it on fast.
Before the game, the Red Sox announced that Tim Wakefield had been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. This back injury isn't the same one that cut Wakefield's season short in 2008. His '08 back injury was behind his pitching shoulder, this injury is further down, but painful enough to result in two, maybe even three, starts that Wakefield will have to sit out.
In his place, the Red Sox have recalled Clay Buchholz from Triple A Pawtucket. Buchholz will get the start in place of Wakefield on Wednesday and will continue to make Wakefield's starts every fifth day until the eleven-game winner is healthy enough to return.
Are the Red Sox showcasing Clay Buchholz? Absolutely not.
You can follow the crazy Roy Halladay trade rumors all you want for an entertainment value as a baseball fan, but just know that any chance of the Red Sox becoming involved in the Halladay sweepstakes are more dead than Jose Canseco's image; and I'll tell you why.
You may not realize it now, due to the fact that Buchholz just rejoined the team, but the 24-year-old that will turn 25 next month just may be the X-factor in this Boston rotation. With Wakefield on the shelf until further notice, Brad Penny losing his pace of consistency, John Smoltz simply not getting the job done and Daisuke Matsuzaka being just as useful as a beard trimmer in the Yankees' clubhouse, Buchholz just may be relied on as Boston's third starter behind Beckett and Jon Lester.
This point in the season right now in late July is what Theo Epstein and baseball operations prepared for when there was snow on the ground this past off-season. The pitching depth that this team possesses and other teams envy, just may keep this team afloat despite their offensive struggles.
My solution to the Red Sox' short-term and long-term offensive struggles would be to package together a prospect package headlined by Clay Buchholz and send them to Cleveland in exchange for Victor Martinez. He can play first to give either Kevin Youkilis or Mike Lowell a day off, he can DH to give David Ortiz a day off and he can catch to give Jason Varitek a day off, and eventually take over once the aging captain calls it a career.
However, such a trade has become unrealistic in light of Buchholz's new found importance to this 2009 club. Regardless of if Buchholz is staying or going, the Red Sox need to make a deal to bring in a bat.
A few weeks ago, I was all in favor of keeping Brad Penny right where he is. Now, if anyone is going to be dealt, it has to be Penny. The burly right-hander signed a one-year, $5 million deal this past winter with the Boston Red Sox, but will not enter the upcoming off-season as a Type A or Type B free agent. The Red Sox have no intentions of re-signing Penny beyond 2009; he was just a one-year rental, as Theo hoped he could get some bang for his buck. If and when the Red Sox let him walk at the end of the year, they will get no draft picks in compensation for his signing elsewhere.
The solution: trade Brad Penny while you can still get something in return for him. A straight up trade of the Colorado Rockies' Garrett Atkins for Brad Penny may be just what the Red Sox need. Penny has an ERA over five, and Atkins is batting just .226, but make no mistake about it, this guy can hit. He's a career .291 hitter, and while playing 157 games in 2006, Atkins raked for a .329 average, 48 doubles, 29 HR, 120 RBI, and a .965 OPS. Just three seasons prior to this, Atkins was about as good as it gets in the National League.
Though he primarily takes the field as a third baseman, Atkins has plenty of big league experience at first base. A change of scenery and the wild race for the American League pennant may be just what Atkins needs to return to his 2006 form. Theo, make it happen.
So tonight, after one bad inning by Josh Beckett, the Red Sox lost their fourth straight, as the Yankees pulled ahead by one game in the American League East. Yankee fans can pop their bottles all they want tonight, but when they wake up and realize that it's July 22 and the Tampa Bay Rays are only 4.5 games out, they'll put away their party hats until they can win a game that matters. Need I remind you of your record against the Red Sox this season...
Things you'll need to know to impress your friends
The Red Sox are a team that notoriously struggles against rookie starting pitchers. Boston has now scored just three runs in their last 26 innings against rookie pitchers. They have also collectively batted a measly .188 against rookie starters since June 25.
Even though it was for a losing cause, Josh Beckett hurled back-to-back complete games for the first time in his career.
The Red Sox, as a team, are hitting just .194 since the All Star break.
Wednesday's pitching match-up:
On Wednesday, Clay Buchholz will be making his second start of '09. After defeating the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, tossing 5.2 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, Buchholz will be looking to build on his only career start against the Texas Rangers. In his lone start against Nolan Ryan's club, Buchholz tossed six shutout innings, giving up five hits and struck out six. In 17 minor league starts with Pawtucket, Buchholz was 7-3 with a 2.36 ERA. His opponent, Vincente Padilla, is 2-3 with a 4.84 ERA in his career against the Red Sox.
-Jared Carrabis
Final Score: Red Sox 2, Ranger 4
Published on July 22, 2009
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