Keep panic button in the closet
Aug 11th, 2007 by Bill Burt
Ugly way to lose? You bet.
The 6-5 loss to the Orioles didn’t look good. But I’m going to take a different tact tack and say that more good came out of that loss than bad.
Am I crazy? Of course, but hear me out.
1. Wily Mo Pena came through in the clutch. I don’t remember saying that statement more than once before in the last 270 Red Sox games. Whether it is for later this season or getting trade value, that’s a good thing.
2. Dice-K is legitimately very good. He was near unhittable last night. I would want him to be the No. 2 guy in a big playoff series. Other than his occasional wild streaks, he is a borderline staff ace.
3. Julio Lugo ignited this team again. Again, this has not been a common theme in 2007, but it happened last night. All he did was bunt the ball, but it was a good one, scoring the go-ahead run. If he can generate similar electricity the rest of the way he will be a contributor.
Now, the bad part is that the Eric Gagne and Hideki Okajima didn’t come through, especially Gagne. But that probably won’t happen again. Both are considered automatic and had a bad game. The odds of both of them messing up, together, are so high it’s not worth mentioning.
Gagne has a lot to prove and last night will probably make him a little fiercer than he has looked thus far. He has to treat his “setup” role as if he is closing. His eighth inning should be his old ninth inning.
Again, forget about the Yankees. The Red Sox did a lot of good last night and should have beaten one of the hottest pitchers in baseball in Erik Bedard (12-4, 3.11 ERA). In fact, the way the clawed back against Bedard in the eighth inning, with two outs, is something to call home about.
But there is one caveat to last night being a “successful” loss. And that’s Josh Beckett and the bats doing their job tonight. My guess is both will.
10 reader comments to “Keep panic button in the closet”
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1Chuck Waseleski said:
Bill, Bill, Bill, a “different tact”??? Surely, your Merrimack education taught you it should be “tack”.
But I agree with you completely.
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3Andy said:
Gagne’s 3.300 WHIP so far with Boston is, uh…big.
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4Andy said:
Hey Bill, you sure were right. It would never happen again that Okajima and Gagne would falter in the same game.
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6Andy said:
Panic? I’m a Yankees fan.
Be sure to check out where Gagne’s current streak ranks:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/sotd/archives/185 -
8Andy said:
I don’t think (nor did I say) I think he’s finished, although he recent serious injury is a concern. What I don’t get is why the Sox addressed a strength (bullpen) but not by far their biggest weakness (offense.) Look at the Yankees, who in August have added Hughes to the rotation, Chamberlain to the bullpen, and Giambi to the bench. No team improved more.
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10Andy said:
Bill, no doubt that the Yanks SP is weaker than the Sox. To my mind, as far as starting pitching goes, the Sox’ main advantage over NYY is how much less the starters will wear down come October. Even should the Yankees manage to make the playoffs, it’s hard to believe that Mussina, Pettitte, or Clemens will have much gas left in the tank. Hughes will have plenty of gas but has no playoff experience and will be facing excellent-hitting teams in the postseason. Wang is the only reliable post-season starter as far as I see it. Whereas for the Sox, Matsuzaka is still young, not even close to overworked, and has lots of playoff experience in Japan and the WBC. Wakefield, though old, has tons of pitches left in his arm. Schilling, also old, had lots of time off and may excel in the postseason. And Beckett is obviously fine. To me, this is the big concern for the Yankees. Their offense is not going to be able to beat up the best pitchers in the playoffs the way they have thumped sub-.500 team’s staffs lately, and their own SP isn’t necessarily going to be enough to make up for it.
The Sox offense, by the way, has been fine except for the same lack of power they’ve been suffering all year.
