May we offer a few concerns?
By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff | June 1, 2004
http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/wilbur/sports_blog/blog/06_01_04/
Thirty-five.
Just let that number sink in for a moment longer, won’t you?
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Believe it or not, Ripley and company. That’s the number of runs allowed in an unimaginably horrific month for Derek Lowe, who went 1-4 with an 8.19 ERA in May.
Not scared yet? Statistician Chuck Waseleski points out that when opposing batters hit the ball in the air against Lowe, they are batting a robust .595 (44 for 74). Another bad start this weekend in Kansas City (a place where he owns a 6.62 career ERA) and we could start hearing more talk about yanking him from the rotation.
And here’s one more number to give you the willies on the first day of June. In the last two starts by Lowe and Bronson Arroyo, the Red Sox pitching staff as a whole allowed a grand total of 28 runs over 18 innings. That's more scoring over a two-day period than you'll see in Boston outside of a Valentine's Day weekend.
Somehow, thanks to Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, and a solid bullpen, the Red Sox still have the best team ERA in the American League (tied with Oakland at 3.87), though at times last month that was certainly debatable.
The Red Sox escaped the month with a 16-14 record, which really isn’t all that bad considering they had their worst May start since “The Bad News Bears” was tearing up the box office. Five straight losses to Texas and Cleveland kicked things off, and then the Red Sox finished the month 16-9. Not too shabby, particularly with Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon still on the horizon.
But while there were plenty of bright spots for the Sox in May (Manny Ramirez, Schilling, Mark Bellhorn, and Kevin Youkilis among them), there were certainly many concerns aside from Lowe, which is certainly numero uno on Red Sox Nation’s worry wart summer worry list.
Kevin Millar gets a lot of guff for not being the hitter he was the first half of last season, but he did hit .327 in May, a huge upgrade from his .218 April. But his meaningless home run yesterday was his first since April 23 at New York.
Brian Daubach’s return to the Red Sox was a fun novelty at first, but his career with the Olde Towne Team is likely to come to an end once Nixon or Garciaparra return. Daubach hit just .231 for the month, unacceptable as a No. 5 hitter behind Manny Ramirez.
“The Amazing” Crespo is still on the roster.
Mark Bellhorn’s strikeout to walk ratio is eye-popping (60:42, nearly 2:1 in May), but it needs to be noted that David Ortiz’s is even worse (55:22). Ortiz struck out 34 times in 120 at-bats last month.
Gabe Kapler hit just .216 for the month and drove in four runs, one less than Bellhorn did in one game against the A’s last week.
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The Yankees began to find their offensive and pitching grooves and went 18-8 last month.
Boston was a sub-par 6-8 in May on the road and kick off a two-game series with the Anaheim Angels tonight on the left coast. The Red Sox will play 13 of their 25 games in June away from the friendly confines of the Back Bay, including trips to Colorado and San Francisco in interleague play. And we all remember how the Red Sox have done historically in interleague play.
Exactly one year ago, the Red Sox were 31-23. Today, they are 31-20 with a lot less problems to fix than there were last June. Then again, Derek Lowe didn’t look like the second coming of John Wasdin a year ago either. When you conjure images of Lowe this season, every other concern becomes minor.
Go west young man
Speaking of Lowe, of the Red Sox tidbit Peter Gammons gives us in his latest Diamond Notes is this: “The Padres were privately peeved at Phil Nevin's outburst at a Philadelphia fan, but Kevin Towers is out looking for a starting pitcher. He inquired about Derek Lowe, but the Red Sox are trying to restore their former 20-game winner.”
Nevin would be no huge upgrade from anything the Red Sox have now, but it is certainly interesting if there is indeed interest in the struggling Lowe, also due to be a free agent after the season.
Also among Gammon’s Red Sox notes of interest:
“The Royals want a young third baseman, catcher, second baseman, outfielder and pitching (for Carlos Beltran), so Baird hopes to get three of the five if he deals Beltran. "We know he'd give us one more potential free agent," says one Boston official. "But it would be very hard to turn away from Beltran for this season." With Kevin Youkilis, catcher Kelly Shoppach and left-hander Abe Alvarez, the Red Sox might have a package that would at least pique Baird's attention. But to give up three players who next year will make $900,000, not to mention give them insurance if Jason Varitek leaves and the promise of a much-needed left-handed starter, might be too much. The Yankees have Double-A catcher Dioner Navarro, but little else in terms of 2005-ready position players. So this may be open.”
“The Cardinals had hoped to get Edgar Renteria signed, but talks have essentially broken off, so Renteria and Nomar Garciaparra may enter the free-agent market as the premier shortstops.”
“Boston is still trying to assess Byung Hyun Kim interest if the Red Sox pick up most of the salary.”
The Rocky Mountain News also confirms that the Red Sox have inquired into Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings, who is 4-5 with a Lowe-like 7.15 ERA, and that includes a 7.76 mark away from the thin air of Coors Field. He did pitch well yesterday though, allowing one run over eight innings at San Diego.
True Blue
Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times tells us that the Dodgers may be in line for a mascot.
In true form the mascot will show up in the third inning, sit in back of the home dugout, talk on his cell phone, and leave at the seventh inning stretch.
By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff | June 1, 2004
http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/wilbur/sports_blog/blog/06_01_04/
Thirty-five.
Just let that number sink in for a moment longer, won’t you?
ADVERTISEMENT
Believe it or not, Ripley and company. That’s the number of runs allowed in an unimaginably horrific month for Derek Lowe, who went 1-4 with an 8.19 ERA in May.
Not scared yet? Statistician Chuck Waseleski points out that when opposing batters hit the ball in the air against Lowe, they are batting a robust .595 (44 for 74). Another bad start this weekend in Kansas City (a place where he owns a 6.62 career ERA) and we could start hearing more talk about yanking him from the rotation.
And here’s one more number to give you the willies on the first day of June. In the last two starts by Lowe and Bronson Arroyo, the Red Sox pitching staff as a whole allowed a grand total of 28 runs over 18 innings. That's more scoring over a two-day period than you'll see in Boston outside of a Valentine's Day weekend.
Somehow, thanks to Curt Schilling, Pedro Martinez, Tim Wakefield, and a solid bullpen, the Red Sox still have the best team ERA in the American League (tied with Oakland at 3.87), though at times last month that was certainly debatable.
The Red Sox escaped the month with a 16-14 record, which really isn’t all that bad considering they had their worst May start since “The Bad News Bears” was tearing up the box office. Five straight losses to Texas and Cleveland kicked things off, and then the Red Sox finished the month 16-9. Not too shabby, particularly with Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon still on the horizon.
But while there were plenty of bright spots for the Sox in May (Manny Ramirez, Schilling, Mark Bellhorn, and Kevin Youkilis among them), there were certainly many concerns aside from Lowe, which is certainly numero uno on Red Sox Nation’s worry wart summer worry list.
Kevin Millar gets a lot of guff for not being the hitter he was the first half of last season, but he did hit .327 in May, a huge upgrade from his .218 April. But his meaningless home run yesterday was his first since April 23 at New York.
Brian Daubach’s return to the Red Sox was a fun novelty at first, but his career with the Olde Towne Team is likely to come to an end once Nixon or Garciaparra return. Daubach hit just .231 for the month, unacceptable as a No. 5 hitter behind Manny Ramirez.
“The Amazing” Crespo is still on the roster.
Mark Bellhorn’s strikeout to walk ratio is eye-popping (60:42, nearly 2:1 in May), but it needs to be noted that David Ortiz’s is even worse (55:22). Ortiz struck out 34 times in 120 at-bats last month.
Gabe Kapler hit just .216 for the month and drove in four runs, one less than Bellhorn did in one game against the A’s last week.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Yankees began to find their offensive and pitching grooves and went 18-8 last month.
Boston was a sub-par 6-8 in May on the road and kick off a two-game series with the Anaheim Angels tonight on the left coast. The Red Sox will play 13 of their 25 games in June away from the friendly confines of the Back Bay, including trips to Colorado and San Francisco in interleague play. And we all remember how the Red Sox have done historically in interleague play.
Exactly one year ago, the Red Sox were 31-23. Today, they are 31-20 with a lot less problems to fix than there were last June. Then again, Derek Lowe didn’t look like the second coming of John Wasdin a year ago either. When you conjure images of Lowe this season, every other concern becomes minor.
Go west young man
Speaking of Lowe, of the Red Sox tidbit Peter Gammons gives us in his latest Diamond Notes is this: “The Padres were privately peeved at Phil Nevin's outburst at a Philadelphia fan, but Kevin Towers is out looking for a starting pitcher. He inquired about Derek Lowe, but the Red Sox are trying to restore their former 20-game winner.”
Nevin would be no huge upgrade from anything the Red Sox have now, but it is certainly interesting if there is indeed interest in the struggling Lowe, also due to be a free agent after the season.
Also among Gammon’s Red Sox notes of interest:
“The Royals want a young third baseman, catcher, second baseman, outfielder and pitching (for Carlos Beltran), so Baird hopes to get three of the five if he deals Beltran. "We know he'd give us one more potential free agent," says one Boston official. "But it would be very hard to turn away from Beltran for this season." With Kevin Youkilis, catcher Kelly Shoppach and left-hander Abe Alvarez, the Red Sox might have a package that would at least pique Baird's attention. But to give up three players who next year will make $900,000, not to mention give them insurance if Jason Varitek leaves and the promise of a much-needed left-handed starter, might be too much. The Yankees have Double-A catcher Dioner Navarro, but little else in terms of 2005-ready position players. So this may be open.”
“The Cardinals had hoped to get Edgar Renteria signed, but talks have essentially broken off, so Renteria and Nomar Garciaparra may enter the free-agent market as the premier shortstops.”
“Boston is still trying to assess Byung Hyun Kim interest if the Red Sox pick up most of the salary.”
The Rocky Mountain News also confirms that the Red Sox have inquired into Rockies pitcher Jason Jennings, who is 4-5 with a Lowe-like 7.15 ERA, and that includes a 7.76 mark away from the thin air of Coors Field. He did pitch well yesterday though, allowing one run over eight innings at San Diego.
True Blue
Jason Reid of the Los Angeles Times tells us that the Dodgers may be in line for a mascot.
In true form the mascot will show up in the third inning, sit in back of the home dugout, talk on his cell phone, and leave at the seventh inning stretch.
