They could certainly be considered counterparts. Jason Varitek has 15 seasons in the Majors, Jorge Posada 16, and both have played for just one team.
Posada, though, did not play on Saturday, having removed himself from the lineup. Varitek and Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz both reacted to the possibility that Posada was unhappy about his role this season after Boston's 6-0 win at Yankee Stadium.
Posada, in the twilight of his career, has become a DH, and was slated to bat ninth on Saturday
"I think that we're dealing with a lot of speculation right now from what little bit I've just heard," Varitek said. "I do know and respect what the man has done behind the plate for many, many, many years. And like I do with most things, I'm going to wait for the truth to come out and I'm not going to respond to something on hearsay."
Varitek said he was able to accept his role as a backup when Victor Martinez joined the Red Sox, because it was best for the team. Asked generally how hard that was for him, Varitek said it wasn't.
"I believe that we have a chance to win ballgames," Varitek said. "And you can [complain], you can moan, do things, or you can provide what you can to help aid a team in winning. And we want to win here."
Ortiz, meanwhile, was adamant that Posada had a reason to be upset.
"I'm going to tell you what I think," Ortiz said. "They're doing that guy wrong. They're doing him wrong. You know why? Because that guy, he is legendary right there in that organization. And dude, DHing [stinks]. DHing is just, it's not easy. And from what I heard, they told him from the very beginning that you're not even going to catch bullpens, that straight up starts messing with your head. You're going to tell me that Posada can't catch a game out there? Come on, man.
"Now, I got used to this because I got no choice, but I can imagine how hard it has to be for him. This is a guy that is a good hitter. I don't care what anybody says."
Lackey to unveil new windup in next start
NEW YORK -- John Lackey is likely to bring a new windup into his next start, scheduled for Tuesday against the Orioles in Boston.
After getting hit around his last two starts and insinuating that he's having off-the-field troubles, Lackey worked on his mechanics in a side session with pitching coach Curt Young on Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Lackey's going to return to a windup he scratched a few years ago in Young's estimation, one where he keeps his hands low.
"Mechanically from his windup, instead of going over his head, he kept his hands down low," Young said. "[It] feels like he's had real good command that way."
Lackey is 2-5 and has allowed a combined 17 runs in his last two starts. His 8.01 ERA was the highest in the Majors among qualifying pitchers entering Saturday.
Young said what Lackey's doing isn't exactly an experiment, because he's done it before, and with success.
"Since he's done it before, I think he feels pretty comfortable -- and really just commanding his fastball," Young said. "That was the work today."
Bumps, bruises not slowing down Ellsbury
NEW YORK -- Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury said he was fine Saturday afternoon after banging his right knee in the ninth inning of Friday night's 5-4 win over the Yankees.
Ellsbury was in the lineup Saturday for his 39th game of the season, batting leadoff and playing center field, and he's one of just two Red Sox players -- the other being Adrian Gonzalez -- who's appeared in all of the team's games.
At the plate, he's been a spark for the Red Sox, hitting safely in 20 his last 21 games at a .362 clip. He has his health to thank.
Ellsbury was limited to 18 games last year because of fractured ribs, going on the disabled list three times. This year, manager Terry Francona thinks Ellsbury is making it a point to show he can stay healthy.
"I think so, I think it's a priority," Francona said. "I think he understands that -- however you want to say it, whether he wants to prove to whoever, maybe to himself, or maybe to you, or I don't know, me -- yeah, I think he definitely wants to be out there."
With Ellsbury in the lineup, Francona compared his resiliency to former Sox center fielder Johnny Damon. That doesn't mean Ellsbury's been feeling 100 percent every day. As a base-stealer and center fielder, nicks and sore muscles come with the territory, but he's not sitting because of them.
"I think he understands by being out there -- whether he's at full strength or not -- by being out there, especially if he's hitting leadoff, he can impact a game a lot of different ways, and that's an admirable trait," Francona said. "Probably remember how much I used to talk about Johnny Damon, how he did that. And as a manager or coach, you really appreciate that in players. And I think Jacoby's done a tremendous job, because there are some days where he's been a little bit beat up."
Salty showing improvement behind plate
NEW YORK -- In his first full season with the Red Sox, Jarrod Saltalamacchia entered Saturday with 31 stolen bases against him and a catcher's ERA of 5.43, both the highest marks in the Majors.
Things haven't gone great at the plate either -- his average is just .203 -- but he came through with a big hit Friday night in a 5-4 Red Sox win. His leadoff single in the seventh inning knocked Yankees starter Bartolo Colon out of the game and keyed a three-run rally.
In terms of calling a game, though, the Red Sox say Saltalamacchia's showed improvement in his ability to handle the pitching staff. Clay Buchholz, one of three pitchers Saltalamacchia regularly catches, praised the 26-year-old after Buchholz turned in his best performance of the season Friday. For manager Terry Francona, what's been important is Saltalamacchia's adjustments on the fly, within games.
"It's slowing down for him a little bit," Francona said. "I think the first couple weeks it was going pretty fast, new staff, we weren't having much success. A lot was coming at him in a hurry, a veteran staff, a lot was expected."
"We've seen signs of getting more comfortable," general manager Theo Epstein said. "To look specifically at different areas of the game, I think the rapport with the pitchers and his game-calling really stabilized and showed a lot of improvement, say, two to three weeks ago. He's developed a really good rapport. Some of the games he caught with [Jon] Lester, and he caught a couple of [John] Lackey's games, he caught Clay's last two games. And I think he's gotten in a better rhythm with some of those pitchers."
Hacer un trackball para esta entrada
RSS feed Comments
