Daniel Bard has impressed everybody with his dominance, but the team needs to be sure not to overuse his young arm.
Scott Atchison has also come out of nowhere as a huge success story. Even if he’s struggling, a more consistent role could help Hideki Okajima get back on track.
Is Daniel Bard on the verge of overuse?
–Kyle L., Sault Sainte Marie, Mich.
It seems he could be getting there. The Red Sox, since the Jonathan Papelbon injury years back, have been very careful in how they use pitchers and have limited them at the minor and major league level to a predetermined number of pitches and innings. In fact, all of baseball has really taken a much different approach when it comes to young arms and protecting them. I think the issue here is that he is one of two reliable guys at the end of games. The problem is how much he has already been used and whether it is good for him to throw multiple innings at a time. Right now, he serves as the eighth inning bridge to Jonathan Papelbon, but you do not want to use him in that role every night. I think Terry Francona has done a good job in this regard and will be careful with him.
What is wrong with Hideki Okajima?
–Chas, New Haven, Conn.
Hard to say. He really has become very unpredictable and has had an inconsistent year. In the past, whenever he had gone through this kind of stretch, they have backed him off for awhile and it seemed to re-energize him. The theory was that he was tired and needed rest. It worked during his first couple of years, but this year, he has had issues out of the gate and has never regained consistency. He seems to get ahead of hitters but couldn’t put them away. It seems like during many 0-2 counts, rather than putting the batter away, he would all of the sudden be standing on base. His inconsistency has led fans to question his dependability. I think he is sort of unsure as to when he will pitch, which might be a factor also. Either way, he needs to be better. He is important to the pen.
Can Victor Martinez catch regularly now?
–Ken, Boston
It appears he can. We have just one night of evidence, but he did not appear to have any problems. He has been catching in the pen for some time and caught a series of side sessions for guys while on the DL. So, whatever contraption they have come up with in his glove to brace his thumb appears to be working. I was actually far more concerned with his timing at the plate, but he looked good last night, knocking in a run in his very first at-bat. I do think that they will be very careful with him, as they are with all players retuning from the DL. In my opinion, he is the most important player to return so far. He is that important to both the pitching staff and lineup.
Has anything or anyone surprised you this year?
–Sarah, Lowell, Mass.
I think that Adrian Beltre has surprised me most among position players. He really has been very good all season. I know that he has made more errors than usual, but his production at the plate has far exceeded expectations. His average has been among the best in the AL all season. His power has returned, and he has been consistent all year, even when his teammates have not been. From a pitching standpoint, I am really impressed, excluding last nights game, with the work of Atchison. He has been the go-to guy in spot starts and out of the pen over and over again, and has kept the Sox in many games. I really expected nothing from him coming into the season, but he has been very reliable. As a result, he is now being used late in games by Francona.
How weird do you think pitching in this series in Anaheim will be for John Lackey?
–Nasty Nate, Chula Vista, Calif.
I think pretty strange. He arrived at the yard early yesterday and visited many of his ex-teammates. I think that he really felt they were going to step up and keep him in an Angels uniform. Eventually, he realized there was going to be more interest and money on the open market. Still, it’s always weird to face your old team at their ballpark for the first time. That said, he pointed out that when he pitched against them at Fenway, that the Angels have changed quite a bit and a lot the guys he will be facing did not play with him. I am sure he will fired up for this.
