The Red Sox got another come-from-behind win, despite having Josh Beckett scratched from his start. Some thoughts on the game:
With Josh Beckett sidelined with a stiff neck, David Pauley got the call from triple-A Pawtucket did a decent job filling in. Considering that Pauley was a few minutes away from making his final preparations for a start tomorrow with Pawtucket when he found out that he would making his four career start. The Sox would have liked to see him get through five innings, and five runs in four-plus innings does not count as a quality start, but given the nature of the circumstances, it could have gone much worse. Pauley showed some flashes of what has gotten him a 1.17 ERA in three starts in the minors this year. He retired all of the first six batters that he faced in order, keeping hitters reaching for his very good sinking fastball. When he keeps it down, he can make it break away from left-handed batters, and he compliments it with a good breaking ball to righties. But, once the Angels came around for the second time, and started getting on base, Pauley started leaving a lot of his pitches up in the zone. He is still only 24 years old, and he seems to be headed toward a major league job somewhere in the next few seasons. It is unlikely that the Sox will be looking to trade Pauley, as he is close to being in big league form. Remember that Curt Schilling is likely in his last attempt at his pitching career, and Tim Wakefield will be 42 by the end of the year, and the Sox will need at least one more starter in the near future. At the very least, Pauley will have a chance to compete for that spot.
Keeping this recap impartial, there is a very big difference between analysts who call players like Jose Reyes and Grady Sizemore the “most exciting players in the game,” and the fact that Jacoby Ellsbury is actually getting it done, at all levels, as an exciting player. Reyes and Sizemore are both fast, and tend to be involved in flashy plays, but, at this very early point in all three players’ career, Ellsbury has delivered more than Reyes and Sizemore and the other “exciting” players. He has the ability to change the way his team plays. His play is not only infectious, but he draws so much attention when he is on the bases that hitters can come to expect more fastballs, and enjoy the chance to bat with a runner in scoring position. The bursts of power are unexpected, but no less appreciated, by the Sox, and his ability to make improvements, finally lifting his average over .300 while creeping his on-base percentage nearer to .500, is what makes him truly exciting. The Sox have had a lot of great players, but it is a rare occurrence to watch the development of one.
The Sox banged out an impressive 16 hits, and while they have had good pitching, their winning streak has been driven by their offense. Looking at their line-up, seven of the nine starting position players are batting over .300, one of the exceptions being David Ortiz, and the other being back-up catcher Kevin Cash, who fills in for Jason Varitek while he battles the flu. Ellsbury is short just a few at-bats of qualifying for batting average and on-base percentage, but with him included, the Sox have six of the top 25 batting averages in the American League. With their performance today, the Sox drove their team batting average to .303, which is a full ten points higher than second place, which happens to be the Angels. The thing is that the Sox won the game today with a triple-A minor leaguer making his fourth career start, where the Angels, with John Lackey injured, had their number one pitcher on the mound. The Sox do not have the best pitching, but they have the best offense, and the best combination.
Look for this recap after tomorrow’s game against the Angels. (To view all previous recaps, follow this link.)
Keep the Faith.