John Smoltz Is A Cocksucker, and The NL Is A Minors League

It is pretty absurd that John Smoltz can go from the Boston Red Sox and get lit up constantly, get dropped, then go to the St. Louis Cardinals and pitch 5 innings of shutout ball with 9 ks, including 7 in a row. I don't know what makes me more furious the fact that any pitcher that goes from the AL to the NL looks like a Cy Young winner, or the fact John Smoltz could be very successful in the the NL. Like many Red Sox fans, I believed that Smoltz was going to be the man in a Red Sox uniform. I thought he was going to be a beast, however, he turned out to be a dud, said he didn't want to resign and ran back to the NL, which is a pitchers security blanket. Maybe I'm just pissed because of the Yankee series, but for that John Smoltz you get a big, Child Please.

Smoltz To St. Louis (UPDATE - It's Official)

The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that, barring an unforeseen waiver claim, the 42-year-old right-hander accept the Cardinals' offer to join the club as its fifth starter.

The Cardinals would be liable for only a pro-rated share of the major-league minimum, about $100,000. The Post Dispatch reports that Smoltz also can be a set-up man to closer Ryan Franklin. ESPN

I love how the NL has become a safe haven for pitchers. If you can't make it in the AL, you always have the NL you can beat up. I don't know if it's just the DH rule, or just the hitters aren't as good, but either way I don't know if Smoltz has "it" anymore. I personally think he is all done, and AL, NL, or slow pitch soft ball league Smoltz will still suck.


***UPDATE***

"Determined to prove he's not finished, veteran pitcher John Smoltz has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after being released by Boston. The deal was finalized Wednesday afternoon (Sportsline)."

I am fine with this as long as he doesn't come out of the bullpen for them. If he does then I fucking hate John Smoltz, since there is no reason why he couldn't have just stayed with the Sox.

Smoltz Officially Released

"John Smoltz's brief and disappointing stay with the Red Sox has apparently come to an official end. According to a report on FoxSports.com this afternoon, the club, as expected, has released the 42-year-old righthander, who won just two of eight starts with the Sox while posting an 8.33 ERA (Boston.com)."

Nothing surprising here, but as I read on there was something that really bothered me about all of this...

"Smoltz will become a free agent Wednesday once he clears release waivers. According to the FoxSports report, a number of teams are interested in Smoltz, among them the Dodgers, Marlins, Cardinals, and Rangers. The report also says that Smoltz "does not intend to retire and is open to joining clubs as a starter or reliever."

What the fuck is this..."open to joining clubs as a starter or reliever"? The Sox wanted him to come back as a reliever, but at the time he said he wanted to be a start, and that is why is was bouncing. A lot of people think he is all done, but they showed a stat the other day that showed Smoltz's ERA was under 1.00 the first time through a lineup. That is fantastic.....IF YOU ARE A FUCKING RELIEVER!!!!

I really thought Smoltz would have the pride to battle for the Sox, and then let his career end. Now is seems that he was upset that he was sent down, and the Sox didn't want to pay a reliever over 30,000 a day. In the end, I get it I guess, but I was really hoping that he would really stick with the Sox.

Smoltz Refuses Minor League Assignment

Guess I was wrong about Smoltz having too much pride, and wanting to stay in Boston...

"John Smoltz, who struggled mightily in eight starts with the Red Sox before he was designated for assignment last Friday, has cleared waivers and refused an assignment to Triple A Pawtucket, according to a report by FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal. The Red Sox must now either release or trade the 42-year-old righthander, who was 2-5 with an 8.32 ERA this season (Boston.com)."

Oh well, I was wrong. Now it looks like either the Dodgers or the Cardinals (if he wants to keep playing). Both teams have expressed interest and who knows maybe in the NL Smoltz will be good enough to start...

Smoltz Clears Waivers

"John Smoltz, the veteran righthander who was designated for assignment Friday after eight underwhelming starts with the Red Sox, has cleared waivers, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney. Smoltz, who won 210 games and saved 154 during his stellar 20-year career with the Atlanta Braves, was just 2-5 with an 8.33 earned-run average for the Sox. He was designated for assignment after allowing nine hits and eight earned runs in 3.1 innings during the Red Sox' 13-6 loss to the Yankees Thursday night.

The Red Sox have until this Sunday to release Smoltz, trade him, or send him to the minors. If he is sent to the minors, it probably would be to prepare him to work out of the bullpen in September. He is due to remainder of the $5.5 million, one-year deal he signed in January. There has been speculation that other clubs would be interested in signing the 42-year-old once he cleared waivers, among them the LA Dodgers and Texas Rangers (Boston.com)."

I said it before and I'll say it again, call me crazy, but I think Smoltz is coming back to the Sox. I know there are other teams out there that he could start for, and trust me it makes sense. Still, i think he has too much pride, and doesn't want to leave the Sox this way. I expect him to take the trip to the minors, and start working out as a reliever, so that in September when the rosters expand he can get another shot to prove the Sox right about signing him. I could be way off, but I truly believe that will happen...

Smoltz To Stay With Red Sox?

"Smoltz will take some time to mull his options, and ESPN baseball analyst Eduardo Perez says one will be to go back to the minor leagues for the Red Sox and concentrate on again being a reliever (ESPN)."

There are also rumors that he might sign on with an NL team to see if he can be a back of the rotation type of guy out there. The Rangers are also said to be kicking the tires too. Call me crazy, but I think he is going to stay and finish what he started with the Sox. I could see him doing his thing in the minors for a couple of weeks, and then coming up as a reliever, which the Sox lately seem like they could use. It is just a thought, but I think Smoltz's pride is not going to let him walk away.

Red Sox 6 Yankees 13

It is safe to say the Smoltz experiment has failed, and failed miserably. Last night Smoltz did exactly what I said he has been doing all along. He has no faith in his fastball, and refuses to throw on the inside part of the plate. When a pro knows that the pitch is going to be from the middle out, he adjusts, and what happened last night happens. Smoltz is done. Best case scenario is he figures it out enough to be a bullpen guy, and even that might be asking too much.

Anyways, the Sox got smoked last night as Smoltz let up 8 runs over 3 1/3 innings. With a Sox bullpen that has just be so overused lately Boston had to throw in Billy Traber who also got lit up. I felt bad for that guy, because in any other game if he was getting hit that hard (5 runs) the Sox would have taken him out, but they are so depleted they needed him to eat some innings.

I guess if you had to take a positive out of this game it would be that the Sox have been putting up runs since adding V-Mart. Pedroia, and Kotchman (my boy) both went deep and Lowell had a couple hits and an RBI. The next 2 games for Boston are very important. They have Beckett and Lester going, and they need to win those 2 games, because the last game of the series is CC vs. Buchholz, and there is not a lot of signs that it will be a close game.

With the loss the Sox are now 3 1/2 games behind the Yankees for 1st place in the AL East, and just 2 games in front of Texas for the Wild Card.

Orioles 6 Red Sox 2

Could the Smoltz experiment be already over? It is starting to look that way as he was once again rocked. Smoltz went 5 innings allowing 6 runs on 9 hits with 6 Ks. He is now 1-4 on the season and his ERA is at a god awful 7.04. Still the blame can't fall just on Smoltz as the Red Sox production has been atrocious also.

Yesterday Boston's offense was shut down by 24-year-old rookie (David Hernandez). Hernandez allowed one run and five hits with two strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. In his previous start, he gave up one run and three hits in six innings and retired 16 of his past 17 batters in a 2-1 loss to the Yankees, so I guess the Sox can't feel too bad, but these are still the games the Sox should be winning night in and night out.

This marked the first time the Orioles had beaten the Sox at Fenway since July 11, 2008. The only good news is that Boston's bullpen has gotten back on the right track as they have held opponents scoreless since the All-Star break, a stretch of 22 innings. The question is can their hitting and bottom of the rotation find their stride?

With the loss and a Yankees win the Sox are now 2 1/2 games back.

Red Sox 3 Rangers 6

The Sox were up 2-1 going into the bottom of the 6th, but that is when the wheels came flying off for John Smoltz and the Red Sox. Smoltz let up 3 HRs and a total of 5 runs in the 6th inning and with the way the Red Sox offense is playing that ended the game. Before the 6th Smoltz was looking really good, but he seemed to run out of gas, and then got lit up. Michael Young, former Red Sox David Murphy, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia all went deep in the 6th.

The Red Sox have lost three in a row, the latest loss allowing the Yankees to tie them for the AL East lead. Boston has scored only six runs in those losses, and you really have to wonder what the Sox are going to do going into the trade deadline. Do you trade one of your starters? Is Smoltz going to get it going? If you trade for a bat where does he play?

All interesting questions that will be answered over the course of this month, but I have to say that the Sox are going to need to do something, because this team does lack a spark on offense...

A's 6 Red Sox 0

Before we talk about the game I just wanted to say it was real classy of Sox fans to give Nomar a standing ovation...

The Red Sox only had 2 hits in this game, as Brett Anderson looked like a stud. Anderson has all the tools be a top pitcher in this league, he is just very young. Well last night we saw what he is capable of as he pitched 9 innings of shutout baseball on way to his 5th win of the season.

Boston looked terrible at the plate. They didn't have Pedroia, who had to be with his pregnant wife, and we all know the Sox are already playing without Lowell. The 3 big hitters (Youk, Bay, Ortiz) in the Sox lineup last night went a combined 1-11. When a lineup is shorthanded you really need your stars to step up, and the Sox stars fell right on their face last night.

Smoltz had another miserable outing letting up 5 runs on 10 hits in 6 innings. He doesn't seem to want to pitch to the inside of these hitters, which is a sign that he doesn't have faith in the velocity on his fastball. Smoltz is now 0-2 with a 6.60 ERA through 3 starts. Oakland is not a strong lineup and I have to say I was disappointed with Smoltz. I said I would give him 6 starts before I gave a true evaluation, but you have to wonder how long the Sox will go with him instead of Buchholz, who is tearing up the minor leagues.

The good news is that the Yankees lost too so the Sox are still up 1 game in the AL East.

Red Sox 10 Orioles 11

Ugh do I have to write about this game?

Well lets get the epic collapse out of the game. The Sox were up 10-1 going into the bottom of the 7th inning. Then the best bullpen in baseball fell apart letting up 5 runs in the 7th and 5 more in the 8th to complete the biggest comeback in Baltimore Orioles history. Honestly it was the worst thing to watch in the world. Masterson let up 5 runs, and I was like "Ok, just not his night". Then Delcarmen comes in and get a couple outs, but also a hit. Then Okajima, who has been a stud for the Sox over the past couple of seasons and he lets up 4 runs. Saito? Yup he lets up a run, and it is all capped off when Nick Markakis hit a two-run double Papelbon. Ok, got it? Because I really don't want to get into it anymore. My overall feeling is that it was a rain delay and the Sox bullpen just had "one of those games".

Now lets get to some of the positive stuff. Smoltz looked good he pitched 4 innings letting up 3 hits 1 run with 2 Ks. He only pitched a little over 50 pitches last night and would have easily gone 6-7 innings if the rain didn't fuck everything up. The other good news is that the Sox offense finally starting putting runs up on the board. Pedroia and Youk both had a couple RBIs. Ortiz continues his resurgence with a couple hits. Pedroia just looks like a completely different player when he is batting in the #2 spot. I don't think we will see him moved from there ever again.

So, in the end it was a shitty game, but I wouldn't be over concerned. The bullpen has been great all year, and maybe this was just their "bad game". Unless we see more evidence that there is going to be problems I wouldn't read too much into this...

Red Sox 3 Nationals 9

Wow this game was hard to watch. Smoltz let up 4 runs in the first inning. He seemed to not want to throw his fastball, and he was missing up in the zone with offspeed pitches, which led to him getting crushed. It wasn't all bad. After that inning Smoltz went on to pitch 4 innings of 1 run baseball. It is the first time in over a year that he had pitched in the MLB, so a first inning struggle is expected, but then again this is the Nationals.

Boston's bullpen didn't do anything to help the situation as they let up another 4 runs after Smoltz was taken out. Boston's lineup really didn't do much either with Pedroia going 0-4 in the leadoff spot. All around it wasn't a good game, but at least we saw some positive signs from Smoltz. We really won't know a lot about what he can contribute until he at least gets 4-5 starts under his belt.

The Yankees won so the Sox lead in the AL East is down to 4 games.

Red Sox @ Nationals Preview (Smoltz First Start)

The Sox go for the sweep against the Nationals tonight, but that isn't why people will be watching the game tonight. The real is that Red Sox fans have been waiting to see Smoltz since they signed him this offseason. Well the wait is over, but the question of if he has anything left is still in the air.

Smoltz has enjoyed great success against the Nationals, and really there can't be a better team to get your first start against then this bunch of scrubs. Since the beginning of the 2007 season, he is 4-3 with a 1.77 ERA in seven starts against the Nationals, striking out 45 in 45 2/3 innings. Smoltz will be on a limited pitch count of 85-90 pitches. So what are my expectations...I expect 5 solid innings from Smoltz tonight. I still think he will be rusty and will get up 2-3 runs, but overall I do expect him to have a good outing.

On the other side of things Jordan Zimmermann will be starting for the Nationals. His number aren't good, 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA, but over his last 3 starts he has let up only 4 runs. Still, the Sox should be able to chase him out of the game by the 6th inning, and the Nationals bullpen is just terrible.

Game starts at 7:05 NESN.


***UPDATE***

Lineups are in. With all the attention on Smoltz some people might not notice that the Sox decided to hit Ortiz at cleanup, since it is Youk's turn to take a seat. Here is the rest of the lineup....

1. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
2. J.D. Drew, RF
3. Jason Bay, LF
4. David Ortiz, 1B
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. Jason Varitek, C
7. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
8. Nick Green, SS
9. John Smoltz, RHP

Smoltz Rehab Update

"The eight-time All-Star is scheduled to start next Thursday at Washington. In his final scheduled tuneup, he pitched four innings for the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox on Wednesday night, giving up one run on Keith Ginter's leadoff homer for the Charlotte Knights in the third. Smoltz allowed three hits, one walk and a wild pitch and struck out two on 61 pitches, 36 strikes. He also pitched the equivalent of two innings in the bullpen before the game. "I just lost the feel for the baseball and struggled with that," he said, "but, overall, physically, I felt great. ... I'm not a guy that doesn't throw his fastball pretty much where he wants to and my split was all over so it was a little bit of a struggle feel-wise (Boston.com)."

This was Smoltz last rehab start before being called up to play the Nationals. It sounds like he looked good, and the only reason he didn't go deeper was because of the 2 innings he pitched in the bullpen. I think they did that to make sure he got the number of pitches he wanted in. Even when Smoltz gets called up it will be a while before Francona takes the chains off this guy. He is coming back from a serious injury, is old, and the Sox really want him for the postseason. If he is able to be what he used to the Sox are just going to be unstoppable. Obviously the question that remains is who is going to lose in all of this if he is healthy. Francona seems to be sticking with Dice-K, but our poll shows that most people would take him out over anyone else. Penny's stock keeps rising so maybe the Sox can pull off a deal for another bat, or minor leaguers.

Smoltz To Make Debut

"The Boston Globe reports that Red Sox SP John Smoltz (shoulder) will make his Boston debut on June 25 at the Nationals. Manager Terry Francona said he will go with a six-man rotation for a while, but it's not a long-term option."

Good news all around here. Smoltz is ready to go, and the Sox are not going to put the added pressure of him having to pitch against his former team. Instead he will pitch against the joke that is the Washington Nationals. Don't worry too much about this 6 man rotation thing, because it won't last and I really think the Sox are out there trying to find a trade. The question is who is going to be traded and what the rotation will look like after. We will let you know more about the Red Sox plans as we hear more, and any possible trade rumors.

What To Do With Smoltz?

"After giving up just one run over six innings, Saturday night in Pawtucket, Smoltz has now given up just three earned runs in 17 1/3 innings in four rehab starts. In short, he's done his part. Now he's ready to do it as a major leaguer (WEEI- Rob Bradford)."

Smoltz has done everything the Sox have asked him, but it is getting harder and harder to figure out what the Sox are going to do with him. The rotation seems to be set, and the bullpen has a surplus of good arms. Smoltz has been a good sport about all this saying that he wouldn't mind pitching from the bullpen, but also stated he has not been approached to do so. That means he is most likely going to head to the rotation.

So...who do the Sox take out. Penny has been solid, and has a nice record, but his ERA leaves something to be desired. Time Wakefield could go to the bullpen, but overall he is having a good season, and the Sox already have a long reliever in Masterson. Then the other option is Dice-K. If he can't figure it out soon the Sox could be pushed to make another DL move for him. Dice-K has been much more accurate lately, and his fastball has some life last game, but it still didn't translate into success. Dice-K did what the Sox wanted him to do against Texas, which is pound the strike zone. He ended up getting pounded, but hopefully that is because he was just up against an extremely strong lineup.

So, what do the Sox do about Smoltz. My theory is that Wake will either have a mysterious DL injury, or be moved to the bullpen.

John Smoltz Rehab Update

"John Smoltz pitched five innings today with Low-A Greenville against Charleston. He allowed one run on four hits, walking none and striking out six. He threw 73 pitches, 52 of them strikes (Boston.com)."

This was Smoltz best rehab outting to date. If things continue the way they are right now Smoltz will only need 2 more rehab starts to be ready to join the Sox rotation. The good signs were that his command was on point, and his velocity (about 91 MPH) is about where he expects it to be. His next start will be with Triple A Pawtucket, and that is also where is next and final start should be...

Here is the video:

A Great John Smoltz Quote

"My goal is to get six or seven innings in (during one of the rehab starts) so that they can count on me for that, and not just hope that they can get five innings out of me. This, amongst anything else that I've ever done in my career, is going to take a lot of mental toughness to be patient. I want to come out and set the world on fire, but it's going to be patience that's going to allow me to get to that point (Sportsline)."

I really don't have a lot to say about this, but Smoltz is a badass and I can't wait till he comes out and "sets the world on fire".

Smoltz 2nd Rehab Start

Smoltz was out on the field yesterday playing for Double A Portland yesterday and once again he looked good. This time he want 3 1/3 innings allowing 1 run on three hits while throwing 36 of his 60 pitches for strikes. He fired his fastball between 89 and 91 miles per hour. Overall it seems that everyone was happy with the way Smoltz pitched yesterday. His next start will actually be in Single A on Sunday when he will increase his workload to around 75 pitches. Right now he is on track to come off the DL on June 16th.

John Smoltz Rehab Update

"Boston's John Smoltz is scheduled for his second rehab start Tuesday for Double-A Portland. Manager Terry Francona said Smoltz would probably throw three innings, perhaps 50 pitches (Sportsline)."

Smoltz felt good after throwing 2 innings of scoreless baseball last time out. He will keep building his arm strength and should be with the Sox at some point in June. It will be interesting to watch his development, because if it goes well it will make the Sox trading one of their pitchers all the more likely...