Sports of Boston » Daniel Bard

Andrew Bailey Strengthens Red Sox Pitching Staff

Matthew Bond — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:22:39 +0000

The Red Sox finally made a big move this offseason. On Wednesday evening it was reported that the team was involved in a 5-player deal that sent outfielder Josh Reddick and two prospects to the Athletics in exchange for closer Andrew Bailey and outfielder Ryan Sweeney.

There have been questions as to how the Red Sox pitching staff would function in 2012 with question marks in the starting rotation as well as who would close games after the departure of Jonathan Papelbon in free agency. The bullpen has now been sorted, with the Sox trading for Mark Melancon earlier in the offseason and now Bailey arrives from an Oakland team that recently parted with ace Gio Gonzalez.

Sox Pitching

The new-look Red Sox bullpen should feature Bailey as the closer with Melancon or Daniel Bard handling the eighth inning depending on if Bard transitions to becoming a starter. That remains the problem for the Sox, as they have little depth in the rotation beyond Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and Clay Buchholz. One of the other spots will likely be won in Spring training by Bard or Alfredo Aceves, with the other solidifying the bullpen. It would be too much to ask of two relievers to be relied on as everyday starters throughout a regular season, so the Sox are still down a starter.

After using trades to acquire players this offseason, it is possible now that the Sox would consider spending some money to fill out their roster. They should look into starters like Joe Saunders or Edwin Jackson, both of whom could fill the fourth or fifth slots in the rotation. There has also been some speculation that the Red Sox could trade Kevin Youkilis before the season starts, but for now we will see what Ben Cherington’s course of action is after acquiring Bailey.

Results Mixed for Previous Relievers-Turned-Starters

Aryeh Rosenfield — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 01:26:19 +0000

Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine and GM Ben Cherington announced last week that RHP Daniel Bard will be used as a starter in Spring Training, to see if he would be a good fit for the rotation on a permanent basis. While I have already stated my reasons why I think that this move would be a bad idea, it is fitting to take a look at previous examples of relievers-turned-starters to see whose footsteps Bard is following in. Of course, there is a decent chance that Valentine will decide to return Bard to the bullpen for the regular season, as former Sox manager Terry Francona did with Johnathan Papelbon before the 2007 season, and Texas Rangers skipper Ron Washington did with Neftali Feliz before last year.

Derek Lowe

Lowe was used as a starter in the Seattle Mariners’ farm system before being traded to the Boston Red Sox with Jason Varitek for Heathcliff Slocumb in mid-1997. Red Sox manager Jimy Williams almost immediately moved Derek to the bullpen, where the Michigan native led the league in saves in 2000. Before the 2002 season, manager Grady Little decided that Lowe would better serve the team in the starting rotation, and it paid off immediately, as Lowe won 21 games and finished third in the AL Cy Young voting. Two years later, Lowe became the first pitcher to win the clinching games in all three playoff series as the Red Sox won the World Series for the first time in 86 years. The 38 year-old Lowe is entering the final year of his contract with the Atlanta Braves.

Joba Chamberlain

Rushed to the bigs by the Yankees in late 2007 just 14 months after being drafted and featuring a heater in the triple-digits, Joba Chamberlain allowed just one earned run over 24 innings to help the Yankees to a wild card spot. Joba followed this up with a spectacular rookie campaign in 2008, with a 2.60 ERA over 100.1 innings to go along with a K/9 of 12.8 as a setup man/spot starter. This success prompted Yankees emperor George Steinbrenner to command underling Joe Girardi to move Joba to the rotation on a full-time basis. Chamberlain tanked, his ERA skyrocketing to 4.75 in 2009 while pitching in 32 games, 31 of them starts. This prompted the Yankees to return Joba back to the bullpen, where his ERA returned to safe levels before undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year.

C.J. Wilson

The California native didn’t even make his major league début for the Texas Rangers until he was 24. He had a bad year, a mediocre year, a good year, and a bad year before a career year in 2009 as the closer. With the emergence in late 2009 of Neftali Feliz, Wilson was suddenly unneeded in the bullpen. Manager Ron Washington decided to try him as a starter, and it paid off. C.J. went 31-15 as a starter in 2010 and 2011 to help the Rangers to consecutive American League pennants, and was rewarded with a trip to the All Star Game this season. C.J. was also rewarded with a $77.5 million contract this offseason to play for his hometown Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Exploring the Closer Market for Red Sox: Bell, Madson, Cordero, Others

Matthew Bond — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:00:50 +0000

After Jonathan Papelbon accepted a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, Ben Cherington and the Red Sox must now find a new closer. There is a great multitude of options this offseason, including big name free agents and possible trade targets. There is also the greatly discussed possibility of transitioning set up man Daniel Bard to the ninth inning. The best options at the closer position come through free agency.

Heath Bell

At the 2011 trade deadline, there was plenty of discussion that Heath Bell was going to leave San Diego for a contender, including the Red Sox at the time. He ended up staying in place and finds himself at the top of the list when it comes to the top closers available. Bell is 34 years old and coming off of his third consecutive season of at least 40 saves with the Padres, over which he had an impressive 2.36 ERA.

The downsides to Bell are strictly financial; he would request the largest contract amongst free agent closers. He may also be looking for a three-year deal, while the Sox are more likely to sign a closer to two years at most. I think that Bell’s talent makes up for it though, and if he wants to close games in Boston, then the Sox should give him what he wants to play here.

Ryan Madson

There are other options similar to Bell the Red Sox could pursue. Both Ryan Madson and Francisco Cordero had successful 2011 seasons, and could be helpful in the process of transitioning Bard to becoming a closer. Madson is only 31 years old, but is also coming off of his first season as a full-time closer in Philadelphia. With Papelbon heading to the Phillies, it would be interesting to see if the Sox sign Madson and effectively swap closers. Madson was reported to be close to a four-year deal with Philadelphia before it fell through and the Phillies instead signed Papelbon to his four-year $50 million deal. If Madson is really demanding four years, the Sox should steer clear, but a two-year contract could be a great fit.

Francisco Cordero

Cordero, on the other hand, is older at 36 years old, but has a veteran presence that could be helpful in the Sox clubhouse as the team recovers from the disaster of 2011. Cordero spent the majority of his career with the Texas Rangers in the early 2000s and then ended up in Cincinnati after a brief stint with Milwaukee. He had 37 saves and a 2.45 ERA last year, but it is his consistency that is most appealing. Cordero has saved at least 30 games in five consecutive seasons and saved 49 games back in 2004 with the Rangers. Being closer to the end of his career, Cordero should come cheaper than both Bell and Madson, which could enable the Sox to still compete for other free agents this offseason.

Other Closers

Of course, the biggest names are not always going to be the best fit. This offseason has a great collection of closers. While they might not win the closing role for the team in 2012, relievers such as Frank Francisco, Brad Lidge, Matt Capps and even Jonathan Broxton could provide a boost to the back end of the Boston bullpen. More notable options like Francisco Rodriguez and Joe Nathan are also available, though the overwhelming persona of Rodriguez and the health concerns along with Nathan might make them too risky to invest in.

What About Daniel Bard?

Any of these options would certainly leave the door open for Bard to try and win the closer role for himself if he desires it. As one of the most successful set up men in the game he deserves the opportunity to shine at the end of games and earn the big bucks as a closer. As of right now the Sox are reportedly not committed to having him as a closer, so it would be important for another option to exist like the closers mentioned. He’s been so good in the 8th innings of games that there is no need to change a system that has been working if someone else can replace Papelbon.

Final Prediction

I think that the approach this offseason with regards to the closer role has to first be targeting Heath Bell. If the Red Sox can sign him to a three-year deal at a reasonable price, I believe his talent is worth the cost as they will gain one of the best closers in the game locked up for a couple of seasons in his prime. However if not Bell, I think Cordero, Nathan, or Capps are the best options for two years. While there is risk involved, any of these pitchers could fit in either of the 8th or 9th innings over the length of the contract, enabling them to work with transitioning Bard if the Sox plan to make him their closer down the road. While lots of attention will be paid to the rotation and offense, there is no doubt a major weakness of the Sox without Papelbon is the bullpen, and they need to figure out who will be closing games moving forward.

How Would Aceves and Bard Work in the 2012 Starting Rotation?

Aryeh Rosenfield — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:06:20 +0000

Nobody will deny that the Red Sox’ starting rotation needs a major overhaul after last month’s epic collapse that caused the Red Sox to miss the playoffs despite being nine games ahead in the wild card race at the beginning of the month. Opinions vary on exactly how to fix it, however. On Wednesday, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com discussed the potential moves of setup man Daniel Bard and long reliever/spot starter Alfredo Aceves to the starting rotation. These would definitely be bold moves by the next Red Sox skipper, and would require the clearing of space in the starting rotation to make room for the proposed additions. The question is, how feasible are these options?

Daniel Bard

Daniel Bard has never started at a level above A, and he didn’t do it well. He was used exclusively as a starter between the Greenville Drive and Lancaster JetHawks in 2007, and posted a 7.08 ERA over 22 starts, good for a 3-7 record. He walked 78 batters – more than he has during his entire major league career – over 75 innings of work, and threw 27 (!) wild pitches to go along with eight hit batters and a balk. His WHIP was over 2.00, and he allowed 9.1 hits per nine innings.

While Bard has certainly matured as a pitcher over the last four seasons, there is still indirect evidence during his big league career that would suggest that any experiment as a starter would not work. His statistics plummet after his pitch count reaches 25, and there isn’t even any sort of correlation between performance and amount of days off prior to an outing. Therefore, I find it highly unlikely that Daniel Bard would perform at any acceptable level as a starter.

Alfredo Aceves

Unlike Bard, Alfredo Aceves has actually started games at a Major League level. Aceves has not been used primarily as a starter since 2008, when 27 of his 31 appearances were starts between the A, AA, AAA, and Major League levels of competition. In the minors, his performance as a starter was mediocre, which probably led to the Yankees, and then the Red Sox, using him almost exclusively as a reliever beginning in 2009. Has has been markedly worse as a starter than as a reliever in the big leagues, posting a 4.18 ERA over 9 career starts as well as carrying a higher WHIP, and lower K/9 and K/BB rates. He also seems to lose all semblance of control upon reaching the 50-pitch mark. Between pitches 51 and 75, opponents have a .296 batting average. There is clearly a reason why he has rarely been used as a starter, and even then only reluctantly.

In Conclusion

While Aceves would probably work better as a full-time starter than Bard, it appears that neither of them would be able to pitch effectively enough to warrant the raiding of the bullpen that Bradford proposes in his article. Fixes to the rotation, I believe, would better be achieved by using Kyle Weiland or Matt Fox, who both had excellent seasons for AAA Pawtucket this season en route to a division title. Having to answer questions like these is going to make the new Red Sox manager’s job especially difficult.

Red Sox Need to Re-Sign Jonathan Papelbon

Matthew Bond — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 16:00:58 +0000

After a disastrous September torpedoed the Red Sox in the playoff race, a significant number of decisions will have to be made this offseason to impact the future of the franchise. The end of Terry Francona’s run as manager was the first notable change, and now with the emptiness of October baseball in the background attention in Boston has turned to the team roster. Amongst the decisions to be made is the future of Jonathan Papelbon, who has long been thought to be heading for a large contract as a top closer outside of Boston. However, the struggles of the team in the final month have changed the landscape of things, with everything up in the air.

Papelbon noted after the heartbreaking conclusion to the Red Sox season that he wouldn’t let his poor performances down the stretch define his future, but it should be interesting to see how much the Red Sox make of his struggles in their negotiations. Coming into this year, it was believed that set up man Daniel Bard could make a smooth transition to the ninth inning to fill the void left by Papelbon in free agency, but that seems like an unlikely solution after Bard’s similar struggles this season. In the month of September, Bard allowed 13 earned runs in just 11.0 innings with an alarming nine walks. A comparison of both he and Papelbon shows why throwing $10 million plus at Papelbon might be the smartest option.

Closing Options

Aside from San Diego Padres closer Heath Bell, there is no better option for the Red Sox to close out games in 2012 than Papelbon. Teams like the Tampa Bay Rays seem to be able to use a closer by committee system because of their great starting rotation, however one of the biggest problems for Boston is the high priced starters clogging spots in the rotation, namely John Lackey. Throwing more money at the reliever with no experience pitching in an intense market like Boston isn’t smart when Papelbon has already proven to be one of the best closers in the history of the Sox, and becoming the first closer ever to record 30 or more saves in each of his first six seasons.

Daniel Bard isn’t a reasonable solution as a closer quite yet because he hasn’t had the experience of someone like Papelbon. While it seems like Bard has been the Sox eighth inning option for many years, he really has only held the position for the last two complete seasons. In 2010 he was phenomenal, pitching nearly 75.0 innings with a 1.93 ERA, setting up most of the talk of him being a closer down the road. But this year he faltered, with a 3.33 ERA in roughly the same number of innings, and his disastrous numbers in September going along with the Sox collapse. Bard is still very young, only three years into his major league career at age 26. Meanwhile, Papelbon has been the Red Sox closer since 2006 and is at about the prime of his career at age 30.

With the franchise as shaken as they have been by the failure of 2011, the last thing the Red Sox need is more turmoil with the security of the bullpen. I think the best thing for the Red Sox to do is bite the bullet with paying Jonathan Papelbon and give him whatever he wants. It would be ideal for the Sox to be able to lock him up for two or three more seasons max, and then allow for him to test the free agent market again as a top closer as he wants. They’re much better off sticking with what they know they have instead of allowing a star player at a crucial position walk away.

MLB Playoff Predictions: What the Red Sox Woulda/Coulda/Shoulda Done

Nick Bohlen — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 05:30:47 +0000

Despite doing everything they possibly could to throw away their chances at the postseason in the month of September, the Boston Red Sox somehow still found themselves one strike away from at least forcing a one-game play-in against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Then, in the course of three agonizing minutes, two walk-off wins left the Red Sox on the outside looking in. Jonathan Papelbon gave up three straight hits, including the game-winning single to Sox-killer Robert Andino, and then Evan Longoria continued his torrid September (.289/.454/.589) by hitting his second home run against the New York Yankees to give the Rays the wild card. Well, and he ripped my heart out and left me staring blankly at the TV watching ESPN replay all the torturous highlights. But that’s beside the point.

The point is, with the postseason starting Friday, did this Red Sox team have what it takes to make a deep playoff run?

Even if you discount their marmalade-like momentum and wipe their regular season slate clean, the Red Sox would have exited October with a whimper. All across the board, from the starting pitching and the bullpen to the line-up to their opponent, the Red Sox would have fallen short.

Starting Pitching

At one point, I thought the postseason would be when the Red Sox could turn over the two aces up their sleeve. With more off-days built into the schedule, the Red Sox wouldn’t have to rely on the Kyle Weilands, Andrew Millers, and Tim Wakefields to contribute any meaningful innings. A one-two punch of Josh Beckett and Jon Lester would, in theory, give the Red Sox a fighting chance.

Sadly though, Beckett and Lester have not delivered. In each of his last two starts against the Orioles, Beckett surrendered 6 earned runs on 7 hits and gave up 2 home runs. For September, Lester averaged just over 5 innings per start with a 5.40 ERA with a 1.61 WHIP. Neither performed up to his “ace” label or demonstrated the ability to put the team on his back and carry the Red Sox to postseason success. If they can’t deliver in the playoff atmosphere of a tight wild card race, why should anything change five days later?

That doesn’t even begin to address the issue of who would be the third postseason starter for the Red Sox. Erik Bedard? His last two starts against the Orioles added up to a total of six innings. Ouch. In the first, he only gave up one earned run in 2.2 innings, but needed 51 pitches just to get through two outs in the third inning, unable to pitch around some poor fielding behind him. In his most recent outing, Bedard gave up 3 earned runs, a home run, and threw 84 pitches in lasting only 3.1 innings. Not exactly quality postseason material, if you ask me. Or Jim Duquette. Or any Seattle Mariner or Baltimore Oriole fan. Basically, anyone who has heard of baseball would know Bedard would fail.

John Lackey? Let’s boil down his laughable candidacy for the postseason roster into this fun Lackey fact: Did you know that in September he gave up more runs than innings pitched? I’ll wait until you’ve finished laughing. Or crying. Or screaming curses at Theo for the fact that Red Sox fans have to endure another 3 years of John Lackey’s $82.5 million contract and his 6.41 ERA. Can Red Sox Nation hold a vote to force Lackey into retirement? Please?

The Bullpen

Where do I begin? Papelbon may have had a great season overall, pitching lights out the entire year. But he blew two saves against the Orioles, right when it mattered most. His heroic 2.1 inning effort against the Yankees B-team aside, Papelbon looked exhausted at season’s end. I don’t think he could have handled the playoff workload, when closers get thrown out there almost every game, and often for more than the typical 1 inning save.

As for Daniel Bard, words can’t even describe what happened to him. The Red Sox training staff must have replaced his right arm with a Ramen noodle. His velocity was down, he walked 9 batters in 11 September innings, and gave up 11 hits and 13 earned runs. So much for that 8th inning bridge to Papelbon.

The only other bright spot in the bullpen was Alfredo Aceves. He was a beast, saving poor start after poor start with some incredible long relief. Just like Papelbon, though, Terry Francona decided to see if he could make his arm fall off before the postseason. Aceves pitched four days in row to end the season, tossing 7.1 innings and 83 pitches. How much more would have been left in the tank?

The Line-up

There was the slightest of hopes that maybe the offense could carry the Red Sox to a title. Except offense never translates into postseason wins. Even if it could, this is a line-up that saw Ryan Lavarnway hitting fifth in a must-win game, when he wasn’t fit to start just two games before. That line-up included a $20 million player who was so miserable, he hit out of the #8 spot. Gonzalez inexplicably hit fifth towards season’s end. Even more inexplicably, Jed Lowrie hit clean-up in the second-most important game of the season (In case you’re wondering, he went 0-5 with two strikeouts. Awesome!). If Francona couldn’t even figure out what his best line-up was by the last week of the season, what chance did they have come October?

Don’t Mess with Texas

In the end, the Red Sox would have been matched up against the Texas Rangers. If anyone could slug it out with the Sox, the Rangers would be the team. They led the majors in batting average, were third in runs scored, and second in slugging. The Rangers held the edge in the season series against Boston, 6-4, including 28 dominating runs to win two out of three in the last series at Fenway. Ruh roh!

In the end, I just couldn’t see the Red Sox advancing past the Rangers in the ALDS, let alone holding up the World Series trophy. It didn’t make the fact that they missed the playoffs any easier. It just left me wondering why was I so emotionally invested in a team that could be summed up in three words…

Woulda. Coulda. Shoulda.

Ellsbury’s 3-Run Home Run in 14th Downs Yankees

cchirichiello — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 11:20:09 +0000

Ellsbury Lifts Red Sox

As the Red Sox playoff hopes are dwindling by the minute, Jacoby Ellsbury kept the Red sox head above water late Sunday night belting a three-run home run in the top of the 14th inning to down the Yankees 7-4.

Lackey Slow Start, Strong Finish

John Lackey took the mound in the biggest game of his Red Sox career and allowed three runs in the first inning. It looked like it was going to be another bad night for the Red Sox, but Lackey settled down pitching six plus innings allowing four runs (three earned), five hits while walking three and striking out four.

Bullpen Was Brilliant

The real story of the night was the Red Sox bullpen. Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon, Franklin Morales and Felix Doubront combined for eight scoreless innings while striking out seven Yankee batters.

Bottom of the Order Contributes

As the Red Sox trailed 3-0, it was the bottom of the order that got the rallied started with Jed Lowrie, J.D. Drew, Marco Scutaro and Jason Varitek.

Sox Maintain Lead

In a must-win game, the Red Sox battled all night maintaining a one-game lead in the Wild Card race with three games to play. The Sox will look to Beckett in Game 1 versus the Baltimore Orioles on Monday.

Red Sox Win Pivotal Game, Push Wild Card Lead to 4 Games Over Rays

cchirichiello — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 14:43:02 +0000

Beckett Returns, Bullpen Strong

Josh Beckett returned in his most anticipated start of the year versus the Tampa Bay Rays in a crucial game in the Wild Card race. Beckett did not disappoint after a slow start, throwing six innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits, walking one and striking out seven. He earned his 13th victory of the year after Alfredo Aceves, Daniel Bard and Jonathan Papelbon combined for eight strikeouts in three innings in relief in the 4-3 win. The real story was Bard coming back after five shaky outings and delivering when the Nation needed him most.

Rays Start Quick, Sox Answer

Desmond Jennings led off the game and tested Josh Beckett’s ankle early, laying a bunt down that led to Beckett throwing it wide of first to allow Jennings to scamper into second base. Evan Longoria did not wait long, launching a two-run homer over the monster to give the Rays a 2-0 lead.

The Sox did not go down quietly in the first. After Jacoby Ellsbury led off with a double, Dustin Pedroia singled Ellsbury home making it 2-1 Rays. After Adrian Gonzalez went down swinging and Pedroia took second on a wild pitch, David Ortiz tied the game 2-2 with a single to left-center.

Longoria Swinging Hot Bat, Ortiz Answers

Longoria answered with a single to right, plating Jennings in the third. Ortiz then doubled to deep right center in the bottom half of the inning, scoring Pedroia tying the game 3-3.

Aviles Makes Up For Blunder

After Mike Aviles bunted into a double play in a crucial time in the game, he brought the Fenway Faithful back to life hitting a ball over the monster giving the Sox a 4-3 lead.

Papelbon Records 30th Save

Jonathan Papelbon came in for the ninth striking out the side recording his 30th save of the year.

The Sox look to push their lead to five games Saturday at 4:10 with Jon Lester on the bump. The Rays will answer with Jeff Niemann.

Daniel Bard Blows Another Game, Blue Jays Win Late

John — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 22:49:09 +0000

For most of the game, Boston was in firm control, but the 8th inning was rough, as Daniel Bard blew the lead and gave Toronto a 5-4 win. Toronto seized the early lead in addition to the late one, scoring twice off John Lackey. With two on and two outs, Toronto put two more singles on the board to plate the runs. They forced Lackey to throw 31 pitches in the 1st inning alone.

Boston answered back in the 2nd, leading off with a single from Dustin Pedroia. Kevin Youkilis singled himself, then Pedroia advanced to third on a fielding error in center field. Another fielding error at third allowed Ryan Lavarnway to reach before a wild pitch advanced the runners, allowing Jason Varitek to pick up an RBI on a ground-out to tie the score at two.

Jacoby Ellsbury led off the 3rd with a triple and scored on a sac fly from Marco Scutaro. They added another run to make it 4-2 in the 6th on a lead-off homer from Adrian Gonzalez.

Toronto had their chances to do more damage earlier on. They had runners at the corners with one out in the 5th, but Jose Bautista decided not to chance scoring on a fly-out to left. In the 6th, Lackey (back on after 103 pitches through five innings) hit Brett Lawrie to lead off the inning, then Lawrie stole second and also took third on a throwing error from ‘Tek. He also neglected to score on fly-out to center, at which point Lackey left the game after 115 pitches. Franklin Morales then induced a ground ball which came back home. Varitek held onto the ball despite being bowled over for the second out before Morales picked off the runner at first to end the inning.

In the 8th, Bard came on to set things up for Jonathan Papelbon, who worked the 9th anyway despite Bard’s aforementioned collapse. He led things off with two walks, the allowed the next runner to reach on a sacrifice attempt when Bard himself committed a throwing error. A soft grounder scored one runner before a single scored two more, giving Toronto three runs in the inning for a 5-4 lead. A double play ended the inning, but the damage was done; Boston went down in order twice to complete the loss.

Sox’ Stud of the Game: Adrian Gonzalez

Gonzo’s home run gave the Sox an insurance run that didn’t have something to do with errors.

Sox’ Dud of the Game: Daniel Bard

After such a massive win the night before, Boston finally looked to be getting on the right track. But Bard wasn’t having any of that.

Game Notes:

W: Ricky Romero (15-10)
L: Daniel Bard (2-8)
S: Frank Francisco (15)

Tim Wakefield was honored in a pre-game ceremony in recognition of reaching 200 career wins.
David Ortiz was left out of the lineup with back spasms. The prognosis is good for him appearing in Thursday’s game.
Adrian Gonzalez left before the top of the 7th inning due to leg problems. He was replaced by Lars Anderson.
Each team committed three errors on the day. Each team got one unearned run.
Daniel Bard has allowed eight earned runs (nine overall) in his last three outings. This most recent outing was his 5th blown save on the season.

Lester Gives up Three in First, Rays Complete Sweep

Matt Goisman — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 22:34:39 +0000

The Red Sox are in absolute free fall, and by the time they hit the ground, they might be looking up at the Tampa Bay Rays in the playoff race.

Rays starter James Shields allowed just one earned run in 8.1 innings Sunday afternoon in St. Petersburg, and the Rays battered Jon Lester and the bullpen in a 9-1 Rays victory, completing the sweep and pulling Tampa Bay to just three losses behind Boston in the wild card race. The Red Sox have now lost five straight, and 10 of their last 13.

Lester Continues to Struggle Early

Lester entered Sunday’s game having allowed 13 first-inning earned runs, the most of any inning. His struggles continued Sunday, with the Rays sending eight to the plate against him in the first..

The Rays began the game with back-to-back singles, then Evan Longoria walked on four pitches to load the bases with no outs. Second baseman Ben Zobrist saw three pitches, then singled to left to drive in two. After a fielder’s choice moved Longoria to third, shortstop Sean Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive him in and make it 3-0 Rays.

None of Lester’s pitches worked Sunday. His fastball did not overpower, resulting in 29 foul balls to just 11 swinging strikes, and his cutter lacked the sharp movement necessary to fool hitters, leading to three walks and numerous long at-bats in which Rays hitters just waited Lester out.

Lester threw 43 pitches in the first, 26 in the second, 16 in the third, 26 in the fourth … and that was it. Lester couldn’t even make it to the fifth, suffering his seventh loss of the season. He threw 68 of his 111 total pitches for strikes, giving up four earned runs (the Rays added another on a Johnny Damon triple and a Rodriguez double in the third) on eight hits, three walks and two strikeouts.

Bullpen Only Makes it Worse

Four earned runs are far too many when facing against Shields, but Boston’s exhausted bullpen quickly pushed the game out reach.

Michael Bowden loaded the bases on two walks and a single in the fifth, and Matt Albers replaced Bowden with two outs. Up stepped B.J. Upton, who smashed a 2-0 down-the-pipe fastball into the left field bleachers for the grand slam. 8-1 Rays. Upton finished the game with four hits, four RBIs, three runs and a walk.

Felix Doubront gave up another run in the seventh, but as the tiniest, least significant of silver linings, Franklin Morales pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.

Shields Can’t Quite Go the Distance, Still Wins

Shields was his usual brilliant self Sunday, and the Red Sox never figured him out. Their lone scoring opportunities came in the second and third, but a Jason Varitek (0-3) double play with two men on ended the second.

The top of the third began with more promise, with Marco Scutaro (2-3) leading off with a solo home run and the Red Sox loading the bases on a single and two walks. But with one out, David Ortiz (0-4) could not drive the ball deep enough to left to score Mike Aviles (2-4), and Josh Reddick then fouled out on a 3-1 count.

After Upton’s grand slam put the game away in the fifth, Shields regained his dominating form, allowing just one base runner from the sixth through the eighth. Only Lester’s long innings kept Shields from recording the final two outs of the game, but Shields still picked up his 15th win after allowing just the one earned run on seven hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

No Relief in Sight

The Red Sox have now gone through their entire battered pitching rotation and lost all five games. So what’s the solution? No one knows.

The Red Sox offense isn’t producing runs consistently, and the colder Boston fall temperatures will likely further diminish it. The bullpen can’t help the situation either because of how much they’ve been used. In the last 13 games, the bullpen has averaged over four innings of work per game. With pitchers like Albers and Daniel Bard (0-2, two blown saves, 17.18 ERA in September) finally showing wear and tear, a starting pitcher will have to step up and stop this losing streak.

Despite his talent, Lester has never shown the character necessary to be the true ace of this team. Whenever he’s been given the opportunity to rise above his No. 2 status, he’s faltered. But with no one left to be that ace, Lester must find a way or the Red Sox may be watching the playoffs at home come October.