There's No Way Smoltz Makes This Team

[IcyPatriot]

... sorry ... I had to do it. Seriously ... who here is confident that smoltz can bring anything to the table here? I guess they owe him the chance but I don't even see him beating out even Dice-K at this point ... Dice-K will have a good 2nd half IMO.

We have the luxury of time here ... does anyone think he becomes any more than the #4 or #5 guy here this year? Penny is bringing it and Wake is doing well ... can Smoltz pitch better this year than either of them? I really don't think so and of course I hope I'm wrong.

 

[efin98]

... sorry ... I had to do it. Seriously ... who here is confident that smoltz can bring anything to the table here? I guess they owe him the chance but I don't even see him beating out even Dice-K at this point ... Dice-K will have a good 2nd half IMO.

One start and you are throwing him to the wolves? He's a potential Hall of Fame pitcher in his first start in a long, long time- he's earned the benefit of the doubt and patience

From what I've heard Dice-K will not factor in much for a while, possibly not until mid to late August- hard to have a good 2nd half when you are missing most of it.

We have the luxury of time here ... does anyone think he becomes any more than the #4 or #5 guy here this year? Penny is bringing it and Wake is doing well ... can Smoltz pitch better this year than either of them? I really don't think so and of course I hope I'm wrong.

One bad start could be just that: a bad start. He might bounce back and have a heck of a year, or he might be done. It's way, way, way too early to make any projection on him.

Either way their gamble with Penny and Smoltz is going the way they figured it would: one is doing well, the other might be done. They got what they had hoped for.

 

[maverick4]

Who will Smoltz beat out in the rotation? Dice-K may be the team's best pitcher when healthy, he had the league's best opponents-against-average last year among all pitchers.

 

[IcyPatriot]

One start and you are throwing him to the wolves? He's a potential Hall of Fame pitcher in his first start in a long, long time- he's earned the benefit of the doubt and patience .

I really just wanted to stir up some sh!t with the thread ...

How many MLB teams wish they had our 7 man potential staff?

Seriously dice-K will get it back and 3 guys get you through the playoffs.

At best he's the 5th pitcher here if Dice-K or someone else is injured.

 

[efin98]

I really just wanted to stir up some sh!t with the thread ...

How many MLB teams wish they had our 7 man potential staff?

Seriously dice-K will get it back and 3 guys get you through the playoffs.

At best he's the 5th pitcher here if Dice-K or someone else is injured.

Actually it's eight starters...Masterson got "demoted" to bullpen work

 

[efin98]

Who will Smoltz beat out in the rotation? Dice-K may be the team's best pitcher when healthy, he had the league's best opponents-against-average last year among all pitchers.

That was last year...this year he stinks. 1-5 record with an era of 8.25 for Dice-K in eight starts.

Smoltz was supposed to take Penny's slot or whoever got injured, and in this case it's Dice-K's slot.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Actually it's eight starters...Masterson got "demoted" to bullpen work

:idea2::idea2::idea2: .. yup ... forgot that.

 

[maverick4]

That was last year...this year he stinks. 1-5 record with an era of 8.25 for Dice-K in eight starts.

Smoltz was supposed to take Penny's slot or whoever got injured, and in this case it's Dice-K's slot.

Becket sucked it up to start seasons before as well.

Once he rests his arm and comes back, Dice-K is going to dominate. Look at his stats every year he's been in the league. His career averages are all better than Beckett's.

 

[WhiskeyBreath]

Dice-K may be the team's best pitcher when healthy/QUOTE]

R O F L

 

[efin98]

Becket sucked it up to start seasons before as well.

Once he rests his arm and comes back, Dice-K is going to dominate. Look at his stats every year he's been in the league. His career averages are all better than Beckett's.

That's what was expected after his last DL stint and he did poorly. Resting him again won't help him, he needs surgery and that's it for the year for him if he does need it.

He's not likely to come back this year, it's on Beckett, Lester, Wakefield, and Penny to keep pace for them.

 

[Synovia]

One start and you are throwing him to the wolves? He's a potential Hall of Fame pitcher in his first start in a long, long time- he's earned the benefit of the doubt and patience

That, and it really wasn't a bad "start". It was a bad inning. The rest of the start he looked good. Certainly looked better than anything we saw in the first 5 or 6 starts from penny.

 

[Synovia]

That's what was expected after his last DL stint and he did poorly. Resting him again won't help him, he needs surgery and that's it for the year for him if he does need it.

You didn't notice that after the rest, Dice was still throwing 91? He threw 94-95 last year. Theres clearly physical issues.

 

[efin98]

You didn't notice that after the rest, Dice was still throwing 91? He threw 94-95 last year. Theres clearly physical issues.

I'll attribute that slight drop in speed to rust and underconfidence in his arm...I'm more concerned with location than anything, that's been hurting him more than anything all year.

 

[bigcountry75]

I was at the game last night and I think Smoltz will be a great asset to the Red Sox. It was really his lack of command that killed him. He walked to many guys but his fastball was hitting 94mph which is a good sign and his slider was breaking from the middle of the plate and hitting people. He still has it and is a great pitcher and mind of the game. He will make adjustments and come back strong the rest of the season. I also believe they are going to be careful with Dice-k and keep him out extra long until they are 100% sure he is ready to come back. Also off topic Daniel Bard needs to get his control down too because it's nice to throw 96-100 but if you can't control it who cares. It was a rough night indeed last night.

 

[Double G]

Glad you were able to make it to the game with that brutal DC traffic; makes Boston rush hour traffic look like Podunk Iowa.....................

 

[Real World]

Who will Smoltz beat out in the rotation? Dice-K may be the team's best pitcher when healthy, he had the league's best opponents-against-average last year among all pitchers.

Say what?

 

[Real World]

You didn't notice that after the rest, Dice was still throwing 91? He threw 94-95 last year. Theres clearly physical issues.

He's only .9 mph slower on average, than last year. In 2007 he was 92.4 FA/avg. Where he has shown some dip, is in his peak velocity. He's throwing his FB more consistently, but not topping out as high. Is that his issue, or is Dice-K simply more the pitcher he was in 2007, than he was in 2008? All his numbers last year, like BABIP, FB to HR %, etc, were all well below the league average. His BB/9 should have killed him were those figures not so extreme. I don't think Dice-K is as bad as he's been this year, but I also think last year was an extreme. I could be wrong of course.

According to data from Fangraphs, a baseball statistics Web site, Matsuzaka's average fastball velocity this season is 90.9 miles per hour -- a fairly significant dip from the 91.8 miles per hour he averaged last season.

Daisuke Matsuzaka PitchFx Overview | FanGraphs Baseball

 

[IcyPatriot]

He's only .9 mph slower on average, than last year. In 2007 he was 92.4 FA/avg. Where he has shown some dip, is in his peak velocity. He's throwing his FB more consistently, but not topping out as high. Is that his issue, or is Dice-K simply more the pitcher he was in 2007, than he was in 2008? All his numbers last year, like BABIP, FB to HR %, etc, were all well below the league average. His BB/9 should have killed him were those figures not so extreme. I don't think Dice-K is as bad as he's been this year, but I also think last year was an extreme. I could be wrong of course.



Daisuke Matsuzaka PitchFx Overview | FanGraphs Baseball

Lots of baseball science there RW ...

How about he looks like a pork chop lately ... a bit rotund.
Perhaps he's been liking those Boston Italian restaurants a bit too much?

 

[maverick4]

Dice-K's issue is very simple: he played (dominated) in the World Baseball Classic and has dead arm right now, that was never allowed to rest.

That, or the Sox pitching coach is screwing with his mechanics.


As for Smoltzy, he's still got the talent but he's also a major injury risk who shouldn't log too many innings this year.

 

[captain insano]

lmaoya its the redsox fault