The Official 2011 Boston Red Sox Thread

Hey if that means Beckett will go 7 innings of 4 hit, 1 run ball in a Game 6 at Yankee Stadium where the hell do I sign up?

 

I'm pretty worried about this team right now. Looks like Youkilis is hurt once again and Bedard might miss more time. The pitching outside of Lester and Beckett has been awful. If Bedard isn't healthy come October (IF the Sox make the playoffs as TB scares the hell out of me right now) I might roll the dice with Kyle Weiland starting Game 3, it's gotten that bad.

 

I don't think it matters to tell you the true because I'm not sure the Sox are healthy enough to get to the 2nd round. But I'd probably play the Yankees only because the Rays have the better SPing.

As for the Sox owning the Yankees this year, all of that stuff gets thrown out the window in the playoffs in 2007 the Yankees were undefeated against Cleveland in the regular season and look what happened.

In the playoffs it all comes down to pitching, pitching and pitching.

 

Haha. I'd rather have a team with great pitching than a team with good hitting, especially in a short series.

 

Well who else does Detroit have besides Verlander? Does Scherzer, Penny, Porcello or Fister scare you? Texas has Wilson (who's not really a shut down pitcher but has had his way against Boston all year), Holland, Lewis, Harrison and Otunga. Again nothing really scary but they have some quality arms. I think I'd probably rather face Detroit though and hope the Sox can sneak a win in Game 1 against Verlander, if not just win the next 3 games to make sure Verlander doesn't pitch twice.

 

Lars Anderson, Jose Iglesias, Junichi Tazawa, Trevor Miller and Joey Gathright have been called up by the Red Sox. Neither Miller or Gathright are on the 40 man roster so 2 moves will have to be made. Most likely putting JD Drew and Ryan Kalish on the 60 Day DL or DFAing someone (Exposito perhaps).

I'm very interested to see if Tazawa can do anything out of the pen, he's been pretty good against LHH this year. I expect Iglesias to be the late game defensive sub at SS and Gathright to be a pinch runner/defensive RF if they pinch hit Reddick.

 

Yeah thankfully Wakefield won his 200th game so I won't have to hear about it again or whether or not he would ever get it. Even better the Sox picked up a game on Tampa Bay last night, although I wish they could have saved some runs for today's game.

 

Ugh yeah this isn't the Sox year, just way too many injuries at the wrong time. Plus Bard has to be hurt, he was throwing 94-95ish with no bit to the FB. Youkilis looks like he's 80 years old, Ortiz has a bad back now and Gonzalez has a bum calf. Not good.

 

This series is huge for Tampa, they really need to sweep if they want to stay in the race. Even if they win 3 out of 4 that brings them to 2 games out and having to face the Yankees 7 times, the schedule won't get easier for them. I'd sign up right now for a series split in a heart beat but if the Rays happen to lose 3 out of 4 I think their season is over.

As for Bard, yeah he's definitely dropping his arm slot, something Jerry Remy pitched up right away when he first started to do that in Toronto a week ago. The walks really killed Bard that inning but the defense didn't help him out either (his first to 1st on the bunt while wasn't a good throw by any means, Anderson should have caught it and Youkilis' bobble on the grounder could have either been a DP or he might have been able to get an out at home plate). But yeah it definitely concerns me about the change in arm slot, which is resulting in less velo and command.

Youkilis needs surgery on his back/hip which he's going to get in the offseason but he just doesn't look right at the plate or in the field. Francisco threw him a pitch in the 9th right down the middle than he just swung right through, I think a healthy Youkilis puts that ball on the highway.

I really just don't think it's the Sox year this year even if they make the playoffs. Too many key guys are hurting too deep into the season.

 

Really? They haven't choked (yet). Let's give it a little more time first.

 

I think so too but I'm still a bit nervous.

 

You make a good point. We always tend to focus on the team that "chokes" instead of looking at the team that caught fire and won. If the Rays make the playoffs they would have earned that spot.

 

I don't disagree at all. I just feel that the team that wins doesn't get enough credit for winning. Instead it's more focused on the team that does poorly.

Not stupid at all. Once the Yankees clinch a playoff spot they're going to rest their players and they should but I don't think the Yankees or any team would purposely try to throw games or put out a weaker team on the field to simply keep another team out of the playoffs.

I bet the Yankees would rather face the Red Sox simply because their team right now is pretty beat up and their starting rotation is much weaker. That Yankee line up can do a lot of damage to the Lackeys and Bedards on the Sox. That line up (and any line up really) is going to have problems with Price, Shields, Hellickson, Nieman/Davis. It's always about the pitching come October.

 

Hey in the regular season give me the big boy bats. Come October I want the big boy arms.

 

At least the Sox are in the driver's seat, they control their own destiny. I do think tonight's game is big only in the sense that Saturday's pitching match up is a wash but Sunday's is almost an automatic W for Tampa. Plus it would ease everyone's minds if Beckett pitched well and the team won.

Youkilis looks hurt and yeah it is probably more harm than good right now. He came up in a key spot in the 3rd or 4th inning and just looked awful at the plate. I'd seriously consider putting Iglesias' at SS and sticking Scutaro at 3rd for the time being. Yes Iglesias has a weak bat but he's unreal in the field, which has been a big issue all year for the Sox at the SS position. Plus with the way the pitching staff is right now a little defense wouldn't be a bad idea.