Wakefield or Byrd?

The playoffs are coming, and the Sox have decisions to make before the October madness begins. Obviously, the Sox are going to need to get healthy. The health of players like Mike Lowell, and J.D. Drew will have a lot to do with how far the Sox will go in the playoffs, but it isn't the only thing that has to be decided. The Sox have a lot of things going on with their pitching. One, is who will be the setup man for Papelbon. My huntch is that it will be Okajima in the 8th, with Masterson/Delcarmen taking over the 7th. I only say that since Francona tends to trust guys who have done it for him before (Okajima got it done for him last year). The next situation in what they are going to do about the 4th spot in the rotation for the playoffs. We all know it will be Beckett, Lester, and Dice-K, but after that it gets very shaky. This is not a major issue, since very few teams can say they have 3 solid starts, let alone 4, but still this will be an issue that could make or break a series. So, basically it will be Wakefield and Byrd (outside shot for Colon, but I doubt it) fighting for that final spot. The guy who loses will most likely still be on the roster, but he will be the long reliever coming out of the bullpen.

Well here is the case for both:

Wakefield:

Why he should be the 4th starter:
The Wake has been on this team forever, and he is a nice person to throw between Beckett and Lester, since he gives a different look for hitters. Also, the knuckleball can he hit or miss, but when he is on it can be unhittable.

Why he shouldn't be the 4th starter:
As unhittable the knockleball can be, it can also get crushed, and put the Sox out of a game before the 1st innings is over. The Wake has also worked out of the bullpen a lot of times for the Sox, and he might be more comfortable doing that than Byrd would be. Even thought Varitek is having a horrible year, I would rather have him out there then Kevin Cash. Wakefield is also struggling with injury problems and got absolutely crushed in his last outing.

Byrd:

Why he should be the 4th starter:
Byrd does not walk guys. I know he lets up a lot of hits, but when you don't walk guys you tend to not let up the "big inning". Byrd has also gone at least 5 innings in every outing since June 17th. The Sox are 4-2 in games that Paul Byrd has pitched. Varitek will catch him, and that adds a little to the lineup over Cash.

Why he shouldn't be the 4th starter:
Byrd lets up a lot of hits, and if the Sox have to play a team like the Angels or White Sox that could be a serious problem. Guys like Vlad/Thome would eat this guy alive. You also have to wonder if the Sox have the same faith in him as they do with Wakefield. Once again, that Francona "trust factor" always has to come into play.

Prediction:
I think there is still something wrong with Wakefield. He just hasn't seemed right, and I am really worried that he will have one of those bad Wakefield outing, and the Sox don't have the offense to be able to overcome huge deficits. In years past the Sox could put up 11 runs, but this year I think you are going to see the Sox play a lot more "small ball", and using the speed that they have on this team (especially if they have Coco out there instead of J.D. Drew). I think the Wake will have a role in the postseason, but I don't think it will be in the rotation. The Sox will trust their defense, and they will get a lot of action with Byrd on the mound. Either way it will be interesting to see how this will all play out.


-BMack