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Jon-Boy Ensures an Open Competitionby Cameron on March 2 at 1:02AM | comments (0)
[ comments (0) ] [ BallHype ] Admit it Sox fans, as Jon Lester trudged off the mound without an out in the second inning, that panicky feeling sunk in once again. Awww crap. So much for one open rotation spot. The fact that Lester, tossing one of his better offerings in an AP photo below, just months removed from winning Game 4 of the World Series with a dominating performance, threw only 20 strikes to nine batters on Saturday afternoon is more than just a worrying sign for the Red Sox. It's a sign that, perhaps, holding back from a trade for Johan Santana because of Lester's budding promise may have been a bit blinded by recent events. Namely, a World Series title buoyed by one strong start from the rookie lefty.  No one questions Lester's potential. He's a big lefthanded starter, he has an overpowering sinker and has had true authoritative voices of baseball talent - Peter Gammons almost chief among them - compare him to a young Andy Pettitte. Use a name like that, a man who ended so many Red Sox pennant runs by outdueling Pedro Martinez (September '00) or dominating Derek Lowe, and Boston brass is bound to be hesitant to relinquish control. Not surprisingly then, and due no fault of his own, the pressure gauge has been cranked up on the former cancer survivor. The expectations will be raised, and while it's completely unfair to expect Lester to reach Santana-like levels, the more he scuffles before his first regular season pitch, the more fans and - perhaps more importantly, the media - will get antsy. That's not good for the team's future prospects, or for Lester's, to say nothing of the two coinciding together. Of course, there's always a silver lining for someone. In this case, that lining comes for a quartet of pitchers, perhaps none bigger - literally and figuratively - than Bartolo Colon. The recent acquisition may still be working his way to a start long toss to bullpen, but watching one of the presumed starters, a pitcher still young enough to hit the bullpen or minor league circuit if necessary, has to bring a smile to his face, even if it's fleeting. In a more immediate sense, it has to give tremendous hope to Clay Buchholz, Kyle Snyder and, to a lesser extent, Julian Tavarez. While the bowler of that triumvirate has already had one bad outing, and to be fair, Tavarez will always be more valuable to the Sox as a long man out of the bullpen when the team has another semi-reliable option for the fifth starter's role. Buchholz is already penciled in one of the starting slots, so a handful of good Spring Training starts would seem to all but lock him into that role if Lester puts up another bad outing or two. Then there's Snyder, who may be building a case as a fascinating dark horse in the fifth starter race. Once a first round pick - seventh overall to the Royals, to be exact - Snyder spent last year bouncing back from a rough patch of elbow injuries that once threatened his career. Instead of folding, Snyder ratcheted up his adoration and emulation of Curt Schilling, who once had tutored the star as both were rehabbing injuries. The result was a spectacular season as a long reliever for Snyder, who quietly was one of the most consistent multiple-innings relievers in the big leagues throughout 2007. Entering camp, that's what he was slated for again. But the Sox brass made it clear they would consider him in the race to be the team's final starter, and Snyder has made it perfectly clear that he would relish the opportunity to grab that job and make it his. He's openly pined for a starting slot in the past, but was never willing to disrupt the team's makeup in order to make an issue of it. Oh, and there was that little issue of a roster spot. $535,000 is a lot to turn down. So, will Snyder be able to take advantage of Jon-Jon's little slip-up? Will Buchholz grab the bull by the horns? Will WMYM finally stop finishing posts by asking stupid questions? Time will tell. There. That's not a question. Is it? |
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