4.5.08 and 4.6.08 – Sox v. Jays
I was not able to watch either game much. The Jays completed a four game sweep with with a 10-2 trouncing on Saturday and a 7-4 loss on Sunday.
Sox drop to 3-4 on the season.
The problem? The bullpen (excluding Papelbon and Okajima).
They have all stunk up the joint at one time or another – Delcarmen has given up some big hits, Corey got toasted, and Kyle Snyder undermined what was an adequate outing from Buchholz on Saturday. If the Sox don’t straighten this out, its going to be a killer; Okajima can’t pitch every day!
And, what was with Lugo and his three errors? Does he want to be benched for Lowrie? That won’t happen unless the Sox trade Coco, but Julio may find himself on the bench if he doesn’t get his act together.
Minor League Update
AAA Patwtucket
David Pauley – On 4.5.08 – 5 IP, 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 Ks; Pauley is not 1 or 2 material, but he could help the bullpen and be a decent fill in for an injury. He is still pretty young – turns 25 in June.
Craig Hansen - so far this season 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 Ks. Both outings were 2 inning stints. Will he get the call at some point to replace some of the stiffs that are screwing things up with the big club, if he shows he has figured things out?
AA Portland
Michael Bowden – Another highly thought of Sox prospect in Portland. He got off to a good start with solid outing against Twins prosepect Anthony Swarzak. Bowden went 4 2/3, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 Ks. Last year Bowden split time between Lancaster and Portland. 142 IP, 140 H, 41 BB, 128 Ks, 3.34 ERA. Keep an eye on him and see if he better adjusts to the AA batters this year.
Kris Johnson - Ranked as one of the top 20 Sox prospects, he underwent TJ surgery in 2005 while in college. He opened up in Lowell last year, started 13 games, 30 IP, 25 H, 7 BB, 27 Ks, 0.88 ERA. He moved up to Lancaster where he struggled a bit. Yet, the Sox moved him up to Portland this year. His first outing was a no decision. He went 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO. It looks like he met his pitch count and was removed. I have a sense he is someone to watch.
