Back in the Fort
Mar 26th, 2007 by Rob Bradford
Was a tad late thanks to the party today because of plane troubles, but eventually rolled into my rental car (sans window cranks, or “levers” as my son would call them) and made it to the Red Sox’s minor league training facility in time to see both Julian Tavarez and Jon Lester pitch in their minor league games.
Wasn’t able to get to Sarasota today to see Daisuke Matsuzaka, but understand he had an adventurous outing. According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, Matsuzaka threw 104 pitches in five innings (26 in the second) but didn’t give up a hit. He did, however, walk five, which is three more than his entire total for the spring.
Much to the dismay of the massive media horde which made the trip up I-75 for the outing, Matsuzaka left without talking to the press, instead issuing a brief statement through his translator: (Via Boston.com) “This time of the year, I think the content of my pitching is more important than the result on paper. Iâ??m not happy with the content of my pitching today. I threw a lot of walks and wasted balls and it was tough for my fielders to defend and to get into a good rhythm on offense. Itâ??s something I want to pay attention to in the regular sesason.”
Jonathan Papelbon followed Matsuzaka by retiring all three batters he faced, including a strike out.
Back down on Edison Ave …
Tavarez threw 75 pitches and will next start in the Red Sox’s exhibition game in Philadelphia Friday. He said after that he was working on incorporating his change-up and splitter in a bit more. He also reiterated that when the Sox let him know of the plan to put him in the fifth spot in the rotation he was very surprised, admitting that his focus had been solely on relieving to that point. The righty seems to have clearly embraced his new role, which, if you watched his month of starts last season, should come as no surprise.
Lester tossed 45 pitches (26 strikes). He had good life on his fastball and was cruising until a curveball got away from in the second inning and hit a batter. The next batter hit what should have been a double-play grounder to shortstop but it was mishandled. The next batter walked, bringing an end to a 22-pitch frame. He had thrown 11 in the first.
The lefty ran into some trouble in the third, giving up a double, triple, and then walk. But, despite the up and down results, Lester’s stuff looked solid. Oh, and offensively Wily Mo Pena hit an opposite field home run in the same game right down the right field line while Doug Mirabelli also knocked a double to the left field wall. Both came off of Minnesota minor leaguer 28-year-old lefty Dave Gassner, whose major league experience consists of two games with the Twins in 2005.
Somebody asked about minor league catching prospect Luis Exposito and his absence from camp. He isn’t currently present in Fort Myers due to personal issues, but is expected to arrive within the next few weeks.
Will get to questions tomorrow … thanks for your patience.
8 reader comments to “Back in the Fort”
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1Trey said:
Dan Shaughnessy’s column today is viewed by some as a thinly veiled shot at Curt Schilling (and his attempts to communicate directly with his fans). Others see it as also insulting to the fanbase which participates in the writing of, and commenting on, sports blogs.
Would you care to comment on the implications of a blog like Schillings, and/or on Shaughnessy’s column?
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2tommy said:
You mention Tavarez’ split and change-up. What else does he throw, and does he have a strng enough reptoire to be an effective starter? With the exception of last September, his past forays into starting haven’t been very encouraging. Has anything changed about his approach? Any idea what the word on the street (i.e. scouts, other GMs) is about his possible effectiveness?
Personally I would have liked to see Hanseck get a shot, if only because he has such a great story.
Thanks.
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3Ian said:
Thanks for checking out the Exposito thing Rob.
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4squidblob said:
Rob- if Dice-K pitches 5 no-hit innings with 5 walks, could you say that he is almost Hansack-esque?
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5Griffin said:
“Thinly veiled”?
Thanks for the laugh.
For a great look at CHB’s column, check out firejoemorgan.com:
http://www.firejoemorgan.com/2007/03/blogs-bad-old-media-good-nerds-nerdy.html
BTW, thanks for the Lester update, Rob.
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6Clem said:
Shaughnessy’s attack on Schilling’s blog was so easy, he might as well have written it in his sleep (like most of his columns). I mean, what it Schilling supposed to do? Read through all the comments on his blog and delete whatever is sycophantic or gushing? Poor Danny, he’s just unnerved by this newfangled internet and the ease with which athletes can now circumvent the Knights of the Keyboard.
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7Rick said:
I find this blog very informative, and enjoy the insights. Thanks very much.
I’d especially like to thank and commend you for using Daisuke Matsuzaka’s name, spelled the way he wants, rather than the inane “Dice-K” phonetic-spelling-posing-as-nickname thing that the mainstream (and some local) media have latched onto.
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8Anonymous said:
Rob,
any word on the rumor that Dick Franks is whoring himself on Essex St. in order to pay for his lavish lifestyle after getting shit canned by the Evil Tribune?
