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Manny Delcarmen scary bad in second half

Boston Red Sox's Manny Delcarmen delivers a pitch in the eighth inning of the Red Sox's 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training baseball game at Brighthouse Field in Clearwater, Fla., Sunday, March 29, 2009.  (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

More photos » Kathy Willens - AP

10 months ago: Boston Red Sox's Manny Delcarmen delivers a pitch in the eighth inning of the Red Sox's 3-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies in a spring training baseball game at Brighthouse Field in Clearwater, Fla., Sunday, March 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

It's no secret that Manny Delcarmen has struggled as of late, but the numbers are pretty shocking when you compare his first and second halves:

After a solid first half in which Delcarmen posted a 2.41 ERA, he had a fairly horrific second half, notching a 7.27 ERA. What happened?

"I don't know," Delcarmen said. "I just really don't know. One pitch would be 94 or 95 and another one would be at 90. I can't remember the last time I was that low. I'm working with [pitching coach John] Farrrell, trying to figure stuff out."

Terry Francona is still trying to figure out if Manny Delcarmen is going to be on the postseason roster. The combination of his car accident Saturday, plus his ineffectiveness, is going to make the decision tough. Here are the pitchers that should be locks for the ALDS:

That's 10 pitchers right there. That leaves Delcarmen, Paul Byrd and, potentially, Michael Bowden fighting for another spot or two (depending how the Sox want to go). Matsuzaka should be the long man in the ALDS, so Byrd and Bowden wouldn't be needed in those roles.

It seems to me that there will be room for Delcarmen, unless he really does suffer setbacks from the car accident.

Your turn: if you had to choose from those three, who would you want on the ALDS roster?

Poll
If you had to choose one as your last pitcher on the ALDS roster, who do you pick?
Manny Delcarmen
71 votes
Paul Byrd
85 votes
Michael Bowden
42 votes
Do I have to choose one?
47 votes

245 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 33 comments |

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Not sure how you figure

Dice-K as a long man in a series where he will start game 4 (if there is one). This means MDC needs to be left off the roster. I would take Byrd and depending on the positional count, Bowden. For the ALDS, my guess is we need only one, and I would take Byrd.

by Buzzy on Oct 5, 2009 3:15 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Hmm

You’re right. For some reason I was thinking Lester was going to pitch game 4…

But then again, Tito still hasn’t announced the next two starters yet for a reason.

by Randy Booth on Oct 5, 2009 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

The plan

is Dice-K for game 4 I think. However if we are down it is possible we could go Lester/Beckett for 4/5.

by Buzzy on Oct 5, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Tito hasn't confirmed it yet

But if the Sox are comfortable, then yeah, probably.

by Randy Booth on Oct 5, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I swear I thought i read an interview w/ Tito

Lester would go in game 4 and Beckett in game 5

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 5, 2009 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I don't think that

was ever said, and it is not like the Sox to do that. Plus, Dice has been good since returning, and we know the Angels WILL use 4 pitchers…

by Buzzy on Oct 5, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

the problem is that

they would have to make this decision on the fly. I doubt they would pull that given that we would only know pending the outcome of game 3. I suppose they will try to see after Friday, but not later than that.

by Buzzy on Oct 5, 2009 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'm not sure if I hate or love to say it, but...

I called it.

Maybe I didn’t think it would be this bad.
But God did I ever want to trade him mid season when he had value.

by Ben Buchanan on Oct 5, 2009 3:25 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I felt the same way

and I didn’t even think he would be bad at all-I just thought he was used as a low leverage guy (even then) and his value had peaked. Now he has no value at all.

It is funny-I feel worse this year than last year about our pen heading into the playoffs. However the arms we had last year are far less talented than what we have now. It is just that, game in and game out, there is essentially no one I really trust back there these days. Is Oki even healthy? Bard is young, and (right now) inconsistent. While Wagner has been all I could have expected, he has not been that consistent either, and he can’t pitch a lot. RamRam-who knows. Who would have thought that Paps would be the only guy you can trust (especially given the majority of his season)?

by Buzzy on Oct 5, 2009 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Wagner can pitch more.

Tito is holding him back to keep him good for the playoffs.

by Ben Buchanan on Oct 5, 2009 3:46 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Always thinking systematically and looking for a way for perpetual great teams,

maybe jettisoning all pitchers at the age of 30 would be indicated! Fastballs that are meaningful seem to be in the province of young guys!

by NG on Oct 5, 2009 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Build a bigger stadium, and

continue to fill that bigger venue with top dollar sellouts. That should provide the $ to do the job, especially if it makes for consistently winning teams!

by NG on Oct 5, 2009 8:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

No.

We will not be money whores like the MFY.

The point is that it would be a very bad business practice to make so many short term investments, especially ones that are always among the most expensive.

by bs.uf15bosox9bears23 on Oct 5, 2009 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I heard someone say once,

“Only in America do we tear down our great sports venues”

No thanks.

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 5, 2009 9:06 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Carry Byrd

in the event garbage time is needed

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 5, 2009 3:30 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

+1

I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.

by Drugs Delaney on Oct 5, 2009 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'd take Bowden

Honestly, Byrd hasn’t been looking any better than Bowden lately IMO. Bowden didn’t look bad for sunday, especially if he’ll just be doing the mop-up role.

The reason I think he’s most valuable is because if he can have a decent showing in the playoffs that adds some definite value to him if we decide to trade him (because at this point, he’s the pitcher we’re most likely to trade for any decent player). Right now, given his showing in the majors, he’s not going to be worth as much as he was just in pawtucket this year, and anything we can do to improve that I think is helpful. Certrainly wouldn’t use him in any key high-pressure situations, but I think he’d be good as a backup.

Delcarmen I think will fix whatever is wrong with his mechanics and get back to first half form, but with his second half and the fact that he’s not going to be 100% for probably the ALDS, I certainly wouldn’t bring him to Anaheim.

Byrd’s contributions have been very helpful, I’m glad he showed up when he did, but I think his usefulness to the team this year is pretty much over.

by wolf9309 on Oct 5, 2009 3:48 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Byrd throws strikes

he will do for the suggested role

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 5, 2009 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

if we're talking about strikes

neither has done great, but while Bowden has walked 3 in 16 innings, Byrd has walked 11 in 34 innings. This is not the super-control Byrd who only throws strikes. If we just want strikes, Bowden is the man.

by wolf9309 on Oct 5, 2009 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Good point.

I don’t think we trade Bowden at this low-point in value. But I think it’s worth getting him more experience and gambling on a good showing since he’ll always be used in absolute garbage time. What does Byrd give us? Anything he gains in value from control, he loses in durability due to age. Bowden can go long and often if needed.

by Ben Buchanan on Oct 5, 2009 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

the move should be made

only via consideration of who you think is the more effective pitcher right now. I happen to think that Byrd is more consistent and effective right now. It is a close call on that, but it is my feeling. Plus Byrd also has playoff experience.

by Buzzy on Oct 5, 2009 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Bowden should be traded this winter

I don’t want to risk a bad showing in the playoffs to drop his trade value even more.

VARITEK MUST GO
Brandon Webb in 2010

by gizmosandy on Oct 5, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

luckily he's still young

otherwise his value would be WAY down

by revived0103 on Oct 5, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

not sure I agree

I think ultimately, he will end up traded, but I think it would be a very poor choice to trade him until he starts showing more ability to pitch in the majors. Right now his trade value has plummeted enough that I don’t think we’ll be able to get anything significant for him, but because he’s young, even if he does terribly in the playoffs, he’ll be able to rebuild his value with a strong showing in the minors next year. I doubt his value is going to drop further in the next year.

The only part about Byrd that’s looked consistent to me this year is that he’s giving up runs. His control isn’t what it usually is and it isn’t where it needs to be for him to be an effective pitcher. Bowden would at least have the advantage against the Angels that they haven’t seen him before.

In any case, if we’re agreed that neither should be pitching unless we’re pretty much hopeless for that game, all that the mop up guy’s job is just to continue pitching. Both can do that, but Bowden pitching would give him a chance to establish himself as able to pitch in October, which could help his value, whereas Byrd’s value is completely irrelevant to us (or possibly negative if the same thing happens and we need to call him up AGAIN next year)

by wolf9309 on Oct 5, 2009 5:46 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Where's Jonathan Van Every?!

Where’s Nick GREEN?!!

"It's just a tiny little nick, but it hurts when I get champagne in there."
- Jason Bay, on getting spiked scoring the winning run in ALDS Game Four.

by 0157H7 on Oct 5, 2009 9:07 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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