Ask Amalie: A two-horse race

And the Red Sox and Rangers are separated by just two games in the standings for the final American League playoff spot. It appears that the wild card race will not be decided any time soon, though it will be interesting to see how the Rangers-Angels games go down the stretch. At the moment, though, one of the most crucial aspects of the race is the development of two young and inexperienced pitchers, Clay Buchholz and Scott Feldman. Both will be crucial to the fortunes of their respective teams, and both have demonstrated quite a bit of promise this season, though Feldman certainly has the better numbers of the two.

Feldman recorded his 16th win of the season, against four losses, on Wednesday. He has carried the Rangers of late, with an exceptional road record (12-1, 2.58 ERA). Of course, there's more pressure on Feldman (as the No. 2 starter) than there is on Buchholz, who is poised to fill the No. 3 spot for the Sox. But check out the stats for Buchholz over his last three starts -- 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA, with 21 1/3 innings pitched. Not too shabby.

Enough about those starters, though. There's much more in the Mailbag, including whether it's John Farrell's responsibility that John Smoltz and Brad Penny are pitching well in the National League after not doing so in the AL, what life is like down in Pawtucket, and whether Daniel Bard could find himself starting again for Boston. So savor each game, keep scoreboard watching, and enjoy the next two weeks. The 'Bag will be back then.

Re: Wild card. I know the Rangers have injury problems, but arent you worried (from a Sox perspective) of their schedule> 10 games against Indians and A's and 7 against Angels. The Angels will most likely lay down vs. the Rangers as if the Rangers win the Wild Card, the Angels play the Tigers and not the Sox. Most of those Angels-Rangers games are late, so it may be tough for the Sox to make the playoffs, let alone rest regulars/set rotation. Thoughts?
KB, Hyannis

A: Though the Angels might rest some of their regulars and line up their starters, I know that Mike Scioscia would not allow his team to "lay down" to manipulate the playoff positioning. Plus, the race between the Angels and Rangers is just too close for the Angels to give away any games to their closest competition. But, on the schedule, the Sox certainly have a favorable run. Of their final 25 games, starting last Tuesday, just 10 were on the road. That's huge for a team that has a significantly better record (47-21) at home than on the road. In addition, the Sox have the majority of their games against teams that aren't playing for much, including Baltimore, Kansas City, Cleveland, and Toronto. Not exactly a tough road. I still believe that the Sox (and all of us media members) will be heading to Anaheim, Calif., at the beginning of October to start the postseason.

Is there any chance the Sox are smart enough to pro-rate the salary Dice-K receives this year over the part of the season he may be actually healthy enough to play? The WBC obviously did him in, and his participation in the WBC was by his choice and not assigned by the team. He should take responsibility for his own actions and not ask to be paid for the entire season.
Dick A., Camarillo, Calif.

A: Unfortunately for the Red Sox' and John Henry's coffers, that's not possible. The Sox are on the hook for the entirety of the season, having allowed him to participate in the WBC. And I think that, while the Sox have argued that the WBC is culpable for the problems that Daisuke Matsuzaka has had this season, there's no certain way to prove that. As the Sox hinted in the aftermath of Matsuzaka's comments about how they used him, when they were extremely irritated, part of the issue was with the offseason work habits of Matsuzaka himself. He didn't exactly show up this season in excellent shape, and has used much of this season to get himself back in good shape, losing a significant amount of weight. But, no matter who is to blame for the season that Matsuzaka has had (or not had), he'll get all of the $8 million that's he's owed this year.

Can I get your insight into Manny Delcarmen? I can never 'watch' him here in Singapore, since I'm a cheapskate I only buy the radio feeds over mlb.com. I do listen regularly in the morning. But it seems like he's never reached his potential. His whip is 1.46 right now - not horrendous, but the highest among the pen regulars. In any case, while he's good (and I'm greedy and spoiled! I mean, what a bullpen, right?), what do you think is up? Any ideas?
John, Singapore

A: It's true, Manny Delcarmen hasn't ever really lived up to his initial promise. He's certainly a valuable member of the bullpen, and succeeds in that role. But his stuff -- which one player once told me was the best on the team, better than Jonathan Papelbon and Josh Beckett -- has not become the dominant force that the Sox might have wished. He is still a good part of one of the best bullpens in the majors, but does tend to put too many guys on base, as evidenced by that 1.51 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched), his worst since 2006. He was also responsible for blowing Paul Byrd's lead on Wednesday. Middle relievers tend not to have consistent seasons, the reason the Sox have stayed away from giving big money to non-closer bullpen arms. That, essentially, is the reason that they are in the role they're in -- middle relievers and not closers.

John Smoltz has an ERA below 1.00 in St. Louis. Brad Penny pitches eight innings of shutout ball in his debut with the Giants. What's up with that? Is the National League that bad? Given these developments, I find it interesting that no one is questioning the Red Sox's preparation and coaching of their pitchers. Is John Farrell immune from any criticism? What about Jason Varitek, who has a reputation as an awesome handler of pitchers? I'd be curious to know what percentage of Smoltz's and Penny's starts 'Tek caught. Your thoughts?
Bob B., South Strafford, Vt.

A: Sure, it's easy to look at John Farrell and question why both John Smoltz and Brad Penny were so terrible with the Sox. But that might not be fair, especially knowing how hard Farrell works and how incredibly prepared he is in every situation. There are a few points that can't be forgotten. First, the National League is a weaker league offensively. Facing a designated hitter instead of facing a pitcher (and often a No. 8 hitter) is significantly different for a pitcher. Add to that the motivation of not having succeeded in the American League and a built-in knowledge of the National League hitters, and both pitchers had a leg up heading back to the NL. If it's true, however, that Smoltz was tipping his pitches -- something that Smoltz himself said might be a possibility, but mostly downplayed -- then that might be a black mark on the Sox staff. In the end, though, the burden is on the pitcher himself. Not the pitching coach. Not the catcher. The pitcher throws the ball, and he is responsible for the results after that ball is thrown.

My favorite thing about the Bag is that, while there're plenty of places to find smart opinions about the game, I can't think of any venue that gives us so much insight into what it's like to actually be a player. With that in mind: I've always wondered what life is like for the triple A ballplayer. I feel like I can picture life in A-Ball or the rookie league. Big dreams in small towns and all that, but in Triple A, you've got such an interesting mix of players. Some older, some young. Some with tons of money. Some without. Some are there for years. Others, like Clay, bounce up and down a couple of times a year. Do, for instance, they live together? If you're Michael Bowden, do you have a fancy apartment in Providence or live in some pre-furnished apartment building in Pawtucket? Are they big fish in a small pond, going out on the town, or do they keep to themselves? Any insight would be great!
Ron, Newport, R.I.

A: Most of the PawSox players live in Providence, in furnished apartments. Many of them room with other members of the team, and quite a few of them live in the same complex, if not the same apartment. Overall, though, it's pretty anonymous being in Triple A. Though, sure, there is the occasional person who has to check Michael Bowden's ID and puts the name with the prospect for the Red Sox, but that doesn't happen all that often. I checked with Bowden on this question, in fact, and he said it's pretty easy to do what he pleases while in Pawtucket/Providence. "I'd say it's the same as playing in the major leagues without the novelty effect," Bowden told me on Wednesday. "Everything here is on a higher scale. Every single aspect of the game. Just there it's just one step below. The fields are not as nice, the spreads aren't as good, the pay's not as good. Just everything on a smaller scale -- a little bit harder just day to day. It's a lot easier to be comfortable [in the majors]. You've got to do everything on your own there. Not many worries [in Boston]. You've got to concentrate on your job here and that's it. There, you've got to concentrate on life." There is a very interesting dynamic in Triple A, as there are younger guys (like Josh Reddick, Bowden), and there are also veterans (Joe McEwing, in the past). I know that the dynamic there certainly depends on what the veterans are willing to offer the younger guys. Someone like McEwing was a very good clubhouse influence when he was with the team. It's different for each guy in Triple A, certainly, in terms of how much time they spend out in the city. Bowden, for example, said he doesn't go out much, and is rarely recognized.

Hey, Amalie, really enjoy the mailbag. Keep up the fantastic work! I know that it's still a bit early to be thinking about post-season awards, but one has been hanging over my head for a good porttion of the year. How long do you think it will be before Jacoby Ellsbury hauls in a gold glove for his impressive play in the outfield? There seem to be perrenial locks in the likes of Torii Hunter and Ichiro, but Ellsbury has really impressed me. His speed allows him to run down a lot of fly balls that a lot of others can't, he rarely makes a bad throw (and has a fairly strong and accurate arm, which is refreshing considering his two predecessors in Johnny Damon and Coco Crisp had neither), makes some amazing catches. I'm not sure what exactly entails the gold glove award, but I'd have to think Ellsbury would be up there to get one. The only other name I can think of would be Grady Sizemore. Thoughts?
Jon, Lawrence

A: Jacoby Ellsbury could be well on his way to an eventual Gold Glove, though I would be surprised if he gets one this season. In 2007, Coco Crisp had one of the best seasons one will ever see from a centerfielder, and he wasn't able to break into the Gold Glove club, though I would absolutely argue that he deserved one. (Also, I think you might be slightly overplaying the arm that Ellsbury has. While it might be an improvement over Crisp, it's still not great.) That particular award often ends up being something given a year or two later than the season in which the player first deserves it. Sort of delayed gratification, if you will. But I have been extremely impressed at the way that Ellsbury has played in center, for the most part. He still has a few balls that are gone after on interesting routes, though that is far less frequent than it used to be. Part of becoming an excellent defensive centerfielder is time and experience. Knowing the hitters' tendencies, as well as the ways that pitchers pitch to those tendencies, helps immensely with positioning in centerfield. So, in other words, this season might be a bit early to start looking for a Gold Glove for Ellsbury, but there's a good chance that if he keeps improving, he might eventually have that extra piece of hardware in his home.

I have a question regarding side sessions and the workouts of pitchers. Basically this is in response to a question that was asked in the last mailbag. You said in response to Francona not pulling Tazawa out after giving up 4 runs that the Sox didn't really have a long relief pitcher, and were hampered by the decision to have Billy Wagner throw a side session yesterday. My question is, why don't pitchers throw side sessions during the game, after the team knows that their starter "has his stuff" in the current game? I would much rather have had Wagner come in and pitch as opposed to watching Tazawa struggle during a bad outing. Although it was fun to watch Nick Green pitch 2 scoreless innings in the 8th and 9th!
Marc R., Los Angeles

A: Marc, the Sox (and other teams) do in fact sometimes save side sessions for later in the day to combat such situations. They don't always do it, but occasionally if a team knows that its starter could be a problem or could have a short outing, they will wait on a bullpen session. The Sox did exactly that with Junichi Tazawa on Sept. 2 with Josh Beckett starting. With Beckett in trouble early, Tazawa started warming up in the bullpen. When he ended up not being needed, he simply used the time in the bullpen to throw his scheduled side session. With Billy Wagner, however, the Sox are taking a very cautious path, so they wanted to monitor his side session carefully. Given the fact that he's coming off major surgery, it's worth it to the team to do what it can to ensure that Wagner can still pitch into October.

Now that the once "deep" starting pitching has thinned out, would the Sox consider putting Daniel Bard in the rotation? As they march (hopefully) into the playoffs, there are serious questions regarding Wakefield and Dice-K. This leaves Bucholz as a number three and Byrd as a number four. There is a reason Byrd hasn't been in the majors all season until recently. I know it's difficult going from the pen to a starter, but with the addition of Wagner, they are still pretty deep there. What are the plans for Bard next year?
Larry, Ventura, Calif.

A: Daniel Bard will be in the bullpen again next year. That is where he's been so effective, and that appears to be the best place for him. I asked Bard recently how he's doing physically at this point in the season, and he told me that being in the bullpen has been good for him, as compared to how he felt as a starter. As he said, "When I switched to relieving last year I noticed right away my body just responds better to relieving. I don't get worn out like I do over the course of the season as a starter so, you know, I feel about as good as I could imagine for this time of year. I think you're really one or the other -- your body likes the short stints every two to three days or you like breaking it down, four days off, and doing it again. I just think people's bodies kind of vary." But more than that, there's really no reason to return Bard to the starting rotation. And that goes double for this season, when it wouldn't make any sense at all to lengthen out a guy who has been doing short stints out of the bullpen for the entire year. It would take far too long to do that, and would weaken a very effective group of relievers. Also, part of the reason that Paul Byrd wasn't in the majors until recently was his choice, though he also did find that he wasn't exactly getting a whole lot of teams jumping to sign him when he did decide he wanted to pitch. The Sox are certainly a bit thin in the rotation suddenly, but Bard won't be the one helping them out in that arena.

Where are we with Matsuzaka?
M J. Sweeney, New Haven, Conn.

A: Nice. Short and sweet. Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched for the Single A Salem team on Wednesday, going 6 2/3 innings and giving up one run on three hits and a walk. He struck out seven batters in that playoff game for Salem. Though the Sox haven't made anything official yet, the next stop for Matsuzaka should be in Boston where he would get a chance to start and prove that he can actually help the Sox this season. The team is certainly not counting on anything from Matsuzaka at this point, and this truly might be a lost season for him. But if they can get any production out of him, they would welcome it.