Wed, 05/15/2013 - 2:23pm — Anonymous
Buster Olney joins the show to discuss the muddled AL East, the average play of Ellsbury and how that will affect him in free agency, and Tropicana Field.
Wed, 05/15/2013 - 1:18pm — Jerry Spar

ESPN baseball writer Buster Olney joined the Mut & Merloni show Wednesday to talk about the Red Sox and news from around the majors.

Wed, 05/15/2013 - 1:16pm — Anonymous

Buster Olney

ESPN baseball writer Buster Olney joined the Mut & Merloni show Wednesday to talk about the Red Sox and news from around the majors.

The slumping Sox lost to the Rays on Tuesday night, with the winning run scoring on a popup at Tropicana Field that first baseman Mike Napoli couldn’t handle. That revived the debate about the oft-criticized domed building. Olney said the Rays would love to get out of their lease, but they have no easy way out.

“The bottom line is that they’ve got this terrible lease with the city of St. Petersburg,” Olney said. “Baseball would love for them to move out of St. Petersburg and out of the Trop. The Rays would love to move out of there. And people all around baseball would love for them to move out of there. But until the city of St. Petersburg signs off on this thing, they’re kind of stuck. And it stinks. Because that organization clearly has a lot of promise; it’s as well-run an organization as there is in baseball. They’ve done a phenomenal job of competing despite the limitations that they have within that park.

“And until it changes, it is going to feel like they’re playing in their grandmother’s basement, let’s face it. The ball hitting the ceiling, and the different rules, and how many rings and all that stuff — it’s a completely different type of baseball than there is in any other park.”

Jacoby Ellsbury, who becomes a free agent at the end of the season, is having a disappointing year at .256/.321/.363 with one home run and 13 RBIs.

“He just doesn’t look nearly as comfortable at the plate, he’s not being as efficient at the plate as he’s been in the past,” Olney said. “Let’s face it, he’s not a big guy, so he’s got to have his swing right to do the type of damage he did in 2011. And it’s having a huge impact, without a doubt, on the perception of him as a player. If he had had the type of year this year — and he’s still got three-quarters of the season to do it, he could still make a ton of money, he could theoretically be a $100 million player.

“But if he continues on this same trajectory for the entire year, it’s going to be a crusher for him in terms of how much money you would lose, to the point that you’d almost think that he’d want a mulligan and go back into free agency and come back and play for one year before he hits the market. Because you take these type of numbers into the marketplace with the current skepticism about players on long-term deals, you’re not going to get that much money.”

Rays pitcher David Price, the 2012 American League Cy Young winner, is on a one-year deal for a team-record $10.1 million. Although he can’t become a free agent for three more years, the Rays reportedly will look to trade him rather than give him another high-priced deal.

“They could actually sign David Price, but it would eat up so much of their payroll that it’s something that they would never do, because you can’t really have one player making 25 to 30 percent of your payroll, because it puts at risk so much else you do,” Olney said. “So, they really can’t grow. You’re seeing other clubs getting these new television deals and new ballparks with the suites and different things where they can grow their revenues, and the Rays just don’t have that possibility. Which means they’re always going to be the ma and pa hardware store trying to make due with pennies against the Home Depots. And that’s their reality. … They’re really stuck. And when you get a player like David Price, who’s almost outpriced when he joins the team, you just know that the clock is ticking, and eventually they’re going to have to move him. And that’s the expectation around the industry, is that he will not be with them by the time we get to Christmas this year.”

Price hasn’t helped his cause with his slow start this season.

“His velocity is down by 2½ miles per hour this year, and he’s been pitching more in the middle of the zone,” Olney said. “Now, when you talk to the Rays, they’ll you, hey, we don’t really think that there’s a problem. But before the Rays can get what they want in those trade talks, he’s got to get back up to that 95 miles per hour I think before other teams are necessarily going to buy him at face value.”

Red Sox closer Joel Hanrahan is out for the season with an arm injury. Olney said the Sox were aware that Hanrahan had some issues when they acquired him from the Pirates.

“I know it was definitely something that was thought of, that he was at a greater risk for injury, he’d had physical problems in the past,” Olney said. “If you look at the history of guys who go on the disabled list one year and then suffer an injury in the subsequent year, it’s incredible the percentage chance of that happening climbing, just because of that one disabled list stint.

“Now, I know he had a groin issue [in 2012], but his velocity was down in parts of last season. There was concern about his physical condition. I know he feels like he needs to be bigger to throw harder. But yeah, without a doubt. Think about it: He’s been an All-Star, and the Pirates, when they made that trade, it’s not like they got a huge return. Their big push on him was to be efficient with their salary. It wasn’t like they got two major prospects back. So, people all around baseball I think looked at Hanrahan as being a potential risk.

“We thought early on that he’d be part of what was a really good bullpen. But now he’s going to have to be another guy who’s probably going to have to come back and re-establish his value before getting paid.”

To hear the interview, go to the Mut & Merloni audio on demand page. For more Red Sox news, visit the team page at weei.com/redsox.

Blog Author: 
Jerry Spar
Wed, 05/15/2013 - 11:42am — Anonymous

Right-hander Allen Webster continues to shut down Triple-A lineups despite some command struggles. (AP)

A brief look at Tuesday’s action in the Red Sox farm system . . .

TRIPLE-A PAWTUCKET RED SOX: 5-3 WIN VS. GWINNETT (BRAVES)

(BOX)

– Shortstop Jose Iglesias went 1-for-2 with a walk and a sacrifice bunt in four plate appearances. In seven games since returning to the lineup following a four-game spell in which manager Gary DiSarcina had him sit, Iglesias, 23, is hitting .192/.300/.192. However, DiSarcina told Tim Britton of the Providence Journal that more important than the shortstop’s numbers has been his approach to the game since returning to the field.

“One of the great traits he has is his love for the game. Sitting down for a couple days, he realized how much he loves the game, how much he misses playing with that joy,” DiSarcina said. “When he plays free and plays creative, he’s a lot of fun to watch, and I’m sure he has a lot of fun doing it because he has skills other people don’t have.

“The five or six games he’s been back, that’s kind of what we wanted from him. Enjoy yourself. You have an opportunity to go out there and be a leader out there. He’s been doing it.”

– Right-hander Allen Webster, in his first start back in Pawtucket since getting shelled for eight runs in 1 2/3 innings in a big league start, worked around issues with his fastball command (which led to both a solo homer and four walks) to allow just one run on three hits in five innings. He struck out five, recorded seven groundball outs and produced 11 swings-and-misses.

While Webster, 23, had enjoyed an eye-opening spring in which he demonstrated an ability to attack the strike zone that ran counter to his minor league career norms, he’s shown some regression during the season. He’s now issued 10 walks in 25 innings, a rate of 3.6 per nine frames, and on Tuesday, he threw strikes on just 53 percent (49 of 92) of his pitches.

Still, given how his big league outing went, it was noteworthy that Webster proved capable of limiting the damage against him even in a game where he suffered through imprecision.

– Bryce Brentz went 2-for-4 and now has four multi-hit games in his last five contests. During a six-game hitting streak that followed a three-day absence due to a sore left side (the result of a collision with shortstop Jonathan Diaz), Brentz, 24, is 10-for-24 with a .417/.440/.667 line.

DOUBLE-A PORTLAND SEA DOGS: 3-0 LOSS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE (BLUE JAYS)

(BOX)

– Left-hander Drake Britton, 23, had arguably his most pronounced command struggles of the year, issuing a season-high four walks while throwing 53 of 95 pitches (56 percent) for strikes. He also got just six swings and misses, continuing a season when — despite solid strikeout rates (with five punchouts in five innings on Tuesday, Britton now has 8.7 strikeouts per nine innings) — he’s not getting a ton of swings and misses.

Still, Britton — somewhat like Webster — minimized the damage, pitching around a night full of baserunners to hold the opposing lineup to two runs in five frames.

– Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, 20, went 0-for-4 and saw his streak of reaching base in 22 straight games come to a conclusion. The 20-year-old hit .315/.413/.517 during the stretch.

– Catcher Christian Vazquez, who opened the year with a somewhat startling ratio of 15 walks to seven strikeouts through May 6, is experiencing something of a regression to the mean. The 22-year-old went 0-for-3 with a punchout on Tuesday, and now has six strikeouts against one walk in his last four games. He’s 2-for-12 with a double in that time.

HIGH-A SALEM RED SOX: 2-1 WIN AT CAROLINA (INDIANS)

(BOX)

– Third baseman Garin Cecchini had to leave the game after suffering an injury while chasing a foul pop-up. He limped off the field under his own power. Per Salem broadcaster Evan Lepler (via twitter): Garin Cecchini says he rolled his ankle on the lip of the grass in pursuit of a foul pop up. “It’s a lot better than I thought,” he said.

– Right-hander Mike Augliera had a spectacular outing, tossing six shutout innings in which he retired the first 10 batters he faced, allowed just three hits (all singles), recorded a dozen outs via groundball, struck out four and walked none. He threw strikes on 52 of his 82 offerings (63 percent), and, obviously, his sinker was working to great effect.

The 22-year-old has delivered consistent performances in Salem with high groundball rates, occasional swings-and-misses (6.0 strikeouts per nine innings), a willingness to pitch to contact and not give out walks (2.2 walks per nine) and an absolute refusal to give up home runs. He is one of just seven pitchers in all of minor league baseball with at least 40 innings pitched (Augliera has tossed 40 1/3 frames) and no home runs allowed.

In his last five starts, Augliera has a 2.15 ERA. He’s worked at least six innings in three of his last four starts with 19 strikeouts and five walks in 24 innings.

– Second baseman Sean Coyle, 21, went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. In his last six games, he’s now 0-for-23 with two walks and nine strikeouts. Some of that struggle has merely reflected bad luck — games with hard-hit balls that found gloves — and some of it has been an issue with elevated effort level, something with which Coyle has contended at other points in his pro career, most notably in the first half of last year when he struck out at a somewhat disconcerting rate.

The recent rough patch has eroded his numbers for the year considerably. One of the hottest players in the Sox system through the first weekend of May, the second baseman is now hitting .233 with a .283 OBP — though he still has a .563 slugging mark thanks to his nine homers in the season’s first 17 games, and he’s also stolen seven bases without getting caught.

– Shortstop Deven Marrero went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts, the first three-strikeout game of his professional career.

SINGLE-A GREENVILLE DRIVE: 9-8 LOSS AT ASHEVILLE (ROCKIES)

(BOX)

– Right-hander Justin Haley, making his first appearance out of the bullpen after six starts, gave up three runs — all unearned — on two hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He recorded all eight of his eights either by groundball (six) or strikeout (2) in what represented one of his better outings of the year for the 2012 sixth-rounder. He was in line for the win, having not given up any runs, when he left a bases-loaded, one-out, ninth-inning situation to another reliever, but a walk-off, three-run error on a dropped fly ball ended up saddling Haley with his sixth loss of the year and the three unearned runs.

– Right-hander Austin Maddox, a 2012 second-rounder, again proved vulnerable to homers, as he gave up a pair in 5 1/3 innings during which he permitted six runs on seven hits while striking out three and walking one. Maddox has now given up six homers in 30 2/3 innings this year.

– Second baseman Mookie Betts went 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. The 20-year-old now has a 10-game hitting streak during which he’s hitting .405/.511/.757 with four doubles and three homers. The seven extra-base hits in a 10-game span is little short of astounding given that, prior to the stretch, he had just 13 in 95 professional games.

– Catcher Tim Roberson, a 23-year-old, undrafted free agent signee out of Florida Gulf Coast University, enjoyed the best day of his pro career, going 3-for-5 with a double, homer and five RBI.

Blog Author: 
Alex Speier
Wed, 05/15/2013 - 10:24am — Anonymous

Jon Lester

It’ll be a battle of ace left-handers on Wednesday night in St. Petersburg, Fla., with Jon Lester taking the hill for the Red Sox against reigning Cy Young winner David Price.

The undefeated Lester threw a complete-game gem last time out, blanking the Blue Jays and allowing only one hit on the day. The lefty struck out five without walking a batter, bringing his strikeout-to-walk ratio to an even 3-1. He threw 118 pitches in the nine-inning performance, his highest total of the year so far. Lester made only one mistake on the day, allowing a double to Maicer Izturis, the only blemish in what would have otherwise been a perfect game.

The one-hitter clearly was Lester’s most dominant start of the season, but he’s been impressive all year long. Lester heads into his ninth start with a 5-0 record, 2.73 ERA and 0.987 WHIP. He’s finished at least six innings in six of his eight starts, while striking out five or more in every outing.

Lester has taken on the Rays 23 times in his career, facing only the Blue Jays more times. Over those 23 games, he’s 10-8 with a 4.14 ERA while striking out 143 Rays over 139 innings. Tampa Bay gave the Sox lefty some trouble last year, limiting him to only 10 innings over two outings, and scoring 10 runs on 10 hits and five home runs.

Price, who finished 2012 with 20 wins, a league-low 2.56 ERA and an American League Cy Young trophy, has struggled somewhat in his eight starts thus far in 2013, going 1-3 with a 4.78 ERA. Price has allowed five or more runs three times on the year, including his penultimate start in which he gave up nine runs (though only four were earned) on 10 hits and three walks to the Rockies. Apparently, Price has been dealing with some severe allergy issues that have impaired his vision on the mound, and he is being treated with eye drops to curb the symptoms. “All the trainers, they knew that I couldn’t see and that my vision was extremely blurry,” Price said Tuesday about his earlier starts.

Price has had success against the Red Sox in the past, owning an 8-4 record and ERA just south of three in 16 career games. Lester and Price have already met once this year, engaging in a pitchers’ duel at Fenway back on April 13. Both starters allowed only one earned run but neither would get the win; the contest remained knotted at 1-1 until Shane Victorino singled in Jacoby Ellsbury in the bottom of the 10th inning.

Red Sox vs. Price (LHP)

Dustin Pedroia (39 plate appearances): .303/.410/.485, 1 HR, 3 doubles, 2 RBI, 6 walks, 5 strikeouts

David Ortiz (30): .200 BA/.333 OBP/.280 SLG, 2 doubles, 3 RBI, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts

Jacoby Ellsbury (26): .250/.308/.583, 1 HR, 1 triple, 3 doubles, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts

Daniel Nava (19): .056/.105/.056, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts

Mike Napoli (18): .235/.278/.235, 1 walk, 11 strikeouts

Jonny Gomes (11): .300/.364/.400, 1 double, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Pedro Ciriaco (10): .100/.100/.100, 5 strikeouts

Jarrod Saltalamacchia (10): .125/.300/.250, 1 double, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Will Middlebrooks (9): .444/.444/.778, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 strikeouts

Shane Victorino (9): .286/.444/.286, 1 RBI, 2 walks, 1 strikeout

Ryan Lavarnway (7): .286/.286/.429, 1 double, 1 RBI, 3 strikeouts

Stephen Drew (2): .000/.000/.000, 1 strikeout

Mike Carp has not faced Price.

Rays vs. Lester (LHP)

Evan Longoria (48): .214/.313/.357, 1 HR, 3 doubles, 6 RBI, 6 walks, 15 strikeouts

Ben Zobrist (44): .211/.318/.342, 1 HR, 2 doubles, 6 RBI, 6 walks, 15 strikeouts

Yunel Escobar (32): .308/.387/.308, 3 RBI, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts

Sean Rodriguez (23): .167/.304/.278, 2 doubles, 4 RBI, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts

Jose Molina (20): .333/.400/.333, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts

Desmond Jennings (16); .267/.313/.400, 2 doubles, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Luke Scott (11): .000/.000/.000, 5 strikeouts

Kelly Johnson (10): .000/.200/.000, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Jose Lobaton (7): .000/.000/.000, 3 strikeouts

Sam Fuld (6): .167/.167/.167, 1 RBI, 1 strikeout

Matt Joyce (6): .400/.500/1.000, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts

Ryan Roberts (5): .200/.200/.200

James Loney has not faced Lester

Blog Author: 
Katie Morrison

Jacoby Ellsbury, like most of the Red Sox, has struggled in May. (AP)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- The Red Sox need for this to be a beginning.



Wed, 05/15/2013 - 12:14am — Anonymous

First baseman Mike Napoli's inability to catch a pop-up proved a game-changing play. (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It had already been a tough inning for John Lackey. The Red Sox starting pitcher, who carried a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning, had seen that advantage get flushed as an opportunistic Rays team rallied on the strength of four hits — including a check-swing double down the left-field line by Luke Scott.

With runners on second and third and two outs, Lackey’s outing stood in considerable peril. It was 3-3, and a mislocated pitch to Matt Joyce could mean two or even three runs.

But after a first-pitch swing-and-miss changeup, Lackey put a pitch right where he wanted it — a fastball that got on Joyce’s hands. Joyce popped it up a mile (“I hit it on the barrel — I hit it really well, just I hit it really high”), long enough that back down on earth below, trouble started brewing.

The footwork of Mike Napoli and Dustin Pedroia as they crept towards the ball was hesitant, uncertain and in Napoli’s case, a bit faltering. Ultimately, when the ball settled, it did so just behind Napoli and bounced on the ground; Pedroia hollered for Napoli not to touch it, to see if it might roll foul. But it stayed just inside the line, coming to a halt on the dirt of the basepaths.

Two runs scored, with the Rays claiming a 5-3 lead that ultimate provided the final margin of victory. Ballgame.

“It’s frustrating, for sure,” acknowledged Lackey. “I made a pitch, and I needed an out.”

Napoli took full responsibility for the miscue. He suggested that he didn’t lose the ball against the roof, and that instead, his problem was purely fundamental as opposed to visual.

“I didn’t make the play. I saw it up and overran it. … My first read was stay back and then I started running in and overran it,” said Napoli. “I’ve played here before (at first). It’s a white roof, but I saw the ball and like I said, I overran it.”

Pedroia countered that, given his experience playing indoors at Tropicana Field, he should have made the play.

“It was up there a while. I’ve played a lot of games at this field. I ran to it and took my eye off it and tried to find it again, and I couldn’t find it. It’s probably an easier play for me than Nap because a left-handed hitter and I had a better angle. I just took my eye off it. I know better than to do that. We lose it. It just drops,” said Pedroia. “I was kind of playing deep, and I just kind of ran up. I know better than to take my eye off it when you run here because then you can’t find it. He hasn’t played that many games in the field here, and I’ve played a lot. It’s my responsibility to help him out in those situations and catch the ball.”

Napoli, however, refused to accept the reprieve.

“That’s a long way for him to run. That’s a play I should’ve made and I didn’t,” said the first baseman. “Felt bad, because John’s out there, he got the guy to pop up, and if it’s a tie ball game, he probably would’ve pitched a little longer. Just overran the ball and didn’t make the play.”

Blog Author: 
Alex Speier
Tue, 05/14/2013 - 11:52pm — Alex Speier

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, following his team’s 5-3 loss to the Rays, confirmed a report on ESPNDeportes.com that he’s been hindered by “a little bit of tightness” in his left oblique. He suggested that he suffered the injury during the three-game series in Texas over the first weekend of May.

Tue, 05/14/2013 - 11:50pm — Anonymous

David Ortiz said that a tight left oblique has impaired his approach at the plate. (AP)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz, following his team’s 5-3 loss to the Rays, confirmed a report on ESPNDeportes.com that he’s been hindered by “a little bit of tightness” in his left oblique. He suggested that he suffered the injury during the three-game series in Texas over the first weekend of May. While the injury is not as severe as a pull, it’s still affected his swing.

“I’m going to keep on playing with it. It’s not at a point where it gets any worse. Hopefully, it doesn’t get any worse. But yeah, it bothers me on some swings that I take,” explained Ortiz, who hit a three-run homer on Tuesday night that represented his first extra-base hit in a week and snapped a 1-for-19 stretch. “Like last week, I was watching some videos, outside pitches that I was kind of pulling, and when you get to the point where you want to drive the ball the other way and next thing you know you’re hooking the ball, that’s not normal, you know what I’m saying? That had a lot to do with it. Hopefully it gets better.”

Manager John Farrell said that he was “somewhat aware” of the condition, which is part of the reason why the team decided to have Ortiz rest during Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays — to create an opportunity for back-to-back days off with Monday’s off-day. Though he feels some discomfort, Ortiz — who is hitting .329 with a .365 OBP, .633 slugging mark and five homers in 20 games — suggested that so long as he’s physically capable of being in the lineup, he intends to remain there.

“I’ve got to play. I have enough time off,” he said. “It’s not at the point where you pull it, because if you pull it, then you’re definitely not going to be able to play. So I just come in early and treat it, then try to move forward.”

Blog Author: 
Alex Speier
Tue, 05/14/2013 - 10:25pm — Alex Speier

Sustaining arm strength over a full outing can be one of the biggest challenges facing pitchers returning from Tommy John surgery. And on Tuesday night, that challenge seemingly caught up with Red Sox starter John Lackey.