Red Sox Offense Blasts Royals, Buchholz Average On The Mound
by Randy Booth on Apr 11, 2010 6:30 PM EDT
in Game Stories
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PrintClay Buchholz wasn't at his best on Sunday, but luckily for the Red Sox, their offense did as much as they needed to get the win.
Behind good days from Adrian Beltre and Dustin Pedroia, the Sox beat the Royals, 8-6, on Kansas City on Sunday.
Buchholz lasted just five innings after 95 pitches thrown. He gave up two earned runs, seven hits and two walks on the afternoon. He only struck out two Royals.
Beltre led the offense by going 3 for 5 with three RBI. Pedroia went 4 for 5 with a solo home run, while Victor Martinez looked better at the plate, going 2 for 4 with two runs and an RBI.
More analysis after the jump.
There wasn't much that was impressive for Buchholz today. He labored all game long and loved to let the leadoff hitter get on base. He really shouldn't be struggling this much with a weak Royals lineup. Despite a lot of baserunners, Buchholz never blew up and had a big inning. That was the best part of his outing.
Game notes:
- A lot of fielding blunders, with Jacoby Ellsbury having a run in with Bill Hall (dropped ball) and Adrian Beltre (dropped ball in foul territory). Not sure why this all happened, but it needs to get cleared up. Ellsbury ran into Beltre and was taken out of the game in the 9th for x-rays, which came back negative.
- Ramon Ramirez gave up three runs and three hits without recording an out in the 8th. He is not doing himself any favors for staying on the team.
- Manny Delcarmen worked two great innings, allowing just one walk in relief of Buchholz.
- Ellsbury, despite his defensive problems, went 2 for 5 with two runs, raising his average to .333 on the season. He seems to be hitting a groove, but it's unclear if he'll play in the day game on Monday.
- Jeremy Hermida had a two-run double. Despite only a few at-bats, Hermida is looking good at the dish.
- David Ortiz struck out four times today. Four. Times. Take that as you will.
Sox play the Twins in brand new Target Field on Monday at 4 p.m. EST. Jon Lester will take the mound.
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RAM RAM :(
this kid needs to go down he need’s a LOT of work!
by RED SOX are #1 in my heart on Apr 11, 2010 6:35 PM EDT reply actions
Which has ALWAYS been his problem.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
I have a five-tool player in my pants.
ACTUALLY, advanced metrics show that that wasn't "premature".
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
Oh...and...
Ortiz..well…stick a fork in him
I didnt think Bucholz looked bad...
Didnt seem to have his strongest stuff…but he still got the win.
Four Ks, 5 LOB
just another day at the office for Big Poopie.
Wake up, Tito!!!
It's still early
Mark Teixeira was 0 for 4 with 3 Ks today. Mazz’s favorite player is hitting .125 AVG after 6 games.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 11, 2010 8:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Despite that, maybe Papi needs some more Spring Training time.
Give Jeremy some at-bats, find an excuse to DL Papi and send him down for some AAA starts.
If I was your math homework I'd be really hard and you'd be doing me on your desk.
I'm a 7 WAR player in bed.
by TheLoneDavid on Apr 11, 2010 8:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I disagree
Ortiz is a veteran player and there is no indication of injury. You can’t just shelve him for two weeks, give him some “rehab” games (which are limited), and expect him to be improved. Look, players go through slumps. We’re talking about a 6-game slump for Ortiz. I think the Sox will—and should—give him more time. If Ortiz isn’t hitting by May, things will change.
As for Hermida, I like what I’ve seen so far. But he isn’t the answer. Hermida will get his ABs when the OFs sit. But since the beginning of the 2008 season, Hermida hasn’t been noticeably better than Ortiz. Here’s how they stack up since ’08 (including this year):
Hermida – .255 AVG/.335 OBP/.403 SLG (.738 OPS) 30.16 AB/HR
Ortiz – .248 AVG/.346 OBP/.478 SLG (.824 OPS) 19.04 AB/HR
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 6:32 AM EDT up reply actions
LOL - one game after a 2 game hitting 'streak'
I agree with you, Drugs, lets just let Papi hit his way out of it.
Fortunately, Tito clearly understands the streakiness of baseball hitters better than most fans – otherwise we probably wouldn’t have Pedroia around or the 29 HRs that Papi hit last year.
I've watched them both
And Teixeira looks a lot better at the plate. I have absolutely no confidence in Big Papi when he comes up to bat.
more homers
more whiffs
(well, half right)
big swings – hit or miss, little in between
guys like pappi, hit in streaks (hopefully), so he should do better in the long run
if not, do the roids, pappi, do the roids!
Hitting the ball hard hasn't really been the problem
He’s lined it hard … right into the shift defense several times this season already. If anything, slowing down his swing would help!
He just needs to relax, and get his timing down. It will come.
Yup.
In the meantime, maybe we can get Mick to learn how to spell “Papi”.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
I have a five-tool player in my pants.
ACTUALLY, advanced metrics show that that wasn't "premature".
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
hey just a heads up the game is 4 tomorrow, not 2
The Red Sox offense isn't an issue,- until its an issue.
President of the official trade Jacoby Ellsbury campaign.
4? WTF?!
Thanks Giz.
SB Nation's Boston Red Sox community:
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Follow this guy on Twitter: @RCBooth
sweet
I’ll be able to make it to the refresher screen with time to spare instead of hoping the bus actually comes on time!
"We are not normal, We are Legends. People will tell their kids about us." - Deon Butler before Ohio State Game 2008.
good question
my thinking today is that clutch is run production from the 7th inning on in a tied game or less.
the clutch award is tougher to get than the semi bogus save award.
and it isn’t necessarily rbi’s that qualify. but they are easier to quantify. did i say that right?
one way or the other, heck of a good game, and looking like a very nice pickup. he’s batting .400, if that means anything.
A couple of other quick notes
MDC was hitting 94 pretty consistently by NESN radar.
And Ortiz struck out looking on pitches that were outside the zone twice. That doesn’t excuse him, especially the second time when he should have realized the ump’s zone was big there, but they both should have been walks.
yeah - I remember noting that as well.
That first one was WAAAAY out of the strike zone. Papi must have thought, “No way this guy does that to me again!” Wrong.
One good sign I see in Ortiz is that he’s still taking a lot of pitches and looking for a good pitch to hit and not getting impatient and hacking a way. If he stays disciplined, he’ll come out of it.
freaking umps and refs
replace them with technology – if it exists – and it does exist.
the plate ump, can’t see, 100% accurately, high & low and/or inside or outside pitches at the same time.
heck, there’s a catcher in front of him.
it is an outdated system, that i’ve heard from good sources, the main cause of global warming.
Ellsbury
Hasn’t he had this kind of problem before? I mean collisions in the outfield. Does he simply not call for the ball?
For a guy with speed, he really seems to have little feel for how to be a good fielder.
Probably not used to having a 3B...
…who’s able to travel that far. ;)
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
I have a five-tool player in my pants.
ACTUALLY, advanced metrics show that that wasn't "premature".
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
+2
I was thinking the same thing.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Terry Francona
I dont really get a couple of management decisions.
1. Buchholz ist the Sox SP with the highest GB%, thats really a bad day to sit Scutaro and let Hall play. Give him the best Defense and let him get confidence.
2. If you give Papi a day off, do it against lefties.
3. 6 Games into the season and Daniel Bard has allready 5 IP, dont overwork the kid.
by German Red Sox Fan on Apr 12, 2010 3:55 AM EDT reply actions
Regarding point 3
It’s early in the season and starters don’t generally go as deep as they will a few weeks from now. I expect Bard’s innings to drop. If they don’t, it’s a sign that the Sox’ pen is weak.
While a lot of people are focusing on Papi’s 6-game slump, the pen is a far greater worry.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 6:22 AM EDT up reply actions
This.
While a lot of people are focusing on Papi’s 6-game slump, the pen is a far greater worry.
When will people start listening to Double D.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
I have a five-tool player in my pants.
ACTUALLY, advanced metrics show that that wasn't "premature".
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
for point 1
I assume that the thought was just that he wanted Hall in some game and that we had a much better chance of winning against the Royals with a bad shortstop than we do against the Twins. He might have played Hall saturday against Greinke, but probably was still worried about Lowell’s defense and between Lowell/Hermida/Hall, didn’t want complete left side defensive butchery, 2009 style.
and point two
that was because he wanted to keep Martinez in and Varitek needed to catch sometime in the weekend- Varitek and Buch don’t do well together and Beckett typically does his best with Varitek.
Sort of agree ... but *officially* the Sox insist that they don't want to tie any one catcher to a pitcher.
I love that ’Tek had a great day and so did Beckett. But I find it bothersome at the same time.
Beckett-Varitek
Beckett needs to get used to Martinez though. Varitek is not gonna catch him in crucial games against Division Rivals and not in the playoffs. I dont wanna see that “Varitek is my personal catcher situation”. Beckett is professional enough to realise that Varitek is done and only a backup at this stage of his career.
by German Red Sox Fan on Apr 12, 2010 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions
+1
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
grr
yeah that’s true. I don’t think we’ll see Varitek as Beckett’s “personal catcher,” especially now that Beckett is extended. I do think, however, that given a choice between the two, we’ll see Tek catching Buchholz a little less than the others (except wake), and maybe Beckett a little more.
papi
Big Papi deserves respect, he has helped us win 2 world series, but it now appears that his bat speed is gone. He cant hit much of anything anymore. We should at the very least, alternate him with Lowell at DH, at least he can still hit the ball. We dont have the luxury of carrying Ortiz any longer, we need every hit we can get, if we want to overtake the Yankees.
Bat speed
I dunno if ‘bat speed’ is the problem (or even if there is a problem).
In his 18 ABs, he’s made contact to put the ball in play 9 times and almost all have been pulled to the right. Unfortunately all but a couple have been hit right into the shift defense.
If anything, if he could take a little OFF his bat speed and hit those up the middle or to opposite field …
I wouldn’t put too much stock in Lowell just yet. He’s gone 1 for 4 with a single against a day of KC pitching where Jason Varitek hit 2 HRs and the team otherwise lit it up. He didn’t exactly light it up this spring either and he’s coming off hand surgery. He’s even older than Papi. He’s yet to demonstrate the ability to run around the bases. He’ll probably get his share of ABs, but I just wouldn’t put all my hopes into the Lowell basket.
thinking bat speed is a problem
that’s why he is always cheating and starting his swing early and having to check his swing so often.
but he may have been doing that prior to 2007.
if he's starting early and *wasn't* pulling the ball
I’d say it (bat speed) was a problem.
But he’s pulling the ball.
It's really hard to tell
In the few ST games I’ve watched, Ortiz’s bat speed looked fine. He seemed to make contact with inside pitches, etc. Everyone loves to talk about bat speed. I remember when Lowell first came to the Sox and everyone said his bat was slow because he struggled his last year in Florida. Lowell’s bat was fine. I agree with mmmmm. I suspect Papi’s bat is fine too—or else we’d see him hitting the ball more to the opposite field.
It’s clear that Papi isn’t the hitter he was in his prime. But I’m not ready to throw him under the bus like some Sox fans. Papi was effective for the final four months of last season. This season is only a week old. Let’s be patient. Ortiz isn’t killing the team right now.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 12:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Buchholz
I’m going to disagree with the ‘bleh’ assessment of Buchholz’ pitching.
After watching the game and then reviewing things as best I can (I don’t have complete video) I actually thought Buch looked pretty good out there.
His fast ball hit 96-97 consistently, all the way through, so physically he looked very strong.
He threw 59 of 94 pitches for strikes. That’s pretty good.
If Hall doesn’t screw up that easy catch for Ells in the first, then Buch probably gets into the 6th inning for an out or two because that Error caused him to throw quite a few more pitches, maybe a dozen or so.
So its a bit of what-if, but I could easily imagine that alternate universe where Buch went 6 innings and gave up just 2 runs.
So overall, I’m pretty pleased with our ‘5th starter’s first outing of the season. Yes, this is against the Royals, but that’s saying that he did what he should do against them.
Ramone Ramirez looks just awful.
not gonna freak out yet
I don’t think anyone should be dissecting any of the starters till about their third start of the season. We need to let these guys put some innings in and develop some noticeable trends before we start saying this guy is bad, this guy is good yadda yadda.
by Avon Randolph Barksdale on Apr 12, 2010 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions
It was Matsuzaka-like
since he cannot finish anyone off. He keeps getting to 0-2 on killer pitches, and then they either poke a pitch for a hit or keep fouling off until they get something good to strike.
He has the stuff, just probably needs to trust it.
Building Fenway from the ground up - Virtual Fenway
ramone his pitched a lot
also,
assume: your best pitchers start (there are exceptions like paps)
adequate starters have a 4.5 era or better.
bull penners can’t be expected to do better than 4.5 era
ramone had one good outing 3 up 3 down 9th inning – that’s a semi bogus save.
I think it's fair to expect a better ERA of relievers than starters
Because if a starter struggles in their 2nd inning, they aren’t getting pulled until they’ve really had time to screw things up. If a relief pitcher starts to struggle in an inning, they won’t last the inning.
Although
If a reliever gets lit up once, he has to pitch perfectly for ten or so appearances to off-set the damage to his ERA. For example, let’s assume a relief pitcher gives up 5 ER in one inning. He’d have to pitch 12 scoreless innings to get his ERA down to the mid-3.00s. Because starters throw more innings, their ERAs, FIPs, and tRA’s are more reflective of how well they’ve pitched. Sample size matters.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, but due to the situational spot duty advantage
a mediocre bullpen pitcher will tend to have a better ERA than a mediocre starter.
He may have his numbers bloom on one bad inning. But those 12 innings he then takes to get it back down will generally be with a handedness advantage that a starter won’t get. I.E. a LH pitcher will be brought in to primarily face LH batters, etc.
Plus relievers get a lot of situational advantages that starters don't get
i.e. relievers often come in to face 1 or 2 same-handed batters and then leave. So they rack up a lot of 1/3 & 2/3 innings where they only face guys who they have that advantage or 2 of 3 guys like that.
Starters have to face lineups that the manager typically has stacked to oppose them and then face each batter at least a couple of times.
But
The best pitchers are starters. Relievers are almost always pitchers who weren’t good enough to start for one reason or another.
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 12:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree - my point is exactly that.
Typically, if the ERAs are the same, the starter is actually a better pitcher because the reliever’s numbers are artificially helped by the situational advantage.
yes exactly
the average starter is better than the average reliever, but the average reliever will have prettier looking stats.
Exactly.
Stats are useless.
Galactus does as he pleases. Because Galactus is drunk.
I have a five-tool player in my pants.
ACTUALLY, advanced metrics show that that wasn't "premature".
@#$%ing Twit: @blogtard
Wait, what?
My stathead sense started tingling.
USG
by Ben Buchanan on Apr 13, 2010 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Just for reference, the average relievers tend to have an ERA+ of around 108, the average starter around 96.
--
Dan Szymborski
BTF
Dan on ESPN Insider
by D.Szymborski on Apr 13, 2010 8:50 PM EDT up reply actions
haha not quite what I was saying
I was saying more that you can’t compare starters versus relievers on the same exact stat scale and have them line up in a way that makes sense. But there would be no reason to expect that. Entirely different roles. Comparing starter ERAs vs. reliever ERAs is like comparing batters by looking at RBIs of leadoff hitter vs. RBIs of the cleanup hitter.
bottom line
is ramone:
doing good?
bad?
average?
too early?
ramone sucks and will always suck – terry should be shot for having named him to the 25 man roster?
Who were the other options?
I gotta go 'cause I'm probably definitely gonna nod out again.
by Drugs Delaney on Apr 12, 2010 11:38 PM EDT up reply actions
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