Red Sox RP Hideki Okajima
The bullpen woes of the Boston Red Sox have come to the forefront. After their 4-3 loss last night at the hands of the Kansas City Royals, the dependability of the relief staff has come into question. No Red Sox starting pitcher has figured into a decision yet in the first 4 games of the 2010 regular season.
Last night’s culprit was Daniel Bard, who was the unfortunate victim of a 2-run broken-bat, bloop single by Royals center fielder Rick Ankiel in the bottom of the 8th inning which erased the Red Sox’ 3-2 lead, and a quality start by Tim Wakefield. One of the two runs was charged to Hideki Okajima, whom Bard relieved in the 8th. Okajima in his 3 appearances thus far has looked very shaky to start the season, as he has allowed a total of 6 baserunners in just 2 innings of work for a putrid WHIP of 3.00.
While they have not been too detrimental to the cause as of yet, the fact that the Red Sox brought Scott Atchison back from Japan after a 2-year stint, and picked up lefty-specialist Scott Schoenweis off the scrap heap goes to show that there was not much stock put into improving the bullpen this off season, despite the organization’s mantra of run prevention for 2010. They have also failed to address the issues regarding Manny Delcarmen, whose velocity is clearly down from past years. Delcarmen has had arm issues in the past, as he has Tommy John Surgery as a minor leaguer.
Both John Lackey and Wakefield have posted quality starts with nothing to show for it. They have done their part in putting the Red Sox in a position to win ballgames. The Sox have invested a lot of money into their starting rotation recently, but it may as well be a waste if the bullpen cannot support the rotation to help provide it with wins.
While it is still very early, do not be surprised to see some shakeup in the bullpen. It is no secret that the Yankees and Rays have superior offenses when compared to the Red Sox. In the particular case of the Yankees, who are adept at working counts and grinding a starting pitcher into an early exit, the need for a steady bullpen is a necessity.
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