| 15 January 2009
Tony Mazz talked with Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell about the Red Sox starters and all the new faces on the staff. Here are a few quotes:
Josh Beckett: "He's doing very well. Clearly, the 4-6 weeks of rest and getting away from pitching did him a lot of good. I know a lot is placed on him as the leader of our rotation, and I firmly believe that as he goes, we go. I think he's primed for a year more like '07."
Daisuke Matsuzaka: Farrell believes that Matsuzaka showed signs of improvement by getting more ground ball outs with his two-seam fastball. The walks? They forever may be part of the package. "He's gone through a lot of adjustments in two years," Farrell said. "His walks -- I think that's part of the deal because he doesn't give in. He's manning the lineup as he sees fit."
Brad Penny: According to Farrell, Penny, who is coming off a shoulder injury, is throwing on flat ground and will be throwing off a mound (like the others) at the start of camp. Says the pitching coach, "In the early stages of spring training, before the games begin, the value of throwing is high. But if we have to, we'll back off a day or two [with Penny and Saito]."
Justin Masterson: "We're going to bring Masterson in and lengthen him out as a starter for a couple of reasons," said Farrell. "First, that's what's consistent with his throwing program [historically]. Second, along with [Ramon] Ramirez and [Hideki] Okajima, if we need him to give us multiple innings [in relief], he's capable of that."
Ramon Ramirez: Ramirez had a 2.64 ERA in 71 2/3 innings last season and held righthanders to an absurdly low .153 average. Ramirez was susceptible against lefthanded batters -- they hit .300 against him -- but Farrell believes he could be the sleeper of the Boston bullpen. "The guy who I think could really help us is Ramirez," said Farrell. "Take away Coors Field and he's had two pretty good years." Ramirez' career ERA is 6.62 in Colorado, 2.14 everywhere else.
Jonathan Papelbon: The anchor of the Red Sox bullpen showed the first signs of cracking last September, when he posted a 5.56 ERA in 11 outings. Papelbon subsequently threw 10 1/3 scoreless innings in the postseason -- giving him 25 scoreless innings in his postseason career, but he was sore at October's end. "I think he was feeling the effects of a full season," said Farrell, stressing that Papelbon was not suffering from any unusual discomfort. "Come playoff time, we knew we were going to lean on him." And they will again.
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