Workout salmagundi
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Red Sox are working out in Tropicana Field, a tired, sleep-deprived, and, most of all, happy team. “Our big thing is Happy Flight,” Game 6 starter Josh Beckett said. “The only way we were going to be able to make that flight last night was for it to be a happy one.”
Beckett was, for him, effusive in his press conference, but the most telling moment may have come during this short, somewhat terse exchange with a reporter.
Reporter: “Because of the oblique, have you had to adjust the way you approach pitching at all or make any changes to do anything differently?”
Beckett hesitated for a moment. “No,” he said.
“Same guy, same approach?”
“Same.”
That answer seemed right out the I-said-I’m-fine-so-write-that playbook. You know how much Beckett has struggled in his first two postseason starts, particularly his last one here, after his first one in the ALDS was pushed back due to an oblique injury.
The Red Sox remained steadfast today that they want Beckett on the mound, despite that 4 2/3-inning, eight-run disaster six days ago.
“I think we’re all excited about Josh pitching,” Terry Francona said. “You know, I know he’s been banged up at various junctures this year for different things … He’s not going to forget how to compete. So even if he’s going out there with maybe close to what he – maybe it’s not 96 [miles per hour], maybe it’s 92, 93. But he’s still Beckett, and that doesn’t mean he can’t win. That doesn’t mean he can’t dominate.”
For more news and notes, follow the "full entry" link below.
- One of the contrived, media-driven themes of the day was pressure – which team feels more, the one (still) on the brink of elimination or the one that let a World Series ticket slip from its fingers and blow away in the wind?
“Obviously, it’s on us,” Dustin Pedroia said. “We lose, we go home. They lose, they play another game. So it’s on us.”
David Ortiz agreed with Pedroia. Jonathan Papelbon declined to answer the pressure question – “You got to ask the prognosticators that,” he said. “I don’t know. That’s not my job.”
Papelbon also maintained his stance that there was “never a doubt” last night, despite the fact that winning a game in that manner had not been accomplished since Herbert Hoover was in office. (It’s like that old saying goes – every time the global economy crumbles, a baseball team comes back from seven runs down to win a playoff game.) But even Papelbon seemed awed by the Red Sox’ rally.
“After last night,” Papelbon said. “you’ve seen it all.”
- Two minor league pieces of news. First, the Red Sox received righthanded pitcher Dewon Day, 28, from the Chicago White Sox on a waiver claim. Day will join the Red Sox’ 40-man roster, and the odd man out is Chris Smith, who was designated for assignment. Day spent the season with Triple A Charlotte as a reliever and Double A Birmingham as a starter. He’s had two cups of coffee with the White Sox.
In the Arizona Fall League, Clay Buchholz threw five scoreless innings Thursday, allowing one hit and one walk as Scottsdale (his team) beat Surprise. Buchholz has now thrown eight innings in the AFL, allowing zero runs, one hit, and striking out seven.
- Mark Kotsay drilled a ball to center field, over the fence toward the actual tank of cownose rays, during batting practice a few minutes ago. “Dude, you killed a ray!” Ortiz shouted.
Beckett says he isn't hurt. Let's stop making excuses. Lester ain't exhausted either. He was throwing 97 MPH gas in his last start against the Angels in the 7th and now all of sudden he's tired. How about neither guy pitched too well their last start? Both can improve, have proven they are clutch, and as Francona says, I'll go with them in these two games. I'll take my chances.
Scott,
I have some waterfront property for sale in Florida. Low risk, practically no chance of losing money.
The Red Sox starting pitching is tired, done and going to lose.
Word!
Please pass this email to Coco Crisp. I'm a 72 year diehard Red Sox fan living in Tennessee. and I check the Globe every morning for Red Sox stuff.
Here is the message.: Coco Crisp exemplifies how every an athlete should act. He is the consumate team player. He is talented enough to play everyday on most teams and yet does not play every day for the Red Sox. Unlike most athletes today, he never complains and does the job when called upon.
Love the concern for detail.
Headline: Series shifts back to Tampa
A tired bunch of players from both teams worked out at Tropicana Field today, the Rays trying to forget last night's brutal Game 5 collapse.
TROPICANA FIELD IS LOCATED IN ST. PETERSBURG.
Seeing that picture of the cownose ray made my day.
Wow dirtman that is such a pessimistic view, were you watching game 5. Red Sox made history yet again. i wouldn't call a team that makes history tired i would call them fighters! I believe they can do it, believed in the 6th inning of game 5.
I tell you what, I think taking our chances with Beckett, and hopefully Lester is pretty damn strong. Ron Darling on EEI said he thought Beckett looked like a guy getting in shape for the roster, rather than the seed throwing maestro we saw last year. That being said, if the baseball gods smile upon us, Beckett BRINGS IT, and this is another sleep deprived, white knuckled, low scoring game, say 2 to 2 late. And last night the Rays lost their relief mojo, or rather had it ripped from them. While Boston's Pen stopped all of the Rays momentum. So, Sox will win tomorrow 4 to 2, and then Lester follows that up with a gem on Sunday. GO SOX, WIN IN 7, AND GO DO THAT VOO DOO THAT YOU DO SO WELL!!!
They should start Paul Byrd in both games if they want to win.
Hey Ron Ingham - don't forget that he hustles and throws leather as well as any outfielder I've ever seen.
That game last night was lost by poor decisions by Maddon bringing in the wrong pitchers at the wrong time. That being said the AL EAST CHAMPION Rays will be back at home where the sox cant handle the noise and pure alcohol fueled energy of the fans. I expect another god awful performance from Beckett and another great outing for Big game James.
GO RAYS
BOSTON = OVERRATED
this series is over. go sox!!!!!!!!
Won game one and without some terrible umps, would have won game two.
Like I said, this series is over.
Who cares what town the Rays play in. If it's so important, why are they known as the St. Petersberg Rays. We are the Boston Red Sox. We play in Boston. We come to FloriDUH to finish the job just like we did in previously in the ALCSes against the Yankees and the Angels. The Nation supports the SOX! Sr. Hog - OUT!
"He’s not going to forget how to compete. So even if he’s going out there with maybe close to what he – maybe it’s not 96 [miles per hour], maybe it’s 92, 93. But he’s still Beckett, and that doesn’t mean he can’t win."
"That doesn’t mean he can’t dominate.”
Sorry Tito but, actually, it DOES. A Beckett at less than full strength needs to pitch differently than a Beckett with a full-mustard fastball. Note Francona's logical transgression here. At first, he says Beckett will "not forget how to compete". Hey, there's NO doubt Beckett will come out and COMPETE. But then Francona claims that Beckett's diminished fastball "doesn't mean he can't DOMINATE". Well, that's a different animal. To dominate with his current MPH capacity, Beckett needs to learn to be a very different pitcher. Ask a Tom Glavine or Curt Schilling how long those kinds of adjustments take. I guarantee you it takes longer than Beckett had since his last disastrous start.
Hey, the Sox gave us a tremendous effort in the last game. That'll take the sting off this series' eventual loss. But unless the Ray's staff suffers a complete meltdown today, it's just not gonna happen. Beckett might dominate a few newspaper reporters, but Rays with bats in hand is another story.
Hey Jeff, next year when a reporter mentions what happened in Kansas City, I want you to complain here as to whether they meant Kansas City , Missouri or Kansas City, Kansas. I mean it sounds like your life centers on coming here and nit-picking which is not much of a life.
Jeff, you are wrong. The headline says "Welcome back to Tampa Bay" not to Tampa. If you look at a map, St. Petersburg is included in Tampa Bay. Wikapedia: Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the western coast of Florida, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay. So the headline was correct, nice try Jeff.
I was out working on my garage, and I accidentally hammered a nail into my thumb. I shouted "Salmagundi!" Thanks, AK, for a new word I didn't know about previously.
Please for godsakes stop calling james shields big game james. HE HAS PITCHED IN 2 PLAYOFF SERIES HIS ENTIRE CAREER! I dont care where he got the nickname from but stop acting like the guy is some big game pitcher and has proved throughout his career because honestly, he hasnt
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
Red Sox Twitter
E-mail your question
- Amalie Benjamin,
- Nick Cafardo,
- Chad Finn,
- Adam Kilgore or
- Tony Massarotti
Or if your comment or question is non-specific to a particular reporter, enter it in the form below:browse this blog
by categoryINside Boston.com
the Tall Ships in Boston