Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Dice-K, Ortiz Continue to Disappoint

I had been complaining that the season just started and I can't watch Boston due to the 10:05 EST starts on the west coast. Little did I know it would spare me from such woefull performances. Dice-K gave up 5 runs in the first and although the Sox managed to fight back they lost to Oakland in the 12th. I know it's still a small sample, but Dice-K has managed all of 6 1/3 innings with an opponent batting average of .438 in two starts. Thanks for teasing us all in the WBC.

Clearly the Sox won't go 2-160, but it seems like there is legitimate reason for concern in Boston. Specifically, how long can they afford to continue to bat David Ortiz third? There is no injury excuse this season. Sox fans need to brace themselves for the fact that the era of Big Papi, as productive and exciting as it has been, may be over. He had an awesome five year run from 2003 to 2007 including three straight years with an OPS over 1.000, but that may be all he has in the tank. Clearly he was helped with Manny in the lineup, but there was a symbiotic relationship there that Ramirez benefited from as well. The fact is, big sluggers like him tend to fade fast when the time comes, as I've mentioned before.

2 comments:

Dennis said...

Over heard in a stadium near the Massachusetts Turnpike some time in Late May... "And now, batting third for the Boston Red Sox, Carlos Lee!"

Dan said...

Not a bad idea. Although sometimes I wonder why they don't bat Youkilis third. He's their best hitter at the moment. I also think Jason Bay should be moved up in the order. Assuming Papi is still in the mix I would have Youk #3, Papi #4, Bay #5.