 Nick Green after the Braves walked off! Photo taken by Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.net and used with permission. |
An off-day after a successful series (or in this case, TWO) is a lot more enjoyable than an off-day coming off of a loss. Granted, Jonathan Papelbon tried to do everything he could to ensure we had to endure an off-day after a loss, but Nick Green would have none of it.
Why is it so hard for a closer to come into a tie game and just get outs? Ben Collins at boston.com writes:
…it seems Papelbon struggles only when he feels he can get away with it.
Which is something many have noticed. It’s a mystery to me, although Paps blows it off. As much as I like Papelbon, I hope he focuses more on his pitching and less on talking about how much money he wants when this contract it up.
With Daisuke going back on the dl it has finally hit me how fortunate we, as fans, are this year. We have no reason to even blink. Let him go on the dl, get his strength back or figure out whatever the heck is wrong with him (there IS a nagging worry in the back of my mind that this is a Matt Clement thing where they’re missing the diagnosis but I’m not going to worry about that just yet) and bring him back when he’s ready. Meanwhile, the team has John Smoltz waiting to pitch on Thursday and if he turns out to be a bust, Clay Buchholz is waiting in Pawtucket for his next shot. Depth…it’s a good thing.
A walk-off win coupled with a Yankees loss to the Marlins puts the Sox four games ahead in the American League East. Sure it’s only June 22, but every game counts.
It’ll be nice to spend the off-day basking in the glow of a successful homestand.