Ted's Army: The Voice of Red Sox fans

Your Morning Dump... Where the Baseball Gods hate us

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The Boston bullpen, abysmal in the first three weeks of the season, has improved greatly since then. Dating to April 23, Red Sox relievers have pitched to a 2.01 ERA, lowering their collective ERA from 8.44 to 3.09 in that span.

That's the macro view.

Up close and recently, it's not nearly as pretty.

Friday night, the Sox gave up a one-run lead in the seventh as the Yankees scored four times and took a 10-8 decision in the opener of a four-game series.

It was the fourth straight loss by the Red Sox, and the fourth time in the last six losses in which a reliever has been pinned with the loss.

CSNNE - Return of the bullpen blues

The Baseball Gods are smiting the 2012 Boston Red Sox for the Francona fiasco.

I tweeted that last night during the first inning.  It was meant to be a joke, but it probably wouldn't take much to convince me that it's true. 

The injuries.  The heartbreaking losses.  The perennial All-Star caliber players that can't put it together.  Bobby Valentine.  Absolutely nothing is going right for the Red Sox this season.  The one aspect of the team that had become dependable - the bullpen - is morphing back into their April form. 

Padilla, against all odds, has been phenomenal when inheriting runners this season (stranding 18 of 19).  But in a must-win game against the Yankees?  Boom!  Triple to arch-nemesis Teixeira.  Game over.

The Sox have three more games against New York this weekend.  No reason to ring the panic alarm just yet.  But it may not be a bad idea to sacrifice a Shoppach or two to the Baseball Gods.

Rest of the links:

Herald - Mark Teixeira lands blow on old foe | Red Sox battle back early, but Yankees better late | Brutal beginning burns Josh Beckett badly | Globe -Bobby Valentine Discusses Red Sox Loss | No relief | CSNNE - Texeira rips Padilla, gets revenge | Yankees outslug Red Sox, 10-8 | WEEI - Pedroia: 'I'm a freak healer. I heal great' | A scout's take: Which American League East teams are ready to separate themselves | Red Sox sign Dominican shortstop Wendell Rijo for $625,000

Your Morning Dump...At least the bullpen is looking better

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Mortensen allowed two hits over 3 1/3 innings and struck out five without a walk. In two appearances since being called up, he has allowed one run in 6 1/3 innings and struck out 11.

“It’s worked out OK,’’ Mortensen said. “I’ve been able to keep them from getting squared up.’’

Scott Atchison also pitched well, throwing three near-perfect innings. He retired nine of the 10 batters he faced, allowing one walk. Atchison has a 1.50 earned run average in 12 appearances.

“Just trying to throw strikes, get outs, and go from there,’’ Atchison said. “Still early in the year, got a long way to go. But I feel good right now.’’

After using six relievers for eight innings Friday night, Mortensen and Atchison helped save the bullpen for Sunday’s series finale.

After a rough start to the season, the Sox bullpen has given up only six earned runs in its last 41 1/3 innings. That is partly attributable to the relievers settling into roles.

“It’s probably a little more defined now, I guess,’’ manager Bobby Valentine said. “If the game goes a [certain] way, things can fall into place. You definitely have to adjust during games, though.

Globe: Bullpen a bright spot for Red Sox in loss.

If I had told you 3 weeks ago that this team's struggles will continue, but the bullpen would be just fine, I would have probably received a huge laugh and a swift kick in the nuts because that sounds absolutely ridiculous. Here we are, struggles continue and the bullpen is finally settling down and giving the Sox offense a fighting chance for a comeback, that they continuously fail at.

We have finally gotten to the point where we can be comfortable with handing over the lead to the pen. With starting pitching struggling and the offense producing sparatically, the bullpen will have to pick up some slack until the offense and starting pitching can get their asses in gear. I am sick of only one of the three components clicking at a time. I don't expect a swift turn-around.

On Page 2, Will Middlebrooks is fine

Your Morning Dump... Where ther's a logjam in the rotation

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Aaron Cook pitched well again last night for Triple-A Pawtucket, allowing three runs in 61⁄3 innings.

Now, the intrigue begins.

If the Red Sox [team stats] don’t call up Cook by Tuesday, the veteran sinkerballer can trigger an opt-out clause in his minor league contract, a deal that calls for his salary to rise to $1.5 million if he’s on the major league roster. If he informs the Sox that he plans to opt out, the team would have 48 hours to placate him or allow him to become a free agent.

Problem is, at present, the Red Sox don’t have a place for him in the starting rotation. Cook has made only one relief appearance since 2003, and it’s unclear how his arm would react to that role, especially after he dealt with a shoulder problem late last season.

But pitching coach Bob McClure is increasingly confident Cook can be an effective reliever.

Herald - Decision looming on Cook

Know who I feel bad for in all this Aaron Cook drama?  Scott Atchison.  Because there's no way the Red Sox let Cook wak, and whether they plug him in as a starter or reliever, someone is going to have to get sent down or sent packing.  And if there's one guy on this Sox squad that they have no problem jerking around, it's Scot Atchison. 

Like usual, Atchison is pitching well this season.  He has a 2.31 ERA with 11 K's over 11+ innings pitched.  But no matter what he does on the field, he never seems to be able to hold onto a major league roster spot.  So, while I have no inside knowledge of what the Sox will do, I'd be willing to bet my life savings that Atchison isn't hanging around Fenway much longer.

But back to Cook.  The man just wants to pitch in the majors.  If that means coming out of the pen, he says he's "open to it".  You have to respect a guy that's willing to do whatever he's asked.  I'll stop repeating myself, so I'll say this one last time: I still think he's most valuable as a starter.  But if he can step in and give the Sox 2-3-4 solid innings out of the pen, well, we desperately need that too.  If he can be that guy, bring him up!

But the Sox have a bigger problem looming: the return of Dice-K.  You won't find him pitching out of the pen.  Not a chance of that, and he's going to be up within the next month.  I can see the Sox not bumping Bard or Doubront for Cook, but someone's going to get shuffled for Dice.   Both Doubront and Bard are pitching very well, but only one of those guys can be a lights-out reliever.  As Scott has discussed ad nauseum, Bard isn't going to last in the rotation all season long anyway, due to the Sox monitoring his innings.   Do you just cut your losses with him now and move him down (and deal with the whining and moping that's sure to follow)?  I don't know how you untangle that situation.

Unless Clay Buchholz continues to be a disaster.  If he can't put together a quality start or two, don't be shocked to see him be the guy sent down when Dice comes up. 

Having so many good pitchers that you don't have a spot for them all is a great problem to have.  Only, the Sox don't have "good" pitchers, but mediocre pitchers with question marks and potential.  Yay?

Rest of the links:

Herald - Sox ‘pen makes it right | Red Sox reach .500 behind Jon Lester’s gem | Globe - Everything is cool in Matsuzaka’s second rehab start | Lester helps Red Sox keep up the beat | WEEI - Cook allows three runs in latest outing | Sox alter course, consider Cook as reliever | CSNNE - Satisfied Lester records first win | Sox bullpen rounding into form

Recap: Sox hang on for a 7-6 win in Minnesota

First things first: I didn't watch this game. I was too busy watching the Bruins be lousy and lose to Washington in overtime. (I predicted the outcome, which only makes me feel about 4% better.)

I'm guessing many of you are like me and didn't watch, so let's take a look-see through the box score and play by play to see what we missed.

They got out to an early lead thanks to their powerful offense. Sounds about right.

Then their mediocre starting pitcher -- Clay Buchholz in this case -- lost steam in the 6th and put a bunch of guys on base. The manager relieved him with a subpar reliever -- Scott Atchison for this particular instance -- with the bases loaded, only to have him give up a couple runs. Switching to a lefty -- the inimitable Justin Thomas -- to face the left-handed Justin Morneau did nothing, as Morneau knocked in a run. Switching back to a righty -- Matt Albers, who defines replacement level -- for a right-handed hitter yielded yet another run.

Sound familiar?

Well it only gets more familiar, as Bobby V turned to closer Alfredo Aceves for the 9th with a one-run ballgame, and was treated to a walk, two singles, a hit by pitch, and mercifully, somehow, a bases-loaded strikeout to finish off the Twins.

The 2012 Red Sox story continues: An incompetent bullpen makes every win closer than it needs to be, and every close game a loss. Hopefully Alex Wilson can be converted quickly, or Mark Melancon can get his head on straight. This group needs help.

Box score

Your Morning Dump... Where the pitching staff is taking shape

Every morning we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Andrew Bailey’s arrival has started a positive domino effect on the rest of the pitching staff.

Newly acquired reliever Mark Melancon doesn’t have to deal with the pressure of closing in Boston and instead can become an eighth-inning arm.

In turn, Daniel Bard can more easily shift into the rotation rather than be held in reserve as a possible closer. And Alfredo Aceves can remain a swing man, slip into the rotation or maybe even assume a late-innings relief role.

Bailey makes those options much more palatable. But even with the back of the bullpen and the top of the rotation more clearly defined, the Red Sox still will be in the market for another starter this winter, particularly if they want to keep Aceves in the bullpen, where he was so valuable last season.

Herald - Deal puts staff ahead in count

Melancon + Bailey ≠ Bard + Papelbon

Let's get that out of the way now and temper our expectations.  Bailey is a good, young closer, but he's not elite.  He went from being dominant in 2009 and 2010 to being just plain good in 2011.  In fact, he gave up 34 hits in 41 innings last year (34 in 49 the year prior, and 49 in 83 in '09), compared to 50 surrendered by Papelbon through 64 innings.   Taking it a step further, Bailey's WHIP last season was 1.10 and Papelbon's was 0.93.  So if you were one of those people that were ripping their hair out because Papelbon always seemed to have a runner or two on base, well, you may want to prepare yourself for more of the same.

But bringing in Bailey for what seems like a pretty low price is a monumental stepping stone for the pitching staff as a whole.  Bard can now move to the rotation without having to worry about being plugged into the closer role.  Melancon's role is now clearly defined.  The last pieces are Aceves and the 5th spot in the rotation.

Aceves can prepare to start and Cherington can look for another starter or two.  You know, that whole depth thing we keep hearing about.  And if they do bring in another starter (or two), Aceves is going to be the long man in the bullpen anyway, so getting his arm strength up and preparing to go 5-6-7 innings is in everybody's best interest. 

Roy Oswalt makes too much sense not to bring aboard.  He's the Sox dream free agent: veteran with somethign to prove, willing to sign a one-year deal to prove it.  I could be very happy with a rotation of Beckett, Lester, Buchholz, Oswalt and Bard. 

Rest of the links:

Herald - Ryan Kalish suffers setback | Globe - Kalish won’t be ready to start | PawSox select new broadcaster | Valentine set to meet with more players | WEEI - Still the strength: Taking stock of Red Sox 2012 lineup | ESPN - Valentine: Melancon, Bailey fill a big void

Your Morning Dump...where the Sox make two bullpen decisions

Every morning, well most mornings and sometimes in the afternoon, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

In a bit of offseason bookkeeping, the Red Sox tendered contracts to seven arbitration-eligible players Monday night, signed one other to a one-year contract and failed to tender a contract to another.
    
Tendered contracts were: Alfredo Aceves; Mike Aviles; Daniel Bard; Jacoby Ellsbury; Jed Lowrie; Franklin Morales; and Jarrod Saltalamacchia.

The Sox reached agreement with pitcher Matt Albers on a one-year, $1.075 million deal with incentives, thus avoiding arbitration.
    
Finally, the Sox did not tender reliever Rich Hill, who underwent Tommy John surgery last June and isn't expected to be ready until midseason.

CSNNE | Sox tender seven contracts, sign Albers; non-tender Hill

Maybe it's too strong to say that they've made a decision on Hill -- they can still re-sign him later. 

The Albers contract is one we shouldn't be too fired up about one way or the other. It's a short-term, short-money deal on a guy who didn't show us much but wasn't a disaster either. He finished the year with a 4.73 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 64 innings. Could you do better? Sure. But for 64 innings of low-leverage relief, a million bucks is reasonable.

People seemed excited about Albers coming in last year. His stuff and his peripheral numbers suggested he could improve on his traditional stats (and performance), but of course we didn't see it. Like almost any reliever, his problem was consistency: He had three great months (sub 2.00 ERA), one average month, and two lousy ones. A lot of that was sample size, of course (one or two bad outings can derail a month), and he did maintain the ability to strike out batters, tallying 68 on the year.

Hill is essentially a replacement-level pitcher at this point. The Sox seem interested in keeping him around once they take care of other business, but not so much as to guarantee money at this point.

Some potentially interesting names of players non-tendered by other teams: Ryan Theriot (if we end up trading Scutaro or Lowrie), Peter Moylan (low strikeout rate but formerly effective reliever for Atlanta, and Luke Scott (as a potential low-cost option in right, should Cherington not trust the young guys to hold it down).

Herald | Red Sox sign Matt Albers | Globe | Red Sox sign Albers; Hill only player non-tendered | Jenks has procedure at Mass General | Pedro Martinez to host Jimmy Fund events | CSNNE | Up next for Bard | ESPNBoston | Sox re-sign Albers, non-tender Hill

Your Morning Dump...where Beckett does what he's supposed to do

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

 “Anytime someone’s got a little bit of a layoff, you hope he comes out of the chute [strong],” said manager Terry Francona. “He leaves a breaking ball up to [Evan] Longoria [for a two-run homer in the first inning,] so we’re down two against [James] Shields. That’s not the best way to play the game but we came back, which was so big.
 
“And we played it even. We got it back quick. They score, we got it back again.”
 
“I thought he held his endurance well. Got it up to [109 pitches], made some big pitches when he had to pretty much the whole game.”
 
Beckett earned the win, improving to 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA, as the Sox beat the Rays, 4-3. He did not dominate Tampa Bay, but after a shaky first inning, he settled down and gave his team enough to win and return the Sox’ lead in the American League wild card race over the Rays to four games.

CSNNE | Beckett comes to Sox' rescue

I spent this week in Las Vegas at a conference for work. As a result, my internal clock was all messed up, and due to the fact that I'm just a hair too tall to get comfortable on a plane, I managed to sleep about 20 minutes of my red-eye trip Thursday night.

I got home Friday morning around 8 and slept the day away. Literally. I woke up at 4:15, which was pretty jarring.

I mention this for a reason: I had a dream during this insane nap. The dream went as follows. The Rays were in town and were beating up the Red Sox, who were in a free fall. Josh Beckett -- the man I believe to be an integral part of a championship team; a true ace -- was ready to take the hill. Despite going up against James Shields, he put in a dominating performance, and the Sox got the win. He even got treated by one of those announcer monologues, in which Don Orsillo said "This is why Josh Beckett's Josh Beckett," or some other cliche.

Now, it didn't work out quite that well in real life. Beckett pitched fine, benefited from a few questionable calls (the Jaso strikeout was close; the Upton one was garbage). But a win is a win is a win, and Beckett managed to get us that. And now I get to feel like a prophet, even if we didn't get a hackneyed monologue on TV about him.

On page 2, Daniel Bard replaces his lousy twin from the last few outings with the guy we know.

Your Morning Dump... Where we have a new rotation (for now)

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

Tim Wakefield was set to take John Lackey’s place in the rotation Tuesday night.  Instead he'll be pushed back to face the Cubs Sunday in the homestand finale.

Clay Buchholz is scheduled to face the Tigers Wednesday night, followed by Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Alfredo Aceves, who is taking Daisuke Matsuzaka’s place in the rotation.

“I think we’re pretty fortunate,” manager Terry Francona said of being able to slide Wakefield and Aceves into the rotation, before joking. “Wake’s . . . been [pitching] since I was a kid." As for Aceves, he said: "[That’s] why we signed him. [We think] he can go out there and do a good job.”

Aceves, who has made two starts this season for the PawSox, will be making his first big-league start since July 9, 2009 with the Yankees.

“It’s hard to say,” Aceves of what he can expect in his start. “The body is going to tell you when you're tired. You can prepare yourself. Everybody works different. In the game your body’s going to tell you.”

CSNNE - Bowden called up to Sox; rotation shuffled

Oh, but there's plenty more news in the pitching department.  MIchael Bowden will get to take Dice-K's spot on the roster, and assuming he finds himself on the mound, will be the 13th relief pitcher the Sox will have used this short season. 

Bobby Jenks was eligible to be activated from the DL yesterday, but will need a rehab assignment before he can get activated.  Dan Wheeler can come back from his DL stint on Friday, and the Sox say that most likely he'll be ready then.

There's not a ton of bad news in here, really, although losing 40% of your rotation at once is a bit terrifying.  Lackey getting shut down is not a surprise.  That needed to be done.  Losing Dice-K, however, was a bit of a shock, and will certainly sting.  But when you break it down, Wakefiled and Dice-K essentially give you the same thing each time they step out onto the mound: they are either going to dominate, or get shelled.  You'll either get 7 solid innings from them, or you'll have someone warming up by the 5th.  At this stage, Dice-K is more likely to give you a quality start, but I want to feel optimistic, so I'lI consider it a wash. 

Aceves is the key.  While I'm very high on him (higher than most), I realize he's not the second coming of Pedro.  But there's no chance that he's going to pitch worse than Lackey has over his last couple starts.  And this is why we got Aceves.  He's versatile, won't complain wherever we slot him, and he's had moderate success as a starter.  And, he's not Lackey (can't emphasize that enough).  Things are already looking up.

Related Links: Herald - Alfredo Aceves moves into rotation | NESN - Daisuke Matsuzaka Injury Keeps Red Sox in Scramble Mode

On Page 2, why Bowden got the call.

Sox bullpen a revolving door

What does the Red Sox bullpen have in common with your mother?   Everyone gets a turn! 

Hey-yooooo!

It's funny to think back to March, when we sat around, wringing our hands, worried about who was going to round out the bullpen.  Will it be Reyes?  Albers?  Maybe even Rich Hill?  We collectively rejoiced when it wasn't Hideki Okajima.  But, at the end of the debate, once the dust began to settle, we said it probably won't matter as the Sox have used 15, 15, 17 and 19 relief pitchers, respectively, since 2007.

It doesn't seem like we'll be bucking that trend here in 2011 as Tito has already rolled out 12 different relief pitchers to the mound. We have the depth and talent, so injuries aside, it won't be shocking to see Theo juggle a few of these guys between Pawtucket and Boston all season long.

Here are the Sox IP leaders this season (excluding the starters), according to RedSox.com:

Your Morning Dump...Where the Sox keep rolling...barely

AP

Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.

The offense is still in stuck in first gear, but the Red Sox' starting pitching continues to hum along quite nicely.
     
Jon Lester tossed six shutout innings as the Red Sox beat the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, 4-3, Friday night, for their third consecutive victory.
     
Since last Saturday, the Sox are 6-1. In that span, the starters have a collective 1.17 ERA, with no starter allowing more than two runs in an outing.
     
The Red Sox had just five hits on the night, but bunched together a few and got some help from the Angels' porous defense.

CSNNE: Red Sox Game Story  |  Box Score

Lester looked very good last night (6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K), even though the Angels made him work to get the win to go to 2-1. Lester's pitch count rose quickly but still proved he still had it even after 111 pitches, with his 111th pitch being a strikeout of Vernon Wells.

Albers returned from the DL and looked just ok, giving up one run on two hits in the seventh. Then Bobby Jenks, once the sure arm in the pen, almost blew it  in the 8th. Jenks gave up two runs (one earned), cutting the Sox lead to one run at 4-3. Pap stopped all of the bleeding, and recorded his fifth save of the season in as many tries.

No matter how they won, all that matters is they won. The Sox have won 3 straight, and 6 out of their last 7 (3.5 GB).

Related links: ESPN Boston: Rapid Reaction: Red Sox 4, Angels 3

On page 2: The bats are being rescued by starting pitching