Red Sox...

[brewersfan19]

are currently putting a hurt on C. C. and the Cleveland Indians.


This should still be a good series.

[ability]

Game 1 - Can't do much better than that.

[brewersfan19]

nope. The set the tone that's for sure.

[ability]

Can't win 'em all... .. ESPECIALLY if you use Eric Gagne.

[brewersfan19]

He sure has turned out to be a bust. Especially for what the Red Sox gave up for him. Sounds like the Brewers Linebrink deal.

[ability]

Huge game tonight... Big game for Daisuke as well. One start does not a season make.

[brewersfan19]

I was referring to Gagne. I feel that Dice-K's problem is just fatigue (tired arm).

[Providence A's]

Dice-K has looked pretty below average in his 2 playoff starts so far.

[brewersfan19]

and towards the end of the regular season as well.

[Lance324]

I think Dice K. has fallen in love with his fastball more so than the fatigue. We heard so much about "he's a 5 pitch pitcher" when he came here. Lately he's throwing 80% fastballs, and the off speed stuff he does throw is not for strikes. Sorry, but a 94 mph fastball isn't going to get it done when you aren't throwing other pitches for strikes.

[Pronk48]

Five pitches is a lot of pitches, he can't have command of them all.

What the pitching staff needs to do is decide what his three best pitches are and then get him to get command of all three. If he can get three pitches down, he can dominate. But if the Red Sox coaching staff decides to let him have five pitches, he will never become the ace of the staff, or the second ace behind Beckett.

Jose Mesa ("motherf--ker" as me and my dad call him) came to the Indians as a starter with SEVEN pitches, and he had command of two and threw a third one inconsistantly. The Tribe put him in the pen and told him that he'll throw a fastball and a changeup. He became rather dominant because those two pitches he had control of, unless it was Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.

[ability]

We're down 2-1... Hang on, what?

[Lance324]

Pronk,
I agree with you totally on the 5 pitch thing. My point was that he's only throwing fastballs more so than the diversity of his pitches. If he could throw the 94 mph fastball, his curve and possibly a changeup for strikes he would be a good pitcher. Problem is he's in love with his fastball. IMO some of the responsibility for this falls on Varitek too, Dice-K isn't the only pitcher with this fastball problem. I guess if he calls a curve and the guys afraid to throw it for a strike it's not going to help though.

[Pronk48]

Pronk,
I agree with you totally on the 5 pitch thing. My point was that he's only throwing fastballs more so than the diversity of his pitches. If he could throw the 94 mph fastball, his curve and possibly a changeup for strikes he would be a good pitcher. Problem is he's in love with his fastball. IMO some of the responsibility for this falls on Varitek too, Dice-K isn't the only pitcher with this fastball problem. I guess if he calls a curve and the guys afraid to throw it for a strike it's not going to help though.

Yeah, when a guy doesn't have confidence in a pitch, he'll just shake his head no until his favorite comes up, which for most guys is a fastball.

But if the pitching staff uses the offseason to develop his fastball more, his curveball, and his changeup then he'll be a deadly pitcher. And if they can develop one of his other two pitches he can even use that at times to totally fool the hitter.

I hope he does for the money you guys have invested in him.

[ability]

Do or Die — tomorrow.