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The Black Pearl Looms
February 27, 2009
2.27.
09, 3:22 PM
The Black Pearl Looms
(Photos from Boston. com)
Bullpen, Rotation Looking Sharp
More Manny Drama
By: Jared Carrabis
As this week comes to a close, the Red Sox have had more far more moral victories than game victories.
With a Boston offense lacking Manny Ramirez (we'll get back to him) for the first time since the 2000 campaign, the Red Sox pitching staff hopes to be the strong point for the club in 2009.
All signs indicate that the pitching staff will be the strong point in 2009, but then again, it's only February. Regardless, it's always nice to see Josh Beckett hurling two perfect innings no matter whom he is dealing against.
Clay Buchholz and Junichi Tazawa both had lights out innings of work this past week; needing 6 pitches or less to complete their perfect innings of work. While the Red Sox boast of having one of the top starting rotations in the league, they arguably have the best bullpen in all of Major League Baseball.
There isn't a big name set to board the Black Pearl in 2009 that has give up a run so far this spring. The reliever that was brought on board via the Coco Crisp trade, Ramon Ramirez, hurled a perfect inning with two strikeouts as part of his Red Sox Spring Training debut. Also making his Red Sox Spring Training debut, Wes Littleton pitched a perfect inning of his own with a strikeout as well.
For the relievers that have been aboard the Black Pearl before, Justin Masterson has two scoreless innings under his belt. Masterson is being prepared to be a starter this spring, although his role will likely be to set up Jonathan Papelbon. Manny Delcarmen looked sharp in his perfect inning of work complete with one K. Javier Lopez gave up two hits in his one inning of work, but escaped without letting any runs cross home plate, while striking out a batter.
On Thursday, the Red Sox unveiled their new secret weapon in the bullpen, Takashi Saito. The right-hander struck out two in his scoreless frame without any complications health wise. If Saito can remain healthy in 2009, he just may be the X-factor that decides the American League East. With guys like Masterson, Okajima and Papelbon already in the bullpen, Saito is just another threat to shorten games, while already having a dominant starting rotation. A starting rotation combined with a bullpen like this could make things a hell of a lot easier for the Red Sox offense this season.
Jon Lester returned to action on Thursday in a loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The left-hander looked sharp in his two scoreless innings of work giving up just two hits and striking out one. While working on getting back into the swing of Major League season, Lester has also been working on adding a new pitch to his repitoure, the changeup.
"That's what spring training is for," Lester said. "You use it as a building block for the season, but you also take your weaknesses and you try to focus on them. That's one that, this spring training, we're really trying to focus on.
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Lester has worked the changeup into his outings in the past, but he hopes that in 2009, the pitch will be called upon more frequently and used more effectively.
"It adds another dimension that hitters have to worry about," Lester said. "It takes pressure off of my fastball and my cutter. If I can command it and throw it for strikes when I want to, then that'll definitely help. I'm not trying to have the best changeup in the league," Lester said. "I'm just trying to get a changeup that's effective and one I can throw behind in the count, or whenever we need to.
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"My changeup is never going to be my out pitch. It’s going to be a pitch I use in situations – behind in the count, fastball counts, dead-pull hitter, you want to throw that first-pitch changeup, you can do it. But it’s not a pitch that’s going to be an out pitch or a devastating pitch for me. It’s just not going to happen.
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In other news, you may have heard that Manny Ramirez has turned down an offer made by the Los Angeles Dodgers, again. This situation reminds me a lot like a certain guy that keeps going for the girl of his dreams but keeps getting shut down time after time. At some point or another, it's time to tell that girl that it's their loss, and move on.
2-years and $45 million? With $25 million in the first year guaranteed, which would make him the second highest paid player in the game behind Alex Rodriguez, and a player option for the second year worth $20 million. If he chose to do so, he could take the $25 million in 2009 to play for the Dodgers, put up a monster season and re-enter a better free agent market in 2010. What more could you ask for Manny? So if I'm the Dodgers, I've had enough and it's gotten to the point where it's almost a joke.
What Scott Boras is most likely whispering into Manny's ear is to hold out until the season starts. Right now, the Dodgers are the only team in the Ramirez sweepstakes, but once the season starts, a big name slugger could go down, a big market team could get off to a miserable start and panic, there are a slew of things that could happen that could result in more teams gaining interest in the headache that is Manny Ramirez.
I'll always love Manny for what he did here in Boston, but enough is enough. He's made it blatantly clear that he is only in this game for the check and he could care less what name if on the front of his jersey, as long as the name on the back is getting paid more than everyone else on the roster. Manny, you're a great hitter, if not the greatest in the game, but let's be realistic here. You're about to turn 37 in May; stop listening to Boras and sign the contract.
While Ramirez is still without a contract, but will likely be reluctantly rewarded with one; former Red Sox All Star shortstop, Nomar Garciaparra, is still looking for a job.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the 35-year-old is contemplating between a one-year deal with the Oakland A's, or hanging up the spikes for good. Although the end for him here in Boston may have been bitter, I wish him nothing but the best in his search to find work at the Major League level.
That's all I've got for now. The Sox are playing the Rays currently, I'll post an update when the game goes final.
-Jared Carrabis
-Jared Carrabis
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