April 9th @ Baltimore

[TheRivernator]

shaky inning??? He had a 3 run lead and did not allow a run. Not shaky at all...

[CalvnHobs6]

Question. I was watching on MLB.tv, so maybe I didn't get the best look at it. But in the two counts that Paps started 2-0 on the hitters, where were those pitches that the ump didn't like? Bard stuck out his mitt, and that's where Paps put it. They looked like pitches that could've gone either way, but all four went against him. I'm pretty sure that's why he went WAY inside on Tejada and Matos (I think).

[Beckett95]

anyone know what foulkes fastball range was today? was he hitting high 80's?

[ksushi]

I was watching on MLB tv too and for the first two batters it looked like he really got squeezed by the umpire. Foulke was 88 - 89 today.

[Beckett95]

if foulke can consistently be at 88-89 with good control, he can regain his 2004 form as closer. Hopefully he can and we can move Papelbon in to the rotation if wells sucks, which i believe he will. good news for foulke then.

 

interested in how well stern plays everyday in AAA this year once he goes down (april 19th i think). I think hes an underated player who will tear up the international league.

[TheRivernator]

if foulke can consistently be at 88-89 with good control, he can regain his 2004 form as closer. Hopefully he can and we can move Papelbon in to the rotation if wells sucks, which i believe he will. good news for foulke then.

 

interested in how well stern plays everyday in AAA this year once he goes down. I think hes an underated player who will tear up the international league.

 

Foulke's problem last yr was equally stuff and location. He cannot throw that 89 mph heater down the middle. But, if he goes back to 2004 form, then Paps could go to the rotation and that team's pitching would be solid....

[ksushi]

Their pitching is solid, if Papelbon is in the rotation I believe their pitching would then be scary.

[Beckett95]

if beckett, schilling and wakefield stay healthy, they are pretty much locks in the rotation. If clements pitches as well as he did the other night consistently, he will also be a lock. This leaves 1 spot. David Wells will get the first oppurtunity and if he fails i hope to see Papelbon get the 2nd chance. That would be a scary rotation.

[TheRivernator]

Their pitching is solid, if Papelbon is in the rotation I believe their pitching would then be scary.

 

their pitching is solid so far. I am not completely sold on them, BUT, if you could guarantee that Foulke would return to 2004 form and you would insert Paps into the rotation and replace Clement with Wells, then I'd say that your pitching would be scary and solid. For all the s*** you guys give Wells, he is a big game pitcher and should be in your rotation over the first half wonder (Clement).

[jsinger121]

their pitching is solid so far. I am not completely sold on them, BUT, if you could guarantee that Foulke would return to 2004 form and you would insert Paps into the rotation and replace Clement with Wells, then I'd say that your pitching would be scary and solid. For all the s*** you guys give Wells, he is a big game pitcher and should be in your rotation over the first half wonder (Clement).

 

your not sold on them but i'm sure your sold on the yankees staff.

[ksushi]

Why would you want to replace clement? Thats crazy. You replace wells with Papelbon and you keep Matt Clement. Matt Clement was an all-star, and is a fine pitcher. He has more upside then Wells. Why is everyone so down on him?

[CrespoBlows]

You are all wrong. Wells gets traded in July to the Padres, and Roger Clemens replaces him.

 

Am I on LSD?

[TheRivernator]

Overall, Schilling is your key as always. 2 solid starts for him are good signs for sox fans. Beckett is a guy who will give you solid outings when he can take them. He will be on the Dl this yr for some reason or another, but so long as it is blisters and not shoulder then you'll be fine. Your 3 is wake who is what he is. He eats starts, because over the long haul the sox will be about .500 in his starts (see last yr). Your 4 is Clement who is the biggest pussy this side of Pavano. If Papelbon takes his slot, then that would be dirty. Your 5 is Wells, who will likely work his way up to 3 or 4 by playoff time, assuming you parlay this solid start into a playoff appearance. Still, this staff relies on a lot of if's, but the if's are looking like yes's to this point.....

[TheRivernator]

your not sold on them but i'm sure your sold on the yankees staff.

 

I'm sold on our 1-2 and likely our 3 (Wang). I am equivocal to Chacon and scared shitless of Pavano. Again, too many if's....

[TheRivernator]

Why would you want to replace clement? Thats crazy. You replace wells with Papelbon and you keep Matt Clement. Matt Clement was an all-star, and is a fine pitcher. He has more upside then Wells. Why is everyone so down on him?

 

Look at clement's career path. He ALWAYS starts strong. His ERA and record before the all-star break is so much better than his post-all star performances. He crumbles down the stretch and has done it 3 yrs running. As a matter of fact, 2 yrs ago he was removed from the cubs rotation for Rusch during a pennant race. As far as wells, his stuff is not what it used to be, his body is bigger and he is more injury prone. But the bottom line is, the guy wins games. He will put his best foot forward in the playoffs and will be a big game pitcher this yr. He is worth more than clement, especially to a team with October aspirations....

[Beckett95]

im only sold on the unit for u guys. he will have a dominating year. as for mussina, not sure yet but he has looked good in his first few starts. if he has 2 more solid starts, ill be sold on him. Wang could be good but id say he needs to put together a couple more good starts as hes not proven yet. Chacon i think will blow up this year and Pavano i honestly have no idea what he will do.

[ksushi]

I would take Clement over wells anyday. Wells will not be on this team come september and clement will. I would not give up on him to put it together for an entire season.

[Beckett95]

I would take Clement over wells anyday. Wells will not be on this team come september and clement will. I would not give up on him to put it together for an entire season.

agree, i think wells is either on the DL by July or in SD

[TheRivernator]

im only sold on the unit for u guys. he will have a dominating year. as for mussina, not sure yet but he has looked good in his first few starts. if he has 2 more solid starts, ill be sold on him. Wang could be good but id say he needs to put together a couple more good starts as hes not proven yet. Chacon i think will blow up this year and Pavano i honestly have no idea what he will do.

 

Mussina, when healthy, has proven that he is a solid pitcher. He, like Beckett, has had a problem staying healthy the last 2 yrs. The only difference is, Beckett won't hurt his team and will actually tell the coach when he is hurting, while Mussina will try to tough it out and hurt himself more. If he is healthy, you can bank on a below 4 era and 15+ wins. If you dont believe me, look at his pre-allstar numbers last yr, when he was not injured and look at his numbers afterward when he was hurt. Wang has ace type stuff, and a good demeanor for a young guy. I'm not totally sold on him yet, but his demeanor and stuff will likely win out. Chacon has one plus pitch and a serious lack of control. He has balls though, which got him to where he was last yr, but I do not expect another sub 3 era for us. Pavano is a f***ing pussy and I'd love to see Rajah take his roater spot....

[TheRivernator]

I would take Clement over wells anyday. Wells will not be on this team come september and clement will. I would not give up on him to put it together for an entire season.

 

I'll take history over and over again. Wells has guts (lots and lots of em that fat ass) and he'll win games in October. We saw what Clement did in October, and it wasnt pretty....

[jsinger121]

Wang does not have ace type stuff......Ace type stuff is when you can dominate a team by striking guys out something Wang doesn't do. He relies on defense and to me if you have to rely on defense you are not an ace. Wang is far from having ace stuff.

[Beckett95]

You are all wrong. Wells gets traded in July to the Padres, and Roger Clemens replaces him.

 

imagine a healthy rotation of Schilling, Clemens, Beckett, Wake and Clement/Papelbon...:thumbsup:

 

that would be illegal in some states

[TheRivernator]

Wang does not have ace type stuff......Ace type stuff is when you can dominate a team by striking guys out something Wang doesn't do. He relies on defense and to me if you have to rely on defense you are not an ace. Wang is far from having ace stuff.

 

93-97 mph sinker and a plus slider is ace type stuff. That is Kevin Brown circa 98 stuff. Whether or not he uses that stuff to K people or to rely on D is up to him. Looking at his stuff blindly, he has ace type stuff (btw Paps has ace-type stuff). He has ace-type stuff that he doesnt use like an ace. He doesnt rely on the K, which I like, but it kicks us in the ass sometime....

[TheRivernator]

imagine a healthy rotation of Schilling, Clemens, Beckett, Wake and Clement/Papelbon...:thumbsup:

 

that would be illegal in some states

 

a healthy and effective staff of those 5 would be dirty and would be tough to beat. Then again, wait until you face teams that are playoff contenders. The Jays will be a challenge, but these west coast fags that we have played these last 6 are f***ing pesky and tough....

[Anuj09]

when is Aaron Small coming off the DL? i actually didnt mind him imo he should have a spot instead of Chacon just cuz Pavano can be good at times

[jsinger121]

I will never put wang in ace type stuff category frankly because he is a sinker baller that doesn't K anyone and never has and relies on a shaky defense. There are at least 10-20 young pitchers I would take before taking wang.

[TheRivernator]

I will never put wang in ace type stuff category frankly because he is a sinker baller that doesn't K anyone and never has and relies on a shaky defense. There are at least 10-20 young pitchers I would take before taking wang.

 

 

Ace-type stuff is not based on how he uses it, but on how he COULD use it. Wang could go for the K if he wanted to and would be effective K'ing people, but he maximizes his IP by pitching to the bats. Plus, an ace does not necessarily need to K people, he just needs to be capable of leading a staff and being a stopper. The jury is still out on that one....

[TheRivernator]

when is Aaron Small coming off the DL? i actually didnt mind him imo he should have a spot instead of Chacon just cuz Pavano can be good at times

 

Chacon could be great at times, Pavano was good for a few laughs most of the time. Small will be a huge addition to our pen as a long man, because quite frankly, having Wright be our only long man is scary.

[Beckett95]

if you want to compare him to Kevin Brown...

 

Kevin Browns first full year--23 years old, 3.35 era, 105 K's in 27 games

 

Wangs first full year--25 years old, 4.02 era, 47 K's in 17 games

 

kind of similar but hes not as good as the old Kevin Brown

 

i see Wang as being a good #3 starter throughout his career

[TheRivernator]

if you want to compare him to Kevin Brown...

 

Kevin Browns first full year--23 years old, 3.35 era, 105 K's in 27 games

 

Wangs first full year--25 years old, 4.02 era, 47 K's in 17 games

 

kind of similar but hes not as good as the old Kevin Brown

 

take into account the league era's for those 2 yrs and you'll see that they are rather similar aside from the K's....