Beckett's Next Start Pushed Back; Citing Right Arm "Numbness and Tingling"

[BoSox21]

Josh Beckett's next start has been pushed back from Saturday to Tuesday, according to manager Terry Francona. Beckett has been experiencing some numbness and tingliing in his right arm since Sunday. The manager said that Beckett slept awkwardly on the arm prior to Sunday's start (in which he gave up 8 runs in 2 2/3 innings), but the pain still lingered, and the Sox will push their ace back a few days.

 

- Extra Bases

 

I really hope the problem is as minor as they're saying it is. What sucks is, I'm driving to Toronto Friday to see Saturday's game and was really hoping Beckett was gonna pitch

[BSN07]

Maybe he just needs a break. Last seasons post season innings could be catching up with him.

[a700hitter]

Maybe he just needs a break. Last seasons post season innings could be catching up with him.

...or maybe he has always had trouble with Toronto, especially Wells, and they'd rather he pitch against the Yankees.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

I really hope the problem is as minor as they're saying it is. What sucks is' date=' I'm driving to Toronto Friday to see Saturday's game and was really hoping Beckett was gonna pitch[/quote']

I think Byrd was slated for that game anyway.

[Dojji]

Actually I feel better now. Now we know there's an issue and it's being worked on.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Actually I feel better now. Now we know there's an issue and it's being worked on.

I don't feel better. I wish it were just one s***** game by Beckett as opposed to him having arm problems.

[Dojji]

I don't feel better. I wish it were just one s***** game by Beckett as opposed to him having arm problems.

 

Except it's been more than 1 bad game. Beckett hasn't been Beckett all year. I'd rather have it be a problem that a little rest can solve.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

Beckett's lost like 3 games (at least) where he gave up 2 runs and the other gave up 1. He hasn't been 2007 Beckett, but he's still pretty damn good.

[TheKilo]

But the real question is how has he pitched with a lead?

[schillingouttheks]

Except it's been more than 1 bad game. Beckett hasn't been Beckett all year. I'd rather have it be a problem that a little rest can solve.

 

I forget who said it, but he hasn't been throwing his secondary pitches as much. I think it was ORS that said he seems to have reverted back to '06 Beckett, throwing way more fastballs.

[Dojji]

But the real question is how has he pitched with a lead?

 

[BoSox21]

I think Byrd was slated for that game anyway.

 

The blurb I posted says Beckett was scheduled for Saturday. Byrd is pitching Friday and god knows who's gonna pitch Saturday.

[Dojji]

Right well, as long as he's not actively a libility in the regular season I don't care -- he's money in the postseason and until that changes I'd rather rest him and baby him a little, or maybe even a lot, to make sure we can get the best he can give in October.

[BoSox21]

we gotta get to October first and to get there, we need a healthy and effective Beckett I think

[BoSox21]

Lester will be pushed up a day to take Beckett's spot on Saturday.

 

Needless to say, I'm thrilled since Lester vs. Jesse Litsch is a hell of a lot better pitching matchup than the last Sox game I saw in person, Lenny DiNardo vs. Roy Halladay

[a700hitter]

I am surprised that Jackson has not chimed in to tell us that Beckett's symptoms are signs of advanced Lupus or something and that he'll be dead in a month.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

The blurb I posted says Beckett was scheduled for Saturday. Byrd is pitching Friday and god knows who's gonna pitch Saturday.

 

 

I am retarded

[Dojji]

we gotta get to October first and to get there' date=' we need a healthy and effective Beckett I think[/quote']

 

We haven't had one to this point -- at all -- and we're still in the wild card lead. Not saying we can do without him, just that the guy who's going to be sitting out a few games isn't exactly the Cy Young runner up he was last year. Again, I'd rather baby him, fuss over him, coddle him, and even lose him for a few games now to have him where he needs to be for October, then making the mistake of thinking that the fact that "we need a healthy and effective Beckett" gives us carte blanche to trot an unhealthy and ineffective Josh Beckett out there every 5 days regardless.

[rician blast]

We haven't had one to this point -- at all -- and we're still in the wild card lead. Not saying we can do without him' date=' just that the guy who's going to be sitting out a few games isn't exactly the Cy Young runner up he was last year. Again, I'd rather baby him, fuss over him, coddle him, and even lose him for a few games now to have him where he needs to be for October, then making the mistake of thinking that the fact that "we need a healthy and effective Beckett" gives us carte blanche to trot an unhealthy and ineffective Josh Beckett out there every 5 days regardless.[/quote']

 

Agree..baby, fuss and coddle....but do not offer him an extension at this time.

[Jayhawk Bill]

If one checks Beckett's Pitch f/x Game Logs, the crucial difference between his disaster on the 17th and his two previous outings was the average vertical break on his curveball. The average drops his two previous starts were 5.32 and 4.38 inches. His start against Toronto his curve was dropping only 1.95 inches. Everything else looked fine--velocity, other movement, proximity of pitches to the edge of the zone--so I'd suggest that the issue was with his curve.

 

That said, to me a comment regarding tingling in the arm as a possible cause makes sense. Heck, it's tough to throw an MLB-quality curve when one CAN feel one's fingers--trouble from sleeping awkwardly could certainly cause what we all saw.

[jacksonianmarch]

If you watched the game, you could see that he was missing his spots in the zone with his FB, curve and change. His curve was flat, but his FB was also up or wild within the zone. Against a MLB club, you cannot make those mistakes. Whether this is due to him truly having numbness or something more serious (or just an excuse to explain away his bad start) remains to be seen. That being said, most complete neuropraxias (total numbness and weakness, aka no chance of pitching) from sleeping wrong are gone within a day or two and have no residual effects a week later. The fact that they moved his start back makes me think it was either an excuse or something more serious.

[Jayhawk Bill]

If you watched the game' date=' you could see that he was missing his spots in the zone with his FB, curve and change. His curve was flat, but his FB was also up or wild within the zone.[/quote']

 

Yes, but his fastball ALWAYS (well, without hyperbole, frequently in both 2006 and 2008) is up or wild within the zone. The biggest difference I saw on pitch-by-pitch analysis was his failure to throw a good curve.

 

We'll see how it works out. Frankly, Beckett has one good year to his credit in MLB, 2007. We may be expecting too much.

[Jacoby_Ellsbury]

We'll see how it works out. Frankly' date=' Beckett has one good year to his credit in MLB, 2007. We may be expecting too much.[/quote']

 

2005? Florida?

[Jayhawk Bill]

2005? Florida?

 

Beckett didn't get a single Cy Young vote for that season. His ERA+ was only 118; he wasn't top 10 in his league in either ERA or strikeouts. He was 21st in the NL by VORP that year--yes, that's clearly an above-average season, so I see your point, but Lester is third in the AL this year and Matsuzaka is eighth, so I was thinking of a higher standard. :dunno:

[Gom]

I am surprised that Jackson has not chimed in to tell us that Beckett's symptoms are signs of advanced Lupus or something and that he'll be dead in a month.

LOL!

 

I think the Red Sox are correct in being cautious here. You have a sufficient lead in the wild card to shut him down for a start or two.

[schillingouttheks]

LOL!

 

I think the Red Sox are correct in being cautious here. You have a sufficient lead in the wild card to shut him down for a start or two.

 

You do realize we're tied in the L column with the Twins, right? The lead is 1/2 game.

[TheKilo]

I expect the Twins to fade, they have a real tough stretch coming up.

[schillingouttheks]

As do I. Don't they have a ton of road games coming up too? They'll fall out of chasing both Sox.

[jacksonianmarch]

His next start was pushed back again, he will now face the White Sox instead of the yankees.

[jacksonianmarch]

http://www.bostonherald.com/blogs/sports/red_sox/index.php/2008/08/23/beckett-bumped-again/

 

Francona says the tingling is from "elbow irritation."