Curt Schilling started out masterfully, spinning three beautiful innings Saturday afternoon against the Pirates. Then it all fell apart. Schilling has been toying with the idea of pitching inside. He's had some good masters of this art to observe in the past from Randy Johnson to Pedro Martinez. However, he didn't really show the fortitude necessary to pitch like that on Saturday. Maybe that wasn't it, but I think it was.
When you're not used to hitting batters it can affect you. Curt has only hit 47 batters in his Major League career over 18 seasons. The most he ever had in a single season was 6. Compare that with Pedro who has hit 119 in 13 full seasons, or Roger Clemens who has beaned 150, or Randy Johnson who has hit an impressive 168 batters over 18 seasons. These guys are used to seeing players go down and even get hurt when hit by the ball. They are also used to throwing up and in without hitting someone in the head.
Pitching inside is all about the threat. Even the toughest hitters covered in steroid filled muscles and layers of padding don't want to get hit, especially in the head. This instinctual fear keeps them from getting too comfortable in the batter's box. This allows the pitcher to more freely throw the ball over the plate. However, the intention is almost never to hit someone in the head with a pitch.
I don't think Schilling meant to hit Duffy in the head. I think he went up and in on a player that, like Schilling, is still in spring training mode and isn't at 100% on his toes like he would be in May or June. So Duffy went down and maybe Curt got a little shaken up about it.
Whatever went wrong, it went wrong big time. Curt gave up 4 runs in his final inning of work, ruining his stat-line on an otherwise fine day of pitching.
The good news from Saturday's 10-7 loss to the Pirates was that the bats came alive just a bit. J.T. Snow went 2 for 3 with a double and a pair of RBI. Alex Gonzalez and Tony Graffanino each went 1 for 3 with an RBI. However, Schilling's implosion and Jon Lester's lackluster relief performance resulted in yet another loss in spring. Hopefully, the Red Sox will get losing out of their system before April.
TWINS CLINCH MAYOR'S CUP WITH WIN
Adam Stern was welcomed back to the Red Sox with a singing of "O, Canada" by some of his teammates and went 1 for 1, but the return of the WBC star was not enough. Neither was a 2 run homer by Kevin Youkilis which was all the Red Sox offense could muster in terms of scoring. Papelbon started off nicely but faded, eventually allowing 5 runs in 3.1 innings. His stamina will be pivotal to the Red Sox this year if he is going to be in the rotation. We've seen this problem with Bronson Arroyo as well as with other younger starters such as Casey Fossum a few years back. They mow through lineups one or two times then hitters figure them out and knock them around. It usually isn't a question of arm strength. It is coming up with new ways to fool hitters. Great pitchers toy with hitters each time through the lineup, setting them up, and showing them something different each time. That's what good starters have to do to produce Quality Starts and go deep into games.
So the Red Sox have lost yet another Mayor's Cup to the crosstown Twins. It isn't serious, but in March on the verge of serious baseball, it is fun to pretend, isn't it?
OTHER NOTES FROM FORT MYERS
Keith Foulke faced batters for the first time on Friday. He played long toss on Sunday. No word yet on when a return is expected.
David Wells will pitch in a minor league game this week. No word on when he will join the big club.
A friend of mine went down and saw the Sox in spring training this week. He said that Crisp looked good. Not only was he putting up good numbers, but he was making solid contact and was playing heads up baseball, particularly on the bases. We need that type of Dirt Dogedness on the team, especially from our leadoff hitter.
USA BEATS JAPAN 4-3...OR DID THEY?
In the first game of 2nd round play, the Americans walked off with a 4-3 ninth inning victory over the Japanese, but it was not without some controversy. With the game tied at 3 in the top of the inning, it appeared as though Japan had taken the lead of a sac fly. The Americans appealed and the play was upheld by the 2nd base umpire. Then the play was overturned by the home plate umpire. Those plays are always bang bang but I can't recall an appeal denied then that denial being overruled. Be that as it may, the Americans have taken a pivotal game against a tough team.
Cuba beat Venezuela 7-2 in Pool 2 play. Cuba is demonstrating that they are a legitimate threat in this tournament despite having no Major Leaguers on their roster.
Puerto Rico beat the Dominican 7-1. David Ortiz and Alex Cora both went 0 for 4. Julian Tavarez pitched an inning allowing 3 unearned runs and 3 hits. Hard to call all of those runs unearned when you allow 3 hits in an inning.
The US takes on Korea tomorrow, Cuba plays the Dominican in a huge matchup of epic proportions, and Venezuela faces off against Puerto Rico.
IT'S ALL OVER FOR THE BRUINS
I'm calling it, although it could have been called long ago. The season for the Bruins is over. After a 6-2 loss to the Sabres Sunday night, the 5th loss in a row and the 8th out of the last 9 games played, the Bruins are all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff hunt. With 17 games left, the Bruins are 13th in the Eastern Conference standings, 10 points behind 8th place Tampa Bay. That isn't the major problem, however. The problem is, the Thrashers, Islanders, Maple Leafs, and Panthers all stand in between the Bruins and the 8th and final playoff spot. It just simply seems incredibly unlikely that the Bruins will amass enough points in their remaining 17 games and for five teams to fold up, especially considering how badly the Bruins have played recently and the loss of Sergei Samsonov. So this is it. The Bruins are done. Hopefully I'm wrong. But I doubt it very much.
NO MORE BIG WILLIE STYLE IN GILLETTE?
The potential disaster in the NFL was averted as the League and Player's Association came to an agreement on a new CBA. However, the football news was not completely good. The Patriots cut defensive end/outside linebacker Willie McGinist a few days ago. The move was an obvious one because of McGinist's $7 million cap figure. I wouldn't be shocked if the Patriots attempted to sign him with a more cap-friendly contract, but I also wouldn't be surprised if the NFL's all-time leader in playoff sacks gets some big offers to play elsewhere. It will be sad to see Willie go, however. He made many big plays in many big games and his versatility and stamina were remarkable. Players like him allow coaches like Belichick to look smart. Not that Bill isn't a genius, he just looked like a super-genius with guys like McGinist out there.
TOP SEEDS ALL MOVE ON IN HOCKEY EAST
There were some close games, but each of the favorites moved on in the first round of the Hockey East playoffs. Top seed Boston University beat UMass in two games to advance. Maine beat UMass-Lowell 4-3 twice to move on. Boston College squeezed by Vermont in OT then crushed them in the second game to go to the semi-finals. UNH needed double OT to seal the deal but eventually put Providence College away.
The Semi-Finals begin on St. Patrick's Day in the Garden with Boston College playing Maine and Boston University playing New Hampshire. The winners of those games will play the next day for the Hockey East Championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Sources and Resources for this post:
Yahoo! MLB Photos
Boston.com Sports
RedSox.com
Hockey East Online
Baseball-Reference.com
World Baseball Classic
ESPN.com
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