News
Sox need Beckett, Papi for deep run
Boston won't go far without vets recapturing star power
09/07/09 6:30 PM ET
CHICAGO -- It is distinctly possible that the Boston Red Sox could win a Wild Card berth even without Josh Beckett pitching at top form, or David Ortiz doing anything like the kind of hitting that has characterized his best years.But the chances of the Red Sox advancing in October would not be promising under those circumstances, particularly in the case of Beckett. Playoff history suggests that one starting pitcher on a roll can make all the difference, just as Beckett did for the Red Sox with a truly dominant performance in the 2007 postseason. Or as Beckett did to a degree in '03, when he was the Most Valuable Player in the World Series for the Florida Marlins.
The Red Sox left U.S. Cellular Field on Monday afternoon on something other than a high note. They had lost to the White Sox, 5-1, and had thus dropped three out of four games over the Labor Day weekend.
The solace to be found was in the fact that even though Beckett was the losing pitcher, he stopped giving up home runs. Beckett had mostly pitched brilliantly from mid-May to mid-August. But then he ran into a spate of home run balls -- 12 over four starts -- including a career-high five against the Yankees at Fenway Park.
Beckett was not bad Monday, but he also was not dominant. He gave up no home runs and allowed a respectable three runs over seven innings. The White Sox, however, got all their runs in the third inning, a rally that started with the No. 9 hitter in the Chicago lineup, third baseman Jayson Nix, being hit by a pitch.
But Beckett kept the ball in the park. On his side of the argument, U.S. Cellular Field is a hitter-friendly facility, and the White Sox have some pop, ranking fifth in the American League in home runs. On the other hand, there was a pitcher's wind blowing in off Lake Michigan.
Mark Buehrle was superb for the White Sox. He had not won a decision since his perfect game on July 23 against Tampa Bay. But he was back in form here, giving up one run in seven-plus innings.
"I got outpitched," Beckett said.
Beckett also wasn't taking much consolation in the fact that he looked more like himself in this performance.
"It's tough to look at it that way," Beckett said. "We lost today."
David Ortiz did not play on Monday. Buehrle is a left-hander, but Ortiz had a .354 lifetime average against him. There were right-handed starters coming up for Ortiz to face when the Red Sox return home, manager Terry Francona said. He added of Ortiz: "He's not been swinging real well."
That's a gentle way of putting it. Ortiz was 2-for-22 on Boston's road trip. On Saturday, he struck out in all three at-bats and was never particularly close.
Ortiz has gone from being one of the most highly regarded run-producers and clutch hitters in the game to being something of an enigma. After a miserable start to the season, he has put together some highly productive stretches. But then he has slumped again. So it isn't that his career is at an absolute end, but the ability to sustain the offensive production has apparently been misplaced.
He has 22 home runs and 79 RBIs, which would be a nice season for some other players. But his .222 average, .313 on-base percentage and .430 slugging percentage do not resemble the work of the David Ortiz of the past six seasons.
Encouragement could be taken from the fact that Ortiz was hitting .185 with one home run at the end of May, so his second half has obviously been better than his first. Ortiz had a fine June. He had run production in July even though his average remained low. He hit seven home runs in August but hit only .222.
But here is September, crunch time, and Ortiz hit .091 the first week. That's a small sample size, but since the end of July, he is hitting .198. He is still David Ortiz, designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox, but the numbers no longer match the name.
Still, the Red Sox could be the AL Wild Card team, even with Beckett pitching just adequately and Ortiz hitting just occasionally.
There is only one team, the Texas Rangers, realistically in range in the Wild Card chase. Many of the young Rangers have never been down this road before, and All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton is having lower back problems. The Rangers have obviously improved their pitching, but it doesn't yet appear to be their turn.
The Red Sox have back problems of their own, specifically with Tim Wakefield. He pitched in this series in obvious pain, and Francona said Monday that his next turn in the rotation would be skipped. There is a possibility, Francona said, that Wakefield would start every 10 days instead of every five.
So the Sox are far from being a push-button operation at this juncture. Still, they have the AL's third best record on merit. Even with occasional individual struggles, they should be able again to qualify for October play.
But with Beckett pitching just adequately and Ortiz hitting at a level less than that, beating the Angels and/or the Yankees in the postseason would be a different matter. Another round of real greatness on the part of Beckett would be the surest route to postseason triumph, because he has proved twice that it can be done.
Mike Bauman is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
