Posts tagged ClayBuchholz at FanHouse

Notes From the Clubhouse: Red Sox Nation Gasps as Josh Beckett's Start Is Pushed Back

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

The Red Sox have decided to push back Josh Beckett's next turn in the rotation to Tuesday because the pitcher is feeling some tingling and numbness in his throwing arm.

Manager Terry Francona said the 2007 ALCS and 2003 World Series MVP slept on his throwing arm awkwardly on Saturday night. He started Sunday against the Blue Jays, allowing eight earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in arguably his worst performance in a Red Sox uniform.

Francona indicated that the decision to push Beckett back from Saturday at Toronto to Tuesday at New York was more precautionary than anything else.

"It's not something we're real worried about, we just don't want to do something rash," said Francona. "If we let him pitch just because he's a good pitcher and he will pitch, I just don't think that makes much sense."

The ace's usual side sessions were postponed a few days as a result of the tingling and the team wanted to put him on a normal throwing schedule in between starts.

For Beckett's part, he sounds a little more concerned. "Anytime it's something with your arm ... especially with a pitcher, you think the worst," said the pitcher. But he went on to say that club officials have assured him the numbness isn't anything to worry about long-term.

Beckett has been outperformed, at least on a results basis, by both Jon Lester and Daisuke Matsuzaka, but there's no doubt Boston will need him at his best to secure a playoff spot and succeed should they get to the postseason. So how worried should Red Sox fans be?

Rumor Mill Roundup: July 23

With the trade deadline right around the corner, our MLB editor brings you the top five rumors every day until July 31.

- So what are those pesky Yankees up to anyway? First things first: they are absolutely in the AL East race, just three games behind the Red Sox and 3 1/2 behind division-leading Tampa Bay. They've also got clear needs -- namely pitching depth and offensive help, either at catcher, now that Jorge Posada's season is in doubt, or at one of the corners.


New York's top brass will meet tomorrow in Tampa to discuss what, if any, moves they should make before the deadline, but indications are that the team is willing to deal prospects and make a run. The name with the most heat is Mariners left-hander Jarrod Washburn, who wouldn't be a flashy pickup, but would give the Yankees a reliable innings-eater to put at the back of their rotation. He'd certainly be an upgrade over Darrell Rasner or Sidney Ponson. Seattle is not impressed with center fielder Melky Cabrera, but has been scouting New York's Double-A affiliate Trenton. That's where the Yankees' top hitting prospect, Austin Jackson, has been playing all year.

- Concerns about Huston Street's performance and stuff don't seem to be scaring off teams. According to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Reds have shown some interest in the Oakland closer. Cincinnati GM Walt Jocketty certainly can't consider his team a contender, but there is reason to think it can make a run as soon as next season, and Street isn't eligible to be a free agent for another three years. He also has two players with uncertain futures -- Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. Dunn is the type of player you'd figure A's GM Billy Beane would covet, but he might have to send more than Street to land the slugger.

New Studs: Three Young, Live Arms

New Studs on the Block takes a look at players ready to make the leap from "possibly productive fantasy player" to "must-have fantasy stud." This is not a "you've never heard of this dude, but ... " series -- these should be names you already know.

Today I wanna proclaim the following three young pitchers are going to be absolute fantasy monsters by the end of the season, if you don't consider them to meet said criteria already ... basically what I'm saying is that you should never consider benching the following in any fantasy league. I'm that psyched for the potential of these boys.

Brandon Morrow, RP, Mariners
I already wrote about his menacing presence on the hill and beastly potential as a closer. Since that entry, he's been out of his freaking mind, though. I didn't even imagine this. In nine appearances he's closed all six of his save chances, while striking out 12 in 9 2/3 innings. That's not even the best part. Seriously. He's faced 31 hitters, and only two have reached base. One walk, one hit. That's it. Neither dude scored, either. He's allowing a .098 OPS as closer! That's gross. Yes, I'm aware the Mariners suck big-time. Common sense dictates that when a bad team wins it's generally gonna be a close game and the wins are rare enough that the closer won't get overworked. He can still pile up saves. And he'll continue to do so.

Notes From the Clubhouse: The Red Sox Might Be in Some Serious Trouble

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Bad news for Boston fans Monday night. The Red Sox will place designated hitter David Ortiz on the disabled list after an MRI revealed the slugger had a torn tendon sheath in his extensor carpi ulnaris -- a muscle in the wrist. Ortiz is certain to miss at least a few weeks, though the Boston Herald has reported that he will miss at least a month and could face season-ending surgery.

Manager Terry Francona did not indicate the injury was quite that serious, though he will confer with Ortiz, GM Theo Epstein and the team's medical staff tomorrow in Boston.

Big Papi struggled in April, but he was his usual slugging self in May putting up a line of .318/.409/.617 (AVG/OBP/SLG) over the last month. No team in baseball is prepared to replace that kind of production, but the Red Sox are deeper than any other organization in the game and are prepared to make do while Ortiz gets healthy. Francona said after the game that reserve first baseman Sean Casey would likely see additional time while Ortiz is sidelined, but the most likely lineup Francona will put out there will probably feature Manny Ramirez at DH and Jacoby Ellsbury, Brandon Moss and maybe even Bobby Kielty or Kevin Youkilis splitting time in left field.

When asked about seeing more time as a designated hitter, Ramirez said "I love it. I love to DH," though he then went on to joke that if he played there too much it might hurt his chances at getting the Gold Glove he so covets. "It's nice to give him a blow and still keep his bat in the game," said Francona of playing Ramirez at DH.

If the Red Sox were merely losing Ortiz for a few weeks, there wouldn't be much to worry about, but Big Papi's injury is just at the top of a long list of concerns for the reigning champs.

Boston will miss Ortiz, but they'll do a very good job of filling the void in the short-term

FanHouse Roundtable: Pick Two, Dubya Style

President George W. Bush shocked the world with his baseball knowledge, or lack of unknowledge (it's about W, I can make them up, m'kay?), the other day, naming Chase Utley and Roy Halladay as the two players he would use to start a baseball team. That got us MLB FanHousers to thinking, what two players would we take right now to pick a team?

No specifications, other than it must be one hitter and one pitcher. In other words, contract doesn't factor in and age only factors if you care about winning in the long term. The discussion got interesting to say the least. Here's the top five in the final tally with the discussion -- which features snappy one liners, Jon Bois reading minds and some veiled Nickelodeon references -- after the jump. Your picks in the comments.

Hitters
David Wright -- 4
Jose Reyes -- 3
Hanley Ramirez -- 2
Chase Utley -- 2
Justin Upton -- 1

Pitchers
Brandon Webb -- 3
Cole Hamels -- 2
Jake Peavy -- 2
Clay Buchholz -- 1
Fausto Carmona -- 1

Notes From the Clubhouse: The Tired, Battered, Frustrated Second Place Red Sox

Our MLB editor provides weekly dispatches from major league games in Notes From the Clubhouse.

Do you think the Red Sox are ready to go back to Fenway Park? They haven't had an off day this month (they'll have one tomorrow) and they're finishing up a 10-game road trip, on which they'll finish no better than .500. Oh yeah, they've also lost starting shortstop Julio Lugo to a concussion, starting right fielder J.D. Drew to a hyper-extended wrist and had to put promising young pitcher Clay Buchholz on the 15-day DL with, of all things, a torn fingernail.

So that explains, at least partly, why Josh Beckett went all Ozzie Guillen last night. It also helps explain why David Ortiz was still smarting this morning after he was ejected by umprie Laz Diaz for arguing a very controversial check swing third strike call. Diaz called the third strike on Ortiz without checking with the third base umpire and it appeared that the only reason Ortiz came close to breaking his wrists on the swing was to duck an up and in pitch.

Big Papi complained about Diaz's fairness last night and this morning talked about the state of umpiring in general. Ortiz and a few of his teammates (Kevin Youkilis in particular) often let an umpire know when they think he's made a bad call, but he was quick to point out the downside of criticizing the guys who call balls and strikes. One reporter asked him if he meant getting fined.

"Fine?" lamented Ortiz. "You get [expletive] on the field."

Clay Buchholz Needs a New Manicurist

It's pretty amazing that for all the time spent discussing pitch counts, mechanics and proper rest between outings something simple like a broken nail can throw the best laid plans off track. That's what happened to Clay Buchholz who went onto the disabled list today with that very injury. It's the middle finger of his right hand and contributed mightily to his struggles in Minnesota on Monday night.

The team recalled outfielder Jonathan Van Every to take Buchholz's place because the pitcher isn't the only guy ailing right now. J.D. Drew sprained his wrist on a dive in the field last night and Coco Crisp was felled by an upset stomach during the game as well. Drew didn't break anything and Crisp should be okay but the team needs an extra player just to be on the safe side.

To top it all off, Terry Francona missed last night's game and will miss this afternoon's contest with Baltimore because of his mother-in-law's death. This recent spell of bad luck, and concurrent three game losing skid, finds the Sox a half-game behind the Rays in the AL East. Nothing too drastic has gone wrong, of course, but the team could use a good outing from Jon Lester to help clear the black cloud from above their head.

Clay Buchholz Is a Hot Prospect in More Ways Than One

You often hear young baseball prospects described as studs. The term certainly fits for Clay Buchholz of the Red Sox. He threw a no-hitter in his second big-league start and is set to be a member of the rotation for the Red Sox this summer and for summers to come. But Buchholz's studliness extends beyond the white lines.

The young hurler is dating 2008 Penthouse Pet of the Year Erica Ellyson (right). His father confirmed the news to a Boston radio station yesterday and, as you might imagine, he's bursting with pride in his baby boy's accomplishments.
"I know he's met her, gone out with her, but I don't know if you consider that dating . . . but hey, a boy could do worse. It doesn't surprise me any," said Clay's dad. "Last year up in Boston he was dating a Victoria's Secret model, so he's moving up the ladder . . . . I mean, he's got pretty good taste."
I don't think you're ever going to hear Skip Buchholz bemoaning the fact that his son didn't become a doctor.

According to the Boston Herald, Ellyson's Myspace page lists her interests as "being naked and spanking" and "golf, track, fishing and drinking with friends." She sounds like a fun girl. Watch your back, Tom Brady, there's a new player in Beantown. Sorry, No Photos Previously on FanHouse:
Gallery: When Athletes and Strippers Collide
Gallery: Athletes in Playboy

The Red Sox Knew Curt Schilling's Shoulder Could Present Problems

When Curt Schilling took to 38 Pitches to share some thoughts about the injury to his shoulder last week, he said that, prior to getting hurt, there wasn't any reason to believe he would be less than healthy during the 2008 season.

Today's Boston Globe, however, reports that not only did the Sox know that his shoulder could present a problem, they tried to deal with it before signing him to a deal.
That perspective seems to be at direct odds with the news that the Sox, believing he was capable of pitching just a limited number of innings in '08 because of his disintegrating shoulder, initially proposed that he sign a half-season contract much like the ones Roger Clemens has had the last couple of seasons, and that the Red Sox medical staff either raised red flags about re-signing him or recommended outright that he not be brought back.

There's been talk of the Sox trying to void the contract but, if they knew the risk going in, that would seem like a hard battle to win. They have no insurance on the deal so they're on the hook for the full $8 million even if Schilling doesn't throw a single pitch. That knowledge also raises the question of why the Sox didn't do more to bolster their depth this offseason.

Is Tim Lincecum on the Block?

It was a stellar debut year for a few young pitchers last year. Most notable, despite Clay Buchholz's incredible no-hitter on Sept. 1, was probably Giants hurler Tim Lincecum's debut season. It's rare for a young pitcher to get so much work in his first season, but Lincecum responded to the challenge with aplomb and, you know, really nasty stuff. 2007 proved it: Tim Lincecum's future is bright.

But it looks like the Giants are not all that interested in that future. Jayson Stark reported today on ESPN's winter meetings blog that San Fransisco is actively trying to deal Lincecum for the Blue Jays' Alex Rios:
• The Giants and Blue Jays have a deal on the table that would send outfielder Alex Rios to San Francisco for pitcher Tim Lincecum. But the Blue Jays appear to be more motivated to make that trade than the Giants. Two baseball men who spoke with the Giants describe them as being "indecisive" about whether they really want to move Lincecum for a big bat and, if they do, about whom they should get for him. Toronto has decided its best strategy to survive in the loaded AL East is to stockpile as many power arms as possible. So the Blue Jays would sacrifice offense if they could pick up an arm like Lincecum.
Rios is an awfully big bat to trade, but Lincecum is a potential world beater. The Jays want him to be a Red Sox and Yankees beater, too, though that might be a bit too much to ask.

Last question(s): What are the Giants thinking here? Isn't it time to rebuild? Barry's gone ... isn't youth the thing? Why trade Lincecum now, when he's just beginning to broach his talent?
ADVERTISEMENT
Play Fantasy Football
ADVERTISEMENT