Sox Now In Rest of Pack Chasing the Mighty Yankees

The Yankees now sure as hell look like the The Team to Win it All in 2009.

It has been painful to watch the Yanks beat up on the Sox the past two series. Suddenly, the rivalry is more of the familiar mismatch that it used to be in the late 90s, it appears. I know this Sox team is better than the team that lost to the Yanks in 1999, but, there is the same old "uphill" feeling of watching the Sox try to struggle to get or hold a lead in these games.
The surprise for me, like many fans, has been the sharp improvement in the Yankees' pitching since the start of the year. C.C. Sabathia is pitching like he did in Cleveland now. (I still have doubts about whether he'll perform this well all through the playoffs) Pettite has done better than I expected. And, despite AJ Burnett's problems with the Sox, he's pitched well most of the season.

This Yankee team has the same traits as other recent Yankee lineups in terms of hitting, but, they're perhaps a bit better than a few other Yankee teams since 2001. First, the addition of Mark Teixeira alone has bolstered the team. Cano, who, amazingly bats 7th on occasion, has been the stud hitter he can be ALL season this year. Jeter, defying the aging process, is actually hitting better this year. Matsui, suddenly looks like he went back five years in time and is belting the ball. (How did he do that?) And on and on and on.

The only way for any team - whether in the American or National League - to defeat this loaded, dangerous hitting Yankee team is with stellar pitching. I mean two or more starters - like Schilling and Johnson did in 2001 - shutting down the Yankee offense. (Or, the way the Tigers did it a few years ago, with Rogers, Verlander and Bonderman) Now, yes, the Red Sox are among a very small group of teams that have a couple of stud pitchers who one can imagine pulling this off in Beckett and Lester. However, as we saw in Sunday night's game, even Beckett has to be "on" to limit the Yankee hitters; without a good curve ball, Beckett proved to be very hittable for the fastball-loving Bombers.

So, all teams are chasing the Yanks and must pitch brilliantly in the playoffs to stop them. Having said that, the Red Sox certainly have a decent chance to win the wild card, but, the Rays and Rangers have nearly the same chance, in my view. (I think the Rays have about an equal chance to the Sox because of their talent in pitching and hitting is at or even better than the Sox.)

Why Did Sox Stay with Penny & Smoltz So Long?

I think this question will linger into the winter if the Sox fail to advance in the playoffs.
First, I really believe Brad Penny displayed his mediocrity and limited talents very early on in this 2009 season and he should have been replaced in the rotation a lot sooner. Penny throws mostly fastballs for the entire game - which, in itself, is an indictment of his capacity as a pitcher. The vast majority of pitchers in the American and National League do not throw ONLY A FASTBALL for their entire outing in the same fashion that Penny has. So, as I watched Penny - outing after outing - get hit harder and harder as the game progressed and the opposing hitters got more familiar with his fastball - I wondered: "Why is Sox management putting this guy out there when he has nothing more in his aresenal?"
Penny somehow pitched some half-decent games earlier, but, his outings never lasted more than six innings and he got terrific run support and that distorted how he was actually doing.
As the season progressed, and the "book" was out on Penny among AL teams AND he fell into his decline after the All-Star break, it was painfully obvious that he didn't belong in the rotation. The Sox were VERY slow in removing him, waiting until after his horrible outing last Friday night against the Bombers - which was a hopeless effort. He might as well have been throwing beachballs to the Pinstripers, who just waited on his "meatball" fastballs.
So, if one accepts that Penny stayed in the rotation too long AND, also, that Smoltz was allowed to stay in there way too long, well, that adds up to A LOT of losses for this 2009 Sox team.
Who was responsible for that? Theo Epstein, more than anyone, and, secondly, Terry Francona, who as manager, should have not agreed to put these pitchers out there - even if Theo was influencing the moves.
There is another question that has not been raised about Penny & Smoltz's roles and that is: Why didn't the Sox have more minor-league pitchers who they could have brought up, and, at least TRIED inserting, even if temporarily, in these starting spots? The Red Sox, supposedly, have a deep minor-league system, but, if they felt there were more good young arms to tap, one assumes they would have. Yet, the Red Sox have, on occasion, been too conservative and reluctant about bringing minor-league pitchers up. I'd argue that Clay Buchholz should have been called up after Penny had pitched five or six times and shown his limitations.

David Ortiz, Argubly, May Be One of the Only Players to Lead Sox Into Playoffs

Big Papi is hitting very well again and it seems likely he's got extra motivation to prove his critics wrong after the steroid controversy swirling around him. Ortiz said he was careless with supplements in the past (in 2003, he's implied) but denies ever using steroids. Who knows?
All I know is Ortiz looks more focused at the plate in the past ten days than I've seen him look all season. When he hit his home run off Burnett Saturday, it was a fastball away that he drove into the Monster seats, but, what impressed me was how he waited on that pitch until the ball got closer to his bat. Big Papi has been waiting for the ball to get further into the strike zone, allowing himself that extra split second to make better contact. Ortiz used to hit like this all the time a few years ago, but, this year - and perhaps last year, with his bad wrist - he began "committing" on his swing a tiny bit earlier, making it harder to avoid hitting popups or striking out on breaking pitches.
If, in fact, Ortiz is "on a mission," to prove himself over the weeks ahead, it's possible he could keep hitting home runs and doubles the way he used to - and, in the process, lead the team to some key wins as they compete with the Rays and Rangers for a wild card spot.

Buchholz, Wakefield, Tazawa Likely to Play Key Roles

If the Sox are to make it, they'll need Buchholz to perform steadily as a starter. He's looked very good lately, but, no one knows if he can keep lasting a good six or seven innings in his starts. Tim Wakefield's contribution remains uncertain, depending on the health of his calf. If he can't field his position, he may suddenly have to be replaced - again. Tazawa may wind up in the role formerly occupied by Justin Masterson as a "long man" out of the bullpen, or, as a spot starter.

JD Drew's Awful Season

Drew has been disappointing during most of his time on the Red Sox, but, this year, in particular, his poor hitting has really hurt the team, which has desparatedly needed offense at times, especially with men on base. Drew has continued in his bad habits of taking way too many pitches - particularly with men on base and simply failing to get hits despite his natural talents.

Relief Pitchers Continue to be More Erratic

Rookie Daniel Bard has run into a little rough patch. He's given up some big home runs - first in that series against the Yankees and another in another series. In any event, Bard has to stop leaving his fastball up in the strike zone. He has to keep it on the corners more.
Meanwhile, Ramon Ramirez continues to struggle. What is his problem? No one has identified it, but, he is simply not reliable - as he was during the first half.