Pitching stars of late include: Lester, Buchholz, Dice-K, and Wake. Missing from this list are Lackey and Beckett. The starting rotation would be formidable even if one of them would get untracked and into a groove. It would sure be great if Lackey pitched well and 'Sox sweep the Rays today as they face Garza.
Yankees are beginning to fade a bit.
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Eeeekkk!! Lackey takes the mound tonight!! He just has not pitched like everyone expected him to. I would sure like to know why. It's not as if he transitioned from the NL to the AL and is having a smoltz (new term: an ace pitcher who transitions from the NL to AL and suddenly loses his stuff). So what gives, Mr. Lackey?
ReplyDeleteIn other news, the sort of thing I feared with Ells is now coming to pass. He was scratched from the lineup last night because of some kind of side soreness. Despite all of the hoopla surrounding his return, I kinda figured he wasn't 100% ready yet. Francona made a statement to the effect that he thought Ells was nervous and the symptoms were psychosomatic. Maybe he's fearful about making a diving stop and landing on unhealed bones. Yep, that would make me a little hesitant too. In the meantime, D-Mac is back for the short term. I would hold on to him until Ells is really READY.
An interesting piece was on NESN yesterday in which Lester talked about the differences between throwing to Tek v. Vic. Lester is the type of pitcher who's so secure with his own abilities that he's comfortable with either catcher. Some other pitchers have a preference. What's the big deal about letting a pitcher throw to the guy he wants to if it means the Sox get an ace-like performance? I'm specifically thinking of Beckett and Dice-K. True, an injury to Tek could make things difficult for these two guys if their only option was Vic. But I say, if Tek is physically able to catch, he ought to and especially for these guys. It's all about winning, Terry and Theo!! Before Tuesday night's game, Mikey Lowell, riding pine for yet another game, volunteered to back up the backup if Tek had to come out of the game. I guess Mikey wanted to get into character because there was a shot of him sitting out in the bullpen with the relievers around the 8th inning. Who knows, but Mikey may be able to stop the running game!!
I had forgotten that Lowell can serve as a 3rd catcher.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I wonder if the players, like Ells, rush back from the DL because they want to help their team.
D-Mac has become a favorite of mine and I'm sure many others in RedSox Nation. I truly wish 'Sox could find a way to keep him.