Keep in mind that I don't put much stock into spring training, especially when it comes to pitchers. UNLESS those pitchers are young kids facing MLB players for the first time.
Red Sox nutbag pitcher Julian Tavarez threw punches at a Tampa Bay baserunner while on the ground. On top of that, he's pitching badly. Great. Head case that can't pitch. Nice pick up.
Keith Foulke threw in his second MLB game yesterday (he's also thrown two games against college players). He's pitched 3 and a quarter innings, giving up three hits, no runs and striking out 7. Foulke is looking sharp. His fastball is 91ish with his change up dipping to about 83.
David Wells was touched again yesterday, giving up six runs in four innings to Tampa Bay. He pitched very well in three of the innings, same as the last time when he gave up four runs in four innings; all runs scored when the hefty lefty tired out. Wells certainly isn't ready to take his place yet in the rotation. The good news is that he looks flawless until he loses steam. The bad news is that when he loses steam, it's GONE. Last I checked, starting pitchers need to go more than 3 innings.
Craig Hansen, Boston's first pick of last year's draft, has been lights out all spring. In 10+ innings of relief, all against major league bats, Hansen has struck out more than one per innings, allowed three hits and no runs.
Josh Beckett is having a very good spring. His fastball is hovering around 96 mph, his ERA is 2.42 and he is averaging more than one strike out per inning.
Curt Schilling has looked decent in spring training, he shows improvement each game. Schill gave up five runs in his last outing of the spring, it should be noted how those runs came to be: Curt threw 109 pitches over seven innings, striking out 10 and retiring the final 4 batters in a row before becoming displeased with how his curve ball was breaking. In a test on his arm, Schilling threw two innings of curve ball only to work out the kinks and Baltimore started to tee off it, knowing what was coming. The weirdest thing is that Curt still struck out the side in the 7th on curve balls only.
David Riske, acquired from Cleveland in the Coco Crisp deal, has looked exactly what his name stats: Riske. He's looked shakey at best and down right terrible at worst. Riske's ERA for spring is a sparkling 17.81.
Rudy Seanz, another pitcher expected to make a contribution this year, has struggled this spring. He's having a hard time spotting his pitches.
Mike Timlin is...well, Mike Timlin. Still one of the best set up guys in the game and his play in the WBC and spring back it up.Â
Jon Papelbon will start the season in the bullpen and work his way into the rotation. He started shakey early and lately is showing why Boston is so high on him. In his last 20 innings pitched, Pap has struck out 23 and allowed one run on six hits. Kid's going to be a monster.
Tim Wakefield is Tim Wakefield. Everyone knows what to expect from this guy.
Matt Clement might be the story of spring training, and it's flying under the radar. His delivery has been changed and you can tell he feels secure on the mound again. Clement's spring training ERA is under 1.50 and he is striking out a batter and a half (on average) per inning.
Boston's pitching will be vastly improved this year from last, they have a strong rotation and bullpen. The players that they signed to improve the bullpen (Tavares, Seanez) need to shake out of their funk. Don't be surprised for the young guys (Papelbon, Hansen) to carry their weight.
Everything you wanted to know about Boston's pitching coming out of spring training, but were afraid to ask...
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