Game Story: Lugo (BS, 1)

by Allen Chace on May 8, 2008 5:08 PM EDT in Game Stories

Summary:

...no. In fact, F no.

Player of the Game:

Comment of the ClusterF. Entertaining Redeeming Moment:

At some point in the game, the FSN Detroit cameras caught a Sox player in the dugout, eating a cup of A) applesauce, B) pudding, or C) yogurt. The # on this player's wristbands? 24. I'm pretty sure if they'd panned lower, they've have caught him swinging his legs back and forth too.

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freaky bottom of the 9th...

The wacky single to start the Tiger’s rally combine with Lugo’s screwed up, showed that the game could had gone for the Sox. As much as Lugo deserves to be the goat, Papelbon was giving too many pitches that the Tigers could hit. Even though the Polanco single was kind of freaky, and I don’t think any pitcher in the AL could had stopped Polanco that night. It was frustrating, and Lugo screwed up, when they needed not to. However it was a great hitting game, and the Sox looked really good as a line up. Lowell was great. They should had won it. i would had put Oki in the 9th, use Hanson in the 8th. However, Oki had a good outing. If Lugo did that against the Yankees in Sept, he would had been crucified, ditto for Papelbon in either tipping his pitches or putting too many fast balls down the middle of the plate.

by superferret on May 9, 2008 10:32 AM EDT reply actions

Good and bad EARNED Karma

What you miss is the good Karma that doing well in the clutch does and should buy a player. Papelbon has so much earned GOOD Karma already that he could take a month off from performing well and still be admired. Now Lugo already has negative total Karma so the best he can do is try to climb out of the hole he has created for himself. This negative Karma Lugo has is well earned IMO, and it has real significance as a predictive tool down the road. It means he will likely screw up and cost this potentially great team dearly when it counts the most!!

What a shame that nothing gets down about this guy that has no business being on a great potential team like this Red Sox team. Most importantly IMO, Lugo’s negative Karma also kills momentum which is probably his biggest net negative effect on the team!

by NG on May 9, 2008 1:14 PM EDT reply actions

96-66

The Sox won 96 games last year, despite Lugo’s 19 errors, his .237/.294/.349, and his 65 OPS+. They won the World Series! This happened in spite of his negative Karma (he’ll be reincarnated as a vole) and his astronomically low Midi-chlorian count.

Lugo is not a good player, but he’s the best available SS on the team. Lowrie has little range, and with Lugo hitting at the moment, whatever offensive improvement he offers is marginal, and likely offset by the defense. Cora can’t handle hitting for a full season, although his defense would be good. No good-hitting SS are available on the trade market, and any trade that moves Lugo would require the Sox to eat his salary for nothing in return.

by 0157H7 on May 9, 2008 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Yuh!

However, when you are on the verge of forming what may be the greatest team in history, why not go for the gold!! Lugo is the main detriment to achieving this kind of perfection outside the pitching realm. Imagine last year’s results with a decent SS!

BTW, that pitching realm could also be on the verge of pure greatness if the younger guys come through and if say Schilling ever came back with a vengeance.

But I digress. There are good SS in the world and probably in the minor league system. Any GM that can put together a team almost this good should know how to find an above average SS (if a superlative is not avaliable) instead of this momentum sucking machine called Lugo. Besides as for someone like Lowrie, give someone else a chance and stop making excuses for Lugo! Few could be any worse, and put on a great team environment, Lugo is out of his element!

Where is Nomar when you really need him?

by NG on May 9, 2008 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions