2007 Baseball Season is about to start--talk about anything you want

[Juanjay]

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Very true.  The Yankees have had MAJOR injury problems to say the least and the Sox have had only 2 guys go on the DL all season I believe (Timlin and recently Beckett).  IF the Sox can stay healthy they should be able to hold off the Yanks.  Their pitching is just too solid for them to go into any sustained funk.  But injuries do occur, and if Beckett's finger problem becomes a recurring issue, or Papelbon, Schilling go down for any amount of time the tide could quickly change.

Looking at Schills latest outings, and with Beckett on the DL....I wouldn't be too confident in that rotation right now.  And Papelbon hasn't exactly proven he can go the distance....remember he threw his arm practically off last season.

Schilling will be fine.  He's no longer an ace.  He's #3 on the staff, and that ain't too bad.  He's gonna have some spectacular starts and some bad stretches.  He's in a bad stretch right now.  Expect much the same when Clemens gets called up.  Both in their 40's, both aren't quite what they used to be.  But both are still fine pitchers.  Beckett's finger kind of bothers me just because of the fact that he had those blister problems with the Marlins, though they're being quite clear that this is NOT a blister.  But still.  Dice K is the real deal.  They're being REAL careful with Papelbon, unlike Torre with his useage of the bullpen.

You are aware that Clemens in the last 3 seasons had 2.98, 1.87 and 2.30 ERAs right? So how is that "not quite what he used to be" ? He doesn't have that high 90's heat but he's gotten a lot better in the control and the mental aspect of pitching. Plus people are still intimidated by him when he's on the mound. Clemens unlike Schills (who is still a good pitcher) will pitch inside and own the plate. That's Curt's problem until he starts owning the inside again he'll be shelled, he's missing his locations lately so thats mechanics but if he was pitching inside and owning the plate he could have more room for error.

[tim_m]

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Very true.  The Yankees have had MAJOR injury problems to say the least and the Sox have had only 2 guys go on the DL all season I believe (Timlin and recently Beckett).  IF the Sox can stay healthy they should be able to hold off the Yanks.  Their pitching is just too solid for them to go into any sustained funk.  But injuries do occur, and if Beckett's finger problem becomes a recurring issue, or Papelbon, Schilling go down for any amount of time the tide could quickly change.

Looking at Schills latest outings, and with Beckett on the DL....I wouldn't be too confident in that rotation right now.  And Papelbon hasn't exactly proven he can go the distance....remember he threw his arm practically off last season.

Schilling will be fine.  He's no longer an ace.  He's #3 on the staff, and that ain't too bad.  He's gonna have some spectacular starts and some bad stretches.  He's in a bad stretch right now.  Expect much the same when Clemens gets called up.  Both in their 40's, both aren't quite what they used to be.  But both are still fine pitchers.  Beckett's finger kind of bothers me just because of the fact that he had those blister problems with the Marlins, though they're being quite clear that this is NOT a blister.  But still.  Dice K is the real deal.  They're being REAL careful with Papelbon, unlike Torre with his useage of the bullpen.

You are aware that Clemens in the last 3 seasons had 2.98, 1.87 and 2.30 ERAs right? So how is that "not quite what he used to be" ? He doesn't have that high 90's heat but he's gotten a lot better in the control and the mental aspect of pitching. Plus people are still intimidated by him when he's on the mound. Clemens unlike Schills (who is still a good pitcher) will pitch inside and own the plate. That's Curt's problem until he starts owning the inside again he'll be shelled, he's missing his locations lately so thats mechanics but if he was pitching inside and owning the plate he could have more room for error.

Being a yankee fan i would love to see him put those numbers up. I just don't think his ERA in the AL will be anywhere near that. The lineups are too deep. I'm not saying he's gonna be awful he will be good but as good as in the NL? No way.

[sandman]

schilling looks injured to me. i didn't see the whole game, but looked like he was topping out at about 87 mph. without velocity on his fastball, he's practically worthless. i'm guessing he's either injured, or done (due to age).

i'm still not sold on the indians. if they slide a little bit it makes the yanks playoff hopes much brighter. the yanks are not the same. they seem to have lost their 'tude, their flair. it was noticeable in the playoffs last year, and i've seen it this year. there just seems to be a general lack of hunger. like a whole team of bobby abreus.

they still have a ton of talent though. probably enough to get in the playoffs and lose before reaching the WS (again). 

[pilferk]

Schilling will be fine.  He's no longer an ace.  He's #3 on the staff, and that ain't too bad.  He's gonna have some spectacular starts and some bad stretches.  He's in a bad stretch right now.  Expect much the same when Clemens gets called up.  Both in their 40's, both aren't quite what they used to be.  But both are still fine pitchers.  Beckett's finger kind of bothers me just because of the fact that he had those blister problems with the Marlins, though they're being quite clear that this is NOT a blister.  But still.  Dice K is the real deal.  They're being REAL careful with Papelbon, unlike Torre with his useage of the bullpen.

Schilling may be a "fine pitcher", but we're talking about the Yanks making up ground, and someone saying that the Sox rotoation is "too good" to let the Yanks back in.  Schilling's starts are not the slam dunk wins they were even a year or two ago...especially lately.

You point out exactly the reason to worry about Beckett.

Dice K is still, IMHO, overrated.  He's been consistently inconsistent....having more good outings than bad (though he's also pitched against KC and Toronto in the many of his "good" starts), but still not being lights out.  He's been beaten up by the Yanks, and Seattle, though he benefitted from great offense support in those 2 games.  His ERA is up over 4, still.  He's benefitted from great run support, but also look who he's pitched against.  He's also started to "work" on his changeup, a sure sign that major league hitters are starting to spot it out of his hand....  Look, I'm not saying the guys chopped liver....he's clearly not.  But neither is he the 2nd coming for the Sox.  At least not yet.  Right now, I'd say it could go either way.  You say Shill is #3? I'd say Dice is #3.....or should be when Shill is pitching like Shill.

Torre didn't have much choice with his bullpen...though he's been just as careful with Mariano (maybe to a fault). When you're patching together a rotation full of rookies (or near rookies) and people coming off the DL....you just can't push them much more than 5 innings.  The Red Sox have been "careful" with Papelbon as much because of situation (they've had long stretches they haven't needed him) as any concious decision.   Still, until he makes it through the entire season without his arm "dying", there's always going to be the question mark.  AND just how "careful" can you be with your star closer?  Sure, with a 9 game lead on your closest competitor, you have the luxury of being "careful".  If that starts to change (like it did last year when the Yanks played catch up)....that luxury is going to disappear pretty quickly.  So until he proves he can pitch every other day, consistently, again, I wouldn't put too much confidence in his ability to help "hold off" a Yanks charge.

It's either going to be a very interesting season or a very boring one, depending on what happens over the next 6 to 8 weeks.  But I'd put even money on EITHER of those scenarios, and wouldn't be confident in either direction.

[pilferk]

schilling looks injured to me. i didn't see the whole game, but looked like he was topping out at about 87 mph. without velocity on his fastball, he's practically worthless. i'm guessing he's either injured, or done (due to age).

i'm still not sold on the indians. if they slide a little bit it makes the yanks playoff hopes much brighter. the yanks are not the same. they seem to have lost their 'tude, their flair. it was noticeable in the playoffs last year, and i've seen it this year. there just seems to be a general lack of hunger. like a whole team of bobby abreus.

they still have a ton of talent though. probably enough to get in the playoffs and lose before reaching the WS (again). 

I agree on Schilling.  He was throwing meatballs...I'm not sure if it's injury or mechanics, but something didnt' look "right"

I also agree on the Indians, but I felt the same way about Detroit last year, and look where that got me.

The Sox series seemed to bring back some of the Yanks "edge" this past week.  I'm hoping it carries over...and Clemens return to the club house bolsters it even more.  It's been tough to get into a grove for them, so maybe that's it. This week was the first time in awhile I've seen all the cylinders firing...offense and pitching. We'll see.

[faldor]

I'm well aware of Clemens numbers the past three years pitching in the NL.  But pitching in the NL central is a HUGE difference than pitching in the AL east.  Clemens wasn't posting sub 3 ERA's when he left the Yanks, why would you think he would do so now at the age of 44?  Although Pettitte has made the transition back quite well so far.  And nobody has told Barry Zito or Mark Mulder that pitching in the NL can do wonders for your career, but for the most part I'd expect Clemens to be nowhere near as dominant in the AL.  We'll see. 

The Sox have had the luxury of resting Papelbon because of a few lopsided games, but they've also used Okajima to close 2 games (1 against the Yanks) because they didn't want to work him in back to back games.  They are being REAL careful with him, maybe if the race was a little closer it'd be different but I don't think they had a huge lead that first series in the Bronx when they threw Okajima out there in the 9th. 

Dice K has been pretty darn good his last 3 starts, just as Schilling has been bad his last 3.  If you're gonna get all worked up and worried about Schilling you'd have to be excited at the way Matsuzaka has pitched.  Just to be fair, it works both ways.  The answer is probably somewhere in between.  I wouldn't put TOO much stock in a 3 start sample.  Daisuke goes tonight against the Rangers in Arlington, never a very fun place to pitch, so we'll see how he does.

[pilferk]

Dice K has been pretty darn good his last 3 starts, just as Schilling has been bad his last 3.  If you're gonna get all worked up and worried about Schilling you'd have to be excited at the way Matsuzaka has pitched.  Just to be fair, it works both ways.  The answer is probably somewhere in between.  I wouldn't put TOO much stock in a 3 start sample.  Daisuke goes tonight against the Rangers in Arlington, never a very fun place to pitch, so we'll see how he does.

Last 4 starts:

3.85 ERA

1.00 ERA (which, granted, is stellar)

1.28 ERA (which, again, is stellar)

12.60 ERA


I stand by "consistently inconsistent".  Again, I'm not saying he's not capable of being stellar.  He clearly is.   But given the hype around him...I'd still say he's overrated....and not someone you want to base confidence on that he can "hold off" a Yanks charge (if one ever comes!).

Shilling is a completely different animal.  It's not just "3 starts", it's comparing those 3 starts to a very large body of work and seeing that his velocity and his control is uncharacteristically different.  Even Shill has said, in the past day or so, there's a problem he has to try to work out.  THAT'S why I'd be worried about him.

[Krispy Kreme]

Is John Smoltz Hall of Fame worthy? Only pitcher EVER to win 200 games and save 150. Anyone remember when the Tigers traded him way back when for Doyle  Alexander to help the Tigers win the division? It  worked  out both ways--the Tigers won (but I forget if how  far they got that year, whatever  year it was), and the Braves ended up with a Hall of Fame pitcher.

[faldor]

schilling looks injured to me. i didn't see the whole game, but looked like he was topping out at about 87 mph. without velocity on his fastball, he's practically worthless. i'm guessing he's either injured, or done (due to age).

i'm still not sold on the indians. if they slide a little bit it makes the yanks playoff hopes much brighter. the yanks are not the same. they seem to have lost their 'tude, their flair. it was noticeable in the playoffs last year, and i've seen it this year. there just seems to be a general lack of hunger. like a whole team of bobby abreus.

they still have a ton of talent though. probably enough to get in the playoffs and lose before reaching the WS (again).?

I agree on Schilling.? He was throwing meatballs...I'm not sure if it's injury or mechanics, but something didnt' look "right"

I also agree on the Indians, but I felt the same way about Detroit last year, and look where that got me.

The Sox series seemed to bring back some of the Yanks "edge" this past week.? I'm hoping it carries over...and Clemens return to the club house bolsters it even more.? It's been tough to get into a grove for them, so maybe that's it. This week was the first time in awhile I've seen all the cylinders firing...offense and pitching. We'll see.

You make some valid points.  I'm just saying that coming into this season I really didn't know what to expect from Matsuzaka.  Making the transition from Japan to the U.S.  Nomo was successful at first, but not for long.  Who knew how he would respond.  He had some control issues early on this season, lots of walks led to runs.  He's seem to have corrected that his last 3 starts.  I'm just saying that he has exceeded MY expectations so far.  And I expected some ups and downs for Schilling as well.  He did the same thing last year.  So his recent 3 start snag doesn't surprise me.  I THINK he will snap out of it, but I don't KNOW that.  I'm not worried, we'll just have to wait and see if I should be. 

[faldor]

Is John Smoltz Hall of Fame worthy? Only pitcher EVER to win 200 games and save 150. Anyone remember when the Tigers traded him way back when for Doyle? Alexander to help the Tigers win the division? It? worked? out both ways--the Tigers won (but I forget if how? far they got that year, whatever? year it was), and the Braves ended up with a Hall of Fame pitcher.

I think Smoltz is definitely a HOF'er.  Don't forget his ridiculous record in the post-season.  He's nasty still today.

[tim_m]

quote]The Sox series seemed to bring back some of the Yanks "edge" this past week.  I'm hoping it carries over...and Clemens return to the club house bolsters it even more.  It's been tough to get into a grove for them, so maybe that's it. This week was the first time in awhile I've seen all the cylinders firing...offense and pitching. We'll see.[

I think he'll help with getting the attitude back. He won't let those guys just not care. He will kick their asses like Pettitte did with the pitchers. He should've had that meeting with the whole team and told them all to wake up.

[Juanjay]

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Very true.  The Yankees have had MAJOR injury problems to say the least and the Sox have had only 2 guys go on the DL all season I believe (Timlin and recently Beckett).  IF the Sox can stay healthy they should be able to hold off the Yanks.  Their pitching is just too solid for them to go into any sustained funk.  But injuries do occur, and if Beckett's finger problem becomes a recurring issue, or Papelbon, Schilling go down for any amount of time the tide could quickly change.

Looking at Schills latest outings, and with Beckett on the DL....I wouldn't be too confident in that rotation right now.  And Papelbon hasn't exactly proven he can go the distance....remember he threw his arm practically off last season.

Schilling will be fine.  He's no longer an ace.  He's #3 on the staff, and that ain't too bad.  He's gonna have some spectacular starts and some bad stretches.  He's in a bad stretch right now.  Expect much the same when Clemens gets called up.  Both in their 40's, both aren't quite what they used to be.  But both are still fine pitchers.  Beckett's finger kind of bothers me just because of the fact that he had those blister problems with the Marlins, though they're being quite clear that this is NOT a blister.  But still.  Dice K is the real deal.  They're being REAL careful with Papelbon, unlike Torre with his useage of the bullpen.

You are aware that Clemens in the last 3 seasons had 2.98, 1.87 and 2.30 ERAs right? So how is that "not quite what he used to be" ? He doesn't have that high 90's heat but he's gotten a lot better in the control and the mental aspect of pitching. Plus people are still intimidated by him when he's on the mound. Clemens unlike Schills (who is still a good pitcher) will pitch inside and own the plate. That's Curt's problem until he starts owning the inside again he'll be shelled, he's missing his locations lately so thats mechanics but if he was pitching inside and owning the plate he could have more room for error.

Being a yankee fan i would love to see him put those numbers up. I just don't think his ERA in the AL will be anywhere near that. The lineups are too deep. I'm not saying he's gonna be awful he will be good but as good as in the NL? No way.

Well he'll probably be around 3.00 ERA the only reason I'm saying that is because his legs are healthy, he's been taking care of his hamstrings alot more than he used to these past few years. His last few years with the Yanks he wasn't he was out of shape the last two years with them. As for lineups, some of those NL lineups are pretty much mashers, Phillies, Cardinals, Marlins... although for some reason this year they've decided to swing at everything thrown towards the plate.

As for Smoltzy yeah he's HOF material and that slider still has some of the nastiest movement I've ever seen on it. Still able to hit 94-95 and that breaking ball and able to control a lot better. I'm happy he's doing well again.


Dice-K will be okay because he knows like 7-8 different pitches and can throw all of them for strikes most of the other pitchers from Japan had the good velocity and maybe one or two other good pitches, all hitters did was key in on one of them and make the pitcher work to get them out. With someone that can throw any pitch any count that's a little tougher to do.

[Juanjay]

Bonds hit number 740 today, my prediction by July 1st is lookin' pretty good!
And yes, I know, I have a point. That  is the point, to have a point.

Bonds is the biggest douche the game has ever seen.  I hope A-rod breaks his HR single season record this year.

That might be true but BEFORE all this mess started and such he was still and still is the ONLY player ever with 493 HR (I erased everything from his 73 HR season on) and 500 Steals, he was a 40/40 guy. The dude is a hall of famer even if you take away all the homers hit since he's been accused. I'm sure he would've hit 7 more on his own to become 500/500. He also got like 7-8 gold gloves as well.

[pilferk]

Dice-K will be okay because he knows like 7-8 different pitches and can throw all of them for strikes most of the other pitchers from Japan had the good velocity and maybe one or two other good pitches, all hitters did was key in on one of them and make the pitcher work to get them out. With someone that can throw any pitch any count that's a little tougher to do.

Last nights ERA: 9.00

Again, benefitted from some great run support....

[faldor]

Dice-K will be okay because he knows like 7-8 different pitches and can throw all of them for strikes most of the other pitchers from Japan had the good velocity and maybe one or two other good pitches, all hitters did was key in on one of them and make the pitcher work to get them out. With someone that can throw any pitch any count that's a little tougher to do.

Last nights ERA: 9.00

Again, benefitted from some great run support....

Not to make excuses for the guy but he had to leave the game after 5 innings because he was suffering from nausea.  He started feeling it in the 2nd inning but was able to pitch 3 more, just enough to get the win.  I didn't see the game but I think it's commendable that even feeling as sick as he did he was able to give the team 5 innings.  And the Rangers pitching sucks so even though he gave up 5 runs the offense was more than able to make up for it.  Picking your teammates up, that's what it's all about.  That's been the problem with the Yankees this year, they haven't been able to get rolling on all cylindars.  They pitch good, they don't hit.  They hit well, they give up 10 runs.

[pilferk]

That's been the problem with the Yankees this year, they haven't been able to get rolling on all cylindars.? They pitch good, they don't hit.? They hit well, they give up 10 runs.

Absolutely true.  And unless they change that, the "charge" we're talking about the Sox holding off won't ever actually materialize.

[tim_m]

That's been the problem with the Yankees this year, they haven't been able to get rolling on all cylindars.  They pitch good, they don't hit.  They hit well, they give up 10 runs.

Absolutely true.  And unless they change that, the "charge" we're talking about the Sox holding off won't ever actually materialize.

Case in point yesterday. Wang only gives up 3 runs but but we're asleep at the wheel..

[faldor]

Dice K has been pretty darn good his last 3 starts, just as Schilling has been bad his last 3.? If you're gonna get all worked up and worried about Schilling you'd have to be excited at the way Matsuzaka has pitched.? Just to be fair, it works both ways.? The answer is probably somewhere in between.? I wouldn't put TOO much stock in a 3 start sample.? Daisuke goes tonight against the Rangers in Arlington, never a very fun place to pitch, so we'll see how he does.

Last 4 starts:

3.85 ERA

1.00 ERA (which, granted, is stellar)

1.28 ERA (which, again, is stellar)

12.60 ERA


I stand by "consistently inconsistent".? Again, I'm not saying he's not capable of being stellar.? He clearly is.? ?But given the hype around him...I'd still say he's overrated....and not someone you want to base confidence on that he can "hold off" a Yanks charge (if one ever comes!).

Shilling is a completely different animal.? It's not just "3 starts", it's comparing those 3 starts to a very large body of work and seeing that his velocity and his control is uncharacteristically different.? Even Shill has said, in the past day or so, there's a problem he has to try to work out.? THAT'S why I'd be worried about him.

Schilling sure looked alright last night, 7 innings, 1 run, 10 K's.  I'm sticking to my prognosis, he's gonna have some really good starts with a few bad ones mixed in.  He's no longer a dominant ace, but the good will outweigh the bad and I'd still like the ball in his hands in big games.  Of course he's got a rematch set up with Pettitte for the weekend.  We'll see how he fares in that one.  The Yanks sure had his number last time out, and since then their bats have gone silent again.

[C0ma]

Why isn't Clemens pitching Sunday at Fenway? Why pay him 28 million then pitch him the day after the Sox series ends. The Yanks don;t play the Sox again until late August... the best way to make up 13.5 games is head to head.

[faldor]

Why isn't Clemens pitching Sunday at Fenway? Why pay him 28 million then pitch him the day after the Sox series ends. The Yanks don;t play the Sox again until late August... the best way to make up 13.5 games is head to head.

I agree.  Their reasoning is that they already have their top 3 lined up to go against the Sox, though Wang hasn't fared well at Fenway in the past and Mussina has been garbage all season.  I would think it'd be best for them to skip over Mussina and give him a couple extra days rest, although he's real finicky about his routine.  But the dude sucks this year, so screw him.  But you're right, 28 million and you don't want to overwhelm a 23 year veteran by throwing him into a heated rivalry.  Only 9 more head to head matchups, what's the wait?