You’ve got Jon Lester. You’ve got Josh Beckett. Everything else is one big cluster of discomfort.
Erik Bedard was throwing the ball well against the Rangers last night until a base hit, a bad call (Josh Reddick made the catch, though it was called a trap) and a three run home run off the bat of Mike Napoli turned his line upside down. Personally, I think Bedard will be fine down the stretch and into the playoffs, meaning he’ll be a very solid third starter. His ERA in four starts with the Sox is 3.57 with a 21/5 K/BB rate.
If this team heads into the playoffs with Lester, Beckett and Bedard leading the way, will that be enough? And what about wining the division? Obviously that’s the first goal, but with John Lackey (4.52 xFIP), Tim Wakefield (4.67 xFIP) and Andrew Miller (5.03 xFIP) rounding out the back-end of the rotation, is there enough pitching to bring down the Yankees for the pennant?
Clay Buchholz is aiming to return before the end of the season, but we’ll have to wait and see about that.
This week’s poll question is: How worried are you about the pitching? Please take into consideration the current rotation and bullpen and keep in mind how both might play out in the postseason.
Head on over the the right sidebar to cast your vote!>>>>>>>>>>
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Last week’s poll question was: Should the Sox give Ortiz a multi-year deal? Almost 800 of you weighed in on what is sure to be a controversial subject this offseason.
Yes, but no more than two years 65% – This option ran away with your votes, gathering over 500 of them. Clearly the combination of Ortiz’s legacy with the Sox and his on-field production make a two-year deal seem like a comfortable option.
No. Try to work out a one-year deal 18% – Those who do not want to see the Sox give Papi a multi-year deal still want him back for 2012. I personally don’t see a straight forward one-year deal going down, but maybe a one-year deal with a vesting option could work.
Give him whatever he wants, he’s a legend 12% – Ahhh yes, the sentimental Sox fans want to hang onto their heroes forever. Unfortunately, sometimes this game is not as sentimental when it comes to it’s aging stars. The game is moving toward youth and team-controlled salaries. We’ve seen many veteran designated hitters hit the free agent market only to settle on one-year deals worth less than what they were hoping for.
No. So long Papi and thanks for the memories 5% – Only 30 of you decided that saying bye-bye to Big Papi would be no big deal. It is not yet known, however, how many of those votes were Yankees fans in disguise, hoping to Ortiz to the Bronx for 2012.