Amalie Benjamin Q&A

The Globe's Amalie Benjamin checked in earlier today to answer your questions about the Red Sox-Angels ALDS. Here's a transcript from the online chat:

Amalie Benjamin: Welcome all. I'm guessing we're all a wee bit tired, given the late hour of the game last night, but we'll have to power through. It's 8 hours and 37 minutes until gametime tonight, as Jon Lester brings his 11-1 and 2.49 ERA at Fenway Park to the mound tonight. Thanks for the questions. And away we go...

DJM439: Hi, is there any talk of Papelbon's availablity tonight? I'm sure is is "available", but is there any word that they would rather not have him pitch because of his 31 pitches last night?

Amalie Benjamin: I think that Papelbon's availability is definitely in question tonight. He has thrown four innings in the last three days, a heavy workload for him. It's the postseason, so never say never, but I think the Sox will do all they can to stay away from him tonight. That really shortens the bullpen.

Molly: Hi Ms. Benjamin, I was wondering how you feel about Dustin Pedroia being hitless in the series. Do you think he will overcome the slump? Will this affect his potential for MVP?

Amalie Benjamin: I don't think there are any major worries about Pedroia. If we've seen anything, we've seen that he is hard to stop. He was very frustrated last night, putting the entire loss on his own shoulders, given his inability to get a hit. He easily could break out of this slump tonight (obviously), but overall I wouldn't be too concerned with Pedroia. As for his MVP candidacy, the votes had to be in on the final day of the regular season, so this would not change anything there.

annasvbocagrande: Out of curiosity -- how grim is the mood among your old Northwestern classmates who are Cubs fans? Onto my real question -- watching the game last night, I really felt that home plate umpire Danley was calling a very inconsistent strike zone last night. I know Beckett seemed frustrated with it, and there was more than one occasion where pitchers and hitters on both sides looked fairly incredulous about some of the calls. What do you know about tonight's umpire, and how do you think he'll call the zone? Seems like with tonight's matchup, it's a pretty important "x-factor"?

Amalie Benjamin: I don't yet know who is working the plate tonight, but there's no question that there was frustration with Danley's strike zone last night. After one inning, Beckett went over to have a few words with him, in fact. Though one of the particularly bad calls -- Mike Lowell's checked swing -- was not even made by Danley, it was Ed Rapuano. (Though the pitch on which Lowell actually walked was an extremely close call that went Lowell's way.) Usually I think these things affect both sides somewhat equally when an umpire isn't having the best day, so I wouldn't necessarily call it an X-factor.

denver_soxfan: Amalie, I'm getting nervous. My gut feeling is that if we don't take care of business tonight (in Lester we trust), we're doomed. Let's face it, Dice-K in a possible game 5 don't exactly inspire a world of confidence. What key(s) do you see for tonight's game? I need a confidence booster! ;)

Amalie Benjamin: Not sure if this is the confidence boost you want, but I think the Sox are in a tough spot if the series shifts back to Anaheim. I don't have a lot of faith in the Daisuke-Santana matchup favoring the Sox a second time. I think Jon Lester is really a key. If he can hold down the Angels again, and especially if he can give them seven (or even eight) innings, that would clearly be huge, as Lackey has the ability to do the same for the Angels.

Dewey24Ever: Hi Amalie, love your writing! Hoping that Tito puts in the A lineup tonight, i.e. Drew, Lowrey, Lowell, but the big question is, can Lowell play? Any word on his status?

Amalie Benjamin: Thanks! I think you're likely to see Drew, certainly, and likely Lowrie. I would really be shocked to see Lowell in the lineup, though. He was seriously hurting yesterday and, as Tony Massarotti reported, he could barely put on his pants after yesterday's game. I think he might get a seat tonight, and possibly the next couple of games. He really is in a lot of pain, and couldn't get to a couple of balls defensively yesterday.

Jim: So did you get home before sunrise? And were you a morning person once? Am I just overreacting to the last two games, or do the 2008 Red Sox play the longest games in the history of mankind? There were some marathons in the regular season, too.

Amalie Benjamin: Got home around 3 a.m. this morning. I was never a morning person, one reason this job suits me. No, you're not imagining things. Because of the Sox philosophy of taking pitches and working counts the team tends to play some of the longest games in the major leagues. It's not just against the Yankees, the Sox play long games all the time. Let's hope tonight's doesn't make it to the five-hour mark (or even the four-hour mark) again.

Sultan_Of_Swat: I find it sad to hear Alex Cora say he was frustrated not at the fact the Red Sox had just lost and now it's game 4, but that the game ended at 20 to 1? Winning would have been better but if this is how he feels I think the wrong message is being sent, do you?

Amalie Benjamin: I don't think that's at all what Cora meant. I was standing there when he made the comment. I think the point was that there wasn't frustration that they lost the game -- the Angels were too good to go down to easily. Cora is one of the best baseball guys in the room, someone who will likely be a manager or coach one day, and he would never be disrespectful to the game.

Chicago_Townie: What was the reason for bringing in Lopez instead of Byrd or Wakefield last night?

Amalie Benjamin: Here's the explanation from Terry Francona: "Once we went to -- if we start Byrd out and come through the middle of the order with the lefties and we go to Javy and we keep that game going, we have a guy that's a situational left-hander. We've already used Cash, so that means we'll go to Byrd. Byrd's kind of like they did with Weaver; once we get to Byrd, we would have let him pitch for a while." That might not be the most coherent answer, but Francona seemed to say that the lefty matchups made sense for Lopez, and that Wakefield wasn't going to come in to pitch to David Ross.

DODU3441: It's clear that David Ortiz is not the same postseason threat as years past. Is there any chance that Francona bats Drew 3rd, Youk 4th, and Ortiz 5th?

Amalie Benjamin: No chance. No matter how Ortiz is doing in the postseason, the No. 3 spot is his.

my_dog_sox: Is Coco Crisp hurt? Looked like Johnny Damon on a couple of his throws.

Amalie Benjamin: Crisp has been dealing with an injury to the ball of his left foot, but he's always had a weak arm. You're right, he did make some particularly bad throws last night, but it's not like he's ever been vintage Vlad Guerrero out there.

LowellConnection: Hi Amalie, do think that Mikey Lowell's season is over? He is an incredible man, but it hurts so much to see him hurting like he is. He's my fave player, and without him in the lineup is going to be tough.

Amalie Benjamin: I think there is definitely a chance that his season is over, though that also certainly depends on how long the season lasts for the Sox. If Lowell can make it back for a game, he will. He's pretty much the definition of gamer, though I also know he doesn't want to hurt this team.

HomewardBound: Amalie, how exactly is the atmosphere in the Sox clubhouse after last night's tough loss (or was it all that tough)?

Amalie Benjamin: The Sox all were pretty upbeat after last night's game. Not in a way that they thought the loss didn't matter, but it seemed as if there were a concerted effort to not show frustration over the loss. The message was really that they have to win one more game and they have two chances to do that. They didn't seem overly worried or concerned, more confident that they would be able to get the job done. (But, yes, I still think it was a tough loss.)

Kodiak_Kid: Mike Sciosia said before last night's game that if they won Game 3 that the pressure is now on the Red Sox. Do you think that's the case?

Amalie Benjamin: There's certainly more pressure on the Sox now than had they won Game 3. (Obviously.) I do think there is some pressure on the Sox. They don't want to go back to Anaheim, and the pitching matchup tonight favors them more than it does in Game 5. Saying that, they know that they have two more chances to win one more game, and I think looking at it that way might allow them to put less pressure on themselves than it would otherwise.

Odogg: I am happy to see Lester pitch again tonight, however with Beckett's obvious struggle last night, how come Byrd does not pitch, since this is only 4 days of rest for Lester.

Amalie Benjamin: This is actually normal rest for a pitcher. With a five-man rotation, normal rest is considered four days off between starts.

MPP: Do you have any insight as to what Josh Beckett and Varitek were talking about in they're 35 mound conferences in the first two innings? Was it pitch calling? Strategy? Location? Worries about Figgins stealing signs from second base?

Amalie Benjamin: It did seem like they were talking a ridiculous amount out at the mound, which was part of the reason the game was two hours old in the fourth inning. Varitek said most of it was about Figgins being at second, though I think it might also have been about Beckett, who was clearly struggling with just about everything last night.

orlando_soxfan: If it goes into extra innings again tonight, will we see Cora pitch?

Amalie Benjamin: I think we'd have to get into the 20-inning range to see Cora pitch, since Paul Byrd and Tim Wakefield could go a couple of innings each. Actually, the big question in the press box last night was what would have happened had David Ross (the third catcher used last night) been injured. I think Cora might have been the emergency catcher.

soxfan49: Hi Amalie! Do you feel the Sox MUST win tonight to take the series, or do they stand a chance in LA?

Amalie Benjamin: No, I don't think that tonight is a must-win game. By definition, the Sox would get another chance in Anaheim on Wednesday. That said, I think the odds favor the Angels once the series shifts back out west, so it would behoove the Sox to win tonight.

RedSoxRooster: So let's say we clinch tonight, does that bring back Lester for Game 2? Is Dice-K our ALCS Game 1 starter? Or does Beckett jump ahead. On a side note it was most dissappointing to watch Beckett last night doing his best Dice-K impersonation. Wish he would have went after the hitters with his fastball.

Amalie Benjamin: I think it's a little soon to be talking about ALCS starters (though I did in my story on Sunday). The Sox have options there, with the possibility of either Daisuke or Beckett in Game 1. I'm interested to hear today what Francona thinks about Beckett's performance now that we actually have a little more time to ask him about it. Everyone said the oblique was fine last night, so it will be interesting to hear further explanations.

VT_Sox_Fan: Hi Amalie, I enjoy listening to your updates every night from the ballpark. Should the Sox make the ALCS, do you think Lowell will be left off the active roster?

Amalie Benjamin: If this team thinks Lowell has any chance to help them in the ALCS, he'll be on the roster. But if not, if he's too injured, you won't see him. The Sox have done it before, like with Tim Wakefield last season. They won't hurt themselves by giving a roster spot to someone who can't play.

TomP: Amalie, what are your thoughts about starting Lester tonight vs saving him for a potential Game 5, espeically after the way he pitched in Game 1?? I thought Game 4 starter was to be Wakefield or Byrd? Good move??

Amalie Benjamin: Nope, the Game 4 starter was always going to be Lester, given that he'll be pitching on normal rest. There would be no reason to save him for Game 5. Better to wrap this series up tonight and not worry about another game.

Vote_Sox_in_08: Amalie, any chance we'll see Casey at 1B tonight. He was the only guy who didn't get in last night.

Amalie Benjamin: Against Lackey, I'd probably give the nod to Mark Kotsay at first over Casey. Kotsay has a respectable .265 batting average against Lackey, with three doubles among his nine hit. Francona seems to be more pleased with Kotsay lately than with Casey, who is far more limited defensively (and offensively) than I thought before seeing him this season on the Sox. Casey has little power left at this point in his career.

bloodwart: Why didn't Francona have Pedroia bunt Ellsbury over to second in the bottom of the 7th? He's slumping and is a very good bunter.

Amalie Benjamin: It's a good question. That's really just not the game the Sox play, though that might not be a good excuse. I do know it's difficult to give up a potential hit from a guy with 213 of them in the regular season.

californiaPdentist: AB, shouldn't all rounds of the playoffs be best-of-7? No one was happier to see the Cubs go down than me, but seriously, you battle all season and "whoops", season's over in three games! Little unfair, IMO

Amalie Benjamin: I think there are some rumblings that baseball people would like to see a best-of-seven series in the first round. The problem is that the season is nearing November (and has in past years). It would be difficult, but I do agree that best-of-five does create a situation in which it is far easier for the lesser team to pull one out.

jsulbyrne: Is Northwestern football really 5-0? Must be a misprint... ;)

Amalie Benjamin: That's no misprint. It's back to the glory days of Northwestern football. (Or at least I can pretend until Saturday...)

Harbo: OK, time to get to the punch line. What's your call for tonight's game? How will it play out?

Amalie Benjamin: I think we'll end on this note. Despite my prediction of Sox in five games before the series, I think the Sox will pull it out tonight. My best prediction is that Lester will carry the Sox to a win.

Amalie Benjamin: Thanks everyone for all the questions. Sorry I couldn't get to them all. We'll be back in business from Fenway Park in about two to three hours, and we'll get you all the news from the park. Enjoy tonight's game!