Comments on: Yankees 20, Boston 7 http://www.oscargamblesociety.com/yankees-20-boston-7/ People don't think it be like it is, but it do. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 11:23:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: Cliffy http://www.oscargamblesociety.com/yankees-20-boston-7/#comment-1778 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:29:20 +0000 http://www.oscargamblesociety.com/yankees-20-boston-7/#comment-1778 Well... update time: The Sox just released Brad Penny (to make room for newly acquired Billy Wagner). So the Yankees have indeed ended the Red Sox careers of both FA starting pitcher acquistions this past offseason. Trivial, but there you have it. Btw... anyone doubt that Penny will get back to the NL now? Well… update time: The Sox just released Brad Penny (to make room for newly acquired Billy Wagner). So the Yankees have indeed ended the Red Sox careers of both FA starting pitcher acquistions this past offseason. Trivial, but there you have it.

Btw… anyone doubt that Penny will get back to the NL now?

]]> by: Cliffy http://www.oscargamblesociety.com/yankees-20-boston-7/#comment-1776 Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:22:07 +0000 http://www.oscargamblesociety.com/yankees-20-boston-7/#comment-1776 The Yankees will likely have the distinction of ending the Red Sox careers (at least as starters) of Boston's two offseason FA pitching acquistions - first Smoltz in Yankee Stadium, and now Penny in Fenway. Smoltz was released, and has since returned to the cozy comfort of the NL... and in his first start for St. Louis, he goes 5 innings, giving up 3 hits, no walks and no runs, while recording 9 Ks. Penny is now relegated to the bullpen, having been replaced by Wakefield - who in his first return from the DL, went 7 innings last night, allowing 1 run... on 6 hits, 1 walk, with 3 Ks. In Wakefield's first start back from the DL, he went more innings in that start than Penny went in *any* of his 24 starts this season. Penny's season high was 6-2/3 IP, on May 20 (vs. Toronto, if it matters) - and he only got that "high" once. For the record, I liked both acquistions at the time - my feeling being that Penny would contribute in the first half, and then when he inevitably got hurt or ineffective (see career splits) in the second half... Smoltz would be ready to step in, through a second-half playoff push, and ideally through the playoffs. I was half-right. Penny actually did fine for the Sox in the first half. He wasn't great, but I doubt anyone expected him to be. He did, however, give his team a chance to win on most nights. In a stretch of 13 games from May 3 thru July 9, he averaged 6 IP / 3 ER... he averaged a quality start. Specifically, he had 7 quality starts out of 13 - though he only surrendered more than 3 runs twice (4 runs once, and 5 runs another time). Somewhat surprisingly to me, the Sox only went 6-7 in those games... but I'm not sure what more to expect from my 5th starter than what he gave in that stretch. (Btw, his best outing in that stretch may have been the six shutout innings he threw at the Yankees at home on June 11. He didn't do as well when he faced the Yankees again in Fenway last Friday.) Smoltz... didn't work out. He pitched well once... maybe twice, if you squint. But overall, he just didn't have it... at least facing AL lineups. Fwiw, the Sox have fared very well against Yankee FA pick-up AJ Burnett, at least in Fenway... in 3 starts, he's got an ERA close to 15. Sabathia's done better [sic]. Anyhow, trivial item... but the Yankees may end up putting both Smoltz and Penny out of the Sox rotation for good. The Yankees will likely have the distinction of ending the Red Sox careers (at least as starters) of Boston’s two offseason FA pitching acquistions - first Smoltz in Yankee Stadium, and now Penny in Fenway. Smoltz was released, and has since returned to the cozy comfort of the NL… and in his first start for St. Louis, he goes 5 innings, giving up 3 hits, no walks and no runs, while recording 9 Ks.

Penny is now relegated to the bullpen, having been replaced by Wakefield - who in his first return from the DL, went 7 innings last night, allowing 1 run… on 6 hits, 1 walk, with 3 Ks. In Wakefield’s first start back from the DL, he went more innings in that start than Penny went in *any* of his 24 starts this season. Penny’s season high was 6-2/3 IP, on May 20 (vs. Toronto, if it matters) - and he only got that “high” once.

For the record, I liked both acquistions at the time - my feeling being that Penny would contribute in the first half, and then when he inevitably got hurt or ineffective (see career splits) in the second half… Smoltz would be ready to step in, through a second-half playoff push, and ideally through the playoffs. I was half-right. Penny actually did fine for the Sox in the first half. He wasn’t great, but I doubt anyone expected him to be. He did, however, give his team a chance to win on most nights. In a stretch of 13 games from May 3 thru July 9, he averaged 6 IP / 3 ER… he averaged a quality start. Specifically, he had 7 quality starts out of 13 - though he only surrendered more than 3 runs twice (4 runs once, and 5 runs another time). Somewhat surprisingly to me, the Sox only went 6-7 in those games… but I’m not sure what more to expect from my 5th starter than what he gave in that stretch. (Btw, his best outing in that stretch may have been the six shutout innings he threw at the Yankees at home on June 11. He didn’t do as well when he faced the Yankees again in Fenway last Friday.)

Smoltz… didn’t work out. He pitched well once… maybe twice, if you squint. But overall, he just didn’t have it… at least facing AL lineups.

Fwiw, the Sox have fared very well against Yankee FA pick-up AJ Burnett, at least in Fenway… in 3 starts, he’s got an ERA close to 15. Sabathia’s done better [sic].

Anyhow, trivial item… but the Yankees may end up putting both Smoltz and Penny out of the Sox rotation for good.

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