And is Daniel Bard ready to be closer? We've been watching Pap's numbers head steadily in the wrong direction each season now, while his salary continues in the opposite direction. At what point do you unload him?
2006: 0.92 ERA, .078 WHIP, $335, 400 salary
2010: 3.26 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, $9,350,000 salary
John Lackey made it into the 9th inning with a 5-2 lead. After he gave up a HR on 7 pitches to Bautista, his 36th of the year, Papelbon came in to put out the fire, but apparently forgot his hose. Toronto then tagged Pap hard: double, single, SB, single, K, double, IBB- 4 hits, 1 walk, 3 runs, game. That gives him 6 blown saves on the season so far. In a season racked with endless injuries, this simply won't do. Get 4 of those blown saves back, and the Sox would be oh so much closer in this race!
I know Pap is still considered one of the elite closers in the game today, and I don't pretend to know 1/100 that of Theo about what the's worth and who is available all over MLB and MiLB, but at some point the return on the investment simply isn't worth it anymore. Pap is one cocky SoaB who wants to see the money. He has been an important part of the Red Sox success, most notably in 2007, but let's face it, his numbers warrant a closer inspection of what to do with him in the off season. Let's hope he finishes out the year on an upswing to increase his trade value, and that Bard is deemed ready to be the next closer.
While Beltre and Hall remained quiet at the plate today, everyone else had at least 1 hit, with Papi, V-Mart, Salty, and McDonald all getting 2 each.
Sox 5 Jays 6 BOX SCORE
Fenway West 08.11.10
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