5/26 VS Rays

[redsoxrules]

Price VS Beckett

 

WIN !

[FredLynn]

I think that, unfortunately, there is an excellent chance that we will get swept in this series. If Price is on his game today he is better than Beckett. And tomorrow we have Barney Fife the Head Case going for us, and his ERA is in the stratosphere. Not real optimistic about taking the series, a series we really have to win.

[Bellhorn04]

In April we had the same pitching matchup and we won 12-2. Let's do that again.

[mvp 78]

In April we had the same pitching matchup and we won 12-2. Let's do that again.

 

F that. 12 - 0!

[SoxFanForsyth]

Beckett is elite against the Rays. Sox win this one.

 

By the way. Remember how I said I respected Maddon? Well, screw that little bitch. and f*** all of the Rays right in the ******* with a nail studded baseball bat. I has every single one of them.

 

P.S. - thanks for the spark, Rays. This is exactly what this team needed. The Sox are about to go on a freaking tear. Mark my words.

[BornToRun]

Well, f*** me. I suppose my inability to give up on this team is mirrored in my inability to give up on this site despite its tendency to drive me feces eating insane. Beckett's our ace, he needs to do what he did last time out. And aside from a flat statement of "he sucks", are there any ideas as to what is wrong with Lester. We know he's a great pitcher, his numbers show that, but he's been looking like left handed lackey so far. He's better than that ******** we saw last night.

[FredLynn]

Well' date=' f*** me. I suppose my inability to give up on this team is mirrored in my inability to give up on this site despite its tendency to drive me feces eating insane. Beckett's our ace, he needs to do what he did last time out. And aside from a flat statement of "he sucks", are there any ideas as to what is wrong with Lester. We know he's a great pitcher, his numbers show that, but he's been looking like left handed lackey so far. He's better than that ******** we saw last night.[/quote']

 

I think Elktonnick is right: too many cutters. I would add lack of command (ie too many meatballs). Not sure he is capable of fixing this.

[BornToRun]

I think Elktonnick is right: too many cutters. I would add lack of command (ie too many meatballs). Not sure he is capable of fixing this.

 

We know he's better than this. He is cutter happy and even I won't deny that something's wrong. The coaching staff and he has to know too. He needs to figure it out. His numbers suggest that he isn't this pitcher. He's better than what he's been showing this month.

[FredLynn]

We know he's better than this. He is cutter happy and even I won't deny that something's wrong. The coaching staff and he has to know too. He needs to figure it out. His numbers suggest that he isn't this pitcher. He's better than what he's been showing this month.

 

He has traditionally been a slow starter, and his ERA of 4.72 reflects that. Its hard to know for sure where he will end up, what kind of pitcher he really is. I agree that he is not this bad; I also don't think he is a sub 3.50 ERA pitcher, a dominant pitcher, any more. On a contending team he cannot be labelled their ace. More like a #3-4 SP for a contender, #2-3 for a bad team.

[jung]

are there any ideas as to what is wrong with Lester

 

Well to be honest I really agree with the posts from last night (some of them mine) that tried to discuss Lester's issues.

 

1) He has really allowed this whole thing of the umps to get to him and he is allowing them to beat him as a result. His last start he made a point of even saying in his post stint presser that he knows it is killing him and he has to stop. So what does he do, his very next start. The exact same thing. He begins to pout. He losses focus and before you know it the ball is being thrown for the most part right down main street as a response to his frustration with the umps.

2) Problem 1 plays into problem 2 which is..... He throws the cutter far to often without setting that pitch up the way Beckett does for the most part. So now, not only is he throwing the ball right down main street, he is throwing cut fastballs right down main street, a meat pitch if you ever saw one.

 

There are varying views on which problem is worse. To me it is his complete inability to control his emotions and maintain his focus because of what tonight's home plate ump thinks is a strike. Instead he lets this whole ump thing totally get to him and at that moment he is defeated. Does not matter what he is going to throw at that point, he is done. So for me, that is the first problem Lester has to solve. These are the same s*** umps that ump every game in the ML's. Stop pouting. Figure out where tonight's ump is willing to give you strikes and work from there...just like every other big league starting pitcher worth a damn and certainly just like what every #1 pitching for every other team must do.

 

If he solves that problem, his issue with the cutter is similar to Buchs. Pitchers throw the pitches they have confidence in. Pitches they don't have confidence in are pitches they cannot throw for strikes or pitches that they throw "wild in the strike zone" which is the same thing as saying you can throw it for a strike but it ends up right down main street. If you have no confidence in your location with particular pitches you won't throw those pitches.

 

In my view Lester does not throw enough even of the regular FB because he does not have enough confidence in the pitch. The cutter is not a main line pitch. It is an alternate pitch best thrown by a pitcher that can locate his FB and that has either a decent slider or a decent curve.

 

Two things happen when you throw to many cutters. It is to easy for hitters to get on because it is a difficult pitch to throw constantly and fool anybody. If you can keep it down and throw it as an alternate to a well located FB, you are in business. If not and/or if you get the cutter up in the Strike Zone, you are meat.

 

For the most part Lester has a good enough cutter if he were not throwing it so often. If he was locating his FB and especially if he had a good slider as well, he throws a good enough cutter. But Lester throws the cutter to often without having set the hitter up for it.

 

People often argue with me that Lester has the best cutter of the Sox starters. I often argue back that Beckett knows more about how and when to throw the cutter than any other Sox pitcher and has more confidence in the pitches he needs to make the cutter work for him. I like to judge things based on results. Lester's cutter may be a thing of beauty and an artistic success in that regard but the HR's that go buzzing over the fence are aesthetically more appealing and every one is a run to boot.

[BornToRun]

Well I think we can both agree that whatever it is, he needs to figure it out.

[jung]

He appears to know what is wrong and can't control it at least as far as this thing with the umps goes. I don't know what to think about Lester. For my money he has struggled now for over a year as his progress has turned into regression. Think of where he was going into 2010 and 2011 and where he is today.

[mvp 78]

Beckett is elite against the Rays. Sox win this one.

 

By the way. Remember how I said I respected Maddon? Well, screw that little bitch. and f*** all of the Rays right in the ******* with a nail studded baseball bat. I has every single one of them.

 

P.S. - thanks for the spark, Rays. This is exactly what this team needed. The Sox are about to go on a freaking tear. Mark my words.

 

What happened? I missed yesterday's game.

[BornToRun]

He appears to know what is wrong and can't control it at least as far as this thing with the umps goes. I don't know what to think about Lester. For my money he has struggled now for over a year as his progress has turned into regression. Think of where he was going into 2010 and 2011 and where he is today.

 

Well at least he's recognized what the problem is. He must be trying to fix it.

[jung]

I don't know if you saw the presser I was talking about. To be honest I was pretty stunned to see him discuss it in that presser because as I recall, he was not asked about it. He just brought it up. So, you know this is a real deal problem when the guy is sitting there in his post stint presser and just volunteers that he is really struggling with this arguing with the umps thing and has to gain some control before it eats him alive. Could be that V had just chewed him a new ******* before Lester walked into that presser. I was still pretty stunned.

[Bellhorn04]

I don't know if you saw the presser I was talking about. To be honest I was pretty stunned to see him discuss it in that presser because as I recall' date=' he was not asked about it. He just brought it up. So, you know this is a real deal problem when the guy is sitting there in his post stint presser and just volunteers that he is really struggling with this arguing with the umps thing and has to gain some control before it eats him alive. Could be that V had just chewed him a new ******* before Lester walked into that presser. I was still pretty stunned.[/quote']

 

I hope Valentine does straighten him out about that because it's obviously affecting him a lot.

[BornToRun]

I hope Valentine does straighten him out about that because it's obviously affecting him a lot.

 

I believe in him, I think he can beat his issues. The kid kicked cancer's ass after all.

[VA Sox Fan]

RED SOX (22-23)

 

Aviles SS

Pedroia 2B

Ortiz DH

Youkilis 1B

Gonzalez RF

Middlebrooks 3B

Nava LF

Shoppach C

Byrd CF

 

Pitching: RHP Josh Beckett (4-4, 4.38)

[SoxFanForsyth]

God, I'm so incredibly sick of people calling Lester cutter happy this year. It's just the trendy thing to say so everyone says it.

 

Lester is throwing 16.4% cutters this year, by far the least of his career. He threw 19.6% in 2009, and outside of that has been around 22% every other year. Last year he did get cutter happy (27.2%) but that's not the case here.

 

What his problem is, I don't know. But I do know it's not cutter happy. He is nibbling a ton and not going after hitters when he has 2 strikes on them and his Ks have gone down, so that's a problem.

[d-money]

Hopefully Beckett wont follow suit and not crap his pants like Lester did last night.

[BornToRun]

My personal expectation for tonight is to be looking at Luke Scott lying on the ground with a baseball sized hole in his head and a double digit Sox lead on the scoreboard. Seriously, Josh, take that *******'s head off.

[redsoxbeatz]

Maybe our pitchers are just washed up. Time to mOve on but $ keeps that from happening. Look forward to season 2018.

 

Go sox, let's try to be a .500 team !

[BornToRun]

Maybe our pitchers are just washed up. Time to mOve on but $ keeps that from happening. Look forward to season 2018.

 

Go sox, let's try to be a .500 team !

 

Lester's a bit young to be washed up.

[redsoxbeatz]

Lester's a bit young to be washed up.

 

Then next year, maybe. He is inconsistent.

[TylerD]

Lester's a bit young to be washed up.

 

I'll second that! Granted there is no set age to be washed up. But Lester is only 27.

[BornToRun]

Then next year' date=' maybe. He is inconsistent.[/quote']

 

He's 27 for f***'s sake.

[BornToRun]

Get it done, JFB.

[BornToRun]

Good start.

[TylerD]

Mr Beckett good way to start.

[Station 13]

Sit your ass down whore.