The biggest change obviously comes with the addition of Billy Wagner to the bullpen. Wagner is coming off Tommy John surgery, and despite limited availability, he could be the perfect bridge to Jonathan Papelbon while allowing the rest of the bullpen a chance to rest. Paps didn’t have the expected reaction when he found out about the possible acquisition of Wagner, but once the deal finally materialized, the Sox' all-time leader in saves changed his tune — possibly with the realization that Wagner could make his job much easier down the stretch.
Another decision that had to be made was the reinsertion of Tim Wakefield into the starting rotation. The move, of course, was the right one, as Wake lumbered out to the mound and stifled the White Sox' bats through seven innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits. Despite his heroic return, the 43-year-old failed to snag the win after Ramon Ramirez gave up a game-tying homer to Scott Podsednik following Wake's departure.
Then, with the addition of Wagner, the Sox found themselves in another sticky situation: What do they do with Brad Penny? After Penny's struggles this season, the easy answer for Boston was to release the hard-throwing righty. The release was made official just after three o'clock Thursday afternoon — and if the path taken by John Smoltz is any indication, Penny could find himself in some National League rotation by next week.
All of these changes in anticipation of the playoff push are only for the better. Terry Francona has won a pair of World Series in his time at the helm, so any decision that he makes, don’t question it. Just sit back, relax and watch it make sense down the road. After all, a pitching change or a defensive substitute may not always look like the best strategy, but baseball is quite possibly the most strategic game ever.
So just remember: Making changes this season could result in Boston capturing its third title in six seasons, solidifying them as the team of the decade. So if you are hanging your head about the division race, don’t fret. Just think back to 2004. Give it two months. Then, cue the duck boats!
