5/5 @ the Lone Stars

[SoxSport]

There's no reason to look externally, we've got Lavarnway hitting .311/.423/.492 in AAA right now.

 

Bring him up.

 

And if you're worried about facing RHP, don't. He's got a .914 OPS vs RHP, .921 vs LHP.

 

Lav is more agile than Salty behind the plate, but he has looked tentative so far against ML pitching. Something to prove there, but he ain't gonna prove it in Pawtucket.

 

If Olney is right about Salty, it looks like they might be ready to break the umbilical cord. And there has been a vested FO interest in Salty, since the same bunch traded for him.

I like the kid, but his size reduces his agility behind HP, and he doesn't frame pitches well.

The latter should have been corrected by now.

[SoxSport]

The FO has to move on Webster soon. The kid is much better than half their starting rotation. There is a sense of urgency being at the top of the pack with nowhere to go but down.

[jung]

Have been watching Lavs numbers in Pawtucket all season for obvious reasons. If Olney is right it is encouraging as a sign of due diligence anyway. I think the logic "could" be that while Lavs "may" outhit Salty, and clearly has more upside defensively, he still has a ways to go to turn "upside defensively" into reality. The Sox are actually costing themselves runs when Salty is behind the plate and I am not sure Lavs solves that problem just yet. So I like the idea that they are looking outside first if that is what they are doing. They need to stop this defensive bleeding now. So much of what Salty does wrong does not show up on a stat sheet.

 

As for Webster, the only issue I have there is that I am not convinced that a kid like that saves you innings out of the pen. He may well be a better pitcher than Felix is at this point in terms of stuff especially. So the real balancing act is the chance the kid gets shelled a few times and loses confidence up here against better results in the games that he does pitch well. I don't think he saves innings for the pen.

 

Sunday provided a good example of the problem. Darvish made two mistakes during his stint and both were taken deep and accounted for the 3-0 advantage the Sox had early. Lester only made about two mistakes the whole game and both of those were taken out of the park.

 

Pitchers coming out of AA or AAA are simply not used to seeing almost every one of their mistake pitches going for hits if not extra bases and HR's. So then they have to adapt to the pressure of making no mistake pitches....almost an impossibility. But they end up going through all kinds of s*** about that one. I would chance it with Webster cause I am hoping the kid can handle what he is about to go through. I have no illusions abut Webster avoiding the usual issues for young starting pitchers.

 

As for the catching situation, I am glad they are looking if that is what they are doing and if they find a definitive way to stop the bleeding behind the plate I would prefer that to Lavs at this point. If they can't then bite the bullet, move on from the Salty experiment. Give Lavs the job, something the Sox rarely do with young talent.

 

As for the guys being replaced...sometimes you just have to give up. Felix is regressing! Salty is just not improving and they have given him tons of time.

[seabeachfred]

There's no reason to look externally, we've got Lavarnway hitting .311/.423/.492 in AAA right now.

 

Bring him up.

 

And if you're worried about facing RHP, don't. He's got a .914 OPS vs RHP, .921 vs LHP.

 

SFF, that's what I think should be done. Lavarnway is ready and if they give him a full chance, and I don't mean a dozen or so games, just put him in there and keep him in there, he will be more than adequate in my opinion. For some reason the Red Sox brass just don't seem to want to give him the job any more than they want to admit that Saltalamacchia is a penquin in the garden. The guy can't hit except an occasional homer, can catch, can't throw, and is pretty much a washout, but there he still is. Again, it is only my opinion but we are winning nothing until we get another catcher not initialed JS.

[seabeachfred]

No, they don't. They can react whatever way they want. It's a message board. Those who look to censor others are insufferable. Talk about baseball, not posters.

 

By now you should be well aware Ted that there are some here who simply want to bury their faces in the sand and pretend the sun is out when there a monsoon falling on them. Not that we got monsooned this past weekend but I can't force myself to believe that we played very good baseball either. We didn't--that is a fact. Our pitching was poor--that is a fact. Our bullpen crapped out----that is a fact. We didn't hit worth a damn---that is a fact. We struck out 14 damn times Sunday---that is a fact. Salty behind the plate and at bat in the clutch is a losing proposition----that is either a difference of opinion or a fact.

 

We will very soon see if this was nothing more than a hiccup or the beginning of a slide for the team. One thing is clear to me. We need to upgrade the team in the coming weeks (or is it months?) and we need to get better pitching from the backend of our rotation. I would imagine if we have a solid homestand, say win five or six of the seven games, then we will all relax a little bit better, but if our pratfall in Texas continues I think there will be a lot of us on this board who will make their feelings known in no uncertain terms---as they damn well have a right to.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Might need Jacko to prescribe some adderall, so I can focus more on your posts Fred

[seabeachfred]

Might need Jacko to prescribe some adderall, so I can focus more on your posts Fred

 

Whatever it takes RSFOL305. The board has been pretty good lately and no one has personally attacked any posters. We need to keep it that way. One thing is very noticeable and that's there are some to are critical when the Sox aren't firing on most cylinders and say so and others who are leery of doing that but seem to get upset at those that do.

 

Look, we are all in the same boat here and I don't think anyone of us was happy at what happened this past weekend. For that reason I look forward to the Red Sox righting the ship the next week or two, and, yes, I'll put in a good word with Jacko for you. :D:D:D:D