Hanrahan to DL

[Quinny]

Well, Hanrahan's hamstring was enough to DL him for 15 days. Hopefully after this stint he can come back feeling more confident in his abilities. Bailey will be closing for the near future and except for yesterdays meltdown, he has been healthy and downright electric. I like him in that closer spot for the time being.

 

Steven Wright called up as a result.

 

http://fullcount.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/2013/04/16/joel-hanrahan-to-dl-steven-wright-up-from-triple-a/

[redsoxfan3]

It sucks to see Hanrahan go to the DL, but he has not had one solid outing this year. Let's hope it was the injury and he can get healthy and fix the mechanical issues to be an effective closer once he returns.

 

My guess is that Wright will be used as a long-inning reliever. Since Aceves is the 5th starter, that seems like the logical place for him. Unless they are thinking about giving Wright a start, although I am not really sure if that will happen. Has anyone else heard anything?

[BSN07]

Might as well shut him down and get him healthy while the BP is working well for the most part. I'm not excited to see Wright. I really wish Bard could get his s*** together.

[redsoxfan3]

Might as well shut him down and get him healthy while the BP is working well for the most part. I'm not excited to see Wright. I really wish Bard could get his s*** together.

 

In accounting, we call something like Bard a sunk cost(of course in different terms), pretty much an expense that has already been incurred that cannot be recovered. Bard is a pitcher that has already had huge setbacks, and it seems as though he might not ever be able to pitch the way he once did. I guess we can call him a sunk pitcher. He is only pitching in AA. During his six innings, he has a 6.00 ERA, given up 7 hits, and 3 walks. Not to mention opponents are hitting .292 off of him. We are talking about AA, that is the sad thing. To expect Bard to somehow get his s*** together this season is asking for a lot. Realistically, the most that we can hope for is that he can slowly make progress and compete for a potential spot during Spring Training next year.

[Thunder]

Bailey deserves an opportunity to close for a few weeks in meaningful games after being out so long last year. Hanrahan is probably on the DL because he sucks. Kind of like the times Dice K was on the DL for a "shoulder" problem.

[Station 13]

If Miller wants to step up, now it is the time.

[kapsis21]

Might as well shut him down and get him healthy while the BP is working well for the most part. I'm not excited to see Wright. I really wish Bard could get his s*** together.

 

i feel the same way. Wright has no business at MLB level, but because i said this, watch him prove me wrong.. <_>

[win red sox]

kind of hoping it was webster to get the call as he's pitched extemely well in pawtucket.

[Quinny]

kind of hoping it was webster to get the call as he's pitched extemely well in pawtucket.

 

I wouldn't want Webster up this early in the season when there is no real need for him. Aceves will fill in nicely for a few spot starts. I don't want to see Webster coming out of the pen at the big league level right now. Give him more starts down in Pawtucket and get him ready to fill in if needed down the road in the rotation.

 

Do you guys think if Bailey pitches well as the closer while Hanrahan is on the DL he will keep the spot even when Joel gets back? I think he might and Hanrahan could slide in as the lock down set- up man. We'll see how this plays out.

[User Name]

Uehara for closer!

 

 

 

That is all.

[reYoukilis]

Meanwhile, Melancon's having a great start.

[SCM33]

Bailey will be just fine.

[RedSoxNC84]

Meanwhile, Melancon's having a great start.

 

Yet he's a classic case of someone that is made for the NL. Melancon is not a good fit for the AL at all. Remember that game he blew like what a nine run lead?

 

Melancon has already proven he's an NL pitcher, he was fantastic with Houston in 2011, he's doing great with Pirates now.. Back in the day he sucked with NY, and he sucked in Boston too.

[Lord Snow]

I wouldn't want Webster up this early in the season when there is no real need for him. Aceves will fill in nicely for a few spot starts. I don't want to see Webster coming out of the pen at the big league level right now. Give him more starts down in Pawtucket and get him ready to fill in if needed down the road in the rotation.

 

Do you guys think if Bailey pitches well as the closer while Hanrahan is on the DL he will keep the spot even when Joel gets back? I think he might and Hanrahan could slide in as the lock down set- up man. We'll see how this plays out.

 

I'm a big Allen Webster fan. I think if the Red Sox are going to get anywhere this season he is going to be part of that formula.

 

I don't see Doubront or Lackey sticking in the rotation. Although the early returns on Dempster have been okay I'm not sold on him long-term. Webster is so key to this team so I was glad to see him come out and have a good MLB debut last night.

 

Rubby de la Rosa could also be a key to Red Sox success but he has struggled in AAA.

 

Buchholz is a stud, but I've known that for years. Lester is looking sharp again which is awesome!

 

The offense really seems to be clicking despite the seeming lack of umph. Ortiz's return should only help that.

[MJantomaso]

Any updates on Bard? I miss him being good. Hopefully he's out of that neckbrace he was in from all of the f***ing rockets hit off of him.

[FredLynn]

Any updates on Bard? I miss him being good. Hopefully he's out of that neckbrace he was in from all of the f***ing rockets hit off of him.

 

Its easy to look up Bard's minor league stats on baseballreference.com. So far at Portland at the AA level he has pitched 8 innings and has an ERA of 4.50 and a WHIP of 1.375. He has four walks and four K's. Doesn't look like Daniel Bard is going to help the Red Sox any time soon, unfortunately.

[Lord Snow]

Any updates on Bard? I miss him being good. Hopefully he's out of that neckbrace he was in from all of the f***ing rockets hit off of him.

 

I think Bard has been struggling in AA. He has a long road back to the major leagues. His demotion to AA has to be demoralizing, I wouldn't be surprised if he never gets back to the majors, but I hope I'm wrong and he returns as the dominant reliever he once was.

[Dojji]

If the team thought that possibility realistic, Bard would not be in AA.

[seabeachfred]

If the team thought that possibility realistic, Bard would not be in AA.

 

The saga of Bard reads like a Shakesperian tragedy but it is hard to who to place the blame on for this. Is is Bard who insisted that he could be a starter, was in Cherington who backed this all the way, or was it something else? I do remember that he started getting hammered pretty hard during that miserable September in 2011 when the team fell apart. He was a big part of that collapse. I wonder if he started losing it then.

 

Personally, I really don't blame Cherington for that at all. Subsequent events have passed to have g iven Bard the opportunity to work his way out the mess he was in, but instead he seems to be running in place. I also wonder if had be not been converted into a starter would be have been that effective as our closer? I really think his troubles began before he went to ST as a starter in 2012.

[jung]

I do not think Bard would have been an effective closer. I think the Sox lost faith in his abilities as a closer and that in part fed into the decision to transition him. At the time of his collapse I commented that he had always been up and down, that the Sox brain trust had always been struggling with his inconsistency and trying to find ways to overcome it even as a full time reliever. In addition his collapses were always collapses. He never just sort of went into a minor funk. He always had some form of a meltdown when things went south.

 

So I was less inclined to look at that mess as "look at what the Sox have done to Bard". I looked at it more like, "how could you plan around having this guy in your rotation?" In fact, how could you stick Felix and Bard in the 4 and 5 hole, put a bunch of scrub pitchers in Pawtucket as depth and basically consider it a job completed.

[seabeachfred]

I do not think Bard would have been an effective closer. I think the Sox lost faith in his abilities as a closer and that in part fed into the decision to transition him. At the time of his collapse I commented that he had always been up and down, that the Sox brain trust had always been struggling with his inconsistency and trying to find ways to overcome it even as a full time reliever. In addition his collapses were always collapses. He never just sort of went into a minor funk. He always had some form of a meltdown when things went south.

 

So I was less inclined to look at that mess as "look at what the Sox have done to Bard". I looked at it more like, "how could you plan around having this guy in your rotation?" In fact, how could you stick Felix and Bard in the 4 and 5 hole, pu a bunch of scrub pitchers in Pawtucket as depth and basically consider it a job completed.

 

Well said Jung and I agree with you. I also don't think Bard would have been a great closer either because when he went bad he really hit the skids. April and September 2012 are glaring examples of that. Still it was hard to fathom just how far he fell so fast.

[jacksonianmarch]

If the team thought that possibility realistic, Bard would not be in AA.

 

Bard is hurt. His mechanics looked a little cleaner in ST, but you dont lose 7-8mph off your velocity without something physical. My guess is they pulled a Joba with him and f***ed up his arm last yr. I bet there is going to be something lurking in that shoulder

[Lord Snow]

I think Bard doesn't have a strong mental make-up.

 

It didn't help that the Sox jerked him around. He was a fairly dominant reliever, after failing as a minor league starter, and was the heir apparent for the closer role once Papelbon left. Then Cherington decided to throw him into the rotation, which he couldn't have been much of a fan of, then they yanked him from the rotation and relegated him to middle relief.

 

I haven't seen him throw recently so I don't know what his velocity looks like. I thought I read about him throwing in the high 90s not too long ago, but I could be wrong.

 

I'd love to see him bounce back. We could really use the help in the bullpen. Like I said before, I really think the issue with Bard is mental.

[User Name]

Then Cherington decided to throw him into the rotation, which he couldn't have been much of a fan of, then they yanked him from the rotation and relegated him to middle relief.

 

Wait, what? Per all accounts, including Bard himself, he was the one who wanted the move to the rotation. Please don't make stuff up.

[SoxSport]

Personally, I really don't blame Cherington for that at all. Subsequent events have passed to have g iven Bard the opportunity to work his way out the mess he was in, but instead he seems to be running in place. I also wonder if had be not been converted into a starter would be have been that effective as our closer? I really think his troubles began before he went to ST as a starter in 2012.

 

I do. No Cherington, no Bard starting. Valentine wanted him in the BP.

Besides, he failed starting in the minors. Why should he be a success in the majors?

[User Name]

This board is like Whose Line Is It Anyway? Everything is made up and the facts don't matter.

[SoxSport]

Well said Jung and I agree with you. I also don't think Bard would have been a great closer either because when he went bad he really hit the skids. April and September 2012 are glaring examples of that. Still it was hard to fathom just how far he fell so fast.

 

You have to stick to the facts. He probably had a better chance of moving to closer than starter--but no guarantees. Easier switch--and he probably wouldn't have lost his heat.

 

The best thing would have been to leave him as a setup guy. There are people paid very well in that organization to make sound decisions like this. I suspect they were simply trying to save money on signing a FA starter. That was the cost control year.

[RedSoxNC84]

Pretty sure Bard is toast. I hate to say it, it's a terrible thing, but stick a fork in his ass he's done.

[SoxSport]

When is Hanrahan coming back? Bailey can't pitch 4 days in a row. They can use him right now.

[SCM33]

Wait, what? Per all accounts, including Bard himself, he was the one who wanted the move to the rotation. Please don't make stuff up.

 

Yup, and it cost him everything.

 

...and to me, it was all about the money.

 

He knew he would never make top dollar as a middle reliever.

He knew he didn't have the mentality to cash in as a closer.

He sacrificed it all with the hope of succeeding and cashing in huge as a front line SP.....little did he know that he would have probably made the most possible money just staying in the role that brought him success.