Is it just me or does it seem that the Red Sox' play has been very uninspired of late? I basically saw a bunch of players showing no emotion and not really a lot of chemistry. These guys are talented, but did anyone really think they would man up and win the division and 100 games? The Red Sox are a bunch of metroprofessionals (my word) and I'm sticking by it! Just wish they played up to their potential and weren't so soft and excuse-laden.
–Paul
Metroprofessionals. Nice one.
In the interest of looking at all sides, we should note that no team looks as if it is on cloud nine when it goes through a stretch like the one the Red Sox are going through right now. It's hard to crack a smile or give out a ton of high fives when you're getting pasted each night. Saying that, there certainly has been a very lackluster feel all around of late. Poor play has permeated all areas of the game.
Because of its everyday nature, baseball offers limited chances for teams to step away from their doldrums. They either have to play their way out of it or take full advantage of those rare days off. Monday's time away is about as necessary as any all season, so let's see if it does any good for the team when it returns to Fenway Park.
Lastly, I don't think there are any excuses being thrown around. If you heard any of the comments after Sunday's loss at Tampa Bay, the players pinned blame only on themselves.
Why haven't the Red Sox called up Hideki Okajima at all? Did he get in bad standing with the club? And do you think there's a chance we see Junichi Tazawa as a September call-up? Thanks.
–Bryan
I don't believe there are any issues between Hideki Okajima and the organization aside from the fact that he hadn't pitched all that well for more than a year. There has been a scarcity of quality lefty relievers, so one figured he might get one more shot, but they like the potential of guys like Franklin Morales and Felix Doubront in their pen right now.
As for Junichi Tazawa, given the way he pitched for Pawtucket and how strapped the bullpen has been, he could be a nice addition. We'll see if he makes an appearance this homestand.
I understand the injuries, the lack of starting and relief pitching, and the recent slump in hitting, but I do not understand the lack of hustle shown by most of the team? Jogging to first base on grounders, lack of communication in the outfield, missing the cutoff man, flat looks on bench, etc. Where is the fire, the energy, the drive???
–Ron Richardson
We addressed some of this in the first answer, but I will expand on some of it. The sloppiness and lack of fundamentals has been troubling. There were multiple instances of missed cutoff men and a handful of base running gaffes during the road trip. Terry Francona and Dustin Pedroia, among others, spoke after Sunday's loss about getting back to the basics and just playing sound baseball. We'll see Tuesday night if they can rediscover that ability to play crisp baseball.
Do you think the Red Sox should give up on Tim Wakefield's 200th win and concentrate on getting into the playoffs? I do. I have told friends that Wakefield will not get his 200th win.
–Verl Lindsay
Considering that Tim Wakefield is actually one of the more dependable starts in the rotation right now (excluding Josh Beckett and Erik Bedard in the conversation), they need him in a big way Tuesday night. Wakefield's pursuit of 200 wins has been a long one, but the fact that he hasn't picked it up is not the primary issue right now. Based on production, he may be your second- or third-best starter until Beckett and Bedard return, as crazy as that sounds.
Hi, Tony. I'm a big Red Sox fan but don't claim to understand all the little nuances of the game. It appears to me from watching most of the games that there are many errors in judgment on the base paths and a lot more pickoffs of our runners than before? Not to mention the lack of effort sometimes in running to first base. (Ortiz is a good example.)
–Ruth
From a few caught stealings at a bad time to the pickoff of Mike Aviles on Sunday, there were some mistakes on the bases this road trip. You're right about that. I also recall David Ortiz loafing out of the box on a booming double in Toronto that even he could've turned into a triple.
Again, base running is just one of many areas in which the Red Sox have struggled. It all goes back to being fundamentally sound, something this team prided itself on during its best stretches but has seen vanish in recent days.
On a side note, fangraphs.com created a base running metric before the season began that currently ranks Boston as the worst in all of baseball.
I don't think anybody on the Red Sox deserves to be an MVP. In my opinion an MVP is someone who carries the team when the going gets tough (see Yaz in '67, Ortiz in '04). Now that the Sox are imploding, does anyone in Boston deserve this honor?
–Mike Ragoza
I completely agree with your assessment of an MVP, and there's still time for someone to put the team on his back. Dustin Pedroia has possibly played his way out of contention with his recent slump and Adrian Gonzalez has done nothing to separate himself from the pack, although he hasn't been bad.
However, Jacoby Ellsbury has remained hot. He hit .406 (13-for-32) with two homers and five RBIs on the otherwise miserable road trip and will carry a 16-game hitting streak into Tuesday's play. With a quality homestand that helps lock down a playoff spot, Ellsbury may become a front-runner, if he isn't already.
I'm tired of hearing that the Red Sox have a good pitching staff. Right now, Theo Epstein should "grab" almost anyone off waivers and get rid of Michael Bowden (so many chances without good results), Andrew Miller (who they keep saying would be happily picked up by another team), Matt Albers (he's had his 15 seconds), and Wakefield (not pitching well enough to warrant his poor games in trying to get No. 200). Lastly, John Lackey. I know he is due $50 million. Let him earn his money by pitching batting practice. This would give Sox batters great hitting experience.
–Manny L.
OK, Manny. Now take a deep breath. Maybe a walk around the block, clear your head.
While I cannot disagree with your assessment on some of the pitching, the issue right now is a complete lack of options. Let's say you get rid of Andrew Miller and Wakefield and turn John Lackey into a mascot. Then who do you want to fill out the rotation? Same goes for Matt Albers and Michael Bowden in those situations where the team is behind and you need someone to get an out or two to try to keep the score where it is. You want to use Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon for two innings apiece every game? Or bring back Alfredo Aceves the day after he throws 63 pitches? There are no options right now, and that's why this team is in free fall.
Is there a good chance with the pitching the way it is that in the offseason the Red Sox look for a reliable starter? Even though they are slipping, I think it is amazing with all the injuries and hurt pitchers that the Red Sox have done so well so far. Also, the mailbag is the best. Great work!
–Glenn Fisk
Glenn gets the award for the most positive question/comment of the week. Actually, he was the only one in the category, but give him credit for taking the glass-half-full approach.
The Red Sox will enter 2012 with about the same rotation they had when they began this year. Beckett, Lester, Clay Buchholz and Lackey are all under contract for several more years, and Daisuke Matsuzaka may even come back from Tommy John surgery during the season. There will be a fifth spot for the taking to begin the year, however. While there are a few internal candidates, expect the organization to be active in bringing in as many quality candidates as it can. Just look what happens when the injuries begin to pile up in the rotation.
I know injuries are part of the game. What's up with this the past few seasons? It killed us last year and has carried over to this season. Is this something the organization needs to look at in the offseason or is it just the game?
–Robert
It hasn't been quite as bad as last year, but several issues are popping up at the same time so they become magnified. Much of this stuff is random (just think of Ellsbury's 2010 compared to his 2011), but you do have to expect the Red Sox to at least be in the upper half of the league in terms of injuries simply because they are a veteran team. They rank among the older rosters in the league. It is not to any concerning degree as many of their players are in their prime, but there may be just enough wear and tear and miles logged on those legs to create an extra DL stint here and there.
Is there any concern with the way Jarrod Saltalamacchia is calling pitches? I know I was surprised the last two times he caught Daniel Bard. He keeps calling for the high fastball, which Evan Longoria hit for the game-winning RBI. Why call for a high fastball when all they needed was a sac fly? In an earlier game, when Bard had all that trouble throwing strikes, he also called for a high fastball out of the zone. He needed to throw strikes!
–Stephen Webb
Well, Bard said himself that the pitch to Longoria was exactly where he wanted to put it. When you can hit 100 on the gun, elevating that heater can be an overpowering measure, especially when you have the threat of a slider like Bard.
Bard thrives on getting swings and misses outside the zone on that high heat and that darting slider. Maybe it didn't work in that instance, but I don't know if Saltalamacchia's call was the primary issue.
Can the Red Sox get into the postseason with the current pitching? I was shocked by the Lester performance. Twice now he has gone 40-plus pitches in the first inning. Wakefield, Lackey and Miller can't seem to make it beyond the fifth without leaving the Sox in a big hole.
–Dean
That's the burning question. It all comes down to Beckett and Bedard. Without them, or even with them in a limited capacity, that wild card lead may continue to shrink and eventually vanish altogether. They need at least one, and probably both, to have any chance in October, and perhaps to even make it that far.
How serious is Youkilis' injury? Is there a chance we will see Will Middlebrooks with the big league club in the near future?
–Kevin
No. Will Middlebrooks is not on the 40-man roster so he is not eligible to be called up right now. With Jed Lowrie and Mike Aviles and maybe even Jose Iglesias in the coming days, there are enough guys who can play that side of the infield. We should know more about Kevin Youkilis in the coming days.
