The potential All-Star left the game due to a freak injury, but fortunately for the bruised and battered Red Sox, it was nothing serious. Still, his leaving the game was a major reason the Red Sox lost on Tuesday, and it has fans worried that this team could be near the breaking point when it comes to injuries.
Are we starting to see signs of the injuries affecting the Red Sox' winning potential?
–Tim, Brookline, Mass.
Hard not to. I do think the injuries to Josh Beckett and Clay Buchholz have really changed things and made it harder for the pen. I think you can be without some of your regular position players and be OK as long as your rotation goes deep into games and can keep you in the game. Terry Francona points to 2006, when most of the injuries to the Red Sox that year were starting pitchers. They used 14 different starting pitchers and could not compete.
That said, this is getting ridiculous. I have never seen this many injuries to this many quality players on one team in one year in such a short period of time. You see a lot of players during spring training games and rarely do you see them again during the regular season. This year it feels like we have seen them all and they are now starting because of all the injuries — not to mention the schedule is not kind to the Sox coming up after the break.
Can they continue to keep Daisuke Matsuzaka in the rotation?
–Lou, Boston
He continues to be a mystery and frustrating to watch. His first-inning problems are now a really big issue. Around half of his walks and runs allowed have all occurred in the first inning. Monday night, he had a four-run lead and could not hold it in the middle portion of the game. You never know what to expect and he is back to being a five-inning pitcher. You look in the fifth inning and he is deep into his pitch count again and it all starts with the first inning.
He threw 30 pitches in the first inning the other night. At the moment, however, the Sox have no other alternatives. When everyone is healthy, I am not sure he will stay in the rotation. However, coaches I have spoken with insist he would not be able to pitch out of the pen. So what to do remains the longstanding question for Daisuke.
Should the All-Star Game count and be the definitive game for home field in the World Series?
–Clark, Somerville, Mass.
No. I get why they went there — it needed to be something more than an exhibition — but the significance of one game to determine something as important as home-field advantage in the World Series does not work. I have always felt that with the number of interleague games you play now, wins during the regular season should be the determining factor. Did the AL have the better record overall in the regular season? If so, they should have home-field advantage come World Series time, and vice versa. That way there is a larger sample size to determine who deserves home field.
Do you like the All-Star Game?
–Tina, Westfield, Mass.
I love it and think that it is the best of the four sports' All-Star games. I really do. I love watching it and the events that surround it. I like watching the Home Run Derby the night before, and the game is always great to watch. The best of the best doing what they do. It is interesting and fun to watch over the last few years when you have a great many Red Sox, Yankees and Rays all together playing side-by-side and battling the NL.
I enjoy the time off but I really think the game is fun. Some may say that interleague has taken away from some of the spectacle that used to exist in the All-Star Game. I know Terry Francona did not necessarily enjoy the extra-inning game a few years ago, but it was truly a classic played by the game's best, especially taking into a account who was left to pitch in the end.
Do you think David Ortiz should participate in the Home Run Derby?
–Darlene, Linden, N.J.
I think it’s fine and not a big deal. You should see the display he puts on daily during batting practice. I mean, this is what he does — he hits long home runs. I am not of the opinion that this exhibition will change his swing or approach. That has always been the concern of some players who cannot find their swings again after the event. Those players think that their second-half struggles were somehow tied to the event. However, the other guys who seem to be affected are not classic home-run hitters who participate and they do things much differently, so it does seem to impact them. I have no worries with Big Papi in the Derby.
