Shields is a very good pitcher no doubt but his "Big Game" nickname is a bit much, especially if you look at his post season numbers. I still don't get how he got that nickname, I guess because it rhymes. But BIG win last night for the Sox. Beckett pitched pretty well not having pitched in 10 days and it was good to see old Bard return. And I still don't understand how or why Cashman let Aceves go. The guy isn't a superstar by any means but he's been a pretty important piece of this Sox team this year. Remains me of the job Julian Taveraz did for us back in 2007 between starting, long man, set up guy etc. Lester needs to pitch a good game today and Niemann has owned the Sox all year so maybe he's due to get hit hard today.
No clue bro, no clue, I was shocked when they released him in the first place, and then just mad just the Red Sox got him......one of Cashman's big bludders... How do you let a guy go who was 14-1 with a 3.21 ERA for you in 3 seasons IN THE AL EAST...I mean I know wins, and ERA are not the end all be all of pitching stats, but just on that alone is the reason you keep him to me....baffling....
Terrible game yesterday, one of the worst I've ever been too. The team just looked flat, there was no emotion on the field or in the stands, it was like everyone saw the pitching match up and said screw it. They really backed themselves into a corner but they have the perfect opponent to beat in Baltimore. If they can't beat that team they don't deserve to get in.
^ I will say, the F'ing line drive that "knocked" Price from qualifying for the WIN killed me in my Fantasy League. Now I am playing for 3rd place, instead of the Championship. Curses and a Pox on your houses.
Baseball Gods or just a bunch of stupid umps hurt the Sox last inning. Ortiz clearly hit that ball fair but it was ruled foul. But that's the way things have been going since September with this team. The pitching has just been beyond awful.
Kyle Weiland and Darnell McDonald being big factors in big games in September tells you all you need to know about this team right now.
Wow. Get Beckett and the red sox dick out of your mouth. aren't you a Yankees fan? Shields got that nickname during and after the 2008 season in which we won the division and went to the world series, maybe you remember that year? When Shields in the middle of a very tight division race went 2-0 with a 2.97 ERA in September and posting 2.88 ERA in the playoffs and world series, including 5 shutout innings in the lone world series start. BTW, the same "real big game pitcher" went 9.1 innings giving up 10 earned runs to the rays while shields pitched 13 innings giving up 5 earned runs. But your right Fridays game was much more important then those games. Look everyone knows Beckeyt is a big time pitcher but lets not deminish the fact that shields was the #1 starter on a very young team that went from last to the world series the next season, led by James going deep into a lot of games and pitching well when it mattered. Also if you want to go by post season numbers, he hasnt been the best pitcher out there, and he may not have had the success while younger like Beckett, but if you want to compare post season stats since 2008 Big Game James comes out on top of the "real big game pitcher"
Atlanta and Boston are in very similar situations right now. Atlanta is going up against a team they should be able to take two from [Washington] but it's a mystery whether they actually will. They just can't avoid costly September injuries. Stopped them from making it to the NLCS last season at a minimum and it's jeopardizing their postseason lives again this year. The O's are pretty terrible but I read in the Baltimore Sun today that they've won four straight against postseason contenders. Bad teams really get pumped up for spoiling the party for their rivals.
Why stop at '08? Shields will never be a better big game pitcher. Beckett was inhuman during his 2 WS runs.
I didn't stop in 08. People were debating and making fun of a nickname, a name he was given and deserved for in 2008. But incase you were un aware of, Shields has been with the rays his whole career. A team that has finished dead last in its division 9 out of 14 years of its existence and only competed for a playoff spot 3 times in its history; 08 in which I showed he was very good and pitched very BIG for us; last year in which he was not himself and had a terrible season all around and this year in which if you really want to bring up James is 6-2 with a 2.22 ERA in august in September(you know, when the big games are. At least regular season ones). Its kind of ridiculous really, you hear the nickname big game and its almost like you hear "Best big game pitcher in baseball" James Shields. Hate to burst your bubble but no one is claiming that. Also, there's no doubt in anyone's minds that Beckett was the best big game pircher in the two world series runs time span, but guess what that was in 2007. ARod was the best home run hitter in baseball in 07 and he certainly is not now. Becket hasn't been the best big game pitcher in baseball since 07, In fact hes been overall not good in big games since. That's a span of 4 years, lets not act like that was just yesterday.
Why dont you go and peddle some "real" Dolphin jerseys and stop okay....yes I am a Yankees fan, and yes I do remember 08, they lost in the WS.....cuz well they are Tampa.....they would be better suited in another division.... one year of the playoffs for Shields doesn't equate to the other pitchers, like Beckett who probably have amassed a half a season's worth of stats or more over his career.....calm yourself on Shields..... that being said the Yankees will get beat up this series against them...Tampa always gives them fits..
Beckett was hurt in during the 2008 playoffs which obviously effected his numbers. As for Shields, I don't think anyone is debating he isn't a good pitcher. Just whether his nickname is justified or not. His overall playoff numbers aren't anything special nor do players get nicknames based on what they do in September. I think the interesting thing is is that Shields hasn't even been the Rays' best pitcher overall in those two years Tampa has been in the playoffs. Matt Garza was, especially in the 2008 ALCS. Yet Shields gets the Big Game nickname, probably because Big Game Garza doesn't sound nearly as good or as catchy.
Great response. Btw, how are you equating the nick name big game to being better then anyone else in big games during careers or being a life time big game pitcher? Btw, Shields one year of very good September's and playoffs, while the real big game pitcher only has two? Big difference right?
Come on you really want to compare Shields' work with Beckett's in the playoffs? Beckett in 2003 and 2007 was flat out dominate. Shields hasn't been the pitcher Beckett was in his playoff appearances. Yes it's true that Beckett wasn't good in 2008 or 2009, eventhough in 2008 he was clearly injuried. But even so Shields doesn't even come close to Beckett's numbers, just look them up. I think you'd be surprised at just how great Beckett was in 2003 and 2007. And September is not the best judge of a player's performance due to the roster's being expended therefore players usually face watered down teams if those teams aren't in the playoff hunts. General rule of thumb is not to put too much stock into player's performance/numbers in March (spring training) or September due to the competition levels.
you are saying he is a big game pitcher in September and the playoffs which I discount because screw September, most of the times when you aren't playing a contender you are playing teams obviously eliminated and are fielding AA/AAA ball players alla the Yankees facing Minny yesterday..... as for the playoffs, meh one playoff series doesn't solidify your status of a Big Game pitcher.....first you have to win, like you know a ring?? and prove it over a good amount of time.....Schilling (I vomited a little), Andy Pet, Mo, Paps, Beckett have proven they are Big Game Pitchers.... you cant name yourself that, and not BE THE BIG GAME PITCHER IN THE SPORT....kinda like the LeBron "King" nickname...
First, you guys are the ones comparing the two. Not rays fans and not people that gave James that nick name. Finynk started with the comparison and i simply stated the facts as why he was named that. I've already stated Beckett was the best big game pitcher in his stretch without a doubt. Best I've ever seen personally . But that means little as of today. And Ray, your one of the few baseball fans i respect on this board, however I have to disagree that you can throw out September stats. Yes some rosters get watered down, however when in a playoff race, no month is more important then September. So I believe September definitely counts for something as it matters for your team, regardless of what other teams are doing.
Who cares about a Nickname....a Nickname....seriously! Its a marketing buzz thing for selling seats, or shirts, or towels, or any number of things that are meaningless. James, Beckett, anyone else, who cares. Neither flat out suck, Niether flat out always dominate. Lets move on....back to Sox fans rooting for Yanks...hehehe. Say it out loud....Go Yankees! P.S. If Sox keep losing, and TB steals a few well timed victories following those losses and keeping Sox out of playoffs...oh well, we gave it the old college try, right?
First, I appeciate the kind words. As for September stats, maybe 'throw out' is too strong of a word but maybe take with a grain of salt instead? I mean I agree with you September is important but I do think that the stats can be misleading. The bad teams that have nothing to play for are going to throw their younger guys out there to see what they can do (as they should) therefore might not be fielding the best possible team. I mean even playoff teams like the Yankees team might be starting Nunez, Pena, Romine, Golsten just to name a few in the last week of the season to rest their big guns for the playoffs. As a Rays fan you should be pissed that the Matt Angles and Ryan Adams are starting for Baltimore against Boston, just like a Sox fan will be mad if the Yankee A line up isn't playing or if the Yankees decide to rest their pitchers but that's unfortunately what happens in September. I think September, especially towards the end, is a good month to pad stats due to weaker competition.
I know I was pretty irritated that the Phillies had no interest in winning more than one game in their series with the Cards. Yes the Braves need to take care of their ownbusiness, that's on them, but we're playing rivals like the Mets who really want to beat us while the Cards are playing a team that is looking to October and doesn't give a crap. God this September is depressing me on the football and baseball front.
Yeah stuff like that can be annoying. On one hand I think the teams should field the best teams possible when playing potential playoff teams but also think teams should take a long look at younger players to see what they have too. It's a catch 22 really.
Ric Flair is in the Red Sox clubhouse right now. Dustin Pedroia and Josh Reddick are big wrestling fans. I have a good feeling about tonight's game.
You have almost a whole month so I think there are plenty of opportunities to get young players ABs. I didn't watch the Sunday night Phillies game but a coworker went up there for it and gave me the impression that they had a lot of backups in. Maybe that's a false impression but I've been too lazy to look it up. It's just hard for me to imagine the Cardinals taking three of four from Philly if it was say, July. There is also the idea that all of those fans paying for tickets are paying to see the Phillies do their best to beat the Cardinals.
See I don't have an issue with the Phillies sitting players and getting them rest for the playoffs. They need to worry about themselves first and foremost staying healthy and setting up their rotation for October before worrying about playing hard against Team A or Team B. As a Braves fan, yeah it sucks but if the roles were reversed you'd probably want your team resting guys and getting ready for October.
Yeah. The Braves always suck in September so that's a hard scenario to imagine. They struggled last September too. I think in baseball though staying sharp and keeping momentum means a lot. If you've got a player ailing, obviously rest him. But just sitting players for the sake of it... I don't know. At least with Atlanta I've noticed that they haven't played well right after extended breaks. They slumped after the all-star break and they essentially got another three day break in August with hurricane irene. They weren't super sharp after that layoff either. You don't want to be reckless but I think there's a lot to be said for making sure your good players continue to get meaningful ABs or IPs throughout. In order for it to be meaningful there has to be some interest in winning the game. Beyond saying, 'yeah we want to win.'
In baseball a lot of it is based on health and a little bit of luck too. From the Red Sox perspective the health of their SPers have hurt them a lot in September and none of the replacements have done even a decent job at filling in. Also a lot of the regular players have been hurt and are playing hurt simply because we don't have anyone else to fill in. The baseball season is so long and such a grind I don't think people truly realize how hard it is to even make the playoffs let alone win in October.
Funny thing is RF, one did not like the time off between winning the division and waiting to play, MLB is such a grind to me, how could it not help the team with the time off? Allows the rotation to reset, dings like ankles and backs to be treated, would help to sharpen up a team?
In football yes, in baseball I don't know. Baseball is so much precision and so much rides on momentum and being in a rhythm. There's a reason one of the best pitchers in the game, Halladay, hates anything breaking up his routine. And how many times have we seen a team who surged in September and clinched a spot at the last minute carry that over into October? For years the Braves had the division wrapped up usually by August. It rarely helped them in October. All of that 'rest' didn't do much when it came down to it. In baseball it's not like you can turn a switch on and off to elevate your level of play. It's a tough game.
Like Muscle said, baseball is all about being in a rhythm, keeping your timing and momentum. Players sitting for extended periods of time hurt their timing in hitting and pitching. There's a reason why when a player has to be put on the DL for a period of time he goes to the minors to work out the kinks and get his timing back. Especially at this point of the season the players are used to playing everyday, having them sit out for 3 or 4 days waiting to play a real game does more harm than good, even with the pitchers.
Disagree, but that is fine, I suspect if the BoSox make the dance they'd love to have 10 days off this yr. Pappalbon blew the save tonight..ouch.
This team is such a joke right now, well an unfunny joke. I honestly have never seen anything like this before even in 2006 and last year their starting pitching was never this bad. I'm not very confident that this team is going to make the playoffs. I just don't think they have enough starting pitching. I haven't seen this team play a good baseball game since, I can't even remember it has to be mid to late August. Whether they make the playoffs or not I think there needs to be some changes made to this team starting with the medicial staff that's been pretty shakey for a few years now. I think they need to take a look at their minor leagues and see why some of their players aren't developing. I also think this team needs to get younger and I'd probably shallow hard and simply release Lackey and his 45 million dollars left on his contract. And no Francona or Theo should not be fired, although Theo needs to look in the mirror and see why he's done a poor job signing FAs to big deals and why they haven't performed.
Especially pitching, go look at pitchers who pitch on 5 days rest, and compare them to 6 or more days....usually a decline..... I want my team grinding and playing starters for the last couple of games...actually I want A-Rod playing the rest of the games...
A little Roll reversal is in order, I will be you, and you are me it seems.......you need to calm yourself RF, they are getting in......they would literally have to lose pretty much all the games they have left....I don't see that...they arent some awful team that cant buy a game like Houston, but running to some poor execution, and bad luck lately.....the hard facts are still Boston plays...BALT, NY, BALT, and Tampa plays NY, TOR, NY.....I mean for as bad as they are playing, the cards are stacked for them.....as well LAA who is even futher behind, plays TOR, OAK and TEX.....so the probably is in the Sox favor.... all the other business stuff we can talk about in the offseason.... for now Fink the ALCS is ours my friend....7---4 hour games....ohhh joy!!!
Have you seen just how bad the starting pitching has been in September though? Besides Beckett and Lester it's almost a given the other 3 guys won't get past the 5th without giving up 5 plus runs. I've never seen anything like this before. Yes the Sox have a good team but the SPing has been downright bad. I just don't see how they can reverse this. Lackey sucks, he's not going to not suck, ditto for Wakefield and Weiland (who looks like a RPer anyway). I have a little faith in Bedard but it wasn't surprising he didn't last long or do well since he hasn't thrown since Sept 2nd or 3rd. I just don't like the Sox chances as their SPers just don't have room for error and it's asking a lot for any line up to continue to have to score 8 or 9 runs a game. It doesn't matter who the Red Sox are playing if their starters can't get to or out of the 5th inning. I agree feel bad for Papelbon because the guy has been great all year and unfortunately couldn't hold a lead. I'm just not having any fun watching these games, they've been pretty tough to watch. It's not good baseball either where they're losing 1 run games but they're playing well.
Thought September was a stat padding month? Kidding. You guys should be fine we play the Yankees and you play the orioles. Enough said
It has been for the Red Sox opponents. Lackey, Wakefield, Weiland and Andrew Miller aren't major league pitchers right now. But nice joke, it was well played.
