– A tough one to watch, but don’t get too caught up in this one. When you lose a spot start that bad, you just pretty much take it as a grain of salt. It’s not like the Sox are going to count on Pedro Hernandez for the rest of the season for anything. Obviously, this guy needs to spend some more time developing in the minor leagues. He has similar stuff to Quintana and Mark Buehrle, so if he can master that craft, he can be a good big league pitcher. For guys like him, though, it’s a lot easier said than done.
– Hector Santiago wasn’t exactly great tonight, but I don’t understand why he’s not used more often. I think he’s been sporadic the past month or two because the Sox don’t let him get in a rhythm out of the bullpen. Just because he didn’t work out as a closer doesn’t mean he can’t help the team in a different bullpen role. God knows this ‘pen needs all the help it can get right now.
– The Sox have been great at scoring runs in the first inning all season long, but it seems like throughout pretty much their whole existence, they’ve had their fair share of games where the offense falls asleep after that. Tonight was one of those games. On the bright side, they got to give some guys a rest the last four innings or so, meaning the usual getaway day lineup may not be needed tomorrow.
Pedro Hernandez didn’t have a great Major League debut to say the least (photo via daylife).
– It was nice to see Leyson Septimo have a solid inning, and maybe it can help him get the bad taste out his mouth. Whether we like him or not, it looks like Septimo is one guy the Sox will have to count on down the stretch.
– Felix Doubront has shut the Sox down twice now this season. The Sox always seem to have trouble against crafty left-handers. Thankfully, Jose Quintana plays for us, and Mark Buehrle is in the National League. The odds are those two guys would give the Sox fits!
– Tip of the cap to three BoSox hitters tonight: Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez and Cody Ross. It just goes to show that this is really an explosive team when everyone is healthy (aside from Ortiz now). Gonzalez isn’t have a fantastic year, but as Hawk said tonight, he’s one of the best left-handed hitters in baseball when it comes to hitting left-handed pitching. I don’t hate Gordon Beckham, but remember, we could have had Gonzalez for him just a few seasons ago…
The rubber match is tomorrow, as the Sox will trot out Jose Quintana. He had a rough outing against Kansas City last time out, but he’s managed to bounce back in an impressive manner after each bad outing so far this season. I said before the series that I’d be happy with a split in Boston, and that’s still possible.