A nasty staff infection is running wild at Fenway

August 28, 2005|Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Columnist

Anybody else worried about the state of the Red Sox bullpen? At this moment, the Sox' ragged relievers own an aggregate ERA of 5.45, worst in the American League, second worst in baseball (thank you, D-backs).

It's wonderful that the Sox have been in first place for 40 days and 40 nights, but Aug. 27, 2005 goes down as a frightening day in Red Sox Nation. It's almost September and suddenly Sox fans are back on high alert.

Hours after learning that the annoying Yankees had scored five in the ninth to beat Kansas City (it was the Royals being the Royals), the Sox blew a 6-0 lead in a gruesome 12-8 loss to the Tigers. In honor of the departed Rolling Stones, the Tigers played ''Tattoo You" on Fenway's outfield walls, crushing eight doubles, one triple, and a grand slam in a 17-hit assault on Boston's beleaguered mound staff. The Tigers have scored 20 runs on 30 hits in two games here this weekend.

The boys in Boston's pen are taking most of the heat, but there's no merit badge for the Guitar Man, either. Bronson Arroyo was cuffed for eight hits and seven runs three days after making a relief appearance in Kansas City (which tells you more about Boston's fragile, thin staff). Arroyo was rocked for five runs in the fourth, only minutes after he was staked to a 6-0 lead. The carnage continued against the soft serves of Jonathon Papelbon, Jeremi Gonzalez, Mike Remlinger, and Mike Myers. And all this came on the day Alan Embree picked up his first win for the Yankees, while Keith Foulke pitched his first rehab assignment for the Lowell Spinners (bet old laughing-boy Foulkie is delighted to be chucking on the shores of the Merrimack).

What a beating.

''Not a real fun night," admitted Red Sox manager Terry Francona. ''But we'll bounce back. We have to. That's what we're supposed to do. I don't think anybody enjoyed that tonight, but we'll come back tomorrow."

Starting pitching is a big part of the Sox' recent problems. Boston's lack of depth in the bullpen is exposed when starters fail early in the game.

''If your starter goes deep, you skip a few innings with your bullpen, but we haven't been able to do that," admitted the manager.

It was a particularly rough night for 24-year-old Papelbon, who picked up his first big league loss, giving up four hits and a bases-loaded walk that put the boo birds on his back. Harsh.

''We've asked a lot of him this week," Francona said of Papelbon. ''He made a couple of mistakes. It's a tough situation for him."

Hmmm. Do we still want Craig Hansen -- who was pitching for St. John's in June -- thrust into a September pennant race at Fenway?

Saturday was a big night for Tiger manager Alan Trammell, who knows how hard it is to win in Fenway Park.