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Sox bullpen worst in the land

Remember just a few months back, when we were all shocked and amazed that Theo Epstein was not only tossing dollars around like Monopoly money, but spending that money on honest-to-goodness bullpen arms?  And remember that final week before the season began, when each day we tried to play the "which stellar relievers are going to round out the bullpen" game? 

Oh, to be young and naive again.

As of today, that bullpen that we gushed over so heavily is at the very bottom of the league, rocking an embarrassing 6.56 ERA.

Via NESN:

By the end of [last night's game], the bullpen ERA climbed to 6.56, the worst such mark in all of Major League Baseball.. with the Dodgers (6.17 ERA) having the only other bullpen over the 6.00 mark.

The problem thus far has involved just about everyone not named Jonathan Papelbon or Alfredo Aceves. Those two have a combined ERA of 2.13 and 0.868 WHIP over 12 2/3 innings, while the rest of the relievers have an 8.15 ERA and a 1.528 WHIP.

The common preseason thought of Papelbon forming a fearsome trio with Daniel Bard and Bobby Jenks at the back end has largely come up short. Bard (0-2, 6.75 ERA) has just two clean innings in his 6 2/3 innings of work, while Jenks, although strong in his first four outings, surrendered four hits and four earned runs on Friday night against Toronto, another game that the bullpen let get away.

If you want to put a positive spin on it, you could always say that our bullpen is the best at giving up runs. 

Glass half full and all that...

Theo Starts Bullpen Cuts

What do Scott Atchison,Rich Hill, Randy Williams and Michael Bowden all have in common?  If you guessed, 'they've all just been cut from the Sox major league roster', you are correct!

Via WEEI:

Relievers Scott Atchison, Rich Hill, Randy Williams and Michael Bowden were all identified as cuts from the major league camp Friday afternoon. Atchison and Bowden both had options, while Hill and Williams were signed to minor-league deals.

Atchison is the only name on this list that will draw the smallest bit of surprise.  With each of these players either having options, or originally signing minor-league deals, theoretically we could see them suiting up for the Sox later in the season.

Well, probably not Randy Williams, but the others surely have a chance.

Your Morning Dump... Where It's Nearly Time To Cement The Bullpen

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The team will hold an organizational meet following Tuesday’s game with the Rays, with the fate of several roster spots in the bullpen possibly in the balance. Of particular note is how to handle the middle relief and lefty specialists in the relief corps and who should make the trip with the team to Arlington when the team begins the season against the Rangers on April 1.

Francona will meet with pitching coach Curt Young, Epstein and front office staffers to discuss how to handle relievers Hideki Okajima, Dennys Reyes, Tim Wakefield, Alfredo Aceves, Matt Albers and Scott Atchison.

The team needs to decide what to do for a lefty or whether to take two north. Okajima and Reyes appear to be the front-runners with Andrew Miller, Randy Williams and Rich Hill on the fringes.

Reyes has made the biggest statement this spring, posting a 1.29 ERA in seven appearances, allowing just one run on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts.

WEEI - ‘Pins and needles’ time for Red Sox relievers as organization meets to map things out 

The bullpen is the last remaining piece of the puzzle for the Sox to put together.

I don't dare venture any great guesses as to who is going to round out the roster.  We're talking about people that have Hideki Okajima as the front-runner (the same Hideki that gave up 23 runs in his 46 innings pitched last season and has actually regressed this Spring), so clearly we're not on the same mental wavelength. 

I would say that Reyes and Aceves have pitched themselves onto the roster.  I can't imagine a Sox squad that doesn't list Tim Wakefield, and has Scott pointed out yesterday, Albers appears to be carving out his own spot.  With Papelbon, Bard, Jenks and Wheeler all seemingly locks, there's very few spots open to tussle over. 

It's definitely going to be a tough final call to make.  I'd love to see Miller make the cut, but hanging out in Pawtucket for a few months probably wouldn't be the worse thing for his career.  Randy Williams and Rich Hill, thanks for stopping by.  And no matter how consistent Scott Achison was in the second half of last season, he gets me nearly as excited as when my wife tells me to take her to see the new Jennifer Lopez romantic comedy. 

Rest of the links:

WEEI -  John Lackey: ‘I feel like I’m ready’ | Herald - Carl Crawford adding pop as his game develops | Rays take taste test with Manny Ramirez | Kevin Youkilis turns corner | Globe - SoSH hosting event to benefit Jimmy Fund | NESN - Intensity Increasing for Red Sox As They Hit Home Stretch in Spring Training

Your Morning Dump...Where Matt Albers is making his case for the roster

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.

Last winter, though, Albers paid more attention to his nutrition upon returning to his offseason home in Houston. He reported to Orioles camp at a listed weight of 205 pounds.

The result: He shaved one run off his ERA and stayed in the majors all season. And although the Orioles still opted not to tender him a contract in December, he wasn’t a free agent for very long, signing a one-year, $875,000 deal with the Red Sox a few weeks later.

Albers, 28, is vying for one of the final spots in the bullpen, and he has notched a 1.80 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings over seven appearances.

“His fastball’s got a lot of life,” manager Terry Francona said. “You’re going to see a lot of ground balls.’’

Herald | Matt Albers shapes up

Sometimes you'll see fat pitchers make excuses (hi, David Wells!), or say that that's just how they're built. Or that it doesn't matter. As with even the most unathletic sports (it's been said even about golf and Nascar), being in shape helps, so it's good to see that Albers has maintained his fitness level over the last year.

Albers seems promising to me. Nothing special, but an improved year last year, and going from the Orioles to the Sox can offer a spike to the right kind of player. He's gotta get his WHIP down (if you're close to 1.50, I don't really want you on my team), but I have optimism for him the same way you do for any new player in the 'pen.

Really, we know what Scott Atchison is -- a useful last guy in the bullpen who can eat innings and be something close to average. We know what Hideki Okajima is -- pretty bad at this stage (but thanks for the great '07, Oki!). We've seen this spring what Andrew Miller is -- a reclamation project. None of the other guys stand out either. In my mind, Albers has every bit the right to one of the roster spots that any of these guys do.

Herald | Jon Lester, David Ortiz seeking better starts in '11 | Sox swim in deep end | Sox' hand tops Phils' aces | Jed Lowrie savors big shot at Doc | Globe | Pedroia t-shirts will help charities | Lester praises Halladay | Gonzalez's agent Boggs wades right in | ESPNBoston | Halladay-Lester a study in pitching mastery

Your Morning Dump... Where Aceves Impresses

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.

Francona has been impressed with Alfredo Aceves, and that was before the righty threw two scoreless innings in a 5-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

“I always keep in mind to throw what I call potatoes. It means zeros on the scoreboard,” Aceves said. “It’s always throwing zero, zero, zero, zero, no matter what.”

Aceves, a former New York Yankees reliever who signed a minor league contract last month, appears healthy after missing most of last season with a strained pelvic muscle and breaking his collarbone in an offseason bicycle accident. He threw a blemish-free third inning, then worked out of a two-on, two-out spot in the fourth.

“He’s a pretty interesting guy,” Francona said. “Fastball, changeup, breaking ball, he’s got all three pitches, and he loves to compete. We like the idea of him being stretched out (as a starter), but he has shown he can do both.”

Herald - Josh Beckett eases off

Even though it's insanely early, I'm loving how our lesser-known pitching staff has been performing thus far.

If we're going to get anywhere this year, we're going to need our studs to perform.  I'm not too worried about our starters.  Even if they're mediocre, they're still better than most team's staffs.  Our bullpen is really what's going to dictate how far we go this year.

And the key to that puzzle is getting solid play from guys not named Papelbon, Jenks or Bard.  Papelbon can't be coming into games in the 8th, and we need to keep Jenks and Bard fresh to lock down those tight, important games.  However the roster shakes out, Francona needs to trust the rest of the pen to win us some games, and keep the aforementioned three rested.

I think Aceves can be a fantastic long-reliever out of the bullpen.  But when we need a spot starter, he can fill that role as well.  He's a solid pitcher and gives us a ton of flexibility.  What's not to like?

Rest of the links:

Herald - Jarrod Saltalamacchia builds relations | Ace Jon Lester holds all cards | Jonathan Papelbon makes striking opening statement | WEEI - Remember Jayson Werth and Mark Teixeira? Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez do | NESN - Red Sox Infielder Brent Dlugach Dislocates Shoulder Making Catch Against Twins | Former AL West Foes John Lackey, Tim Hudson Set to Make Spring Training Debuts

Andrew Miller: The Anti-Okajima

Yesterday we confirmed for you that Okajima still sucks at pitching.  Today we flip the script and bring you a left-handed reliever that may be just what the Sox need.

Via Boston Herald:

Seven pitches, seven strikes. Three batters up, three batters down — two by strikeout. And, in a flash, the sixth inning was finished yesterday, and left-hander Andrew Miller had returned to the Red Sox dugout, leaving manager Terry Francona breathless and eager to see more.

“Extremely exciting,” Francona said of Miller’s first spring training outing with the Sox. “That was really fun to watch. That was about as good an inning as you’re ever going to see.”

Francona said it hasn’t been decided whether Miller will be stretched out as a starter. If he makes the team out of camp, it would be as a lefty reliever in an almost entirely right-handed bullpen.

Could Andrew Miller make Hideki Okajima obsolete?  Maybe.  Hopefully.

One Spring Training outing doesn't mean much, but it's shown us that Hideki may be who we thought he was, and Miller just might be worthy of that 6th overall draft pick.  It's a competition surely worth monitoring.

Your Morning Dump... Where Bard Wants To Start

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Daniel Bard, who was drafted by the Red Sox as a starting pitcher out of the University of North Carolina in 2006, told WEEI.com after his workout at the Red Sox minor-league training facility Thursday that he is open to perhaps returning back into the role of a starter at some point in his career.

"I kind of would like to try it. It's something I would like to do," said the Red Sox' reliever. "It would kind of challenge myself. You've never proven yourself, but I know I can do the reliever thing for myself, just as a personal challenge, (starting) would be cool. Sometime down the road if we're in need of a starter it might come into play, and I would definitely be open to it, but right now it's not even an issue."

"It can definitely be done," Bard said. "This team and this situation, it's not a fit right now and I'm fine right now. I love the role I'm in, I can't emphasize that enough. If it presents itself  a year or two down the road, I would definitely be open to it."

WEEI - Bard: Like to try starting in the future

So... this is pretty terrifying. 

You never want to read too much into what's said during these little interviews.  You're never told the question that was asked that prompted the answer, and usually the player is just making conversation, trying to say something interesting.

That said, the part that I can't get past is the, "if it presents itself in a year or two..."  Either Daniel Bard is completely out of touch with the roster and happenings of the Red Sox (which is fine; you don't need to be to be a great player), or there's much more going on behind the scenes that we're not aware of.  I can play out hundreds of scenarios in my head, and I can't come up with one (well, a feasible one anyway) that would make me want Bard starting rather than closing/setting-up.

My other concern is that, if starting is where he wants to be, he has the potential to grow unhappy in his current role.  That's not a huge concern, really, but the potential is there.  We all know the tale of the lunchlady that daydreams of being a truck driver. 

Bard could be that lunchlady.

Rest of the links:

WEEI - Theo on Beckett: 'Wouldn't bet against him' | Delcarmen signs minor lg deal with Mariners | Herald - Theo Epstein touches all bases with Red Sox | Daniel Bard pumped about ’pen additions | NESN - Josh Beckett Reports to Spring Training, Has 'Noticeable Improvement' in Physical Condition (Video)

Your Morning Dump...Where Pap is not paid to think

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.

He expects that the first time he blows a save, there will be people calling for Terry Francona to switch closers, the way the Red Sox manager did back in Texas on the first weekend of the season a few years ago, ousting Keith Foulke for the brash kid from Mississippi State who had shown no fear ever since he threw at Sammy Sosa in spring training.

He, Jonathan Papelbon, obviously has a lot to think about this spring, doesn't he?

Says you.

"They don't pay me to think," Papelbon said here Monday morning, one of the early arrivals in camp. "If I'm a thinker, then I'm not a closer. That's the way I look at it, man. I don't think, man, I just do. Sometimes that gets me into trouble."

ESPNBoston | Papelbon: Others can do the thinking

You can already tell it's a contract year for Pap. He reported well ahead of schedule. He gave Gordon Edes and honest but political interview, saying all the right things with the right level of southern charm. He loves Bobby Jenks, Mariano Rivera, his $12 million contract, and his as-yet-to-be-determined long-term deal that some pseudo contender will give him this offseason.

Good. Good for all of that. He has the potential to be a major distraction, so at least he's coming in with the right attitude. And if he becomes a distraction? Worst case, they can cut ties, hand things over to Jenks, and let Bard take over next year. He knows his options, and his best option is to play nice, help us win another World Series, and cash in when the time is right.

Herald | Questions facing the Red Sox: Starting 9 | Derek Jeter looks to leave rough stretch, negotiations behind | Scott Brosius becomes manager of US under-18 team | Globe | Video: Lester's looking forward to a fun spring | Greetings from Gate C12 | CSNNE | Red Sox preview: part two | Papelbon reports early to spring training

Boston's bullpen ranks 6th in the majors

AP Photo

The MLB bullpen power rankings are out and the Red Sox revamped pen has charged up on the list. Theo has done a lot of work this offseason to strengthen the dismal bullpen of 2010.  With all the additions to the pen, the Red Sox power ranking went from 23rd in 2010 to 6th in 2011.

Here are the top 10 bullpens:

1. Padres

2. Yankees

3. Giants

4. Braves

5. A's

6. Red Sox

7. Phillies

8. Dodgers

9. Rangers

10. Tigers

Click here for the complete list

With a great lineup, powerful bullpen, and a hopefully healthy and effective starting rotation, this might be the right medication for the recovery from last season.

Your Morning Dump...where who is getting the final spots in the 'pen?

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.

After a transformative offseason that has earned them the mantra of Hot Stove League champions, the Red Sox will head to Fort Myers with few job openings. Barring injury, the most substantial competition will be among a handful of relief pitchers for the final two seats in the bullpen.

By virtue of their contracts and incumbent status, right-hander Scott Atchison and lefty Hideki Okajima may be slight favorites. But the field also includes right-hander Matt Albers, Hill and perhaps fellow lefties Andrew Miller and Felix Doubront, each of who represent intriguing options.

Albers, a free agent addition from the Baltimore Orioles with a penchant for getting ground balls, may push Atchison, nothing new for a 34-year-old who returned last year from two seasons in Japan and made an Opening Day roster for the first time last spring. And while Okajima’s numbers have declined each year since 2007, the Red Sox re-signed him for $1.5 million because they lack proven in-house lefty alternatives.

Doubront, 23, made both his major league debut and an eye-opening conversion to the bullpen last season with 13 strikeouts in 92⁄3 innings. But there is a feeling within the organization he will get greater long-term benefit from being a starter in Triple A than facing mostly left-handed hitters as a reliever in the majors.

Then there are Hill and Miller, both seeking a return to the majors at different stages in their careers.

Herald: Making pitches for Sox relief roles

You can't argue with Atichson and Okajima being the favorites heading into Spring Training. However, Albers will be the one to watch to grab one of those two spots, which means the bullpen will be pretty full. Counting these two spots, the Red Sox will be having  seven pitchers in the roster as Wakefield, Wheeler, Jenks, Bard, and Papelbon are already in there. These two pitchers will be getting little work and would be primarily used as specialists when Terry Francona decides to imitate Tony LaRussa. I think Oki and Albers will be taking the two spots, but Spring Training will make things a bit more clearer.. hopefully.