Why did Terry Francona bring in Bobby Jenks with Tim Wakefield having thrown just 76 pitches and stick with him for all of the three walks and blown lead on Sunday? Why he didn't bring in Matt Albers or Dan Wheeler sooner to protect the win for Wake?
–Nathan James
We received several questions related to this decision. First off, Tim Wakefield had not started since spring training, so to get 5 2/3 innings out of him was an absolute delight — he wasn't going to go much longer than that.
So, Francona knew he had to eat up some innings with his bullpen at some point and he said he wanted Jenks to get through 1 1/3 innings. That obviously didn't pan out. If he went to Albers after the first walk issued by Jenks, Francona might be setting himself up for an extremely difficult final few innings with very few options out of the pen. He stuck with Jenks a bit too long, but in doing so never actually lost the lead and was able to utilize Matt Albers to get to Jonathan Papelbon and eventually a win. While there were many questions about Jenks this week, it was surprising to see none on how Albers might be used if he continues to throw like this.
What do you suspect is the reason for the struggles of Bobby Jenks?
–Adam
Francona said Monday that he thinks Jenks wants "to be so good, so bad" that he has tried too hard. That might lead to overthrowing or losing his mental edge. He also has struggled a bit more working out of the windup, for whatever reason.
In any event, the issue on a more broad scale has been location, as cliche as that sounds. There are times when Jenks struggles to throw strikes, as evidenced by Sunday's three-walk outing against Seattle. He also has 10 strikeouts in his limited work, showing some pretty good stuff when he puts the ball in the right place. Jenks may need a shutdown inning or two to get things going. Until then, he may be kept out of some late-game situations.
Do you think Jenks should pitch at Fenway or should he be a road reliever only?
–Brenda
Let's keep the Jenks theme going. It is interesting to note that he has struggled at Fenway throughout his career (12 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings), but the obvious answer to your question is no. The Red Sox have each guy on their roster in order to use them. I've never known of a situation where a team uses a guy based solely on how he performs on the road as opposed to how he performs at home, and it's a pretty safe bet I never will. Thanks for pointing out his home-road splits, however. Might be something to keep in mind as the season progresses.
Given Jenks' struggles, any chance we'll see Wheeler in a seventh-inning role in early May? He did so well in middle relief for Tampa Bay. I wonder if he's a better fit than Jenks at the moment?
–Graham
This one makes a bit more sense. Until Jenks gets it together, he might see more limited action in the late innings. Dan Wheeler and Albers, who has been fantastic, may get a few more of those outs. That said, the Sox are a tad shorthanded in this Angels series as Wakefield recovers from his start over the weekend. It may take a few days before the bullpen is at full strength, and until then there won't be much shuffling of duties.
Do you think Carl Crawford's walk-off Sunday was a sign of him coming out of his struggles? Or do you think that was just luck?
–Stephanie Z.
The Red Sox were fortunate to have a runner on third base after Ichiro Suzuki lost a ball in the sun, so there was a degree of luck involved in the inning unfolding the way it did. But Crawford, despite what he has shown Red Sox fans so far, knows how to hit a baseball. While he didn't hammer one into the corner, Crawford made pretty good contact on the Jamey Wright offering, enough to do the job.
As for what it means to Crawford, we will have to wait and see. Very quietly, he has produced four multi-hit games in his last eight appearances, including his one and only home run as a member of the Red Sox. Perhaps a little surge is not far off.
Well, I know it's way too early for All-Stars, but are there any Red Sox players that should make it?
–David Soolkin
I saw a stack of ballots and display cases for them at Fenway Park on Monday, so it may not be too early to start the discussion. Offensively, it is hard to make an argument for anyone other than Adrian Gonzalez, who entered play Monday hitting .312, and Jed Lowrie. But Gonzalez's power numbers have yet to arrive and Lowrie was a utility player for the first couple of weeks. Both may need a few more hot streaks before the voting is final. About the only three who can make a loud argument on their own behalf are Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and Jonathan Papelbon.
Please provide an update on Jerry Remy. We all care greatly for him and would like the details.
–Coliwabl
Jerry tweeted Monday that he has a case of pneumonia and is day-to-day. The place is not quite the same without Jerry around, so we all wish him a speedy recovery.
Dustin Pedroia is a good player but he is not good at batting second. He does not give Jacoby Ellsbury a chance to steal and he never gives himself up to advance a runner. Why does this never come up for discussion, Tony?
–Cliff
From one great Red Sox second baseman to another.
That might be a tough argument to make with someone like Terry Francona. Pedroia has flourished as a No. 2 hitter and has often ranked among the league leaders in terms of pitchers per plate appearance. He entered Monday's action third on the team and 23rd in the AL in that category. And it would be difficult to convince anyone that Pedroia is not a team player. He also leads the team in sacrifice bunts since 2007. Think we might be looking a little too hard for some negatives here.
Hey, Tony, is it just me or is there a serious lack of putting runners in motion and or moving runners over this season?
–DJ
Well, it's no mystery that bunting is not something the Red Sox like to do all that often. They had three sacrifices entering Monday, among the lowest totals in the league. We have seen them hit and run from time to time, and they will get chances to use their speed, but there were many times when they were playing from behind (at least early on) and it is tougher to roll the dice in those situations. The bunts will stay low, but expect plenty more in other areas once Ellsbury and Crawford reach base on a consistent basis and the team plays from ahead.
Hey Tony, how does it feel to be a Red Sox fan in 2011? All of you NESN writers had the Red Sox running away with the division this year.
–The TRUTH
Love this guy. He peppers our comments board almost every night, and I thank him for it. As long as it's in good fun.
Point of clarification for The Truth. I am not a Red Sox fan, nor is anyone in the press box each night, at least not on the surface. And it was in January that I predicted this team would get off to a slow start. The division remains wide open and Boston will have plenty to say about it before the end of September. My guess is you will, too.
What's wrong with Kevin Youkilis this season? Admittedly, it's still early, but he's been striking out, especially with runners in scoring position, at a much higher rate than his career stats indicate. Your insight would be appreciated.
–Renzo
It has been a rough beginning for Youkilis, whose one real bright spot was his wealth of walks early on. For whatever reason, Youkilis has not seen many strikes, which has seen him chase some stuff out of the zone. He has been prone to sliders, in particular.
Youkilis should get it going but there are a few troubling aspects to the early slump. He is coming off an injury-shortened year, he has already had slight issues with a hand and a hip and he is notoriously a fast starter. If his career norms hold steady in the second half, the numbers will never get back to where we usually see them.
Who will be the next call-up from Pawtucket other than a pitcher this season?
–Ken
This so often depends upon injuries so it's hard to forecast, but I can hazard a guess, just to uphold my reputation as a really wacky guy. My thought is that the Sox will need a utility infielder at some point. With Jed Lowrie the usual starter at shortstop, the only backup infielder is Marco Scutaro, who has played sparingly at third base and almost never at first in his career. If there is ever a thought that a starting infielder might miss more than a few days with an injury, the bench would be rendered extremely thin if it doesn't place him on the DL. If the Sox make such a move, perhaps Drew Sutton or Nate Spears, both of whom played well during the spring playing multiple positions, will get a look.
