El Guapo's Ghost Rambles on about the Red Sox

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

A key in the series is controlling Tejada and Chavez. They make the A's go offensively. Tejada is a free swinger, so get ahead and he will get himself out. Of course, that is much easier said than done. Unlike Tejada, Chavez has one glaring weakness - his inability to hit LHP.

Once the starter is out of the game, Chavez should never face a RHP with runners on base. Should it be Embree or Sour-beck? Both have not been pitching particularly well of late and neither has enough Abs against Chavez for the numbers to be significant – greater than 20. But here is a list of current AL LHP that do (AVG/OBP/SLG):
• Rhodes (261/292/304)
• Washburn (250/250/438)
• Buehrle (192/185/308)
• Schoenewis (115/148/154)
• Moyer (258/343/645)
Rhodes is a pure power relief pitcher (mid-90s heat with a slider). Washburn and Buehrle mix things up more. They top out with low 90s heat, feature a slider or curve and changeup. Schoenewis is mostly a sinkerballer. Moyer is a classic control pitcher who changes speeds and nibbles. ESPN.com notes that Moyer’s outpitch to LHB is a looping curveball. Sour-beck’s best pitch is his curveball as well. Embree is a similar style pitcher as Rhodes. The evidence is inconclusive but I would rather have Embree take on Chavez than Sour-beck or should it be Burkie (156/227/300) or Suckpan (143/182/190)?

Series notes:
• Timlin should not pitch to Chavez, Durazo or TLong. LHB with power have teed off on him this season.
• The A’s like Sox emphasis OBP but the A’s have been tops in Defensive Efficiency over the last couple of years. It was learned in Moneyball that Assistant A’s G.M., Paul DePodesta has a system to quantify and evaluate a player’s defensive ability, which is a big part of preventing runs. It seems to be working. Is defense now being undervalued in the baseball marketplace instead of OBP?
• Williamson will come up big. His head is on straight and has been impressive of late. The last sentence was influenced by the man from Mulberry Street who I think was also a Sox fan. Email me if you know who I am referring to; the prize has yet to be determined.
• Rich Harden in the pen could be a factor in the series. Strikeout pitchers can get out of jams more easily than others. Good things happen for the defense when the ball is not put into play.

Other notes:

• …in Boston, baseball fandom is religion, a manifestation of hope, a test of endurance. If you've built up the strength to bear years of cruel defeats, you don't have another favorite team. You have a community of fellow sufferers, and you can't let them down. (Joanna Weiss, Boston Globe).

• That 70's sale: Tom Werner is looking to save a buck on everything and everything around Fenway whenever he comes to town, playing the old "do you know who I am?" card and "do we get a discount?". I'm talking $10.00 items here. Yikes. BostonDirtDogs.com – if this is true, it is sickening. Tom Werner has a net worth of $600 million based on a Los Angeles Almanac report in 2002 like he needs a discount. Who the f_ck does this Laker fan think he is? BTW, nice fire sale in San Diego. Try that here and you will be tar and feathered or worse.