In-Between Days
There isn't a lot to say about last night's season-opening loss to the Kansas City Royals, other than Schilling had neither velocity nor location, and everybody outside of J.D. Drew looked to be a bundle of nerves. From Pedroia's baserunning gaffe to some strange outfield play and a parade of bullpen pitchers, the Sox needed to get the juices flowing.
A bigger test of the team will come tonight, when Josh Beckett takes the mound against Odalis Perez. A few things to look for:
1. Beckett's off-speed pitches. He talked about them all throughout spring training, and his fastball was twice as effective, helping him pile up the strikeouts. Thing is, spring training is spring training, and he's running headlong into a Royals lineup bristling with up-and-comers named Ryan Shealy, Mark Teahen, Alex Gordon, and Tony Pena, Jr. Look for Beckett to dial it down in key situations.
2. Plate discipline. J.D. Drew looked the best out of everybody yesterday for his even-tempered approach at the plate. Most everybody else looked jumpy, with Dustin Pedroia being Exhibit A. Although Drew takes a lot of heat for his attitude (and I'll admit, when I heard the rumors I wanted no part of him), I've really come to appreciate his approach. He's patient and thoughtful, the kind of player we've gotten used to (at least as concerns their personality) in Mike Lowell and Tim Wakefield. Drew has the raw potential to be devastating to pitchers, so let's see if the rest of the lineup catches on to his approach and takes a few more pitches.
3. Terry Francona. It was discouraging to see a revolving bullpen door on the first game of the season. As much as I like Francona, he can sometimes be accused of overdoing matchups and overtaxing relievers in situations that seem out of reach. Joe Torre does the same thing. Yesterday's game would've been great to try and stretch out a reliever, but it feels just like the same old same old when you call for a new pitcher every two seconds.
Of course, we're all only waiting for two things: the first win of the season, and Matsuzaka's Thursday debut. Here's hoping we get one out of the way tomorrow night.
A bigger test of the team will come tonight, when Josh Beckett takes the mound against Odalis Perez. A few things to look for:
1. Beckett's off-speed pitches. He talked about them all throughout spring training, and his fastball was twice as effective, helping him pile up the strikeouts. Thing is, spring training is spring training, and he's running headlong into a Royals lineup bristling with up-and-comers named Ryan Shealy, Mark Teahen, Alex Gordon, and Tony Pena, Jr. Look for Beckett to dial it down in key situations.
2. Plate discipline. J.D. Drew looked the best out of everybody yesterday for his even-tempered approach at the plate. Most everybody else looked jumpy, with Dustin Pedroia being Exhibit A. Although Drew takes a lot of heat for his attitude (and I'll admit, when I heard the rumors I wanted no part of him), I've really come to appreciate his approach. He's patient and thoughtful, the kind of player we've gotten used to (at least as concerns their personality) in Mike Lowell and Tim Wakefield. Drew has the raw potential to be devastating to pitchers, so let's see if the rest of the lineup catches on to his approach and takes a few more pitches.
3. Terry Francona. It was discouraging to see a revolving bullpen door on the first game of the season. As much as I like Francona, he can sometimes be accused of overdoing matchups and overtaxing relievers in situations that seem out of reach. Joe Torre does the same thing. Yesterday's game would've been great to try and stretch out a reliever, but it feels just like the same old same old when you call for a new pitcher every two seconds.
Of course, we're all only waiting for two things: the first win of the season, and Matsuzaka's Thursday debut. Here's hoping we get one out of the way tomorrow night.
Labels: 2007 Season
Ryan Brodeur at 12:09 AM
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home