Prepping for the postseason

But that season series is over, with the Rays taking the tiebreaker, and the Sox now get to focus on the Blue Jays, of the hottest teams in baseball. Even more important than tonight's game, however, will be potential injury news that could come out today. Mike Lowell will have a conference call with doctors regarding his injured right hip. He was in severe pain during Tuesday night's game, and was still limping on Wednesday. Both he and Terry Francona said he's going to try to play as much as he can, since his hip won't be cured before the offseason. We'll have to see how effective he can be.

So with that potentially bad news, we'll head to the questions for the week. We have injuries and tipping pitches and postseason rotations -- oh my! Enjoy this week's offerings, and be sure to refill my e-mail inbox for next week's mailbag. If nothing else, it's more fun than refilling your gas tank.

Two quick questions -
1 - Is it really possible that a fan Internet forum (Sons of Sam Horn) picked up Paul Byrd tipping his pitches before the team's coaching staff did?
2 - Is there any concern among Red Sox management at all that after last season we may all have overrated Jacoby Ellsbury? He seems to be very inconsistent in making adjustments at the plate.
Jim, Morris County, N.J.

A: On the first question, SoSH (and one poster in particular, who put up a video of the tipping) did not pick up on the tipping before the coaching staff did. Byrd, in fact, learned from an opposing player around the All-Star break that he was tipping, then worked to correct it in Cleveland. Byrd then told me that pitching coach John Farrell had picked up on the tipping during his second start in Boston and, since then, Byrd has continued to work on it. So, while SoSH may have seen it before some members of the media did (say, me), the coaching staff and Byrd were well aware of the problem. As for Ellsbury, I think there's no question that the fans seem to have perhaps overrated him. Despite his incredible numbers, he was a rookie. He was never going to sustain his performance from the end of last season (.353), and it was foolish to think so. But the team's management didn't believe that he would be the player he was down the stretch last season for the rest of his career. That would be incredibly difficult. That being said, Ellsbury is having a bit of a tough season. He is still young, and should get improve. He's not going to hit .353, but he should hit better than .270. (Add in 48 stolen bases and stellar defense, and he's not doing too badly.)

I know the Sox feel [Tim} Wakefield can give them innings, but what good are they when he's putting you farther behind? I know he's had some good games but you could never count on him like other starters. I never understood why they let Derek Lowe go . . . he was perfect for a good-fielding defense. Is it time to see if we can still get anything for the aging knuckleballer?
Paul Iannelli, Acworth, Ga.

A: There's not much that one could get for Wakefield. Really, that's not even a discussion. The decision in the offseason on Wakefield will be whether or not the team picks up his option. Wakefield has recurring $4-million team options, basically putting him in the employ of the Red Sox as long as they'll have him. First, the pitcher himself will have to decide if he's interested in coming back next year, and then the team will have to decide if he's worth it. He has had some good games this season -- like, say, against Toronto Sept. 12 -- but he's also been bombed, like on Wednesday. It seems to me that he might be nearing the end, though he certainly could try to squeeze out another season.

Amalie, with J.D. Drew missing time I started to think back to the long contract negotiation before last season and that after the contract was signed it came out (if I am remembering this correctly) that there were injury provisions that would protect the Red Sox. Am I remembering this correctly and do you know what they are, if in fact, there are those provisions?
Chris, Waltham

A: Chris, you are remembering his contract correctly. There are some injury clauses in the deal. But here's the problem: Those injury outs in the contract were designed to protect the Red Sox in case Drew's surgically repaired right shoulder kept him out for an extended period of time. The Sox can void either of the final two years of the contract (2010 and 2011) if he spends 35 days on the disabled list in either 2009 or 2010 with right shoulder problems related to his preexisting conditions. They can also get out of the deal if Drew finishes the 2009 or 2010 seasons on the disabled list, and can't play the following season in the outfield.

Can we please have Bartolo [Colon] in the rotation? The Blue Jays have seen every possible combination of Byrd's pitches four times over - they are gonna tag him again. Why won't the Sox give Bartolo the ball this one time, give him a chance, and if he blows it, OK, it is over. If not, maybe we say bully time to Byrd and thanks for the mediocre performances. Why?
Keith, Boulder, Co.

A: I can't say the Sox are overly happy with Colon at the moment. While we were in Tampa, Colon neglected to come to the stadium on the early bus, pushing back meetings with Terry Francona two straight days. Now he's in the Dominican Republic dealing with some personal issues, when he was supposed to throw a side session on Wednesday. Because of the interruption, we're not sure when Colon will get to throw that session, or even when he'll next pitch (likely out of the bullpen, unless the Sox fall out of contention for the division title in the final few days of the season and need to rest starters). Yes, the Blue Jays have seen quite a bit of Paul Byrd, but it wasn't as if Colon really distinguished himself in his start against Toronto.

I've been hooked on the BoSox ever since I took up a post-grad degree there in '99-'00. Here in the Philippines we get baseball on ESPN Asia and a Taiwanese satellite channel. Unfortunately, ESPN Asia shows mostly Yankee games during the regular season. Forget the Taiwanese channel; they're big on Wang and therefore show all 162 Yankee games! In fairness though, both ESPN Asia and the Taiwanese channel show the AL postseason and the WS. My questions: Any chance the Sox could get a Taiwanese player of Wang's caliber anytime soon so the Sox games get shown with regularity here? Or, maybe you have high-powered friends over at ESPN so you could tell them to junk the Yankees (they really are mediocre now) for the Sox next year on their Asia affiliate? Thanks and more power!
Allan, Manila, Philippines

A: We're quite the international 'bag, aren't we? Wish I could help more. Just for your information, the Sox do have two Taiwanese players in the pipeline, both of whom played for Taiwan in this year's Olympics. Of the two -- Che-Hsuan Lin and Chih-Hsien Chiang -- Lin has the higher upside. Despite not starting in the Futures Game at the All-Star festivities, he won the MVP award for the game on the World team. So, though he might not unseat Wang in the hearts of the Taiwanese viewing public, perhaps that would get a few more Sox games on TV. Hope you get the playoffs -- there won't be any problem with the Yankees in the postseason.

Great to have the mailbag back. We rely a lot on the Globe online in NC for Red Sox info. Has Terry Francona dropped any hints about the postseason rotation? I know there's a pennant race, but you've got to look ahead a little. Beckett and Lester would seem to be a lock for games 1 -2, although maybe he'd have Lester pitch the first game. Then again, I suppose you could save Lester for game 3 if it's going to be at Fenway since he seems so strong there as opposed to on the road. My real question is Wakefield vs Matsuzaka - I think Wake has been great except for an occasional bad outing while Dice K seems to be an adventure every time out. You can almost bet the game he pitches is going to tax the bullpen since he rarely gets past the sixth inning. So, I'd argue for Wakefield before Matsuzaka, either game 2 or 3. What do you think, if Francona hasn't mentioned it himself?
Charles Pooler, Durham N.C.

A: Francona's not exactly big on discussing his postseason rotation, especially given that the Sox haven't yet clinched a berth. But here's my two cents, with the caveat that this would be the optimal postseason rotation. There's a chance that the Sox won't get a choice in the matter, if they still need key wins to make the playoffs in the final days. Josh Beckett should be a lock to start Game 1. He would be followed by Jon Lester, then Daisuke Matsuzaka, and either Paul Byrd or Tim Wakefield. Colleague Nick Cafardo wrote about the No. 4 starter spot in his story from yesterday. I agree with him that it's a competition between Byrd and Wakefield in the final days. Right now, I personally think Byrd has been more consistent (especially since he won't be facing the Blue Jays in the postseason), but there's time for that to change.

I can answer the reader question about how to treat Manny if he returns to Fenway: Standing O. No question about it. We don't forget the MVP of the first World Series win since you-know-when, nor do we forget the guy who was instrumental in getting us to the playoffs so many times. I'd give Nomar a Standing O if he came back today, and he didn't do half of what Manny did. Anybody who disagrees is as good as banned from Red Sox Nation, because I can guarantee you that's how most fans feel. Thanks for the 'bag.
Owen, Santa Barbara, Calif.

A: You're welcome, Owen. Don't have much to answer on this one, but I thought it was a valuable response to a question in last week's mailbag. Just one reader's opinion, mind you.

Fragile egos aside, wouldn't the Sox lineup be stronger with Ortiz hitting fourth? He's now more suited to the clean p spot then a few years ago and Youkilis is a more typical three hitter. The much discussed protection issue doesn't seem that valid with Bay or Lowell hitting fifth. That doesn't seem like a significant downgrade from Kevin. I know it won't happen since Francona is so protective of his players' feelings, but doesn't it seem like the right thing to do, or at least try? Everyone else has moved all over the lineup, why not the big guy?
Doug Britton, Norwich, Vt.

A: The interesting part about this question is it came after Ortiz hit two home runs in Wednesday night's game against the Rays. Whether or not the Sox lineup would be stronger with Ortiz hitting fourth -- and I'm not convinced it would be -- it's not going to happen. If you'll remember, back in 2004 and 2005, both Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz hit third and cleanup, with both hitters expressing a preference for hitting third. That preference remains for Ortiz. And manager Terry Francona gives a good amount of credence to that. (Kevin Youkilis, for example, isn't comfortable hitting leadoff, so Francona doesn't hit him there.) In the end, though, if Ortiz can sustain what he did the other night, he's the No. 3 hitter and should be. There's no guarantee of that, but Ortiz did look significantly more confident and comfortable than he has in a while at the plate.

Is it me or did Coco start getting hot after, it seems from sitting in row 1 of section 35, that he shaved his head. Could you comment on this for us? Is this going to be a new trend, any others doing it>
John Tackeff, Rye Beach, N.H.

A: While it does appear that there was a bit of a coincidence in timing between the two events, it's nothing more than that. I mentioned it to Crisp the other day. His response? He smiled and laughed and said, "That's just plain dumb." (He didn't mean any offense, I'm sure.) No reverse Samson situation here.

Hi, Amalie! First things first - thank you for the great coverage of the Sox. I never fail to enjoy your reporting and writing. My question isn't about the game itself but how, as a reporter, you maintain your objectivity. Do you (or any other reporter, for that matter) find yourself rooting for the team that you cover, or is that something you try hard to avoid? And does it change from city to city, depending on where you career as a reporter takes you? Again, thanks for the wonderful work and for considering my question.
Della, Boston

A: Thanks, Della. It's a question I get often, especially given that I grew up in Newton. There's no doubt that I grew up a Red Sox fan, from a Sox-loving family. (Technically one side is full of Sox fans, the other side, Yankees fans.) But being around the game constantly, given the need to do one's job, the fandom leaves pretty quickly. I think it took a few games, and it was really over. To be honest, though, there was a turning point for me: Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. I was covering the game for the New York Times, and so into the game that, for a few later innings, I had trouble breathing. That was it for me. I told myself that it simply couldn't happen again, that I had to do my job objectively, and taught myself just that. It came in handy two years later when I found myself covering the Sox on a regular basis. You'll hear this a lot from sportswriters, but we really only root for good storylines and short games. (Our editors like when we make deadlines.)

Should we be worried about Lester's innings? I have heard multiple reporters talk about a higher risk of injury if a young pitcher exceeds their previous high innings total by more than 30 and a few have mentioned Lester as being in a danger zone. From my vantage point, it appears that he is throwing the same 105 pitches per start this year as he did last year, but is getting 24 outs instead of 15.
Scott Groene, Camp Hill, Pa.

A: There is a theory that pitchers should exceed their previous innings high by about 30 innings. But the argument with Lester is twofold. One, he's a strong pitcher, the type of "innings-eater" that you often hear discussed. I think the other reason why one shouldn't be so concerned about his high innings count is the type of innings he's throwing. There's a huge difference between a 1-2-3 inning in which a pitcher throws 12 pitches, and an inning in which a pitcher sees six or seven batters and throws 30 pitches. Easier innings -- and Lester's thrown quite a lot of those this season -- help account for some of the extra accumulation of them. You might have heard pitchers talk about how sometimes; throwing 130 pitches can be easier than throwing 100, depending on game conditions, effectiveness, weather. So it's not always good to have a hard-and-fast rule about innings. Lester, by the way, is 20th in the majors in innings pitched (197 1/3). Roy Halladay leads the majors with 231.

Hi Amalie! Glad to see that you are no longer a decapitated floating head. A bit creepy, that was. I live down in Southwest VA, and am extremely excited as next year is supposedly the first year that the Salem Avalanche will be a Single A affiliate of the Red Sox. That being said, I was just wondering what a switchover of minor league teams looks like. The Avs were an affiliate of the Astros, so what happens to those players? Do they just go to other Astros teams, and if so where do the Sox get players to fill the roster?
Joshua Brown, Blacksburg, Va.

A: When there's a switch over of minor league teams -- which happens quite often -- the players are moved from one affiliate to another. For example, all of the Astros players on the Avalanche would be moved to Houston's new Single A advanced team, with the players from the Sox at that level being moved from Lancaster to Salem. [Update: The Red Sox announced this afternoon that they will begin a two-year affiliation with Salem next season.] That would meant that the players you would see in Salem would be players who either played for the JetHawks last season, or were moved up from Greenville. The only things that remain the same are normally the off-field personnel and sometimes the uniforms. (The JetHawks used uniforms that had previously been worn by the Diamondbacks.) The manager, coaching staff, and players will all be employed by the Sox.

Here's a question for you about you. You earned your call-up to the big show in part by providing outstanding coverage of the Sox' farm system. The knowledge you gained shows up in your writing and in the answers to mailbag questions. What plans do you have for maintaining this high level now that you are off the minor league beat?
Paul Goode, Redmond, Wash.

A: An excellent way to end this week's 'bag, Paul. I have to say that I absolutely loved covering the Sox minor leaguers, because they are all great to deal with, excited to talk with reporters, and because of the vast knowledge of the minors held by many of the Sox fans. I was very glad to contribute to that. One part of my plan in terms of maintaining this level is to keep myself involved in minor league coverage. While it appears that Adam Kilgore will now take on most of our minors coverage, I'll still be out in Pawtucket and Portland and Greenville and Lowell and Salem. You'll still get some coverage from me there. But -- even more than that -- I don't think the readers will let me dip. This is a demanding job in a demanding market and, as someone who expects perfection out of herself, I will be doing my best to keep up the incredible Boston Globe Sox coverage tradition. Plus, I will be downing raw eggs and running periodically up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Good thing the Sox head to meet the Phillies in interleague play again next year...