An interesting story to be written in 'pen
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The numbers have been off the charts. Even after Jonathan Papelbon's blown save Saturday night, the Red Sox had a 2.66 bullpen ERA, lowest in the majors.
But Manny Delcarmen's meltdown in the seventh inning yesterday against the Devil Rays in a 5-2 Boston loss served as a reminder that things aren't always as good as they appear. With manager Terry Francona unable to use Mike Timlin since the first game of the road trip because Timlin has a sore shoulder, one can see why the Red Sox are still in the hunt for relievers such as Eric Gagne and Octavio Dotel.
The Sox could use another bat, but general manager Theo Epstein has been trying to get a reliever, too. He understands that bullpens go up and down, but the more good options a team has the better off it will be.
The Red Sox had a very good road trip, winning three out of four in Cleveland and two out of three vs. Tampa Bay. Yet fans want every game to be perfect and they seldom are.
One should never react too much to one poor performance, and for all the good Delcarmen has done, he's had a stinker every now and then.
Yesterday he gave up a three-run homer to B.J. Upton and a solo shot to Carlos Pena after relieving Daisuke Matsuzaka in the seventh, turning a 1-0 deficit into 5-0.
But he's still young, and the Sox have to decide whether they want him pitching the seventh inning in September and October or whether they'd rather have a more experienced guy.
Delcarmen had allowed only one run in his last 14 1/3 innings over 12 appearances before yesterday, and also had sported a 1.47 ERA in 16 games since being recalled from Pawtucket June 17. And after yesterday he's only been charged with runs in three of his 18 appearances. When you're a middle reliever, it's hard to top numbers like that.
The bullpen had converted 11 straight save opportunities before Papelbon blew one Saturday night, in a game the Sox came back to win, 12-6, in 12 innings. They were able to do so because the relievers after Papelbon pitched so well.
The Sox have been scouting the Rangers' Mark Teixeira and Gagne for some time. While the odds are Boston won't land Gagne, who wants to be a closer (and be paid like one), the Sox' continued interest speaks volumes.
Regarding Delcarmen's outing, pitching coach John Farrell reads scouting reports as much as anyone. He goes over every hitter with the pitchers when they meet before the series and before the game.
"We had tried to go down and away to Upton on the first pitch and [Delcarmen] came out of his delivery and overthrew the pitch and it was over the plate and one swing of the bat costs us three runs right there," Farrell said. "With Pena it was a similar situation; we were trying to go up and in. We feel there's a hole you can exploit, but he threw the ball down on the plate and [Pena's] a dead low-ball, fastball hitter."
Farrell didn't believe it was any mechanical flaw, instead blaming a lack of location.
"The two fastballs weren't well-located, and with the bat speed they both possess, if you get the bat head out there the ball is going to travel, and it did in those two cases," he said.
Delcarmen agreed with Farrell. He said he was trying to locate the ball in one place and it wound up in another -- a bad place.
"If I could take it back I would," Delcarmen said. "It pretty much just shows that if you make a mistake, they're going to hit it up here. I got a little frustrated because we scored two the next inning. Take away those runs and we're up by one. I just wanted to go [back] out there but [Francona] said no.
"I just want to get back out there the next time. I want the ball again. With every pitcher, if you leave it up . . . the ball flies here a little bit, too. I had two bad locations. Even with the first hit I gave up [a Brendan Harris single], that was a bad location, too."
Francona had it all mapped out. It was going to be Delcarmen in the seventh or eighth and then Hideki Okajima or Jonathan Papelbon. It was 1-0 when Matsuzaka left the game with one out in the seventh, and given how horrendous the Devil Rays bullpen is, the Sox knew they had a chance, especially with Scott Kazmir yanked after six shutout innings.
It hasn't been very often that the Sox bullpen has failed to deliver. When it happens, it's almost shocking because the relievers have been so good. The Sox have done a good job in discovering Okajima as their lefthanded setup man and helping Delcarmen find a new confidence and become a usually dependable performer. When they decided not deal Delcarmen to the Rockies in the offseason for Todd Helton it showed their commitment.
In recent days, Delcarmen's name has been mentioned by other teams in potential trade talks. Epstein has resisted the temptation because of what Delcarmen means to the 'pen.
Who knows if the GM will pull off a deal by tomorrow afternoon at 4, the trade deadline. But for many weeks, the Sox have been looking at relievers like Gagne and Dotel and Pirates lefthander Damaso Marte. Because yesterday proved you can't have enough good ones.
Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. 
