Back to the Old School

Screw this four-man or six-man rotation crap. The Red Sox are going way back -- to the two-man rotation. Top that!

One notable aspect of the team’s plan is to start the same two pitchers - most likely Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka - in each of the first four games.

Considering Billy Beane has decided against fielding a real team in 2008, this bodes well for the Sox' opening series.

Comments

[LocklandSF]

SO close I can taste it. The best part of years like this is that there is so little time between the end of the WS and spring training. Having an amazing football team helps a lot too.

[Atheose]

An extra start or two for Beckett? Makes me smile.

Though in the post-season he benefitted from having fewer total innings for the season, so maybe this isn't necessarilly a good thing. Although he'll only be throwing a couple of extra innings than if these were Spring Training games, so maybe it won't matter at all.

[Devine]

I am all for Matsuzaka getting a start in Japan, absolutely.

But I kinda wonder if Schilling isn't our true #2, at least at the moment. Injury risk aside, he was our second-best starter after he re-grouped post-injury, and gave us a couple of October gems. I sort of think he should start the second stateside game...

But I do have (highly tempered) hopes for a 3.8-ish ERA from Matsuzaka this year...

[Atheose]

I feel the same way Devine--I thought Schill was #2 for sure. And I also feel that Daisuke should get a Japanese start. Isn't that the reason the Japanese wanted us to play a game there? They sure aren't paying to see Okajima pitch the 8th.

I have high hopes for Daisuke, but until he earns it Schilling should be #2.

[FenSheaParkway]

Are Josh and Daisuke being called to spring training a week early to get ready?

[CTChris]

Are Josh and Daisuke being called to spring training a week early to get ready?

Why would they do that? The games in Japan aren't until the end of spring training and are also the 1st 2 games of the season. I don't think they'll need to report early for that.

[Atheose]

They won't be reporting early, but their first two starts are March 21 and 23, which is a week earlier than any other pitchers start. So in other words they're replacing Spring Training starts with MLB starts.

[Paul SF]

Francona was saying they'll both probably just throw five innings. That's a good approach. I'd much rather lose the first two games of the season than lose the pitchers in September because they were pushed too hard too early (a la the WBC).

[FenSheaParkway]

Thanks Paul, I hadn't seen that. And that was what I was getting at - that basically they'll both have truncated springs, by more than a week. I guess they'll just have to get their reps in somehow. Considering the two pitchers involved, maybe I shouldn't be too concerned.

Side note: Too bad the closest thing the A's have to a Japanese player is the guy from my state, Kurt Suzuki. Though I would guess that a Japanese-American player will still get a nice reaction from the home crowd in Tokyo though. That'll be interesting to see.