Monday Oct. 15, 2007
| SOXinSIX__Guest_ | If Wakefield is unable to go in
Game 4, do the Sox bring Beckett back on three days rest and then have the possibility of using him on short rest for
Game 7? It's a stretch but does the organization feel comfortable with Lester in
Game 4, though he pitched quite well at the Jake in his ' 07 return? |
| Gordon_Edes | Hey everyone, SinS, Don't know if you had a chance to read the paper yet today, but Terry Francona left little doubt his plan is to go with Wake tomorrow, regardless of the outcome of tonight's game. That means Beckett pitches just once more in this series, Game 5, with Schill, Daisuke, and Wake the options for 6 and 7. |
| ok__Guest_ | Will Gagne be off of the WS roster, if we make it, and replaced with Buchholz? |
| Gordon_Edes | If Gagne is left off, I doubt it will be w/Buchholz. They've shut him down. You're looking at either Tavarez or Snyder. |
| booyah__Guest_ | Gordo, thanks for chatting. With all the focus on whether Steinbrenner will want Torre back, is it unreasonable to think that Joe Torre might be the one to say "thanks, but no thanks." Seems like he could leave in quite a powerful way, and potentially take some valuable free agents with him to whatever team is smart enough to hire him. |
| Gordon_Edes | booyah,
I may be reading the situation wrong, but I just can't see Joe going anywhere else to manage. He has a young wife, young children, and retirement to Hawaii looks like the next bets option. Plus he has loads of broadcasting experience, so ESPN or Fox would be logical landing places. Of course he could say see ya later to the Yankees, but if he was going to do so, wouldn't he have done so in the last few days? |
| CaliforniaPDentist__Guest_ | I accept late-night baseball games as part of the price one pays for living on the east coast and having a winning baseball team. But for Fox to show us the clock at Fenway as it strikes 12:01 in Game 2 is just annoying. Hey Fox, you're the ones that controlled when the game started! Again, late start times are nothing new but can't the weekend games, at least, start at a sane hour? The Super Bowl usually kicks off at 6:30, and the last time I checked, the ratings for that are pretty good. |
| Gordon_Edes | You know, CPD, I think we've all stopped yelling about it because we're resigned to it. Can't blame TV entirely....MLB is a party to this, too. They want to maximize every penny they get, so they agree to these ridiculous start times. Beautiful October day in Boston Saturday. They could have played five hours in Fenway and everyone still would have been home for dinner. |
| rasdiggity__Guest_ | What are the chances of the Sox going to Beckett early in Game 4 if Wake struggles during the first few innings? |
| Gordon_Edes | None. Makes so sense rasdiggity. Then you would have burned Beckett for Game 5, too. Who would you start in Game 5, Lester? He'd be the only guy available. |
| hibricc__Guest_ | Hi Gordon... My wife and I went to the game on Saturday (yes, stayed 'til the end), and we noticed the guys in the bullpen tapping out a drum cadence on the roof of the pen in the early innings. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, but it was nice to see them getting into the game. Has anybody in the press asked them about it? |
| Gordon_Edes | Yeah, Rob Bradford in the Herald had a nice piece this weekend on the shenanigans of the pen, who have bonded around a Pirates of the Caribbean theme, calling themselves the Black Pearl. What you saw was what is known as the Manny Delcarmen Band, complete with water bottles as the instrument of choice. |
| JasonC__Guest_ | Hi Gordo, thanks for taking the time for the chat. My question is this: at this point in the series, who has the
upper hand in the bullpen? whose is more effective and where do we go from here should
Matsuzaka not go deep tonight? |
| Gordon_Edes | JasonC, that's a great question. The Sox got to Rafael Perez, who had been pretty much unhittable, but then were shut down by Betancourt, Jensen Lewis and Mastny. Betancourt showed no fear, especially in that epic 11-pitch AB with Youks, and Mastny was tough in the 10th against the heart of the Sox order. I still think the Sox pen has the edge because of Paps at the end, but Cleveland's pen came up big on a weekend where neither of their Big Two pitched deep into the game. |
| booyah__Guest_ | On Curt "coming up small in a big game" - how do reporters respond to Schill's comments on the spot? Seems like he's trying to be honorable, but he often comes across as belittling the impact the other 24 players have on the game. It's not "all about" you, Schill - this is a team! |
| Gordon_Edes | booyah, I don't think anyone saw him as belittling anyone else on either team. Curt showed up in the interview room unsolicited and took the hit for not pitching well. There were some raised eyebrows about him parachuting into the interview room in those circumstances, and it is a bit much to frame it in terms that it was all about his performance, but I'll take accountability any day. |
| Carl_in_CT__Guest_ | Hey Gordo, long-time/first time... I have a 2-part question about the bullpen -- will the off-day mean that the REAL relievers [Timlin, Oki, Paps] will all be available tonight? ...and 2nd, while I've been a supporter of Tito's non-knee-jerk reactions when people struggle, is there any chance Gagne gets left off the WS roster? |
| Gordon_Edes | The bullpen will be rested and ready to go, and the same hold true for the Tribe's pen, too. Yes, I think Gagne's spot for the WS roster, assuming the Sox advance, is clearly in jeopardy. |
| yesgeo | 04 Tito had players play pitch by pitch and inn by inn... good
psychology.... he seems to be still managing like it is regular season.... pitcher in trouble... he leaves him in.... does he get the short series psychology ???
Trying Gagne AGAIN in tie game... clever?... To encourage his confidence? PRICELESS..... THE PLAYOFFS TO FIND
CONFIDENCE? MORE IMPORTANT THAN WINNING I GUESS!!!! |
| Gordon_Edes | yesgeo, by the 11th inning,
Tito's options were pretty limited. I thought it was telling, though in reality unconnected, that the Sox position players were very slow to take the field in the 11th. For awhile, only Cora and
'Tek were on the field with Gagne. It's almost like they knew what was coming. |
| rgoobie__Guest_ | Which Dice-K do think is going to show up tonight??? |
| Gordon_Edes | If I knew, rgoob, I'd be calling one of my cousins in Vegas. He was great here the last time--7 innings, 4 hits, no runs---but this is a better Tribe lineup than the one he faced. |
| DavyB__Guest_ | Good afternoon Gordon, Now that the series is even and the Tribe has home advantage, do think the Sox are still favorites to win it? |
| Gordon_Edes | Sure, a 1-1 split doesn't change my take on the series. I thought it would go 7, with the Sox prevailing, and I still feel that way. The Indians are a very formidable opponent and could indeed win this series, but I don't see the Sox losing a deciding game at home this weekend. |
| papajack__Guest_ | Is there any chance that if the red sox lose tonight that the red sox will start
Beckett tomorrow on short rest? |
| Gordon_Edes | PJ, even though Tito did not leave himself any wriggle room yesterday when he unequivocally said wake is pitching, would I be shocked if he said he changed his mind after tonight? No. |
| Gilford__Guest_ | Why is Francona being stubborn about Beckett on the game 4 start? He only threw 80 pitches and would pitch game 7 on regular rest. I realize you already knows these
things.. can you make sense of it? |
| Gordon_Edes | Gilford,
I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I know they're not good in the postseason for guys going on 3 days. Of course, we all know Beckett shut down the Yanks on three days rest in '03, and frankly I thought he'd turn to Josh in Game 4 because it's a rarity to have a guy pitch three times in a series and have regular rest for Game 7. I guess I won't completely believe it till
I see wake warming up for Game 4, but i agree, in some ways it doesn't make much sense. Tito said it would affect three pitchers to go with Beckett in Game 4...You'd either have Wake for Game 5 or Schill on
his regular rest. |
| JasonC__Guest_ | With
Lester and Lopez ineffective on Saturday, what do we do when there is a
lefty up and Okajima has already been used? when do we bring in the likes of
Wakefield or another starter to put the game away, a la Torre during the ALCS bringing in Mussina in 2003? |
| Gordon_Edes | Get to a Game 7, like Torre did, and you'll see Tito reacting the same way in similar circumstances. The Sox need Delcarmen to pitch well so they can get to the 8th before using Okajima. Otherwise, Timlin is back in the role he held for so long. |
| NHWineGuy__Guest_ | Is it me or does every catcher ('Tek included) seem to go to the mound with two strikes on the batter? This adds to the length of the game and is very annoying. Is there any reason for it other than they want the out? |
| Gordon_Edes | NHWine, often times when Tek does that it's because there's a guy on second, and he's going over signs with the pitcher because they've changed them up. |
| asc__Guest_ | What's your feeling on having gone to Pap with the game tied the other night? I know it kept the score tied and gave the offense a chance to win the game (which Youk almost did) but don't you wait with him until you have the lead? Or is that just regular season strategy? |
| Gordon_Edes | Asc, you don't go to your closer in a tie game on the road if you can avoid it, but if you are at home and you know your closer can go two innings, it's perfectly reasonable to bring him in the eighth and hold the fort, knowing your team will have two chances to win with him on the mound. |
