Look Out Behind You

Where do I begin? With the horrid defense and lack of pitching? With the lack of clutch hitting, or any hitting for that matter? With Keith Foulke once again making us cry for the name Craig Hansen?

The game started off on the wrong foot and never shifted momentum- that’s the bottom line. The Jays plastered Abe with five runs in the third inning, including a home run by the immortal Gabe Gross. Meanwhile, the Yankees were spanking the Devil Rays by a gizillion runs, and Red Sox fans could see the lead slowly slipping away. Edgah made a costly error when we were creeping back, and the Jays once again proved that they’re not giving up, they’re in this till the end, but most of all: they just want to kick our ass.

Now to address the pitching matter. If the season ended today, David Wells would most likely pitch the opening game. Followed by Tim Wakefield, who’s becoming more and more dependable with every game, and then Matt Clement, who’s becoming less and less dependable with every game. Where Curt Schilling fits into all of this, I have no idea. Bronson Arroyo hasn’t deserved a job in the starting rotation yet, so he’ll work in the bullpen where he’s extremely hit or miss. Plus, Wells has been there before and should make a quality starter for game one. Still not an ace, though.

The bullpen is a different story. Timlin is our closer for the rest of the season. That’s probably not how Sox Nation wants it, but Foulke is just way too ineffective. I still do think Foulke can play an important role in the playoffs as the setup or seventh inning guy, if he ever gets his groove back. Papelbon is so young, it’s hard to throw him into those huge playoff pressure-filled situations. But this kid appears to be poised and confident on the mound, so actually he could be our setup guy. I personally see Myers and Bradford as a strong point. Righty to lefty. Submarine. I like them in the playoffs.

The offense isn’t a problem, just a little bit streaky as of late. At Fenway, we knock the living crap out of the ball, and we should have home field in the first round when the Indians win the wild card. Damon should be back on Thursday at home vs. Oakland, another huge series.

But for tonight- David Wells takes the mound trying to prove he’s the number one guy. Let’s go Sox and D’Rays.