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Familiarity brings futility? Lackey continues struggles vs. Rangers 09.04.11 at 6:59 pm ET
By Alex Speier

Red Sox starter John Lackey has endured Texas-sized struggles against the Rangers. (AP)

No one has beaten up on John Lackey in his career more than the Texas Rangers.

Lackey entered Sunday having made more starts (35) against Texas than any other team. He had also suffered more losses to the Rangers (14) than any other team, and his 6.04 ERA against the Rangers was his worst against any American League squad.

Lackey had managed to claim a victory against the Rangers less than two weeks ago in Arlington, allowing four runs over 6 2/3 innings. But while he was able to manage the game that day, it got away from him at Fenway Park in the Red Sox’ 11-4 defeat on Sunday.

The right-hander kept the Sox in the game through the first five innings, at the conclusion of which the Sox trailed, 2-0. But he needed 87 bullets to make it to that point in the game. And so, when Texas opened the sixth with three straight singles, a wild pitch and a walk, elevating Lackey’s pitch count to 103, manager Terry Francona felt like he’d asked enough of his starter.

The move backfired, as reliever Felix Doubront allowed all three inherited runners to score, along with three more of his own, as the Rangers’ lead mushroomed to 9-0. But Lackey (12-11) wasn’t going to pin his dreadful final line — five-plus innings (his shortest outing since July 4), eight hits, six runs, three walks and a strikeout — on his bullpen.

“Things went south pretty quick. … They have a good lineup, man. They’re tough,” said Lackey. “They definitely had my pitch count up quite a bit there in the sixth inning. They got enough of some hits to get me out of there. And then things didn’t go real good after that. I didn’t contribute to being great. I left three runners out there with nobody out. Felix came in there in a tough spot, especially for a young kid. And to get booed after that, for a young kid, he’s going to do a lot of good things here. I felt bad for him.”

Of course, given how much the Rangers have seen Lackey over the years — and the fact that they’d seen him as recently as the series in Texas — his struggles may not come as a huge surprise. Nor, for that matter, was the fact that the Rangers did not seem fooled by what the right-hander was throwing — of his 103 pitches (61 strikes), just three resulted in swings and misses.

“[Facing the Rangers] twice in a week and a half – I don’t have a whole lot of tricks left,” said Lackey. “You try to change sequences.”

But the Rangers did what they have so often done against Lackey throughout his career, including this year, when Texas has mauled the right-hander for an 11.15 ERA in three starts.

“There’s a lot of history there, and there are a lot of guys who have some pretty good numbers [against Lackey],” said Francona. “That doesn’t mean that he can’t beat ‘em, but they work you pretty good. They’re a good team.”

Of course, Lackey’s struggles against the Rangers have not been entirely isolated. On the year, he now has six outings (two against Texas) in which he’s permitted six or more runs, tied for the third-most in the majors. And over his last four starts, he is 1-3 with a 6.03 ERA, his lone win having come against the Rangers.

That — along with a ratio of 16 strikeouts to 13 walks over those four starts — suggests that he is no longer in the same groove in which he had been for much of July and early August. However, asked whether he thought that the final weeks of the pennant race might allow him to regain his stride, Lackey dismissed the idea that the month would have anything to do with his performance, saying his expectations are “to win. That’s what they always are.

“Damn thing doesn’t change with the time of year. I’m going to go out there and compete my ass off and see what happens.”

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  • Bo

    Here is how Earned Runs ought to be given.

    The outgoing pitcher is responsible for all baserunners who have equal or less bases remaining to reach homeplate versus the number of outs at time of depature.

    The oncomming pitcher is responsible for all baserunners who have at least one more base to reach before home plate than the number of outs at time of entry.

    Examples:

    bases loaded no outs new pitcher enters the game.

    all runners that score are the outgoing pitchers responsibility as even the man of first base has only 2nd, 3rd, and home versus the necessary one more than outs condition which would be 4 as there are 3 outs left at time of the change.

    bases loaded one out when a change.

    Man on 3rd is the outgoing pitchers(always by rule as even with two outs, one base versus one out remaining is equal not one more base.)
    Man on 2nd is also the outgoings in this situation as 2 bases and 2 outs remain also equal.
    Man on first is the on comming pitchers if scored as there are 3 bases versus two outs which satisfies the one more base than out rule making it the responsibility of the new pitcher.

    Bases loaded 2 outs

    man on third by rule always the outgoing pitcher
    man on second is now the responsibility of the incomming pitcher as there is one out versus two bases satisfying the condition of the in comming pitcher being responsible for that runner.
    man on first is clearly the on- comming by rule of 1 out remaining versus 3 bases remaining to home plate. Also it is the oncomming pitchers by rule that if the second base runner is ever the responsibility of the oncomming pitcher than any runner on first is necessarily so.

    Think about it.

    Lackey would not have been responsible for the two runners on 2nd and 1st today when Francona yanked him with 2 outs in the inning. He would of been for the man on third. When we do not allow a man redemption he should not be punished wholly.

  • Bo

    Now that you have the logical proof let me give you the lay mens rules

    men on 3rd are always the outgoing pitchers

    men on 2nd are the incomming pitchers responsibility only if there are 2 outs.

    men on first are the outgoing pitchers responsibility only if there are 0 outs.

    Even mut and merloni can understand this

  • Babe Ruth Is Dead

    this article is a crock and a crutch…a crutch for not taking responsibility….just because he faces them a lot he should lose?

    pedro faced the yankees and owned them for years…until he was getting old at the end and the roles reversed…

    beckett owned the yankees…then the yankees owned him the last couple of years…and he made adjustments…and he is back on top again…

    so SICK of hearing the excuses about lackey…i am NOT a lackey hater…but saying he is goign to lose to Texas because he faces them a lot is a crock…make adjustments…figure it out…or give the money back and retire…

  • Jim

    What ever talent/skill/ability that made Lackey successful in LA, it has abandoned him. He is a guy who needs to re-evaluate how he pitches and make changes. Continuing to do more of the same is not going to make him effective.

  • Robert

    The fact that the Angels, one of the dumbest teams in Baseball, let him go,is reason enough to wonder why Theo would spend so much on a pitcher who should be much better, but doesn’t seem to have the drive or interest in being so.Another bomb perpetuated on The Nation by the genius.

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