Bobby Valentine ‘Couldn’t Be Happier’ With Dominant Red Sox Bullpen

by abournenesn

Jul 1, 2012

Bobby Valentine 'Couldn't Be Happier' With Dominant Red Sox Bullpen

Editor's note: NESN.com is going to tell the story of the 2012 Red Sox in Bobby Valentine’s words. Each game day, we will select the best Valentine quote that sums up the day for the Red Sox.

On Saturday night, the bullpen faltered in the 11th inning when Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine asked his closer — and former starter — Alfredo Aceves to extend himself to 2 1/3 innings as they game slogged late in to the night.

However, on Sunday afternoon, Aceves was asked to close out the Seattle Mariners with a one-run lead in the 10th, and this time he did not disappoint, getting the M's in order 1-2-3. The effort on Sunday was really a holistic one by the pen in relief of Felix Doubront, who couldn't even give five innings while running up his pitch count.

A combination of Matt Albers, Scott Atchison, Vicente Padilla and, finally, Aceves absolutely shut the door on the Mariners, giving a relatively stagnant offense to put up just enough to get out of Seattle with a series split. Over 5 2/3 innings that foursome allowed exactly one hit and two walks, continuing a trend that has been in effect for months now.

If you had said that the Red Sox would have a dominant bullpen unit back at the beginning of April, immediately after the news that closer Andrew Bailey would miss significant time with a thumb injury, you probably would have gotten some laughs, looking at a relatively ramshackle bunch made up of at least four converted starters. However, since April 23rd, when the Sox pitching in general was considered epically bad, the bullpen has been the best in baseball, with an ERA hanging right around the 2.00 mark.

"They've been outstanding," said Valentine after the Sox 2-1 win Sunday over the Mariners. "Every man out there — not just the ones pitching tonight — comes in with a job to do and they're doing it. And I couldn't be happier."

Part of the reason that the bullpen has clicked has been the definition of roles. After a few missteps in the closer's role, Aceves has taken the baton and run away with the job, making it a legitimate question whether or not Bailey should automatically reclaim the role once he returns.

Beyond Aceves, however, Padilla, another former starter, has thrived in the setup role, while Scott Atchison has become the uber-dependable swingman. Albers has taken on the earlier innings, while Andrew Miller — yet another former starter — has taken well to the job of the situational lefty.

In effect, all of these pitchers are still learning while on the job, as none of them have really ever been asked to do what they're doing now. But, as Aceves said last Tuesday, a big part of the reason is that, despite the defined roles, no one has much of an ego about where they pitch, they all just want to do whatever's asked of them to help the team win — very much echoing Valentine's sentiments.

Without a clear ace in the rotation stepping forward and the June struggles of Felix Doubront — formerly the Sox most reliable starter — Boston's been asking a lot of its bullpen lately. So far, it has answered the call nearly every time.

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