1. You have chosen to ignore posts from mrmojo1120. Show mrmojo1120's posts

    Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 5:11 AM EDT

    From WEEI.com:

    Red Sox manager Terry Francona confirmed after his team's 5-2 win over the Astros that Adrian Gonzalez will get the start in right field Saturday, with David Ortiz playing first base. The Sox will be going against Houston lefty starter J.A. Happ, who has allowed left-handed hitters a .328 batting average, with righties batting .261.

    It will mark the second time this season Gonzalez will man right field, having gotten the start in right Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Gonzalez didn't get any chances in right during his start against the Phillies, which was the first time he has played the outfield in a big league games since 2003. The first baseman claimed the go-ahead double Friday night.

    After striking out in a pinch-hitting appearance Friday night, Ortiz is now 0-for-8 on the road trip, having not claimed a hit since June 20.

     

  2. You have chosen to ignore posts from YOUKILLUS20. Show YOUKILLUS20's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 5:39 AM EDT

    In Response to Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    From WEEI.com: Red Sox manager Terry Francona confirmed after his team's 5-2 win over the Astros that Adrian Gonzalez will get the start in right field Saturday, with David Ortiz playing first base. The Sox will be going against Houston lefty starter J.A. Happ, who has allowed left-handed hitters a .328 batting average, with righties batting .261. It will mark the second time this season Gonzalez will man right field, having gotten the start in right Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Gonzalez didn't get any chances in right during his start against the Phillies, which was the first time he has played the outfield in a big league games since 2003. The first baseman claimed the go-ahead double Friday night. After striking out in a pinch-hitting appearance Friday night, Ortiz is now 0-for-8 on the road trip, having not claimed a hit since June 20.
    Posted by mrmojo1120


     If we had a RF with any punch, this would never be considered. The Gonzales investment is being risked, a risk that could have been averted. Do we need Adrian and Ortiz to beat the Astros? Far better to give Adrian a day off, to keep Ortiz from getting totally rusty on this trip. Lack of planning, foresight and execution, they've known about this trip for five months. What was the plan?
     

  3. You have chosen to ignore posts from jete02fan. Show jete02fan's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 7:30 AM EDT

     in a way, i understand the resaoning, but has Drew really faded that much for this to be necessary?
     

  4. You have chosen to ignore posts from southpaw777. Show southpaw777's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 8:13 AM EDT

    Yes jete he has...Most fans (knowledgeable ones anyway) expected a drop off in his last year, but this is a monumental drop off..Nobody expected this from him..Nor did they expect Cam and Dmac to bat a combined 220 when theuy both have great splits against lefties...Reddick, so far, is the shining star in all this..He WILL come back to earth as nobody can sustain a 440 BA, but it sure is good timing for the kid.
     

  5. You have chosen to ignore posts from ---The-Babe---. Show ---The-Babe---'s posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 9:34 AM EDT

    In Response to Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    From WEEI.com: Red Sox manager Terry Francona confirmed after his team's 5-2 win over the Astros that Adrian Gonzalez will get the start in right field Saturday, with David Ortiz playing first base. The Sox will be going against Houston lefty starter J.A. Happ, who has allowed left-handed hitters a .328 batting average, with righties batting .261. It will mark the second time this season Gonzalez will man right field, having gotten the start in right Wednesday night in Philadelphia. Gonzalez didn't get any chances in right during his start against the Phillies, which was the first time he has played the outfield in a big league games since 2003. The first baseman claimed the go-ahead double Friday night. After striking out in a pinch-hitting appearance Friday night, Ortiz is now 0-for-8 on the road trip, having not claimed a hit since June 20.

    Posted by mrmojo1120

    Ummmm...they didn't beat the 'stros 5-2.

     

  6. You have chosen to ignore posts from soxmeister. Show soxmeister's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 9:35 AM EDT

    Drew looks old ... no doubt about it.  He still plays decent outfield, but he watches too many balls go right over the plate without a swing.  And he has little pop in his bat.   It wasn't like he ever hit for high average, so without the extra base hits his worth really drops off.  

    Ortiz has to play to stay hot ... he is already slumping from lack of at-bats.   Just not sure Gonzo should be in right at the same time.   
     

  7. You have chosen to ignore posts from ---The-Babe---. Show ---The-Babe---'s posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 10:04 AM EDT

    I hope there's a little rain in the forecast
     

  8. You have chosen to ignore posts from dustcover. Show dustcover's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 10:16 AM EDT

    In last night's game a throw from the outfield after a fly-ball out, with runners on base, came in like a runaway missile and AGon made an across-the-diamond running leaping catch to cut off the throw which showed a considerable amount of athleticism.  Granted he is a far cry from being a speed demon, but his adeptness as a professional ballplayer, and an elite one at that, leaves me with little doubt that barring some freak mishap, (Beltre collision with Ells) he will account for himself quite adequately. 

    That being said, I certainly hope that I haven't gone ahead and jinxed the situation which subsequently brings forth a performance that attenuates my evaluation.
     

  9. You have chosen to ignore posts from charliedarling. Show charliedarling's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 10:43 AM EDT

    gonzalez and ortiz BOTH need to be in the lineup for these last two games against houston no matter who pitches for houston and no matter if the team defense is slightly less effective for the next two games.

    ortiz needs the ABs, the lineup needs gonzalez and the team needs two more wins before coming home to start a new series.

    gonzalez is fine in right field and ortiz is a decent first baseman.  these guys are professional athletes and have been playing baseball all their lives.  i am an old man and can still go onto a field and know what to do at both positions without getting hurt.
     

  10. You have chosen to ignore posts from andrewmitch. Show andrewmitch's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 10:49 AM EDT

    Once again, the David Jonathan Drew contract is causing havoc
     

  11. You have chosen to ignore posts from ma6dragon9. Show ma6dragon9's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 10:53 AM EDT

    In Response to Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    Yes jete he has...Most fans (knowledgeable ones anyway) expected a drop off in his last year, but this is a monumental drop off..Nobody expected this from him..Nor did they expect Cam and Dmac to bat a combined 220 when theuy both have great splits against lefties...Reddick, so far, is the shining star in all this..He WILL come back to earth as nobody can sustain a 440 BA, but it sure is good timing for the kid.
    Posted by southpaw777


    Yes, some, including me, certainly did, and faced a lot of backlash for it. For the record, I said 109 games might be a stretch for him, and expected little to no offense.

    Anyway, the Sox got lucky once with Gonzalez in right field, and even though he had to only pick up one grounder, he and Ortiz offered absolutely nothing offensively. Doing it in a second game...I'm expecting a double down the line to turn into a triple due to Gonzalez lead feet, or a grounder or two to eat Ortiz alive that Gonzalez would make look natural. And against a bad team it's just simply not worth it. 2 players playing WAY out of position to the detriment of the team.

    Also, what's with the hypocrisy going unnoticed with this move? For 2+ years I've heard run prevention, defense is so important...I've heard Drew's money justified because of the defense...but apparenlty that's all out the window now because they're doing something else. Hypocritical, two faced and very convenient.

    The Sox have one of the best record in interleague play the past few years and players want to whine about it? What a joke. And fans freak out about a 9/12 game stretch? I saw this team rebound from 2-10 THIS SEASON, why the overreaction and out of position players now? It's a joke. Take your lumps when they come, don't scramble and make yourselves look dumb and hypocritical.

     

  12. You have chosen to ignore posts from soxmeister. Show soxmeister's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 11:12 AM EDT

    Agreed, ma6dragon9 ...

    We have played crappy for huge stretches this season, and still find ourselves in the middle of the playoff hunt ... with players coming back soon that will help us.  Nothing to complain about .....
     

  13. You have chosen to ignore posts from ---The-Babe---. Show ---The-Babe---'s posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 11:32 AM EDT

    In Response to Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    gonzalez and ortiz BOTH need to be in the lineup for these last two games against houston no matter who pitches for houston and no matter if the team defense is slightly less effective for the next two games. ortiz needs the ABs, the lineup needs gonzalez and the team needs two more wins before coming home to start a new series. gonzalez is fine in right field and ortiz is a decent first baseman.  these guys are professional athletes and have been playing baseball all their lives.  i am an old man and can still go onto a field and know what to do at both positions without getting hurt.

    Posted by charliedarling

    So you can judge that agone is "fine" in RF from 1 game?

    And ortiz is not a "decent" 1B by any stretch of the imagination.

     

  14. You have chosen to ignore posts from Hfxsoxnut. Show Hfxsoxnut's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 11:43 AM EDT

    In Response to Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    And ortiz is not a "decent" 1B by any stretch of the imagination.
    Posted by ---The-Babe---


    Ortiz makes the routine plays.  He's not a butcher. 
     

  15. You have chosen to ignore posts from andrewmitch. Show andrewmitch's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 11:46 AM EDT

    The reason I think I go w/ Gonzo in RF and Ortiz @ 1B is that, should they get to the WS they may have to go w/ this configuration and I don't want the WS to be their first games in different positions.  Hopefully, they make it to the WS and hopefully they are getting enough out of their OF where they don't have to make this move. 
     

  16. You have chosen to ignore posts from heobrien. Show heobrien's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 11:52 AM EDT

    "... these guys are professional athletes and have been playing baseball all their lives."

    No they are baseball players.  While some baseball players are very athletic some are certainly not.  Ortiz falls into the latter category.  I’ve no doubt that Gonzalez will give a great effort but the guy can’t run at all.  Being an excellent 1B doesn’t make one even a decent OFer.  not to mention I've seen Youkilis play OF, .. it wasn't pretty.

    Chien-Ming Wang was running, .. the most basic thing required in any field sport, .. broke his foot and has never been the same since.  A guy that won over 50 games in two and a half seasons, including back to back 19 game wins seasons.  If either of these guys end up on the DL, who gets fired?

     

  17. You have chosen to ignore posts from slomag. Show slomag's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 12:46 PM EDT

    Normally, I'd be OK with this.  I don't buy the idea that Gonzalez shouldn't play in RF over Drew because he might get hurt - why not ask him not to run too hard or dive for balls that may be out of his reach?  But Gonzalez has struggled a little in last few games - a day off might be a better idea, and we should be able to put up some runs against Happ without him.  Then he's also availble to PH.

    As for Ortiz's defense, he has not made an error in two years.  Sure there are other first-basemen who have had thousands of more chances, but if he were a Yankee, this criteria would make him 'sure-handed' and he would be a perennial Gold Glove winner.

     

  18. You have chosen to ignore posts from andrewmitch. Show andrewmitch's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 1:11 PM EDT

    Yup, if you are going to give Gonzalez a day off, now would be the time....
     

  19. You have chosen to ignore posts from davidap. Show davidap's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 1:14 PM EDT

    Ortiz is a decent first baseman. I don't know why people act as though he can't play the position at all. I remember him making a great play in the '04 World Series and he handles every routine play just fine. If anything, I'm more confident in Ortiz's ability to play first base than I am in Gonzalez's ability to play the outfield.
     

  20. You have chosen to ignore posts from andrewmitch. Show andrewmitch's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 1:32 PM EDT

    he's not bad but that play in WS was 7 years ago, which is like a lifetime ago for a 30-something heavy-set baseball player...........
     

  21. You have chosen to ignore posts from royf19. Show royf19's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 1:49 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    Ortiz is a decent first baseman. I don't know why people act as though he can't play the position at all. I remember him making a great play in the '04 World Series and he handles every routine play just fine. If anything, I'm more confident in Ortiz's ability to play first base than I am in Gonzalez's ability to play the outfield.
    Posted by davidap


    I agree.

    Ortiz's real problem at 1B is that he won't have a lot of range. So if he has to field something as he moves, he might have problems. But as I rememeber when I've seen him play 1B, is he seems to be very nimble with the glove at digging out bad throws.

    If there was no DH, I think the Sox would have survived OK with Ortiz at 1B. He's a Gold Glover compare to someone like Dick "Dr. Strangeglove" Stuart.
     

  22. You have chosen to ignore posts from fivekatz. Show fivekatz's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 2:01 PM EDT

    This seems to be more about getting Ortiz PAs without sitting Adrian than it is about the overall offensive production. I think the RS are concerned about Ortiz getting rusty.

    Now one can spin that the RS don't want to sit Adrain because the of the offensive production from RF but unless the production from RF was as great as that of Ortiz, I think the same desire to let Adrian who likes to play every game would be the same.

    So I think making this about a Drew/Mac platoon in RF is possible I don't think it is the primary driver.
     

  23. You have chosen to ignore posts from ma6dragon9. Show ma6dragon9's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 2:07 PM EDT

    In Response to Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros:
    Ortiz is a decent first baseman. I don't know why people act as though he can't play the position at all. I remember him making a great play in the '04 World Series and he handles every routine play just fine. If anything, I'm more confident in Ortiz's ability to play first base than I am in Gonzalez's ability to play the outfield.
    Posted by davidap



    That's the point...you have to go back 7 years to reference a 'great play'...a great play that involved him being aware, and able to throw it across the diamond. Pretty average to me, but a lot of people seem to think it was remarkable. The timing was perfect, but the play SHOULD have been made.

    Did you see when Scutaro made a throw, Ortiz caught it in the air...and there were some chuckles between Scut and Ortiz...apparently because he had to bend over to catch it? He scares me at first.
     

  24. You have chosen to ignore posts from davidap. Show davidap's posts

    Re: Gonzalez in Right Field tonight against Astros

    posted at 7/2/2011 10:44 PM EDT

    That's the point...you have to go back 7 years to reference a 'great play'...a great play that involved him being aware, and able to throw it across the diamond. Pretty average to me, but a lot of people seem to think it was remarkable. The timing was perfect, but the play SHOULD have been made.

    It's hard to make highlight reel defensive plays when you play less than 5 games a year in the field. I'm confident that if Ortiz had played first base more regularly during his Red Sox tenure, he'd have his fair share of impressive performances, as well as underwhelming ones. I brought up the World Series only because it shows that he's at least capable of playing the position well.

    Roy brought up a good point about Ortiz's ability to dig balls out of the dirt on poor throws. Ortiz seems to consistently assist his teammates in that department. He's shown some flashes of it in his two games at first base this season.