Sox-Yanks game two
Argh... I really hate to throw Terry Francona under the bus so soon after his masterful performance in the 2004 playoffs, but tonight's loss lies squarely on his shoulders. Three things that were blatantly obvious to me while drinking beers and watching the game at a bar tonight:
Willie Harris: Why was he starting? Because he's left handed? Is that it? I'm sorry, but against the Yankees' best pitcher, I'd much rather have Wily Mo Pena (.320/.357/.507) in center field than our token pinch-runner (.105/.261/.105). Call me crazy.
Mike Holtz: You just activated this guy for this series - which basically screams out "we need a lefty because we're playing the Yankees in May!" - so you pretty much plan on him being your lefty vs. lefty guy. This means that under no circumstances should he be pitching the sixth inning in a three-run game unless Giambi or Matsui is batting with men on. So, naturally, Terry brings him in for a full inning with the game still within reach, with Tavares, Timlin, Foulke, and Papelbon still available. This makes perfect sense.
Curt Schilling: Since Terry let him throw those ridiculous 133 pitches in Cleveland, Schilling has started three games, and his ERA has risen each time. He actually did okay against Tampa and Baltimore (although they both suck), but tonight it seemed like the workload caught up with him. He allowed ten baserunners in five innings and gave up three home runs, throwing 100 pitches. We'll have to see how he rebounds in his next start (vs. Baltimore again), but he definitely seems to have been thrown off of his early rhythm.
Until Wakefield-Chacon tomorrow night...
4 comments:
Sully, I'm sure you remember me sending you an email during that game that Schilling went over 130 pitches. And I sent it well before he hit 130 and before he blew the lead that game, just surprised that they would do that with somebody his age so early in the season.
I'm just glad I sent that email, because that puts me totally in the first guessing and not second guessing category.
Not to take anything away from you, but everyone I know first-guessed that decision. It was just terrible. Indefensible. I get angry thinking about it...
Yeah, but I wasn't even watching the game, and I knew.
That's a very good point. See, the Red Sox pay Francona good money to sit in the dugout and come to those conclusions, but you could do it for free without even being in that state. Somehow, this actually makes me feel better...
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