example1

That was my sense as well. I didn't think they hurt him boxscore-wise, but he definitely labored more because of it. The amount that a pitcher throws from the stretch is, in a sense, a reflection of how dominant they are in any particular start, IMO. Lester threw from the stretch more than he needed to last night.

I don't argue with anything you're saying here. On a tangent, however: I agree that OPS is a very important stat. However, it is widely acknowledged that OBP is more important than SLG. If that is the case, then how does OPS (which measures them equally) accurately reflect value? It seems like OBP should be weighted more heavily. I suppose we all do it subjectively, but when I look at OPS I also look at OBP to see how much of the larger number is created by the MOST important batting skill--not making outs. Are there numbers out there that reflect the extra value of OBP over SLG? Does anyone know of one?

Very clever. With Drew's OBP I would think about hitting him 3rd or 4th against righties.

The only thing that matters in the playoffs is winning. If Beckett gives up 4 runs but the Sox win then that's fine with me. Curt Schilling was a tremendous playoff pitcher throughout his career, but in 2004 the only thing that mattered when his Sox were bloody was that he was able to pitch well enough to get the win. He was by no means overpowering, but he will be remembered for his guts and ability to get the win. That stuff is overrated in the regular season, but appropriately valued in the postseason. It is all that matters. The first phase of Beckett's career involved some amazing post season performances. The later half of his career will be defined by his ability to pitch well enough to give his team a chance to win. NOBODY CAN EXPECT A 2-HIT PERFORMANCE FROM HIM IN THE PLAYOFFS. With this Red Sox team he should be able to pitch to his ERA and the Sox should be in a position to get the W. That's all I can ask of him.

We would prefer Jeff, actually. Perhaps he could sneak in and take Jared's spot? I hate the idea of being down 2-0 with Kazmir on the mound. That would suck.

What Kilo said. Also, step up offense. Some early runs would really make things easier to stomach. I think last night Tito took Lester out 'early' (just over 100 pitches IIRC) because there's a chance he'll be back in the series. I don't think there's much chance of that with Beckett, so he should be on full rest if needed in the LCS. Let him throw 115 if necessary to get to the 8th (through 7) and then let Bard/Wagner + Papelbon finish it off. Must. Have. Offense.

I actually agree with you here--at least in terms of not complaining about Bay. I think Dipre said it right, he has vulnerabilities that a lot of the game's marquee hitters don't have. Of course, the grass is always greener and I really can't complain about the results that Bay has had since getting to Boston. I think this is a younger, more complete team than the 2004 club was. Manny and Ortiz were more formidable than any hitter currently in the Sox lineup, but 1-9 the 2009 club is better and I don't think it is very close. Bellhorn or Pedroia? Nixon or Drew? Victor or Varitek? Youkilis or Millar? It doesn't seem that hard to pick this club. I still think they need to acquire one more above average offensive piece, either for 1B/3B, SS or CF.

This is absolutely the case. With Victor Martinez they added a good #3 hitter or a good #5 hitter, not a true thumper. They have a lot of those guys already (Youkilis, Bay, Drew, Ortiz in particular) but they don't have anyone who just smashes the ball with regularity like Manny and Ortiz did, and like Teixeira and A-Rod often do. Granted, a lot of other teams don't have that guy either (LAA, LAD, COL, MIN, all lack that masher currently), but that might be what keeps them as contenders rather than champs. Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder seem like the only obvious chances out there to get that type of player and I'm not sure either is truly available. I'm also not sure if either truly fits the billing of a true cleanup hitter. Prince Fielder has really put up some great numbers the past few years, so I'm most curious about him. I don't think Hollliday does. The other option is to go get a 3rd dynamite starter. As much as I too miss the presence of Manny and Schilling, a700, I also think this team is better constructed than the 2004 team was. Better pen, better rotation moving forward, more power and balance throughout the order. It's close, but I'd rather have this crew, position for position.

Can someone remind me what the consequences of CB's bad calls were last night? I watched the game on DVR and fast forwarded a bit and paused a lot, so I kind of lost the flow of the game. Which runs, if any, would have been prevented without them?

This game seems like it is about Josh Beckett, but I think it is really about the offense. Last nights game was won on one swing by Torii Hunter. Yes, Lester walked some guys and there were some hits here and there, but that's how you have to beat a guy like Lester: take advantage of what he gives you and hope it is enough. He gets enough K's and weakly hit balls to pitch around Abreu a few times. Hunter stood up and made it hurt. Hopefully Youkilis or Martinez or Bay were taking notes.

This is a weird board. Someone will spend 90 minutes on a post that (I think) is filled with good ideas and it will get one response. PWNdroia writes one sentence that is filled with idiocy and it gets a page of responses. Low hanging fruit, I guess? Let's just ignore his s*** and he'll find it pretty unfullfilling to post garbage.

I would move Drew up too. At least in front of Lowell. In generally this season I haven't been a strong Lowell supporter. He just looks weak and uninspired at the plate.

I do not accept your challenge. I was merely point out one example.

Last year I was at Fenway when he took a no-no into the 9th. I'm not sold that he's a pushover.

As Mitch Williams said on MLB Network last night, "If you can't bury Molina's bat in this lineup, you can't bury a bat in any lineup." Jeter, Damon, Teixeira, A-Rod, Matsui, Cano and Swisher will all still be hitting. Don't sweat it.

I read: Wakefield. He's the mop up man, the innings eater when it probably doesn't matter. The its the third game of the series and we're down 8 runs in the 4th mopping. The Sox BP doesn't really have anyone resembling long relief, so they need a starter who resembles a mediocre light-usage bullpen guy. Paul Byrd, unshockingly, fits that role 2nd best after Wakefield of all the players on the team.

And down he goes on strikes.

Jim Thome was brought to LA for this situation.

I just can't believe that JD Drew has inspired this much conversation. I think Theo's comments are the main reason it was fired up here (and other places). I agree with Theo that when you combine his consistently high OBP with his good baserunning and above average fielding, he's a very nice player for the Red Sox to have on their team. He plays some of the least exciting baseball one could imagine, and as a person he comes across as extremely boring. Baseball and production wise, that doesn't matter. I could be convinced that he isn't worth what he is being paid, assuming that we're talking about the current Red Sox team. I don't know if the current team would sign a player of his background for 14m in this climate (over, say, Bobby Abreu for considerably less). If we talk about the team when he was acquired after the 2006 season I think there were a lot of offensive question marks that justify just getting the job done. 2006 Sox (most games started): C- Varitek 1B- Youkilis 2B- Loretta SS- Gonzalez 3B- Lowell LF- Ramirez CF- Crisp Rf- Nixon DH- Ortiz Clearly the FO was very concerned about getting some steady offensive production. They were always on the look out to move on from Manny in LF, Trot was washed up, C, SS, 2B, CF, RF, were all producing below what any team competing for a title would want in terms of either OBP or OPS. *Pedroia was coming up at 2b and they thought he was good, but he was a huge question mark nonetheless. *There was no obvious replacement for Varitek (and he was signed) *Crisp was a recent acquisition, young and cheap. No obvious replacements who were better in CF. That leaves SS and RF and Lugo and Drew were by all accounts the best available. Drew especially. In his 8 full MLB seasons, Drew had the following OBPs: 2000: .401 2001: .414 2002: .349 2003: .374 2004: .436 2005: .412 2006: .393 That's a picture of well-above average consistency. That's Youkilis-esque. Actually, his .392 career OBP is better than Youkilis's .391. Talk about consistency. This is kind of weird. Drew's career OBP: .392 Drew's OBP all seasons before Boston: .393 Drew's OBP in his 3 seasons in Boston: .390 Drew's OBP this season: .393 That's what Theo paid for. When you're looking at the team they had in 2006, their plans to move on from Manny ASAP, the young guys they wanted to try to bring up and the inherent risk in that transition process, it makes sense. Theo may have paid a bit more to ensure that Drew would be content playing in such a heated and profile conscious market. It would sting a lot more if Drew hadn't also put up two straight .900+ seasons in 995 PA's.

You're clearly talking about Jeff Weaver. I'm assuming you haven't seen him before? He's been around, is pretty distinctive, and pitched for the Yankees for a few seasons. His brother is an Angel. They look alike.

It's funny that the division you missed by a lot is the one you (probably) watch the most. You definitely can't get them all. I read your predictions at the top first and was impressed. So impressed that I double checked the date. I think there's some others who did pretty well too...

I'm shocked and disappointed that I didn't jump into this in April.