Surely novelty has to count for something. Monday’s postponement of the scheduled game against the Rays marked the first time the Red Sox home opener had been cancelled since April 11, 2003. It was the first time the club’s Opening Day game got scuttled in a generation, dating back to a snow-out in Chicago on April 6, 1982 (no word on whether the White Sox had been planning on wearing shorts that day).
So at least the Sox had that going for them … Which is nice.
Aside from the rarity of the cancellation, there was little to infer from the day at Fenway Park. Because the game was called more than four hours before its scheduled start, disruption to the two teams was minimal. Nonetheless, because learning never ends, there were still some subtle revelations about the 2009 Red Sox.
And so, without further ado: Five Things We Learned on a Thoroughly Soaked Monday
1) THE BULLPEN'S DEPTH WILL BE TESTED EARLY
The fact that Opening Day was nudged forward by a day is, in the larger scheme of things, a fairly trivial alteration to the schedule. Nonetheless, it does create an interesting challenge out of the gate.
The Sox are now set to play nine games in as many days. While the rotation will get to stay on a fairly regular schedule, with four days of rest between their first two starts, the bullpen will endure a different test, particularly at a point in the schedule when starters rarely navigate deep into games.
In each of the past five seasons, the Sox had at least two off days in their first nine games of the season. In the past 25 years, the Sox have never before opened the year with games on nine consecutive days. (In 1982, the team played 12 games in as many days, though that included an Opening Day doubleheader and an off-day.)
The relievers – who at this point in the year, may appear in back-to-back games, but are extremely unlikely to pitch in three straight days – were already in for a challenge with a run of eight games in as many days. Now, with their lone off-day of the season’s first stretch wiped out, the task is slightly greater. The schedule will present a fine opportunity to take stock of the anticipated depth of the Boston bullpen.
“We’ve got not only what we feel is a very talented (bullpen) but also a very deep bullpen,” said pitching coach John Farrell. “It affords us the ability to use different guys on different nights.
“Because of the depth and the talent we don’t feel like we need to ride the hot hand of one or two guys to where they get overworked.”
2) BEHIND CLOSER DOOR NO. 2 IS...
While the Sox have monitored all of their relievers closely, closer Jonathan Papelbon’s usage has been measured especially carefully. Ever since the shoulder subluxation that ended his rookie season, the Sox have created guiding principles to ensure that his invaluable joint is kept intact.
There have been rare occasions when he’s been used on three consecutive days in the past couple of years, but most of those have come towards the end of the season. In the early months of the year, the Sox have been willing to regulate Papelbon’s usage by turning to someone else for closing duties.
In 2007, Hideki Okajima picked up five saves. In 2008, Manny Delcarmen and Craig Hansen each had a pair of saves backing up Papelbon. This year, there’s likely a new backup sheriff in town.
Over the last three years with the Dodgers, Takashi Saito saved 81 games. If Papelbon has pitched on back-to-back days, Saito seems likely to be the primary fill-in.
“Going into the season, we have confidence with three or four guys in the back of the bullpen,” said Farrell. “And if we get into a situation where Pap has closed on consecutive days, we feel very comfortable being able to go to Saito to close out a game.”
3) IMPATIENT FOR BRAD PENNY'S RED SOX DEBUT? HAVE WE GOT NEWS FOR YOU...
Brad Penny’s first Red Sox start had been scheduled for April 12. That date will now get bumped up by a day so that Opening Day starter Josh Beckett, who had been scheduled to pitch on April 6 and then again on April 11, can remain on normal (four days’) rest between the revised Opening Day date and his second start of the year.
Penny seemed relatively indifferent to the changed date.
“I kind of new ahead of time it might happen. (The rainout) doesn’t make a difference,” said Penny. “Saturday or Sunday, it didn’t matter to me.”
Penny is spared a trip to Fort Myers by the rainout. He was going to fly south on Tuesday to pitch in a minor-league camp game, but now he will remain with the Sox and throw a couple of simulated innings in the bullpen (roughly half the anticipated workload he would have had in the spring-training setting).
4) JED LOWRIE WON'T HAVE TO LOOK OVER HIS SHOULDER FOR AT LEAST A COUPLE OF WEEKS
Manager Terry Francona revealed that shortstop Julio Lugo will keep working out with the Red Sox during the current series against Tampa Bay before flying down to Fort Myers when his club travels. In Florida, he will continue to build the strength in the muscles around his knee until he is ready for game activity and a rehab assignment.
The Sox have little intention of rushing Lugo – who underwent surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee on March 17 – through his rehab. He’ll spend a full week in Fort Myers and then likely rejoin the club for a check-up when it returns from the West Coast on April 17. From there, a rehab assignment against more advanced competition could be in the offing.
“After about a week (in Fort Myers), we’ll kind of see how he’s doing,” said Francona. “He’s progressing with his hitting and working a lot on strength. I know we really want him to have that strength back in his quad before the first time he plays in a baseball game.
“The one thing we really want him to be able to do is to be able to play before he starts playing in games, not just (be a designated hitter),” said Francona. “We’ll try to get him to where he’s going to go have him play and then see where the best place to let him start is.”
Between Lugo's time in Fort Myers and the need for a rehab assignment, Jed Lowrie would appear to have at least a couple weeks of sole occupancy as the starting shortstop.
5) SOME MINOR DEVELOPMENTS
The Sox’ fifth-round draft picks from the past two years are both progressing well in their recoveries from injuries.
Third baseman Will Middlebrooks, selected in 2007, tore a hamstring in February, while 2008 fifth rounder Ryan Westmoreland has been sidelined while rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn shoulder labrum.
Middlebrooks played in his first game since tearing the hamstring on Monday, batted twice and played three innings. He’s going to remain in extended spring training for the next couple weeks before a likely assignment to Single-A Greenville later this month.
Westmoreland is “progressing well” in his return from surgery on a torn labrum, according to farm director Mike Hazen. The Sox’ fifth-round pick out of Rhode Island is hitting off a tee, and will start taking batting practice, perhaps as soon as today. After a week or 10 days, he will progress to live batting practice before he can start serving as a D.H. in extended spring training games, likely before the end of the month. …
Stephen Fife, the team’s third-round pick in 2008, injured his right shoulder. The pitcher was one of the more impressive performers for Single-A Lowell after getting drafted last summer, going 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA. The team does not believe that they injury is serious – “It could have been just a fatigue issue,” said Hazen – but he will remain in Florida for a couple extra weeks to strengthen the shoulder before a likely assignment to Single-A Salem. …
Nick Hagadone, the Sox’ top draft pick in 2007 and considered one of the organization’s top prospects, threw a live batting practice session over the weekend, marking the first time he had faced hitters since tearing his ulnar collateral ligament last April. He threw only fastballs and changeups, and will start using his slider in about 10 days.
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