The Joy of Sox

Bellhorn DFA

The majority of Sox fans are dancing on his grave, but you have to feel bad for any decent guy who falls apart so badly.  He couldn't even hit AAA pitching.  It's a mental thing, so it's really sad to see.  But it's also a dead issue now, and not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things.  Graffanino is doing fine, and we don't need a long-term fix anyway given that Dustin Pedroia has a stranglehold on the 2006 job.  So it's just too bad, and I hope Bellhorn figures it out elsewhere.

Schilling Starts on Thursday

I have low expectations for the next month and a half's worth of Schilling starts.  The constant injuries (and hamburgers) clearly kept him from staying in game shape while on the DL, and he wants to pitch his way into shape... at age 38... in a pennant race.  I'm not buying it.  We don't need another David Wells-ish innings horse whose clock is always ticking... we need Bloody Sock Schilling.  Fortunately nobody else at the top of the AL has particularly good pitching either.

Foulke Implosion?

Ready in a week or two, not reclaiming closer role until he can earn it back from Timlin.  But in the meantime, we do not have a setup guy.  Chad Bradford is the only semblance of a setup guy they're using.  Mike Myers is situational, and Mike Remlinger is a walking calamity right now.  This bullpen is on the verge of collapse unless Foulke regains his form.  Hopefully the 2 months' rest will serve as a Juvenation Machine hook-up.

Bullpen Babies

The only alternative to a Foulke renaissance is if a) hot prospect Jon Papelbon succeeds in the bullpen as he has in the rotation, and b) 2005 draft pick Craig Hansen actually gets the call before the playoff roster deadline of August 31, which is inevitable considering the stats he's posted since leaving St. John's (9 IP, 0 ER, 13 K, 1 BB).  High 90s fastball, high 80s slider... smells an awful lot like a certain Anaheim reliever's rapid ascent.  The consensus is that Hansen was the closest to the majors of any draft pick, so elevating him would not be unreasonable... and they have absolutely no reason not to make room for him.  What, they're worried about losing Tampa Bay castoff Jeremi Gonzalez?!?  Papelbon, meanwhile, has already established that he can get major league hitters out, having posted a 3-ish ERA in three starts this month.  If Papelbon and Hansen have the stones for playoff baseball, the bullpen problems could be a thing of the past.