Not surprisingly, the struggling Red Sox offense was no match for Danny Haren’s Patchouli Ball. I still have a few questions from last night’s game:

Question 1) Why was Haren removed after 98 pitches? Don’t get me wrong, I was happy to see it as a Red Sox fan, and Boston nearly made Arizona pay for this in the 8th inning. But, why? I mean, sure, he was approaching the dreaded 100-pitch mark, and everyone knows that a pitcher contracts instant syphilis after throwing over 100 pitches. Other than that, why would Bob Melvin remove Haren in a 2-run game when he clearly could go another inning or two? The increasing micro-managing of pitchers is a disturbing trend…

Question 2) Why is Brandon Lyon good? I’m not asking this in a snarky rhetorical tone, but I am genuinely curious as someone who is definitely not trained as a scout or talent evaluator. I watched the guy pitch extensively during his brief stint with Boston, and while he had his moments here, he did not strike me as a guy who I’d like to see pitching high-leverage innings.

Lyon’s career K/9 rate of 5.55 is not impressive at all, his 2.65 BB/9 is decent but not earth-shattering, and his stuff is slightly above average at best (according to everything I’ve read). Yet, here he is with the franchise record for consecutive scoreless innings, and an ERA of 2.58 since 2007. The Moyer Effect strikes again?