ST Game Thread: Red Sox @ Rays -- 3/30/10
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 1:01 PM EDT
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PrintWho's ready for some televised Casey Kelly?! I know I am! On the bright side, the guy is playing with house money today, up against a strong MLB lineup having never pitched in even AA ball, success can hardly be expected. But it would be nice to see...
Here's your ugly, ugly lineup:
- Mike Cameron
- Bill Hall
- Jason Varitek
- Adrian Beltre
- Josh Reddick
- Tug Hullet
- Dusty Brown
- Anthony Rizzo
- Kevin Frandsen
I think the real question is: Could this team beat the Pirates' opening day lineup?
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I don't see how you could have a problem
with a lineup that includes our best hitter (Reddick), mr. Clutch (Tug), and our best offensive catcher (Dusty Brown)
Have ST stats taught you nothing?
On a serious note, mlb.tv continues to piss me off more and more by not working.
And then don't throw strikes!
I like
It occurs to me some folks have work today and can’t watch even though it’s at ESPN. Anyone in this situation?
USG
I've never realy understood
“Sending Down” a player to minor league camp…..They seem to reappear in spring training games regardless…..so do they actually get “sent down”? or is it a moniker for a demotion…
Eh, it basically just means they're slated to play in minor league games until they get further notice.
And it does tell them they’re very, very unlikely to start the year in the bigs.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Yay Rizzo!
C’mon Ben, why you have to disparage our best 1B prospect?
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 1:19 PM EDT reply actions
I didn't disparage him
I’m just saying…
Varitek is hitting 3rd.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions
correction
Varitek was swinging 3rd, not hitting.
by wolf9309 on Mar 30, 2010 4:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I have a feeling Reddick knows exactly how much more likely he is to get a hit in any given count
So he’ll take balls, but only to set himself up to hit better. Afraid to take the walk, almost.
USG
Reddick K's looking after going up 3-0
Tug flies out to Center. Sox pick up a couple on a HBP and walk followed by Beltre’s triple.
USG
Crawford spoiling a ton of good pitches.
Kelly does not throw it in the middle of the zone much.
USG
Probably is close.
Sitting a little slower than usual, but he’s still learning to pitch out of the stretch.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't think he's comfortable pitching to someone unless there's at least 3 balls
He was ahead of Cameron and still ended up walking him
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Yup
Struck out the first 2 batters he faced and then fell apart a bit.
Woo for consistency.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
At least he didn't walk them
I mean, he saved the walks for right afterwards
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
haha that was a messy inning
my friends were confused by the fact that I was cheering for each run Embree let in.
That would be a REALLY fast trade
And plastic surgery.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Kelly
Kelly looks like the RHP version of Jon Lester. And that’s a great thing…
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definitely better looking control than lester had at that point his career
fastball hitting 89 now, not bad for a 20 year old.
Yeah, but this is spring training too
I got to imagine Kelly is hitting 94 or so during the middle of the season
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Sit down Lesser Upton Brother
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 1:50 PM EDT reply actions
kelly
lookin great right now.. the gun is only saying 87-89, but the movement on his pitches is unreal
Kelly
Kelly is showing pretty good control. I would like to see him throw more breaking balls, though. A lot of fastballs, a few changeups and a rare curve is what I’ve seen.
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that was crazy
I think Beltre could’ve actually scored on that, I don’t think there was anyone at the plate
I've seen Navarro run
I don’t think Beltre would have trouble beating him in catcher’s gear, especially because he’d need to be watching the throw, catch it, and tag Beltre. But with a lead, maybe not worth the risk.
He had the utmost confidence in TUG! coming up to the plate
And his faith was rewarded. Glory be to TUG!
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 2:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh you gotta love that
More than Lars ever did, sadly
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 2:05 PM EDT reply actions
Exactly
I like Lars, I really do, but I’ve been on the Rizzo bandwagon for a while now.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions
He's like a baby RH version of Lester
Which I guess could make him a Beckett-bot-bot someday.
If he gets it all figured out? Look out, AL.
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 2:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Lester's off-speed stuff is just as nasty
I remember this absolutely wicked curveball that looked like it was a high ball all the way—until it looped back and nicked the corner of the strike zone. Just absolute filth.
Kelly will probably pick up a few mph just by dint of getting stronger and older. If he can keep the control, it’ll be fun to watch this lineup in a few years.
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 3:04 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Trade the bum.
He clearly has no shot at making the bigs now.
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 2:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He's ruined goods
But then again, so is Bupton, and he’s got a starting gig
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 2:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Kelly's last strikeout
Was that a cutter? Does he throw one?
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Love that commercial
Pretty old, though…
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Commercial play-by-play?
Very post-modern.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Need to buy tickets ASAP...
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Reddick with a nice home run
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 2:44 PM EDT reply actions
Reddick has been mashing this spring....
I might be swayed by small sample sizes against less than stellar pitching, but I think Reddick might be running down balls in Fenway’s outfield soon
It would be interesting to see if he got the call to share time with Hermida
If one of the starters is injured.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
2011 or 2012 at the latest
And we know who’ll get a call-up if Drew or Cameron needs a few weeks off.
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 3:06 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
No doubt.
The Sox have a lot of good arms in the system. I wonder if there’s something to that.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions
So, I was inspired by the Nate Robertson piece on Beyond the Boxscore to look for a potential similar solution to our LHP deficit.
Tom Gorzelanny is who I came up with.
USG
I like the Washburn as a lefty relief guy idea
Think Dave Cameron came up with that one.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Jarrod was ideal.
But I didn’t see him signing as a reliever.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I don't either
Seems like he’ll be getting some looks now for a starter’s position at the end of ST.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Washburn was great in relief for the Angels.....waaaaaaaaaait
Oh that’s right, he got Papi’d
Back when Papi could do that sort of thing.
Still I’ll pass, I’m still lost to Washburn’s real value
Cubs now.
Dunno how big a part of their plans he is. From what I can tell, he’s got a shot at being their 5th starter.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Really, though, it seems unlikely. I didn't realize how good his peripherals were last year.
Unless the Cubs were foolish enough to value him purely on his ERA…
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions
'Tek blah blah blah double play yada yada yada mid-season form
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:05 PM EDT reply actions
i'd so much rather see Brown, then Wagner
Not only do I like to see Tek but, for if we can’t/won’t re-sign vmart, we need someone up here to start to learn the pitchers to some degree.
As in "Brown first, and then Wagner when he's ready?"
Or as in “Brown is my first choice, Wagner my second”
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Brown threw out Crawford
When will ’Tek EVER do that?
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Would never happen
The second ‘Tek wouldn’t even get on base to try and steal
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
He could always be HBP.
Or the catcher could drop the third strike and throw the ball over the head of the first baseman.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions
you're giving me flashbacks
of that game Crawford stole somewhere around 30 bases on the Sox.
Seriously, if the Rays hadn’t played the Sox, he probably would’ve had a 10-steal-year.
And that’s only slightly hyperbole
What about Ramirez
Heard Tex is talking about Lowell again
From what I hear about Ramirez
If his bat manages to recover, I’d love to see him as a potential DH/backup catcher. Haven’t heard much positive about his defense, but having a DH who could be our backup catcher would make me about the happiest person around.
I should be more specific
i mean i could see that in 2011. 2010 I’d rather see someone come up who would have potential to be an everyday catcher in 2011 for in case VMart doesn’t come back.
The Sox don't like to do requests
And telling Tek, “Com’on, one more GIDP for old times’ sake!” probably won’t get the results you want anyways.
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 3:13 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
They know what you REALLY want
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Between why he's here and how well he's done
It’s hard not to root for him.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Didn't see Atchison came in
Thought you were talking about Schoeneweis. I was like, WHA?
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If he walked instead I'd be just as happy
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions
How 'bout a triple, and then a walk?
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 3:21 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Bard is trying to fool the Rays into thinking he is very hittable
so they’re taken by surprise when we face them in April.
Just a quick thought on the Sox stocking of power OF arms in the system.
These are the differences in runs for a RF stopping a guy from going 1st-3rd, or stopping a guy from tagging up at 2nd, or holding someone to a double instead of a triple:
0 outs 2nd v 3rd: .293
0 outs 12 v 13 : .331
1 outs 2nd v 3rd: .258
1 outs 12 v 13 : .272
2 outs 2nd v 3rd: .043
2 outs 12 v 13 : .072
The big one I see there is 1 out, 2nd vs. 3rd. That’s the time when a sac fly could have moved a man from 2nd to 3rd.
0 outs, 1st and 2nd vs. 1st and 3rd is also a huge difference, and one that happens often enough to be considered really important. Stopping a guy from going 1st-to-3rd on a 0 out single is actually pretty significant.
Stuff like this could really be worth a pretty significant amount between the best and the worst.
UZR gives a spread of about 12 runs (1.2 wins) difference between the best and worst right field arms, but it seems like this is one of those attributes that goes largely ignored now-a-days. Obviously, there’s some talk about a guy having a noodle or cannon arm, but is it being weighted as a 1-win attribute? I would guess not. I wonder if the Sox have found another one of those undervalued mines to tap in the draft.
USG
Could the scorer technically give it to him with 2 runs in only 3 innings?
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I think it just becomes the scorer's discretion at that point.
But I think there’s rules about how many runs you can give up while still being considered.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:37 PM EDT up reply actions
I remember there was some game i watched last year
where ramram got the win instead of the starter because the starter had only gone 4 innings, even though he had a hefty lead (don’t remember more specifics than that)
starter needs to go 5 innings (or 4 if the game only lasts 5 innings) and be judged effective by the official scorer
or the official scorer picks the most effective reliever as the winning pitcher
No.
Starters have to go into (through?) the fifth to pick up a win.
by lone1c on Mar 30, 2010 3:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It's funny - you need 5 innings to get a win, but 6 and then some for a QS
I want to see the # of Non Quality wins in the MLB last year, should be a fun list
Phew
I thought that was Reddick out there for a second. I don’t care if random scrub X messes it up.
USG
Good catch by Sheely (sp?)
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:36 PM EDT reply actions
This has nothing to do with Bard's outing...
…But is anyone else slightly worried about our bullpen this year?
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:41 PM EDT reply actions
I'll wait till they decide who's in it
if the pen is struggling, it’s easy enough to find more relievers. As long as I don’t have to see Javier Lopez, I’m good.
A lot of that worry is with guys like MDC and RamRam, who I'm not convinced is the guy we saw at the beginning of last year
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions
There's still guys like Dustin Richardson
Some youngins with some upside. Another sleeper is Alex Wilson, a college draftee from last year who rose quickly and seems destined for a bullpen role. Not sure where he’s starting, but I expect him to rise quickly
Probably Salem
He’s a couple years away, but kind of a poor man’s Daniel Bard.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Mar 30, 2010 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
My mistake
I thought he was going to be in Portland there by making an appearance this year more likely. Well maybe next year
by BigRedDog42 on Mar 30, 2010 4:05 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, they'll put him in Salem so he can start some games
See if he can’t get more to his arsenal than a fastball and slider.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 4:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm with you
with all this talk of lack of offense, I think the Sox achilles heel might be its bullpen. The only good things about that is its fairly easy at mid season to get an impactful bullpen arm and with our starters hopefully going deep into games we wont need them much
The 6-8 innings are going to be interesting: Ramirez, Delcarmen, Atchison, Okajima……
yeah, this has been my take on it for some time.
Specifically, long/middle relief v lefties.
Rizzo with another hit
Even if we lose this game, our youngsters have made me happy to watch today.
DFA Beckett
by South Coast Ghost on Mar 30, 2010 4:17 PM EDT reply actions
So where do the Rays end up this year
I mean, they look pretty good but….Q’s in the rotation, bullpen and in 2B/RF – where ever Zorbist isn’t playing. And Zorbist himself is a Q also.
Buying or selling this team as staying with the Sox & Yanks this year?
Buying
Talent + one of the better managers in the game
It comes down to their starters….If Shields, Garza, Niemann, Price and Davis pitch to their potential the Rays will be tough to beat
BP is questionable too
Soriano is on his 3rd team in what 4 years as a dominate reliever. Something tells me he and the AL East are going to have issues.
Q’s around him also.
Though I in general agree, this team is going to be better then I would like to see
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