Thursday, May 1, 2008

Sox Pitching Stellar Again

When you think of the Red Sox you think of them smacking balls off the monster, but that has not been the case over the past five games. In those games, the bats have gone dormant, but the pitching, unbelievable. (I know they are only 2-3 in that stretch but I am still impressed by the starters)  

Each member of the rotation has shown exactly what they can do when they are making their pitches. #1-4 could easily shutdown a line-up on a given night. #5 Wakefield, can keep the Sox in most games and can throw about 500 innings a year. At this point, it seems Epstein made the right call in keeping Lester instead of pulling the tigger on the Santana deal.

Now, I can't think of many teams who are that strong #1-4, have a solid closer and a catcher to keep everything together. Can you? The bats will come around. No one can score 7-10 runs every game, but with good starting pitching the Red Sox may not have to.

3 comments:

Dan said...

The problem Joe, comes when the starter can't go 7 innings. Then the Sox have to turn things over the likes of Javier Lopez, who is reprehensible, Manny Delcarmen, who may never take the next step I keep hoping he takes,and Mike Timlin who has looked elderly.

Joe said...

Dan, can you see anyone beating the Sox in a playoff series w/ Beckett, Dice-K, and Buchholz making every start and Lester, Wakefield, and Schilling in the bullpen, w/ Okajima and Papelbon (w/o pitch limits) I don't. Yes the pen will lose some games during the year, but this team is build for the postseason.

Dan said...

Beckett is a stud, as he has proven. I think Dice-K will be fine. I look for him to peak as the playoffs near. As for Buchholtz, the future looks bright, but he lacks experience and consistency over a long enough timeline to convince me. You seem to be loosing that fatalistic view that most Sox fans have, Joe. Perhaps your engagement has given you rose-colored glasses.