May 29, 2015

Red Sox Rundown - We Shall Never Surrender




"Now this isn't the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

 - Winston Churchill

 We're saved, right? Nah, maybe not, but that start by Eduardo Rodriguez last night is what is so rewarding about watching baseball: tremendous pitching, timely hitting, and solid defense. And it'll be opportunities like this that will keep us diehards involved with this team, even long after the playoff chatter evaporates. Playoffs? Sorry folks, but with this current cast, I really don't see it.  Rodriguez demonstrated though that we have much to look forward to, and it's fun to witness young talent blossom. Blake Swihart is also becoming more acclimatized to the big leagues and has put together a mini hitting streak rapping two RBI to back Eduardo's first major league victory.

 But it is, I'm afraid,  the end of the beginning. This whole "we'll play better soon" horseshit is getting old with the only saving grace being that the AL East is, itself, a cesspool of unmitigated mediocrity. Could the Sawx actually climb out of the basement and compete for October baseball? Hey anything's possible but don't hold your breath. Even the ever resilient legendary statesman Churchill may have faltered in faith if he was a fan of the Red Sox. Quite simply put, this team is still a mess and is going nowhere in its present state. In my last post, GM Ben Cherington stated:

 "There's a lot of talent, and I'm confident we'll be better." 

This was uttered back on May 11th. So what have the Red Sox done since then?  Well, they have played 16 games and gone 7 - 9. Nope Ben, wrong again. Let's talk accountability for a spell. Cherington rolled the dice and lost with his "Billy Ball" groundball ratio promise of effective pitching. "Brash Ben" even went as far as to say that he would have traded Lester for Porcello straight up if he was given the chance. In essence, this is kinda what happened as they got Yoenis Cespedes for Lester and used Cespedes to get Porcello. How's that looking now, Ben? Yeah I know. Not so great, huh? Then Boston ponied up an extension for Porcello which is fine with me if you want to pay a borderline #3 guy 20 million plus for 4 more years. This might be akin to scattering a ton of shit and hoping something good will grow. While on the subject of shit, how about the signing of Justin Masterson? The last time I saw Justin this was the predicted forecast. However the phantom arm issue cropped up so Ben could save some face here... for now.
To the credit of Miley and Buchholz, there has been more success with the starting staff, but try this on for size - Wade Miley is the best pitcher on staff for the month of May. Is that how it was drawn up? He was suppose to be the cartoon before the movie, not the feature film. Right now, Ben looks like he tried to be the smartest person in the room, and it blew up in his face. To add insult to injury he's also got a DH who isn't really one, a gaping hole in RF because they stuck with the gimpy Shane Victorino too long, a young catcher who has been prematurely pushed into service, a left fielder who isn't really one, and invested in a switch hitting third baseman known for post season prowess who isn't really a switch hitter. Do I even mention  Joe Kelly and Allen Craig?  Yeah, let's fill a roster spot with a guy like Craig who needs plenty of reps to get back on track, but use him as bench strength? Nah, that's enough of that. It just sickens me. 

David Ortiz, who is suppose to be a main cog in the offense, was quoted this week that if things don't change soon, "they will be packing their bags." What the hell does that mean? Start hitting the ball, David. That's what your paid for. His start to 2015 is reminiscent of his titanic struggles of 2009 and this could, and maybe should, be his farewell tour. He said that he's been going after the "bastard pitch" and not driving the pitches he should be. Now, he's on a two day holiday in Texas to get his head straight. Really, in the old days we'd call it getting benched, but not in the "Rainbow World" of John Farrell. Ortiz has been singing praises for the way Farrell has dealt with him and why not? I mean, who are you going to replace Ortiz with? It's not like we have a hot bat on the bench and can't work it into the lineup. Farrell is smart enough to know this and is treating David with kid gloves. John has also played some small ball and has been replacing Hanley for defensive purposes so he's at least trying some things. In reality, it doesn't take much baseball knowledge to rid yourself of a play like this late in tight games though.
While I'm on the subject of coaching, can someone put out an APB for Chili Davis? Where the hell is this guy, and what is Boston paying him for? Dustin Pedroia helped lead Mike Napoli out of his slump by watching video with him, and now Hanley Ramirez is crediting Dustin with his new found stroke which led to a homer in last night's win. Wasn't he suppose to fix the hitting woes that plagued Boston from as far back as last season? Check this scene out from last night's game.


Butterfield > Jesus, David, if Chili catches me helping you, he'll be pissed.
Ortiz > Chili can kiss my ass. I'm hitting .105 against lefties. I gotta get things going and Dustin's busy right now.

If it were just that easy. Replace a coach and then viola - instant success. Boston fans have gushed over the transformation of the starting pitching initially due to the hiring of Carl Willis. What marvels could this "Sage of Moundsmen" be performing  behind the scenes? The answer here is probably not many. I've always said, especially at the highest levels of sport, the coaches get too much credit when the team is doing well, and far too much blame when things are going poorly. Upon being hired, Willis was quoted as saying he believed in fastball command. Not exactly a revelation, and when you look back at the erratic efforts of Boston pitchers earlier on, it certainly is a basic principle that needs to be adhered to for any pitcher. The key word there is basic, and Willis is known for keeping things simple and focusing on the basic fundamentals which is vital area of teaching for any good coach. Does this mean Juan Nieves was trying to impart outlandish philosophies that the Boston staff couldn't internalize? Absolutely not! The guy won a World Series in 2013 with Boston albeit with more seasoned hurlers like Jon Lester, John Lackey, and to a lesser extent Jake Peavy and Ryan Dempster. These pitchers had all had consistent success at some point in their careers and had tapped into their potential. Boston has a few guys like Porcello, Miley and Kelly that have yet to really come into their own. Porcello could be on the cusp of realizing his strengths, and his time with a very talent - laden group in Detroit certainly helped his progress. The jury is still out here  though. The fact is no amount of coaching could have prepared him for the nuances of pitching like hanging out with the likes of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. Coaches do certainly play a role in success,  but can also be associated with results of the talent around them. Then when you do try to do some corrective instruction, they resist it and become insulted like Yoenis Cespedes did towards Sawx first base coach Arnie Beyeler (bottom of linked article).

Kelly and Miley are the wildcards on staff though. If they can't bring things around consistently, the Red Sox are doomed. This is the area where Willis will earn his keep along with wet nursing Clay Buchholz. So far, so good with Wade, and Clay is always a kind word and a warm hug away from a dazzling performance.Willis' reassurances have paid dividends here. Obviously, Kelly has a ways to go yet, and the hounds are barking at his door.


So May has really been a test of patience after a promising April. Right now, the offense is in neutral and the pitching is showing some consistency. In April, we never had any pitching but had sporadic offense coupled with a bevy of unearned runs in our favor. Unless the two intertwine, tough times will continue, but as good ol' Winnie said:

"If you're going through hell, keep going."
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