So Few Games, So Manny Time
Oakland 3
Boston 7
‘Twas an eventful night. The most notable story from the game was the return of both Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis. Both of these key players on the field was a welcome sight for weary Red Sox fans, as many have been questioning whether or not both players would be ready for the playoffs.
Curt Schilling had yet another good outing, tossing only 86 pitches for his 9th win of the season before calling it an early night. The large opinionated Republican pitcher has been notably more effective in these final stages of the season than he was before his DL break, and appears primed for the Division Series.
- Curt in 2006: 8.07 K/9, 3.97 ERA
- Curt in 2007: 6.02 K/9, 3.87 ERA
Curt appears to be making the transition to finesse pitcher very comfortably (along with being aided by a little bit of BABIP-flavored luck).
It’s time to talk about J.D. Drew again. “The One Who Doesn’t Have Temper Tantrums” is officially on fire, with a 1.008 OPS in the month of September after his three hit performance yesterday. Since the All-Star break, J.D. has had his ups and downs, but overall, his numbers are .276/.370/.434, a respectable .804 OPS. This, factored in with his impressive defensive range and the rough year Trot Nixon is having in Cleveland, leads me to believe that J.D. might be more important to the 2007 Red Sox than some may think.
Oh…and thanks, Dioner.
3
September 26th, 2007 at 8:09 am
I’m not sold on Drew just yet. Sure, his numbers in September have improved, but it’s September when rosters expand and given the teams The Sox have faced are by and large out of the running, it’s just as likely he’s performing better against guys auditioning for a shot next year.
Despite Curt’s W/L record, I think he has had a good year. Nice catch on that.
September 26th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Mo, definitely agree about Drew. This is a small sample size we’re talking about. However, it’s certainly nice to see him hot now as the Sox enter the playoffs. Perhaps it could be the boost he’s needed.