Regarding Wakefield

[lasitter]

a700 couldn't make 27,000 posts if he took the time to think anything thru or compose a thoughtful post.

 

And: "lasitter" is the only identity I have on the web. It should be pretty easy for you to put me on your global ignore list -- my present to you!

[a700hitter]

Lassy, I have got know idea waht you posted since you are on my ignore list, but my instincts tell me that the appropriate response is: Up yours.

[v2freak]

I'm with lasitter on this one. If Wake wants to come back, and he remains cheap, I think the value of having him on hand is well worth the 1 roster spot. As others have pointed out, he's done better than Miller, Weiland and Lackey. It's true, having another player on the roster just so he can catch knuckleballs sucks, but if Salty can consistently improve his fielding, Wakefield is good insurance. I can't remember a year in which injuries haven't hurt the Sox big, most nightmarishly 2006 I believe.

[jacksonianmarch]

The roster spot is actually important, though. I have a feeling they let him walk, and try to groom a kid in the swing role like the Yanks have done with Noesi. Wake's been quite possibly the most overrated starter of all time. ERA hasn't been under 4 since 2002 and his ERA hasn't been under 5 since 2009. He's now posted 5 seasons of a 5+ ERA in Boston, and lately his endurance and conditioning have gone to s***.

[Meh]

I agree with you sox fans, I think he needs to go for 300 wins. Sign him up and groom him to be your face of the franchise.

[lasitter]

I blame the management for us being in the position of twisting in the wind on a knuckleball for us to have any chance of splitting the series with the Rays.

 

We are playing absolute knucklehead ball right now, giving away runs we can't afford and that we apparently cannot match back.

 

With his speed, Jennings easily reaches third on an infield ground ball, and then Lester can't even walk Longoria without giving up a run in the process. Jennings ran the bases perfectly, Lester doesn't execute an ill-conceived pitch, and Salty can't keep the ball in front of him. Salty's come a long way, but this is the bigs, and we obviously need an agile catcher that can keep the ball in front of him, and Tek's legs are shot.

 

And Crawford's almost out at the plate because we can't administer / read a sign to slide?

 

And Ells gives away a gift of what could have been a golden opportunity getting caught at third?

 

So Lester didn't get his customary seven runs in support last night and we lost, significantly because management doesn't want to take the time to drill the fundamentals of the game like the Rays.

 

Where do you go to look up pitcher run support? I'd love to know.

 

If we had a team better at fundamentals behind Lester we might have won last night, and we'd have a better chance of winning today.

 

Why does having the achingly slow combo of Ortiz and Gonzalez mean that the rest of the team can't play smart ball?

 

When I see these two teams on the field and their managers at work, I think I know where to lay the blame.

[soxfan74]

I agree 100% Lassiter. Madden is a far better manager than Francona. It's not even close. With Wake on the mound today. I feel bad for Salty. It's going to be a track meet out there. Tito has put his usual righty heavy line-up against Price. Yes our fate is put in the hands of Darnell Macdonald and Conor Jackson in the Line-up. Francona cannot manage a bullpen. We have no small ball game if needed. Base running errors constantly. Pitchers that can't throw to first, second, or third accurately. Absolute disgrace.

[example1]

The roster spot is actually important' date=' though. I have a feeling they let him walk, and try to groom a kid in the swing role like the Yanks have done with Noesi. [b']Wake's been quite possibly the most overrated starter of all time[/b]. ERA hasn't been under 4 since 2002 and his ERA hasn't been under 5 since 2009. He's now posted 5 seasons of a 5+ ERA in Boston, and lately his endurance and conditioning have gone to s***.

 

I don't know about "most overrated starter of all time". Seems like an easy claim to make but a difficult one to measure or back up.

 

That said, you and I won't disagree about whether he is still useful for this club. He's not. Bargain Basement Tim should be a pitching coach in Greenville or something...

 

I'm hopeful that Theo gets the strong reminder that he needs to boost the pitching on this club. Dice-K is a non-factor for 2012, Lackey cannot be relied upon for anything, Lester is a very, very good #2, Buchholz should be okay and Beckett put together his best season yet (but is notoriously inconsistent). I see 2-3 starters who should be better than average and 2 spots that need an overhaul.

 

If Theo wants this offense/defense to get the credit they deserve (a World Series) then he needs to bolster the rotation.

 

When was the last time the Sox had a pitcher who was a consistent strike-thrower/innings eater who went deep into games consistently like James Shields is this year? I don't mean "good" pitchers like Beckett or Pedro or Schilling, I mean a decent pitcher who gets the most out of his stuff with effecient pitches, few walks, groundballs, and 7-8 IP? I assume that's what they thought Lackey would do, but he hasn't. He throws softballs.

[lasitter]

ERA hasn't been under 4 since 2002

On a team averaging over four ERA, why would you expect your knuckle ball pitcher to be doing any more than he is right now?

 

I'd love to have a pitcher better than Wake ready to take the mound today, but we don't.

 

I don't know when we will.

 

I don't know how much that better pitcher will cost when we find him.

 

I don't know how many sLackeys and Dice-Ks we can afford to burn thru in search of him.

 

ERA for any Sox pitcher having started a game ...

 

2.50 Beckett

2.82 Aceves

3.15 Lester

3.50 Bedard

5.13 Wake

5.43 Miller

6.19 Lackey

7.58 Weiland

 

3.48 Buch

5.30 Dice-K

 

We could start Aceves, but I hate to think of the bullpen without him.

 

Wake needs to be where he is, and we need to be playing better baseball behind him. We need to be playing better ball behind ALL our pitchers.

[v2freak]

I'd rather have Wake starting and Aceves relieving as well. Maybe even combine the two for a start; if Aceves throws a fastball at 92mph after Wake's thrown 5IP of knuckleballs, it probably looks like a 100mph fastball.

[Reck]

Ok then. Safe to say this year is the last we shall hear of Wakefield.

 

This guy should go away in shame. Wow, just wow.

[lasitter]

Yeah. It would be near impossible for hitters to get their rhythm back ...

[lasitter]

I don't blame Wake for today. I don't think he's really responsible for much more than a couple runs in the 2nd inning.

 

Wake struck out five and only walked one.

 

His strike to ball ratio was 63 percent -- completely in line with MLB averages.

 

What more could you ask?

 

The knuckle ball was doing exactly what you expect it to do -- move erratically.

 

I think much blame lies with Salty and the play of the team in the field.

 

If you're a catcher in the bigs you're a member of an elite group. If you get a glove on something that's coming towards you at 66-68 mph, you should either catch it, knock it down or somehow manage to keep it in front of you. The biggest risk with anything moving that slow should be that you fall asleep before it gets there.

 

Was anything completely beyond Salty's reach today?

 

Wake can't throw it AND catch it. Maybe Salty should just ask permission to move back to the backstop and play from there. It would save him some running.

 

The team played horribly today. We're blowing pitch-outs, a routine ball to Aviles, Jackson blows a catch and Wake gets charged with a "double" that scores. Our best hitters are going 0-for-the-Rays.

 

I have no idea what's going on.

[iortiz]

Today's result is not his fault; even last failures aren't his fault.

 

This fault is directly charged who planned this rotation depth and arguably who put him on the mound.

 

That's the big picture issue.

[SoxSport]

Stolen bases: TB 4, Red Sox 0

 

Imagine, having Ellsbury and Crawford on your team, and no stolen bases.

 

TB has been stealing them blind all year.

[SoxSport]

Can you imagine platooning a guy making $20 million a year?

 

You could say this has become a dysfunctional team.

 

Hands off Henry is in a real pickle with this management.

[SoxSport]

Hey, it's not Wake's fault. And it's not Tito's fault. And it's not Theo's fault.

And it's not Lackey's fault, and it's not Bogar's fault, and it's not Young's fault, and it's not....

 

Well, who the f..k fault is it?

[iortiz]

Hey, it's not Wake's fault. And it's not Tito's fault. And it's not Theo's fault.

And it's not Lackey's fault, and it's not Bogar's fault, and it's not Young's fault, and it's not....

 

Well, who the f..k fault is it?

 

 

Trust me, it is FOs fault.

[lasitter]

After today's 9-1 hammering, I think we're going to have to play with two outfielders, one catcher and a backstop and let Wake win this thing for us ...