The last time the Red Sox played a regular season game, they lost to the Orioles and the 2011 season ended in heart-breaking fashion. They'll look to start the 2012 season off with a win when they take on the defending AL Central champions in Detroit this afternoon. Here are some links in the meantime…
- Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said on WEEI that he didn't consider putting Daniel Bard back in the bullpen this spring, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports (Twitter links). The Red Sox haven't made Bard promises going forward, but they view him as a starter for now.
- Former Red Sox scouting director David Chadd won't be watching when his current team and his former team open the season at Comerica Park today, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. "I'll be out trying to find another Jon Lester," said Chadd, who’s now a VP with the Tigers. Before Lester became a star in Boston, Chadd scouted and drafted him. "I saw a 6’4” left-hander with a great delivery with a good arm," Chadd said.
- Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe proposes that the Red Sox could have made Vicente Padilla their closer to keep relievers such as Alfredo Aceves and Mark Melancon in their previously-assigned roles. Manager Bobby Valentine says the save opportunities will go to Aceves for now, however. Be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter for the latest updates.
Aceves, with his youth and rubber arm, has the tools to become a top flight closer. All he needs is the killer attitude. Padilla relies on too much off-speed pitching and is too far along in his career to make the transition to closer. He can go 2-3 innings effectively providing he has sufficient time to rest his arm between calls to the mound. Melcancon, who pitched well in the closer role for the last place Astros, may wind up being the “go to” man in the 9th or 10th inning but management will avoid throwing him into that role on a “sink or swim” basis. He will be brought along slowly so as to avoid him being overwhelmed by the change of scenery from back water Houston to the pressurized world of the AL East baseball in Boston.
BTW, after 11 consecutive seasons of 200 innings+ pitching, I am predicting that C.C. Sabathia will spend considerable time on the DL in 2012.
Aceves= top flight closer..
Sabathia= DL stint
well, aslong as you don’t let your bias get in the way of predictions lol
We all have our biases, Lunchbox, no doubt. I suggest, however, that you take a look at C. C.’s history in MLB. Considering the notion that he doesn’t spend too much time in the gym, and he is now in his 30’s, his chance of DL level injury, to his shoulder, back or arm, has to be very high. This doesn’t take anything away from the man’s performance over the years, but lets get real, he has only seen the DL once before. He has tossed over 200 innings per season for a decade or more. Sooner or later this has to catch up to him, physically. He is not Superman. As for Aceves, his relief stint in the BoSox opener, seemed to lack that “killer….go right the hitter” attitude. However, he could easily be back on the mound this PM after a day off yesterday. I will be interested to see if Valentine brings him in, and, if so, deploys him at the start of an inning or with runners on, again.
One final thought……….on Bard, if he fails to fulfill the role of starter, “he” will request that he be returned to his set up role, where he has been very effective for the last couple of years. The decision will be his, not Bobby V.’s or Cherington’s.
Is Felger ghost-writing Tony Maz’s column now?
Yikes. Ace is wasted as a closer. Boston needs guys that can take 2-3 innings with rubber arms. I can quite easily see Aceves getting Proctor’d Joe Torre style.
They kept Atch at least to go long innings in his place. I don’t agree with using Aces as the closer, but having Achison around to go 2-3IP will take some of the load from the rest of the pen.
What didn’t understand was Justin Thomas on the team at all. He seemed to pitch in every Nesn broadcast and didn’t look good even when he was not scored upon, including that game vs Washington where he was and was just brutal.. Can understand having that extra lefty (with Morales) in the pen, but you want one who can actually get people out, not throw meatballs up to the plate time after time.
Hopefully Andrew Miller will be back from the DL soon and take his place.. Miller even is a huge improvement over that guy.
I don’t know Thomas, but if MILLER is a huge improvement….
You guys are going to have a fun April.
13th pitcher (Thomas) on the roster and maybe won’t even stick.. It depends. They have Rich Hill (probably best lefty) rehabbing from TJ still as well.
Miller was not bad last year compared to the Miller I saw with the Fish the previous 3 seasons and actually was throwing up to 95mph and had his 12-6CB back. Wouldn’t under estimate him as a slim chance revival at some point. Far sight from the rehab guy they got and was barely hitting 90 the Fish had mangled, couldn’t repeat any delivery at all they had changed his mechanics so bad.
Still a work in progress however.
I’ll take my chances with Aceves. He has a wicked attitude and sweats like a hog. I like it – he may be better than Bailey anyway.
honestly what is with this aceves obsession. he is not a very good pitcher. good, but not very good. his biggest strength is his ability to pitch more than one inning on consecutive days
Hey Maz, how’s Padilla working out for you?
He got bailed out by Valverde’s usual failures in clutch performance at least.
The funny thing? Those Tigers announcer seemed to care more about Verlander being G’d out of the win than they do who wins the game now.