Rotations set for first four games of ALCS

Shields vs. Dice-K for Game 1

NO LESTER UNTIL GAME 3!!

about 1 year ago usfraysfan 37 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Good

Lester is 3-0 with a 0.90 ERA against us this year. It would be a miracle if we beat him, better if we only have to face him once in this series.

by Jason Collette on Oct 8, 2008 3:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this sets him up for games 3 and 7?

by walkoffwalk on Oct 8, 2008 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Then Rays in 6 it shall be!!

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Oct 8, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeaaaa!

by walkoffwalk on Oct 8, 2008 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

He hasn't lost at home since April.

I think this actually plays out well for Boston as no one sees a sweep so if they can get it to 6 or 7 they have their studs for elimination/clincher games. We need to take this in 5 which is entirely within reason. Winning 2 at home is the key and which Wakefield shows up is another. If he is throwing into a strong headwind he will be unhittable. At the very least we need to be up a game when we come back home if we want to win this thing.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 8, 2008 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That's a very good point

In order for us to the series, I think the Sonny v Wakefield matchup will be key. I think we can have the advantage there. We’ve shown this year that we finally know how to get to Wakefield, unlike past seasons. I like your point on taking it in 5 being within reason. If we hold home-field, and then are able to steal a game in Boston (like against Wakefield) I think it is entirely within reason to take this series in 5.

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Oct 8, 2008 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well we would have to win 2 there. I have to admin Lester scares me as much as Danks did

We’ll have to remain patient against Wake and Matsuzaka. The thing is we can run all day on both these guys. Just have to take our walks, get over and get in. I hope everyone is prepared for some real grind it out baseball. That is why I recommend this being the motto for this series:

Like in the picture, when all the parts are working together the result is flawlessness. If we can stay lubricated and not be afraid to grind some teeth at certain points we will be able to move on to our destiny.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 8, 2008 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

First of all, awesome imagery

Second, thanks for the clarification on the schedule. For some reason I thought the series was a 2, 2, 1, 1, 1 set up instead of a 2, 3, 2 setup. We could definitely win against both Dice-K and Wake if we stay level-headed and patient though.

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Oct 8, 2008 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes. we all must stay lubricated

by daveh33 on Oct 8, 2008 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

WTF

Rays 2009 Slogan: "Come back with your shield or on it"

by PriceMultiCyYoungs on Oct 8, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Win This Fucker indeed

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 8, 2008 4:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sox playing the home/road matchups

Beckett is better on the road, Lester is better at home. I think the Rays should’ve thrown Garza in game 2 and Kaz in Game 3.

www.outsperswing.com

by Tommy Rancel on Oct 8, 2008 3:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They also probably want Beckett in the environmentally contolled dome.

by rglass44 on Oct 8, 2008 3:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think keeping Garza for Game 3 is better

because if Kaz gets of to a bad start in front of that crowd it will be a lot tougher to bounce back then at home.

by JRays on Oct 8, 2008 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

FWIW

Garza’s probably a lot more used to pitching in cool weather, having gone to college in Fresno, than Kazmir, who other than his stint in Binghamton and the occasional cold road game has always pitched in warm weather environs.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Oct 8, 2008 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

plus Garza wasn’t so impressive last start… and if we lose one, its likely the first game in boston against Lester anyway

by daveh33 on Oct 8, 2008 4:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Here's the thing

I see us losing to Lester…and I don’t EXPECT Garza to be dominant. However, if he IS dominant, and can go 7-8 innings of 0-1 run ball, which we know he is CAPABLE of doing, we could steal one against Lester as long as we have good ABs and make him throw pitches. The Sox don’t want to stretch him out too much, and if we can get him out after 7 innings only down 1 or tied, I like our chances. If we can steal one against Lester I like our chances of winning the series.

by staplemaniac on Oct 8, 2008 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

good point

except yr last sentence…. uh you don’t like our chances if we don’t ‘steal one against Lester’ ?? gtfo

by daveh33 on Oct 8, 2008 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Question about home/road splits

Hi all,
Sox fan here with a question-in looking at the Rays pitchers home/road splits, some striking stuff pops out that maybe you have some insight on. Shields and Garza seems to really have been lights out at home, but have struggled on the road. This is somewhat true of Kazmir too, but to a lesser degree. Sonnanstine on the other hand seems more or less the same. Do you guys think this is meaningful? For example, Lester is better at home and away from turf perhaps because he is a groundball pitcher. The Sox are not the quickest group behind him in the infield.

Should be a very interesting series. I would not be surprised by just about any outcome.

by Buzzy on Oct 8, 2008 4:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Without even looking, I'm sure the Sox numbers are similar

Just look how dominant each team was at home all year, versus on the road. Gotta expect the same of the pitchers.

by TallMatt on Oct 8, 2008 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not quite

There is some difference, but it is not as striking, and it is not really the case at all with the Sox top 3. If you look at each team’s top 3 starters, then basically Lester’s splits are similar to Kazmir’s. On the other hand, Beckett was much better on the road, and Dice K was slightly better on the road. As far as the top 3 go, there is a big difference, and since there are the pitchers slated for 6/7 games, it might be meaningful. Of course it might not…

Wake absolutely stunk on the road, as did the pen.

by Buzzy on Oct 8, 2008 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wonder when we will see the playoff roster

I am wondering if Percival and/or Riggans will be on it. If both, prob would mean the demise of Michel Hernandez and Eric Hinske which I don’t think anyone will complain about.

by joeybw on Oct 8, 2008 10:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maddon mentioned yesterday that its almost a certainty that Riggs is not gonna be on the roster

no word on Percy yet though.

And I agree, I think Hinske is the one you have to get rid of if Percy is back 100%

Blake
USF--Class of '09

by usfraysfan on Oct 8, 2008 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, I just read about Riggans

As long as David Price stays on the roster and actually gets used in the series!

by joeybw on Oct 8, 2008 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm wondering

If there was even a chance for the ALCS, if we get to the World Series, I would think Riggans would be on the roster,

It would be nice to have a guy who actually deserves to be in the majors if Navarro can’t play for some reason. I cringe at the thought of Michel Hernandez batting in the ALCS.

by joeybw on Oct 8, 2008 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

God I hope so

Navarro is going to wear himself out catching so many games in a row, but I don’t want someone who has a career .670 OPS in AAA serving any purpose other than EMERGENCY catcher.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Oct 9, 2008 10:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Lester scares me

But at the same time, I think we need to try to take one from him.

If we can do that:

1) That will certainly mess the Red Sox’ heads. It will show that anything can happen. I live in Boston, and right now, everyone here thinks the will kill us. If we beat Lester, it will show them, show the Sox. And no one will be able to say we “sneaked by.”

2) We can lose to someone else. While I know we are great at home, we have to try to win away big time. Win against Lester, Dice K, and Wake, lose to Becket. Fine. Just one game at a time like all year.

by plasticman on Oct 9, 2008 12:26 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I live in Boston, and right now, everyone here thinks the will kill us. If we beat Lester, it will show them, show the Sox. And no one will be able to say we "sneaked by.

Who cares what The Nation thinks?

by rglass44 on Oct 9, 2008 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Francona gets it

It doesn’t matter what order the first 3 guys are in. They all would be lined up to pitch twice.

Yes Shields is our best pitcher, but he pitches much better at home. I think he should have started game 2 so he would be our game 6 starter. That gives him both games at home.

Also he has lined up the pitchers so they are going to have what I think is the advantage in pitching in 2 of the first 3 games.

Shields > Dice-K
Kazmir < Beckett
Garza < Lester

If the Sox are able to win game 1. Then it is going to be really tough for us to win on of the next two. If they lose so what. It was a road game and they have their best two pitchers pitching games 2 and 3.

by Sveet on Oct 9, 2008 1:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't know if I agree that Beckett>Kaz right now

by rglass44 on Oct 9, 2008 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They all would be lined up to pitch twice.

This assumes the series goes 7 games.

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.

by Sandy Kazmir on Oct 9, 2008 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

True

but it wouldn’t really matter how long it went.

If we are down 3-1 going into game 5 we would have to get wins from Shields, Kaz, and Garza anyway. It doesn’t matter what order. If Kaz loses game 5 then we would have lost when his turn came up anyway

If we are up 3-1 then we just have to get one final win from Shields, Kaz, or Garza. If we lose game 5 with Kaz who cares. We have Shields and Garza going at home with just 1 win needed

by Sveet on Oct 9, 2008 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs