Francona on WEEI- "Beckett would start Game 6"

[TheKilo]

Colossal mistake from Tito if true.

 

As good as he was in 2004 and 2007, he's been that bad in 2008. Lucky for him he's got injuries as an excuse.

[YanksHater213]

Hopefully the guy grows a Kellen Winslow pair size of balls if we get to a game 6, because we're gonna need the guy to throw a gem if we want to beat Sheilds at Tampa.

[rician blast]

Hmmm. Peculiar, but...

 

Perhaps he figures Beckett needs to win one of those games anyway, why does it matter if its 6 or 7? Maybe the fact that Lester also sucked is coming into play too.

 

Or, crazier thought: does game 6 get played such that if Beckett falters early, but the Sox are still in it, they go to Lester to pitch quality innings and get to the late relievers, then take their chances with whomever is available for game 7? (Kinda like 2003, Mussina in relief in the 4th inning for the Yanks). As a game 7 strategy that is more acceptable, but for game 6? Just a thought.

[ORS]

True, Beckett will need to win one of those games either way should they be played. I prefer it be game 7 because it gives him one extra day of rest, and it makes no sense to not use your ace when you face elimination and he's on regular rest.

[TheKilo]

You need to win Game 6 in order for there to be a Game 7.

 

I'd rather take my chances with Lester in game 6 because (a) it's his normal rest ( it gives Beckett one more day of rest and © is the better method of saving the bullpen in case Beckett falters.

[Cocos Disciples]

Yeah, I'm not at all confident with Beckett this postseason. Once you get to Game 7, anything can happen and you have the entire staff (except the Game 6 starter) behind you. I'd start Lester G6.

[NomahsHammSammich]

Screw Beckett. He is hurt. He hasn't hit 95 MPH in 4 months....he is toast.

 

Hopefully Dice-K can win. If he does...you move Lester up to pitch on three days rest and start Masterson in game 7. If you get 5 good innings from Masterson you have a chance...which is more than Beckett can give you at this juncture.

[TheKilo]

Lester would be on normal rest.

[NomahsHammSammich]

Lester would be on normal rest.

 

Ohhh..my mistake. In that case..it should be a no-brainer. I would love to say BECKETT will get pissed off and be BECKETT....but nothing he has done the entire post-season even hints at that being even a remote possibility. When Josh Beckett is topping out at 93...he is hurt.

[redsoxrules]

Screw Beckett. He is hurt. He hasn't hit 95 MPH in 4 months....he is toast.

 

 

Beckett was hitting 95 in game 3 VS the angels ..however in game 2 VS the rays he was only hitting 93.

 

but I do agree that Lester should start a game 6 If theres one

and If it goes 7 Id put beckett on a very short leash and have masterson ready

[rician blast]

As I watched Beckett last time out, even before he got tagged, his delivery looked different...very deliberate, wasn't extending his glove arm as much, less torque in his finish...looked hurt to me.

[redsoxrules]

If beckett is truly injured , Tito is a f***ing moron for letting him pitch

[Dojji]

Enough things need to go right now for us to win this series that a good start from Beckett is one of the less improbable one

[RedSoxRooter]

I'll tell you what, if it ever gets that far and Beckett somehow does win, I'd be pretty pumped about Lester going in game 7. But a ton has to happen from now until that moment actually may possibly happen. I leave it in the hands of the experts and not you guys.

[rician blast]

One thing about Francona...he doesn't play "just to get there," he looks ahead and chooses a path that he thinks gives the Sox the best chance to win the series.

 

In other words he won't be satisfied with winning game 6 and losing game 7, so in some way he must think that this approach gives the Sox the best chance to win the series...I'd love to hear exactly what the thought process is behind the move.

[ORS]

In my mind, Rician, there is no thought process that supports this move. None. If you look at the rest angle, while Lester is at a career high IP right now, the person to give more rest is Beckett due to the injury he's dealing with. If you look at the bullpen angle of it, you want the guy who's more likely to get deep in the game in game 6 so you have a full fresh 'pen in game 7. If you look at the matchup angle of it, their game 7 starter is the one most likely to have an off night which would mitigate Beckett's ineffectiveness if they get into a barn burner.

 

To me, this smells of nothing more than an ego massage. I've supported him in the past, but if Francona makes this move, and if you combine it with his other ponderous moves this series, I'm firmly in the camp that they need a better game manager. Hell, the egos are pretty much gone. No Pedro, no Millar, no Damon, no Curt, no Manny. There's no need for "Vet's" manager who can manage the personalities.

[Dojji]

We don't have an alternative except to use Beckett somewhere. There is some logic to turning Beckett's start into a bullpen game whether it's game 6 or game 7, and there's some more logic to the concept of following up a bullpen game with a quality start to help your relievers get their feet before the big series.

 

The goal is to win the World Series. Right now, Tito's playing like he believes Matsuzaka is our ace, and he's being used now so he can be available for Game 1. Tito's managing with one eye on what happens if we survive and how one balances the rotation in the event we do. At this point survival is improbable so you can argue whether he should be or not, but remember, he's been here before and he should have some idea how to handle it.

 

If Matsuzaka survives, I doubt one day of rest more or less is really going to make a difference whether Beckett will be effetive. Not when a week and a half of rest couldn't save him. I could see the logic of making him pitch the bullpen game in Game 7, but it's just as feasible to make Game 6 the bullpen game, you know, since they're both all out, survive at all cost elimination games anyway. Either way, if Beckett does stumble again you can count on the hook being quick.

 

If this series hinged on Beckett's start in game 6 that's a good thing at this point because we haven't played Game 5 yet.

[TheKilo]

Of course everyone knows you have to use Beckett in either Game 6 or 7.

 

My thoughts are that it would be really shortsighted to use your best pitcher only once in this series.

[rician blast]

Along the lines of what Dojji has said, perhaps the feeling is that an extra day of rest is not going to matter with Beckett, yet it WILL matter with Lester, therefore they roll the dice in a game 6, if we get there, and feel very confident in a game 7 where the pressure, really, shifts somewhat back to TB.

 

I can understand everyone's confusion on this, I feel the same, but stepping back there HAS to be some rationale....doesn't there?

 

As for the series as a whole, yes Tito's made some quesationable moves, but he's done so in the past too, and they've worked out. Let us not forget that in game 2 there many chances to win, the PLAYERS failed to come through.

[ORS]

True, the players did fail to come through. For some of them, that was a game long failure as they went 0-6. The players who went 0-6 corresponded to the players who weren't big offensive contributors during the regular season. When those that a reasonable person would anticipate to fail do, in fact, fail in a late game situation, I have to assign some of the blame to the person that had an opportunity to try something different.

[BSN07]

Doesn't matter. Dice-K has to win game 5. Tito can announce Santa Claus is pitching game 6, Dice-K has to win game 5(not get the win himself but set the Sox up for a win). No one should be concerned with a game that isn't guranteed to be taking place yet.

[TheKilo]

http://www.talksox.com/forum/talk-sox-forum/9891-poll-if-red-sox-win-game-6-a.html

 

We had this same argument last year.