Red Sox much maligned middle relief showing playoff form.

[nickagneta]

It's not news to anyone that for much of the season the Red Sox middle relief took a lot of flak in this town with claims of inconsistency, mediocrity, and uncertainty in their abilities to get the job done. I have felt that most of these claims were short sighted and not a true indicator of just how good this bullpen was an is.

As I have said before, Manny Delcarmen is a friend of the family and we are huge fans of everything he does. But even through his tough stretches this year he has shown that he can be consistently effective even if occasionally he has really bad outings that skewed his ERA skyward and made his overall performance not look as good.

But lately that has all changed not only for Manny but for the main players in what will be Terry Francona's playoff bullpen. Lately Delcarmen has been lights out and Francona's best reliever, better even than Papelbon. His most recent numbers.


                             G      IP    BB   SO  ER   H    ERA     WHIP    BAA
Delcarmen     13      18    6    19    1     6      0.50     0.67     0.095

Those my friends are some unreal numbers. But he isn't the only one. Over the last month and a half the middle relief as a whole have been outstanding. Here's the numbers over the last one and a half months for the 4 guys that will be the men Tito turns to this postseason to get the games to Papelbon:

Delcarmen     25     30.1    9    29   6    15     1.78     0.79     0.145
Masterson     18     21.2    11   19   4    16     1.66     1.24     0.210
Okajima          26      24     12   21   6    14     2.25    0.83      0.161
Lopez              23     20.1    8    15   4    12     1.77     0.98     0.169 

Now if the starters can continue to shine and the bats can be timely I think this is a harbinger of good news for this team's chances to repeat given that most of the year the biggest complaint against this club was that they might not have the middle relief to get the job done.

If the above numbers don't disprove the myth of a bad Red Sox bullpen, I don't know what will.

[Surferdad]

Much as I hate to say it, this might mean that Tim Wakefield is odd man out once again.  With such a solid bullpen, I would rather go with an extra reliever and a starting rotation of Beckett, Lester, Dice-K and Byrd.

[yall hate]

Much as I hate to say it, this might mean that Tim Wakefield is odd man out once again.  With such a solid bullpen, I would rather go with an extra reliever and a starting rotation of Beckett, Lester, Dice-K and Byrd.

I still trust Wake more then Byrd.  I dont know why, but I feel like Wake has a greater chance of having a great start then Byrd.  We just need to only go with 3 starters, lol

[nickagneta]

I think either guy, Wake or Byrd, will make for a great addition to the pen as a long reliever in case we hit extra innings or a starter that gets shelled early. I would feel pretty confident in either guy starting a playoff game as they both have come up big in previous years in the post season.

I know when it comes down to that decision I wouldn't want to be the guy making the decision but I personally think Tito will go with the long-time Red Sox player over the new guy.

[Redz]

Interesting career for Lopez.  From the scrap heap a few years back, he has worked his way into being a solid bullpen guy who can now work a full inning (more than just a lefty specialist)

[yall hate]

I think either guy, Wake or Byrd, will make for a great addition to the pen as a long reliever in case we hit extra innings or a starter that gets shelled early. I would feel pretty confident in either guy starting a playoff game as they both have come up big in previous years in the post season.

I know when it comes down to that decision I wouldn't want to be the guy making the decision but I personally think Tito will go with the long-time Red Sox player over the new guy.

You cant make Wake a bullpen guy.  Tek simply cannot catch him.  Wake has to be either a starter or not on the roster.

[Nerf DPOY]

I think either guy, Wake or Byrd, will make for a great addition to the pen as a long reliever in case we hit extra innings or a starter that gets shelled early. I would feel pretty confident in either guy starting a playoff game as they both have come up big in previous years in the post season.

I know when it comes down to that decision I wouldn't want to be the guy making the decision but I personally think Tito will go with the long-time Red Sox player over the new guy.

You cant make Wake a bullpen guy.  Tek simply cannot catch him.  Wake has to be either a starter or not on the roster.

How much do we really lose with Cash behind the plate? It's not as though there's an appreciable difference between the two offensively at this point. I guess if Cash comes in for Tek mid game and then gets hurt we're in trouble, but that's a really slim chance.

It's good to see MDC right the ship as I was really doubtful it would happen earlier in the year. Factor that in with Sheffield getting beat up last night, and things are looking pretty good from my percpective.

[yall hate]

I think either guy, Wake or Byrd, will make for a great addition to the pen as a long reliever in case we hit extra innings or a starter that gets shelled early. I would feel pretty confident in either guy starting a playoff game as they both have come up big in previous years in the post season.

I know when it comes down to that decision I wouldn't want to be the guy making the decision but I personally think Tito will go with the long-time Red Sox player over the new guy.

You cant make Wake a bullpen guy.  Tek simply cannot catch him.  Wake has to be either a starter or not on the roster.

How much do we really lose with Cash behind the plate? It's not as though there's an appreciable difference between the two offensively at this point. I guess if Cash comes in for Tek mid game and then gets hurt we're in trouble, but that's a really slim chance.

I guess that just depends on whether you believe in Tek's 'managing the staff' attributes.  Wake wouldnt be the only pitcher so you lose Tek's intangibles for later in the game. 

And as bad as Tek has been, he is still probably better offensively then Cash.