After closer Andrew Bailey (bicep strain) was placed on the 15-day disabled list yesterday afternoon, former closer Joel Hanrahan joined him there today after leaving last night’s game with a forearm strain that the Red Sox say will simply require rest and rehab, at least for now.

April 28, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Andrew Bailey (40) pitches during the ninth inning against the Houston Astros at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The result is that manager John Farrell and pitching coach Juan Nieves have had to shuffle things around by moving Junichi Tazawa into the closer role, adding lefty Craig Breslow to the mix after a DL stint of his own and, surprisingly, promoting rookie Allen Webster to the rotation to replace Felix Doubront, who will move to the pen to try to work on some things as a reliever.

Got all that?  That’s a lot of movement but it’s to be expected when a team loses not one, but two closers to injury in two days.

We’ve talked all season about how much flexibility and depth the Sox pen has provided and now that depth will be asked to produce quality innings.  Simply put, guys will be pitching in roles they are not normally accustomed to because of all the shuffling.

The good news is Farrell and Nieves, both former pitchers, are piloting the ship and seem supremely confident they can get through this rough patch because they believe they have quality arms available to fill in, particularly Webster, a young pitching luxury not many teams have.

It’s going to take a team wide effort to get through this until Bailey, hopefully, returns on his scheduled day of May 14.  But even that is a question right now because Bailey has never been an especially good healer throughout his injury plagued career.

April 13, 2013; Boston, MA USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Joel Hanrahan (52) pitches during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

It means that not only is Tazawa going to need to pitch effectively and Breslow is going to have to step in as a co-setup man along with Koji Uehara, but the starting rotation is going to have to provide that extra inning or two per start until things clear up.

Doubront and his power arm pitching shorter stints out of the pen should also help as maybe less will be more for him in terms of effectiveness.

What’s happened to the bullpen in the last few days just speaks to how fast perceived pitching depth can dry up.  The way baseball is played today, a team really needs a total of 16-18 dependable arms to get through a season unscathed.

Whether the Red Sox have that kind of depth or not is going to be determined over the next week or two and could determine what kind of season this becomes for them down the road.  So, do they survive this?

Apr 1, 2013; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Andrew Bailey (40) pitches during the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Boston won 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The excellence of the bullpen was on display just last night, coming to the aid of an imploding Alfredo Aceves. Following back-to-back home runs and double to Mark Reynolds, John Farrell pulled the switch on Aceves in favor of Junichi Tazawa. With no outs and a man already in scoring postion, Tazawa retired the next three batters, preventing the run from scoring and keeping the game at a 5-3 advantage. After the sixth, the pen was utterly dominant, striking out seven of the next nine batters, without allowing one of them to reach base.  After Tazawa struck out the side in his second inning of work, Koji Uehara and Andrew Bailey chipped in with two K’s a piece.

This obviously is just one game and it is impossible to think that the bullpen will be flawless every time out. Just as Hanrahan has had his early season struggles, it is inevitable that other members will face similar rough stretches throughout the season.

With that said, I still view last night’s game as a foreshadowing of the types of performances to come. Just like Wednesday’s four inning, no walk, 8 K performance, this bullpen is more than capable of striking out batters in bunches while limiting the free passes. To me, this is the best kind of bullpen in that it can escape jams at will and prevent rallies from starting. Other than perhaps Andrew Miller (career 5.33 BB/9) and Hanrahan, every pitcher fits the high-K, low-BB, description.

I believe this bullpen is not only one of the most talented, but also among the deepest the Sox have had in recent memory. Given the wealth of gifted arms currently throwing the late innings,  I have the most confidence I’ve had in years with securing a late lead. Count me as a fan. How about you?

Aug 29, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox reliever Alfredo Aceves (91) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. The Angels defeated the Red Sox 10-3. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Alfredo Aceves received a $2.65 million contract through arbitration this year, and is out of options. Thus, I think it is likely that he will be in the bullpen on Opening Day. While his 5.36 ERA as a failed closer was disappointing last year, he and and the Red Sox hope that he can get back to the levels of his 2011 season which saw him go 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA. A return to the swingman/long relief role should be a good stepping stone for “Ace.” Daniel Bard, on the other hand, is much less likely to start the year in the bullpen. More than anything else, that’s because of the fact that he has a remaining option, as he failed as a starter (posting a 6.22 ERA in 17 games), but hopefully will return to form as a reliever. I think it’s most likely that he starts to return to form in Pawtucket, though.

Aug 19, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Andrew Miller (30) reacts as he heads to the dugout after being relieved during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Yankees won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

It’s very difficult to pick between the remaining four pitchers, however. Four of the first five pitchers in the bullpen that I’ve mentioned are right-handers (Breslow being the exception), so it’s likely that at least one of Franklin Morales or Andrew Miller makes it in. Neither has any options remaining, so they’d have to be exposed to waivers, where they would certainly be taken. It would be unfair to demote or lose either one due to their contributions to the team in 2012 (3-4, 3.77 and 3-2, 3.35 respectively). Since both have no options, both should be in the bullpen come Opening Day.

Sep 22, 2012; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Junichi Tazawa (63) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the ninth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

It hurts to say, but this would leave both Junichi Tazawa and Clayton Mortensen off the major league team. Both had excellent seasons when with the Red Sox last year posting 3.21 and 1.43 ERA’s, respectively. Mortensen, left without options, would likely be waived and some other team in need of relief help would pick him up. Tazawa has an option, and if he didn’t, would almost certainly be on the major league team. In case of injuries, however, he should be right back up.

This would leave the Red Sox with a remarkable bullpen lineup. The late inning relievers should be absolutely shutdown, but one can’t overlook the guys who will be pitching in the fifth and sixth innings. If Alfredo Aceves, Andrew Miller, and Franklin Morales are right, they could be the late inning relievers on a multitude of teams. On the Red Sox, they’ll be relegated to less important situations. Close games should be fun to watch in 2013.

July 23, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Franklin Morales (46) throws to the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers won beating the Red Sox 9-1. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

Acquiring lefty reliever Craig Breslow from Arizona could allow LHP Franklin Morales to move back to the rotation and, with Beckett leaving his start tonight with back spasms, it may prove a timely move.

(more…)

Daniel Bard makes his way from the bullpen to the dugout with pitching coach Bob McClure. Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

Today Daniel Bard announced that he’s decided that he should go back to the bullpen and the team agrees. Despite Bard blowing the save in Pawtucket last night and throwing two wild pitches, I think it’s the right move.

For a couple days now I’m been debating writing an article pleading with the Red Sox to move Bard back to the pen. I’m glad that they are finally seeing things my way.

If we look at Bard’s minor league numbers, in 07 he was a starter and his ERA was 7.08, his WHIP was 2.053, Bard averaged over one walk and one hit per inning yet he only averaged 5.5 strikeouts per 9. Those are terrible numbers. The next year he moved to the pen. He pitched in 46 games, finishing 17, with an ERA of 1.51, a WHIP of .0927, his hits per 9 dropped to 4.9 and his walks per 9 dropped to 3.5. His strikeouts per 9 jumped to 12.4. And the rest is history.

We know what he did this year as a starter and we know what he did last season as a reliever. So why not move him to the pen? If Bard bounces back to last year’s numbers he can be the closer. Alfredo Aceves has done a decent job but he’d be so valuable in the 8^th. Once Andrew Bailey comes back, he could take over the 9^th, with Bard going to the 8^th, and Aceves being the all so valuable bullpen guy that can pitch in any spot in the game, much like he did last year. That would make for a very good bullpen. Bard should the piece that this bullpen is built around. Hasn’t that been the story as long as we remember? We heard it again and again, closer of the future, closer of the future. So why did they bother to change it? Was the starting pitching market that tight this off-season?

Imagine if the Red Sox decided this before the season? They’d be able to keep either Marco Scutaro or Jed Lowrie, or trade them for something else. Right now Boston has Clayton Mortensen and Mark Melancon to show for it. What if they decided that they didn’t need to completely rebuild the bullpen? Which by the way, if we look at it now, looks pretty similar to last year, minus Bard and Jonathan Papelbon.

Just another case of team mismanagement.

I know it's hard to take this seriously with a foot as the featured image but please try!

Following a season in which the Red Sox lost 12 of 18 contest’s against the Tampa Bay Rays, it was vital that they find a way to beat them in the new season. The first two games played between the two have exposed what looks to be the Achilles heal of a team built around their starting pitching.

Tampa Bay’s bullpen has holes–even more so than their offense–and it could be the key to the keeping them out of the playoffs for the first time in three years.

The first two games of the long season series between the Sox and Rays have shown that if you can get the starters out early, this team can be beat with relative ease.

In the first game the Red Sox were able to work David Price and relieve him of his duties after a mere three innings, giving way for an offensive barrage in the eighth inning off Joel Peralta and Josh Leuke. The Sox were able to push across 8 ER in the eighth inning in that contest, turning a 4-2 game into an out of reach 12-2 blow out.

In the second game on Saturday the Red Sox grinded against reigning Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson, knocking him out of the game after five innings in which he gave up 5 ER. When Hellickson left the game it was still a 5-5 tie but again the Tampa Bay bullpen would struggle mightily in the late innings.

It started in the seventh when Mike Aviles broke the tie with a solo shot into the parking lot behind Fenway Park and continued with a Cody Ross 2-run double later in the inning to make it 8-5 Red Sox–still in reach for the Rays right? Not for long.

In the eighth Joe Maddon sent Dane De La Rosa–called up from AAA to replace Josh Leuke–to the mound only to see him struggle in the eighth inning as well. The Red Sox got a bases clearing 3-Run double from David Ortiz and a 2-Run homer from Cody Ross to put the game out of reach at 13-5 and prove on consecutive nights that the Rays’ bullpen wasn’t up to the task.

If the Red Sox plan on beating the Rays more times than not in 2012, that’s the way they’re gonna do it. Work the starters, get them out of the game early and have your way with that mouthwatering bullpen.

For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS Feed

August 24, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek (33) and relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon (right) congratulate each other after beating the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Red Sox won 13-2. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

In the fall of 2011-after a historic collapse- the Red Sox and their fans added a new personality to the long list of players we “love to hate”.

The fact that Jonathan Papelbon signed a 4 year $50 million contract to finish games in Philly seemed to rub Red Sox fans the wrong way. Of course it didn’t help when Pap-In an attempt to brown-nose his new fan base- went on the record saying this,

The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball. The Philly fans tend to know the game a little better, being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played.

These comments infuriated many Red Sox fans -including myself- as it seemed our former closer was attempting to rub salt in the most painful wound we suffered this offseason.

The thing is as much as I’d like to say I’m glad Jonathan Papelbon and his “larger than life” ego are gone from Fenway for good, it’s simply not the case. Especially when you look at the back end of the Sox’ bullpen going into the 2012 season.

The less than stellar performance of Mark Melancon combined with Andrew Baileys inability to stay on the mound have left me longing for the days when Pap was breaking down the Irish Jig on the mound after devastating his opponent with his splitter.

In six seasons with the Red Sox from ’06-’11, Papelbon posted a 2.33 ERA in 429 IP with 219 saves spanning 396 appearances. With the exception of 2010, the Phillies’ new closer was automatic for the Sox and more importantly he was durable.

Every spring since 2006, Pap provided the Red Sox with a reliable piece to build the bullpen around. Andrew Bailey has already proven that his presence in the bullpen will be the complete opposite. How can you build around a player that spends more time on the DL than on the mound?

Short answer.. You can’t.

In the scheme of things, the Red Sox just weren’t willing to open up their wallets the way the Phillies did and I don’t fault them for that. A four year contract for a closer carries significant risk, especially when it’s for $12.5 million per year and the Sox were smart for not ponying up the money. That doesn’t mean Ben Cherington and company won’t lose a few nights sleep in ’12 wishing they could have found a way to keep “Shipping up to Boston” playing in the ninth at Fenway.

For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.

It’s Pre-Season Ranking Time and we citizens of Red Sox Nation are interested to know if our team is highly-ranked, injustly ranked, or judged just rank.   And, just as we are smarting for a good argument at the neighborhood tavern, in walks MLB.com Columnist, Anthony Castrovince, and tells us that he has created a Top Ten for three categories: Lineup, Starting Rotation, and Bullpen.

(more…)

What an awful stretch of play to begin the 2011 season for the Red Sox. They get beat in Texas against a tough lineup and pitching staff, then arrive in Cleveland and drop a few more stink bombs against a future last-place team. The Red Sox looked like they were in a position to remain close on Wednesday night, as Daisuke Matsuzaka settled down and allowed just 3 runs in 5 innings, but Dennys Reyes, El Guapo Jr., decided to destroy any chance they had by hitting 2 batters and walking a 3rd to begin the 6th inning. In a 1-run game, Reyes was straight awful and put the Indians in a position to blow the game open. From that point on, the game unraveled and the Red Sox lost their 5th straight to begin this campaign.

(more…)

After taking a week off due to illness, Notable Numerals is back with a bang. During the Spring, I looked at one player each week and went into depth about their career numbers and some recent successes and failures, but as the season progresses, there will be a mix of topics discussed, surrounding stats of all kinds. In order to begin to wrap-up Spring Training, because opening day is Friday for the Red Sox, let’s take a look at some of the most interesting statistics from the past month or so. There are some surprising offensive gems and some awful and horrifying pitching numbers, as well as a few other numbers that might make you think a bit. Without further ado, here is the Spring wrap-up edition of Notable Numerals. (more…)

Photo by Matthew West

If there is one thing the Boston Red Sox have right now, it is a plethora of pitchers vying for a few roster spots. One of those guys is last night’s starter, Alfredo Aceves. Besides being the 1st player alphabetically on the roster, Aceves brings 3 years of major league experience to the table, all with the New York Yankees. He appeared in 10 games last season, striking out 2 in 12 innings pitched (10 appearances) and held a solid 3.00 era. He is an intriguing pitcher who could provide depth in the bullpen and can be an innings monster if he remains healthy. The Red Sox are thinking that maybe they can stretch him out a bit for longer outings, but after what we have seen recently, a few innings max in the bullpen seems to be the best fit. (more…)

Every Spring Training, there are a few names and faces that come out of the blue and surprise fans with their ability. So far this Spring, non-roster invitee RHP Matt Fox has been blowing people away on the mound. The 28-year old has pitched in a total of 4 major league games, 1 with the Minnesota Twins and 3 with the Boston Red Sox last season, so he came into this Spring with a lot to prove. In 3 games pitched (4 innings) this Spring, Fox has 7 strikeouts and has allowed just 2 hits. In Tuesday’s contest against the Houston Astros, Fox struck-out the side in the 9th inning for his 1st save, preserving a 3-2 victory for the Sox. Not too shabby. (more…)

One Mayor’s Cup game down and Hideki Okajima is already showing his ugly side. There was a reason the Red Sox did not re-sign the lefty immediately following the season and waited until they had only a few other options before inking a deal. In 1 inning of relief on Sunday night, Okajima allowed 5 hits and 4 earned runs, blowing the game open for the Twins. It is only his 1st outing of the Spring and usually that means nothing going forward as long as their is improvement, but it certainly doesn’t help him fall into the manager’s good graces. In a normal year, he would have a leg-up to make the major league club because of his previous experience, but he has opened the door wide for others to step into the lefty-specialist role in the bullpen. (more…)

Photo by Doug Eisenhart of Boston.com

We are now just a handful of days away from when pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report to Spring Training 2011 in Fort Myers, FL. It is a chance for old teammates to catch-up after a long off-season and for fresh faces to get a feel for their new team and their new home. Spring Training can turn into a grind pretty quickly, with workouts until late February, then 37 games in 32 days (including split-squad games) with only 1 full day off on March 23rd. Each game will have a different lineup and a different set of subs, because with 60+ players in camp, the Boston Red Sox want to give everyone a chance to play and prove themselves. With so much commotion and lineup switching on an inning-by-inning basis, I thought it would be helpful to look at the top 5 story-lines to follow this Spring in order to get a good read on where the Sox club is as the regular season approaches. (more…)

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

The Red Sox are approaching the 2011 Spring Training is great shape. Theo and his team made several moves this off-season to make the team better overall and fans are anxious to see those new players on the field. As with every season, there are spots on the roster that are up for grabs when the team arrives in Fort Myers, FL and this year is no exception. With the exception of the split-catcher role, every position player is comfortably set in their starting job, assuming they are healthy and for the most part, the starting rotation is set, but the bullpen still seems to be a bit in flux. The end of the ‘pen is all set with Jonathan Papelbon, at least for now, and his set-up man, Daniel Bard, is safely locked-in, but what happens in the middle-relief will partially depend on Spring performances. (more after the jump) (more…)

AP Photo/Steve Nesius

The New York Yankees took a big step forward in shoring-up their pitching staff on Thursday with the signing of Rafael Soriano. The former closer and late-inning reliever will act as a set-up man for the great Mariano Rivera and will likely succeed the sure Hall-of-Famer when he decides to hang-up his cleats. Last season with the Tampa Bay Rays, Soriano collected 45 saves and posted an impressive 1.73 era in 64 games. His knowledge of the AL East and the Red Sox (.178 opposing batting average against Sox) and his ability to perform at the highest level late in games, makes him an incredible asset. The Yankees pulled out the stops for Soriano, creating a unique, flexible contract involving a player opt-out after year 1 and year 2, while paying him $35 million for 3 years. (more after the jump) (more…)

Photo by Yoon S Byun/Boston Globe

There is nothing like going on vacation in Arizona and arriving home just a few days before one of the biggest blizzards of the past several years in New England. As I was outside shoveling nearly 2 feet of snow yesterday, all I kept thinking of was warm weather. Whenever Boston gets dumped with snow, I can’t help but think of how close we are to Spring Training. Pitchers and catchers report to Fort Myers, FL in just over 4 weeks on February 15th and just 4 days later is the first full squad practice. Red Sox fans and staff have a lot to be excited about this Spring with some major additions to the roster and what on paper appears to be a balanced and powerful lineup. The front end of the Sox rotation looks as strong as any and their bullpen appears to be coming together rather nicely. That being said, there are still some question marks that need to be addressed. (more…)

The pitching situation has been covered in great quantities lately. With the Red Sox re-signing Hideki Okajima, signing Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks, there has been some questioning towards Jonathan Papelbon. First, is it time to let him go? Although, Papelbon did not have a “high point” in his career this past season, the Red Sox and fans might find Papelbon closing the games like he used to, successfully. Despite what the rumors say, Papelbon will be closing for 2011 and making around 11 million. This might not end up being the best decision, however, as you can see the Red Sox have plenty back-up in both minors and their active bullpen. With this said, the Sox have high hopes for Papelbon going into the 2011 season, after all he was useful once before. (more…)

For the 1st 6 years of his career, Bobby Jenks put on a Chicago White Sox uniform every day and showed up at the ballpark ready to pitch. He and his wife planted roots in the North-side of Chicago and was made to feel at home, until the end of the 2010 season. Jenks was non-tendered by the Sox, but that wasn’t what upset the hefty closer, it was a issue regarding his jersey number that began his distaste. After the White Sox signed Adam Dunn, he was informed that the slugger was taking #45, Jenks’ number since arriving on the scene in 2005. He felt slighted and knew immediately that he was not a priority to return to Chicago. As with any disagreement, the White Sox told the story in a different light, claiming that because Dunn and Jenks share an agent, it would be possible for Dunn to talk about taking the #45 only if Jenks signed elsewhere. As typically happens in these scenarios, Jenks decided then to air his grievances and went on to then rip his former manager Ozzie Guillen. (more after the jump) (more…)