You won’t see the true effects of last nights loss just in the standings this morning. The Sox now see themselves with a depleted bullpen going into an early day game this afternoon. The one positive is, so are the Los Angeles Angels. It’s almost a guarantee that neither Daniel Bard or Jonathan Papelbon will be available to pitch this afternoon. Therefore, John Lackey is going to have to be the sacrificial lamb today.
Lackey is going to have to go deep into the game. It might be safe to assume that Lackey needs to go at least 7 full innings today , if not 8. The one situation he must avoid is getting blown out. In all reality, the only other relievers available today are Dan Wheeler and Tim Wakefield. Even though Wheeler might be available, I’m sure Terry Francona would rather avoid using him if there is any way possible. Bobby “Gagne” Jenks might be, barring any side effects of a cramped right arm. You already know my feelings about using Jenks, especially if the game is close. Best case scenario, Lackey duplicates last weeks performance against his former team, when he pitched 8 shutout innings.
It wil be interesting to see what lineup Francona puts out today with very little rest between games.
Other Notables: Jacoby Ellsbury is in the midst of a twelve game hitting streak and Carl Crawford a four game. Watch for Crawford to slowly slide back up to the top of the order. Josh Beckett looked good after the extra days rest.
Lackey has a reputation for being an innings eater, hence the “Bulldog” nickname. He certainly needs to live up to his reputation today. If Lackey can succeed and give the bullpen the well needed rest today , then the Sox will be fresh for the weekend series with the weak hitting, Minnesota Twins coming to town for a four game series.
Tough loss last night, but the Sox are finally showing that they aren’t going down without a fight anymore. Scoring runs in clutch situations is the main reason the Red Sox are sitting at the bottom of the Al East standings. To score two runs in the bottom of the ninth to push the game into extra innings was a minor victory. Now they need to carry that momentum the rest of the year. If they can do that, then the rest of the American League better take notice.
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