Three Pitch Inning

So with the baseball season officially beginning with the first Red Sox/Yankees series I wanted to share some thoughts about the team.

1. I am worried. Now I will tell you why. Yes, it's no surprise that the Sox got off to a slow start and have turned it around of late. My concerns are with the lineup. Specifically with two players, Ellsbury and Ortiz. I can't get worried to the slow start Pedroia is off too because he's done this before and ended up winning the Rookie of the Year.

Ellsbury has been getting Papi treatment. By this I mean he had one spectacular run on a high stage ('07 World Series) and has been given the benefit of the doubt ever since. He was awful last year in the playoffs and everyone seemingly gives him the benefit of the doubt that he will be a great leadoff hitter. Yes, he is fast but has he ever shown that he could handle this spot in terms of the bat. He's shown flashes but he has a career .291 average with a .343 OBP. Not bad for a guy with less then 200 career games, but is it even a question that the only reason he is there is because of the speed. It's a nice tablesetter but from a team that values getting on base and has the personnel to do it why not hide his deficiency and use his as a second leadoff hitter in the 9 hole?

Fittingly Ortiz his the other concern. He's the biggest concern. If anyone has seen him could you ask him politely to return to the team and relieve the shell of himself that has been standing at the plate so far this season. Players start off slowly but Ortiz hasn't flipped the ignition in three seasons. Now it is glaringly apparent because Manny isn't punishing the ball behind him (Youk is but he isn't the same as Manny). Ortiz has been injury plagued and I think it has finally taking a toll in the form of his stardom. He's still a personality but we need to stop giving him the treatment he got when he was saving games in the eigth inning every week. He doesn't do it anymore. We need to move him down in the line up. If Tito wants to keep the lefty/righty/lefty why not swap him and Drew. Drew hasn't been killing the ball but he is killing pitching with a +.400 OBP. Then Ortiz can move down where there is less pressure and he doesn't need to press to be the guy. This senario would allow Youk to get into the inning more often and we know how he has been hitting and how deadly the Sox are when they string together a couple of hits.

2. The Ortiz reshuffling brings the next issue, the lack of a feared bat. People are starting no collapse the pedestal Ortiz has been on (or has he done it himself, is it just me or is he starting to look like Mo Vaughn) and the Sox have no other option. No one is scared of Youk the way they should be but that doesn't help the Sox. Manny was that presence and we dont have it. The bright side is that the sports world is collectively drowning in this economy except for the Sox. The Nation's demand for tickets would outlast any depression (which says something considering tickets are still going up).

What does this mean? Did you see what happened in the NBA at the deadline? There you go. Big names should and will be available. All these depend on whether they are contending: Halladay, Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, Rolen, Overbay, Dye, Thome, Konerko, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, The entire Tigers organization (I think they get thrown in for free in you buy a Ford), Crisp, Guererro, Abreu, Lackey, Beltre, Ichiro, Washburn, Saltalamachia, Blalock, Michael Young, Holliday, Giambi, Cabrera. That's just and abbreviated list of the AL. You can bet the NL is just as extensive. This will give the Sox to bolster their lineup however they choose. People will be available and we have contracts that could come off the books soon. Yes, I did just use expiring contracts in a baseball sense. This could be the new emergence, prospects (not new) and expiring contracts. Without question the Sox need another big bat that can get things done when we leave the friendly confines where the Sox struggle.

3. I was always told end positive so here it goes. How about Tek? Sure he's only hitting .231 but he does have three homers and is making good contact. I know the numbers aren't great but remember we signed him at a discount for his abilities to handle the staff so if he can give us .240-.250 with 15-20 homers isn't that a huge bonus? If you say no you ask too much of the team and I don't want to be your friend. He's done being a big producer but if he can give us something then that's that.

The other positive in my eyes in the bargain buying by Theo coming together. The bullpen looks great and the starters look good too. Saito and company are holding down one of the best bullpens in baseball which will only get better (Bard is coming people). After that, Penny doesn't look like he's a CY contender he used to be, but a 12 win number 5 starter? Why not? The fact that Theo stocked on pitching was genious considering Dice may have killed us because he needed to prove something in a meaningless world tournament and go back to his daily 150 pitch side sessions. Does he or does he not have have fatigue? In April? Really? Thanks Dice. But Penny looks good, Smoltzy is coming and Bowden and Buchholz waiting in the wings. They seems stocked and if they aren't, well, pitchers will be a plenty come June.

The Sox have their hands full with a harder then ever AL East and only games can show us where they are going. Until next time, this was Three Pitch Inning.