Each week, Rob from The Bottom Line, Matt from Fenway West and myself will take a few moments to answer questions about the week ahead for the Red Sox. It was my turn to ask this week so here are their answers to my questions.
1. Things were looking on the up and up after the sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays and then the Orioles sweep the Red Sox this weekend. What went wrong for the Red Sox this weekend?
BL:This series in Baltimore was a microcosm of the 2010 season. On Friday, the bullpen blew a solid 7-inning outing from Lackey. On Saturday, the offense put up 9 runs, but the Sox lost thanks to a Matsuzaka implosion in the 5th and a disastrous outing from Wakefield as an RP. And on Sunday, the Sox took the field with a lineup full of AAA guys and guys on AARP. Beckett pitched well, but the offense didn’t help and then Papelbon blew it in the 10th
FW: This series very easily could have gone the other way with the Red Sox winning all three games. The frustrating thing about the Red Sox is the inconsistency in all areas. It would be nice if you could point to one thing and make a fix but one day it is the defense, the next it is starting pitching and then the next day it is the bullpen.
2. While J.D. Drew is starting to heat up a little at the plate, the strikeouts are a little concerning. But the question is how come he’s basically gotten a free pass from the media and bloggers on his slow start but Big Papi takes all the heat?
BL: JD Drew is not the “greatest clutch hitter in Red Sox history.” Ortiz set the bar very high in his prime, so his decline looks that much more dramatic. Drew has been an “underachiever” from day one, so his slumps and hot streaks are taken with a grain of salt. Also, Drew is a robot, and that bugs some people, but the media when Ortiz starts swearing at reporters and Drew is quietly praying at his locker, who do you think they are going to write about?
FW: I think Papi gets more heat because people think he is done for his career where they think J.D. is just in a slump.
3. Speaking of Big Papi, it looked like he was back on Saturday night after hitting two home runs. But he still went 2-for-11 in the series. Should we be worried about Big Papi’s bat?
BL: Yes. Ortiz hit .303 against BAL, KC, CLE and TEX in 2009. He hit just .208 against NYY, TB, MIN and LAA. I hate to quote Dan Shaughnessy, but he’s right when he says “Ortiz put up phony numbers against bad pitching in 2009.” You have to play the teams on your schedule, but don’t I expect Ortiz to have any big hits against the cream of the crop.
FW: I don’t think we are going to see the Big Papi we saw in ’06 again but that doesn’t mean he can’t contribute. I like Tito’s approach of having him platoon until he gets his swing back.
4. How many chances will Terry Francona give Daisuke Matsuzaka if he has another bad start? Can the Red Sox afford to keep him in the rotation if he struggles next time out?
BL: Wakefield hasn’t proven that he deserves to start over Matsuzaka and Dice-K will not be effective out of the bullpen. Unless Matsuzaka completely unravels in 3 or 4 starts in a row, Wake will be stuck in the pen and we will be stuck watching Matsuzaka struggle to throw 6 quality innings.
FW: I think you have to give a starter four starts before you think about making moves. Look at the bad starts Lester and Beckett had and nobody is talking about taking them out of the rotation. Having Wakefield ready to go puts more pressure on Dice-K, but Tito made his choice with the rotation so he needs to see it through.
5. The sweep of Baltimore is a little disconcerting considering the upcoming schedule. I know it’s a little too early to hit the panic button but should we be worried about the Red Sox’s hopes considering how well the Yankees and Rays are playing.
BL: Yes. I see no reason to believe that the Sox can win a series against the Yankees, so this upcoming series in Fenway could really put them in a hole. The Rays won’t play .700 baseball all season, but they are good enough to keep a .600 pace… and so are the Yankees. If the Red Sox are still 7 games out of first on June 1, you can start making other plans for October.
FW: The wild-card is coming out of the AL East this season and the Red Sox can not afford to keep digging the hole they are in. There is still plenty of baseball to be played so it is not time to panic yet. If at the end of May the team is still sub .500 I will be reaching for the panic button.
6. Who will be your MVP of the coming week?
BL: Kevin Youkilis hit the Angles and Yankees well in 2009, and despite some major changes to both teams, I expect him to lead the way through this home stand, after leading the team with a .321 BA at Fenway last year.
FW: I’m going with Marco Scutaro. He will be at the top of the order until Ells comes back and will set the table well in the coming week. He has a nice hit streak going and is becoming a selective hitter; he is second on the team in walks.
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