That Boy Good

-

First off, I've already touched on it here, and was even pleased when Ozzie had a quick trigger finger and temporarily took the closer job from Jenks after the Mariners meltdown. But then he too quickly let Jenks have the job back and the results were almost disastrous yesterday.

The Twins are playing incredible baseball (helped, I'm sure, by the momentum of that 9th inning comeback freakin Jenks gift-wrapped for them in the series finale). The Sox have no room for error, so losing yet another hard-fought road game against a tough opponent would have been brutal.

Fortunately Kotsay bailed out Jenks, first by giving him two more insurance runs to keep that HR from being a walk-off, and then by breaking the tie in extras to give the Sox back the W. Still, the numbers couldn't be more plain - Jenks has a 5.13 ERA. The three other late inning options - Thornton, Putz, and Santos - all have ERAs less than HALF of that.

Aside Bobby, the Sox pen couldn't be in better shape. Thornton and Putz are as good of a lefty-righty set-up tandem in baseball. Especially because both have shown they can close. Santos is a great righty 7th or 8th inning option. This young kid Chris Sales, a 6-6 beanpole, has been unhittable in the minors, flying up to the bigs. There's huge potential there. And if he can't keep it up, Threets has been a revelation as a lefty option. Finally, Pena is a very respectable garbageman.

So Ozzie, move Bobby back to a spot righty role and give him a few tight 7th innings to show he can once again contribute. But let Putz, Thornton, and Santos do the heavy lifting, maybe with help from Sales if he lives up to the hype. And don't be so damn quick to go back to Jenks. If Bobby is going to retake that job, let him earn it with a long string of successes that shows he's over his troubles of the last two seasons.


And now to the actual point of my post - the look of this club down the stretch. First off, Edwin Jackson is a stupid name. It's bad enough to name your kid Edwin, but at some point he's got to just go by Ed. Ed Jackson - now that I dig. Sounds like the bassist from Sexual Chocolate (hence today's post title). I like it, so that's what I'm going with. I hope it sticks.

Name aside, I've actually come around on the Ed Jackson acquisition. First off, as I've posted (I think) - I'm no Daniel Hudson fan. He seemed like a puss to me. Incapable of throwing strikes. Not so much that he was worthless, but enough that he was going to have troubles being effective in the AL and pitching out of the Cell.

Hudson was fine in the minors, fine in a spot relief role, but look at every one of his starts with the Sox. Two last year? 5 walks and 4 walks. Three this year? 3 walks, 4 walks, and 4 walks. 5 starts, 26.2 IP, 20 walks. Is it too early and too small a sample size to be convinced Hudson couldn't ever turn it around? Absolutely.

However, I'm glad the Sox got out from under him before he lost all value. Just ask the Cubs how much fun it is to sit on prospects and watch them destroy their value (and your team) with mediocre play. Corey Patterson, Felix Pie, Rich Hill - these guys could have secured the Cubs just about anyone in a trade. Instead Hendry clung to all of them, saw them tank his club, and then ultimately being em given up for peanuts.

Kenny may do a lot of things, but he rarely hangs on to a prospect too long. And another thing he rarely does - give up on a prospect who's shown to be a real gem. Of all the trades he's made, none have clearly yet come back to haunt Kenny. The closest was Chris Young, but the Sox not only got four solid(ish) years of Vazquez out of it, but they turned Vazquez into Flowers. Young for Flowers straight up? Yeah, I'd probably do that... or at least it's close enough not to feel any huge regret.

Sure, Kenny has given up arms to the Dodgers (Ely) and Padres (Richard) who've shown solid things this year. But those guys are pitching out of big parks in a soft-hitting division in the NL. I'm not buying that they could have had the same success on the South Side. And I'm way more happy to have proven vets like Juan Pierre (Ely) and Peavy (Richard) to help this club win for a few years.

So yeah, I'm fine with giving up on Hudson. I wish him the best (it can only help the Sox for their prospects to prove capable in the bigs) but I think we got the better end with Jackson. He showed for both Tampa and Detroit that he can pitch in the AL in pressure-packed races. In 2008 he was a key contributor to a Rays team that went all the way to the World Series, winning 14 games and posting a respectable 4.42 ERA.

Last year he took another step forward, helping the Tigers get to a 163rd game with a 13-9 record and a pretty 3.62 ERA. From 2007 to 2009, Jackson saw his walk rate plummet and his innings per start rate skyrocket. Nothing could be more evident of a talented young pitcher starting to get it. At 26 and moving to the NL, Jackson seemed primed for stardom.

But it didn't work out that way. Sure he had a no-no, but that stellar outing only brought his ERA down to a pedestrian 4.63. And following that, EJ reeled off five straight starts of 4 ER or more. While he clearly had some value (his name was bandied about in Dunn talks), Ed had lost a bit of his luster.

In steps the "Arm Whisperer" - none other than pitching project savant Don Cooper. Supposedly they detected a few flaws that felt they could correct, so Kenny sends Hudson packing. That's also telling - if Coop isn't high on Hudson after working with him for parts of last year and this year, then I'm fine parting with the kid.

Jackson's first game in the pinstripes? Sure looks like Coop figured something out. 7 IP, scatters 9 hits, only walk is to the best hitter in the AL, Miguel Cabrera, as EJ is running out of gas in the 8th. It was a gutsy outing. Not pretty, but effective. And against a team that is short-handed, sure, but still remains one of the best home teams in baseball.

By all accounts, EJ has great stuff. And like I said - each of the past two seasons he's greatly improved his command which has allowed him to pitch way deeper into games. All while pitching effectively for contending teams in the AL. The more I look into it, the more I'm pumped. This kid, at 26, could definitely have his best years ahead of him.

Starting now, he could be a nice spark down the stretch. As I said, the Twins are making every game matter for the Sox, so throwing a strong arm out every 5th day (instead of the oft-wild and seemingly mentally soft Hudson) is a big plus. And longterm, Jackson is signed very reasonably for next year and might just be a crucial piece for years beyond.


Of course, the main complaint most people have with EJ is that the Sox needed a bat more than an arm. Not only do I disagree (you can never have enough arms), but I also don't think it was an either/or situation. I have faith that Kenny will add another bat. It just might not be the big bat like Dunn or Fielder that everyone always salivates for.

But it could be another nice piece to a deep, balanced, dynamic lineup. A piece that can play a few positions, provide a bit more pop from the left side, and allow Kotsay and Jones to move back to roles they are more suited for.

Look, I dug the open DH thing. Sure, I didn't like how Ozzie handled it. If he was gonna use Kotsay there, he needed to use him as a veteran #2 hitter doing the little things behind Juan. Instead he miscast Beckham there, which lead to a disastrous start for both the team and the Sox' most valuable young player. In the meantime, Kotsay struggled trying to hit in the middle of the order.

Everything Ozzie touched turned to gold in 2005, but that was because, as he said himself, he put his players in a position to succeed. He didn't ask too much of them and tried to play to their various strengths. But this year, Ozzie forgot his own smart strategy and Beckham, Kotsay, and the entire team suffered because of it.

However, even having mishandled it, Ozzie ultimately got what he wanted - this is NOT a lineup that waits around for the big homer. This team is running a lot, it's looking for production from top to bottom, and it's not giving pitchers any breaks. That's why I'm a fan of the decision to avoid getting a slugging DH and think it's been a key to our success this year.

This lineup, built to get production from everyone, does two things that are necessary to winning, one of which is under-valued and the other isn't really appreciated for what it's accomplishing. The under-valued aspect is providing a consistent attack day-in and day-out. Big slugging teams get a lot of runs one day and then none the next, based strictly on whether the top guys are getting on and the sluggers driving them in.

But the Sox are attacking you 1-9, meaning that everyday somebody is doing something to put runs across the board. If the middle of the lineup slumps, the back and front can carry the load. If the top isn't setting the table, the middle and back can still create rallies themselves.

It's vogue today to tire out pitchers by working deep into counts, slowing taking away the starters effectiveness and getting into oft-suspect bullpens. But what isn't as appreciated is the way a balanced lineup can do the same thing. Everyone wants a big bat or guys who can take walks. People don't get excited enough about a lineup that has respectable threats from top to bottom.

If every hitter is dangerous - as the they are in the Sox lineup - then a starter never gets any in-game rest. He never has any cruise control innings, where he can put down a couple of iffy bats with less than his best stuff. The Sox have shown how effective this can be this season, scoring runs all game long against starters and relievers alike.

And I think they're gonna show people how valuable it is in the playoffs. Good pitchers can get past even the most patient hitters by simply attacking with good stuff. But there's no easy way to deal with a lineup that's strong one through nine. The only way is to bring it every inning, every batter, and hope. It's a lot of what lead the 2005 Sox to the promised land - while the lineup was far from imposing, there wasn't a spot in it that wasn't dangerous. That couldn't get hot and hurt a pitcher real bad.

This year's lineup? It has the exact same look to it. I mean freakin Beckham and Alexei are often hitting 8-9. Are you kidding me - those guys could end up hitting .300 with 20 HR power for the next decade. Worst case, we're talking .280 with 15. Throw in some speed and that's a tough couple of outs to get after you've already worked through the top and middle of the order.


And yet, as pumped as I am about the lineup, yesterday's heroics aside, Kotsay should not be getting five starts a week. Combined with Jones and Teahen, they're gonna get about 8 or 10 as the roster is presently assembled. These guys should maybe get a start or two a week each.

Me? I'm finding myself some sort of lefty - doesn't have to be an all-star, but someone who can justify 5 starts a week. Ideally he can play a few positions in the field and/or bring some speed or patience, both of which the lineup could profit from.

Does someone like this exist? Possibly - it's hard to tell who will be available on waivers. It has to be someone with enough of a contract to not get claimed, which limits the pool. But because another few weeks of the season will have passed, a few more teams might have gone from buyers to sellers. So maybe Kenny can find someone to upgrade the lefty DH slot without screwing up the great dynamic this lineup has established.

Even if the Sox don't add someone, I'm definitely giving Lillibridge and Viciedo a few more starts against righties and all of them against lefties. Sure, both have hit lefties better, but both also have been solid against righties. In Viciedo, you get a much more lively bat in the lineup than Kotsay or Teahen can provide. And in Lillibridge, you get much more speed and positional flexibility. Ozzie needs to not be so wed to righty-lefty, not when your lefties are both slugging under .400 like Kotsay and Teahen are.

To me, Kotsay is best served as a DH and 1B replacement late, and a pinch-hitting machine (he's one of the statistically best pinch-hitters in all of baseball). Getting Kotsay out of the regular DH role will upgrade this team by adding a great pinch hitter to the bench. Andruw Jones should never get starts - why should a .200 hitter play over the red hot Lillibridge and Viciedo? But he can be valuable as a defensive OF sub and pinch-runner. Teahen's 1B-3B-LF-RF versatility would allow me to keep my corner guys fresh and Kotsay in a pinch-hit, Konerko pinch-run/D replacement late option.

Of course, all of this ignores the pending roster crunch. With Teahen coming back, someone's got to go. It's not for long - come September 1st we can expand the roster to include everybody. But for 3 weeks, the Sox need to move out someone on this roster and that's even before they make any possible acquisitions.

I see two choices. Most likely they send down Viciedo to get him regular at-bats ahead of a September call-up, when maybe they slot him back into a few starts a week. That wouldn't be terrible, just in that a young kid like this can profit from as many ABs as possible (the guy still doesn't have a walk, which suggests he's got to learn a bit more patience and selectivity to have longterm success).

Another angle is to farm out Linebrink - hopefully he's classy enough to see he hasn't lived up to his contract and that he owes the club the roster flexibility to keep the extra hitters around. The challenge there is that Linebrink has to agree (or force the Sox to eat his entire contract in a buy-out, which won't happen) and that it leaves the bullpen without another arm to take some garbage innings.

However, the Sox are carrying 7 relievers and they can probably get by with only 6, at least for a few weeks. It's not ideal and could tax the pen, which could be terrible down the stretch and into the post-season. But the way I see it, the extra garbage work in those three weeks would probably be best utilized on getting Sales some low-pressure big league experience. Pena remains a good mop-up option and the Sox have plenty of legit back-end arms.

Throw in the fact that you've got 5 SPs who should get fairly late into games, and 6 guys should cut it, right? Worst case, say the Sox starters have a short outing or two? Farm out Viciedo then and bring up some relief arm to spell the pen for a few days or even until rosters expand.

Come the playoffs, I can't see Linebrink making the roster anyway. We're already gonna have an extra arm because of the need for only 4 SPs. So you have to figure Ozzie is gonna want an extra pinch hitter/runner/defensive replacement to work with rather than a mop-up pitcher. So why not start handling your roster that way right now?


Well, whatever the Sox do, they are in a pretty good place to survive this stretch run and go deep into the playoffs. They have a lineup that produces consistently from top to bottom, even without adding another lefty bat. They have a dynamic and productive bench. They've got five different SPs who can give you strong outings every time out. And they've got a pen deep enough to have no problem working over the struggles of the closer.

Minnesota definitely scares me, but if the Sox keep playing like they have since June 9th (especially when facing the Twinkies), they will make the playoffs. And they will be a force in those playoffs.

-