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Opinion: Time to shut down Daniel Bard 09.20.12 at 7:33 am ET
By Kirk Minihane
Daniel Bard struggled again for Pawtucket on Tuesday. (AP)

Daniel Bard struggled again in Tampa on Wednesday. (AP)

Over the last year, has any player in this city been the subject of more questions than Daniel Bard?

After being so dominant for much of 2011 — zero runs allowed in June and July — why did he fall off a cliff in playing a lead role in the biggest collapse in baseball history last September?

With no Jonathan Papelbon, did Bard have the demeanor (whatever that means) to be a closer?

Starter or reliever?

Who made the decision to make Bard a starter? Was it Cherington, Lucchino, Valentine, Bob McClure (this is still all his fault, right?) or was it actually led by Bard?

What happened to his fastball? Why is it 92, 93 MPH when it used to be 98, 99 MPH?

When are the Sox going to yank him from the rotation and put him back in the eighth-inning role?

His final start of the season — and you have to think it’ll be the last start he ever makes — was a meltdown in Toronto (five runs, six walks, two batters hit in 1.2 IP against the Blue Jays on June 3) that sent him to Pawtucket and led many if not most to ask: Is Daniel Bard ever going to be the same?

Why was there zero improvement in Pawtucket (7.03 ERA, 1.88 WHIP in 32 IP, including an appearance in Charlotte that saw Bard face six batters, giving up a single, recorded a fly out, walked a batter, hit a batter and then walking the next two before being yanked. Twenty-six pitches, nine strikes.)?

Why, on August 20 — after a stretch that saw him walk 12 batters over his prior six appearances in Pawtucket– did Cherington tell us that Bard would definitely be promoted this season?

And now, after allowing three runs and three walks in a third of an inning in the sixth inning of Wednesday night’s 13-3 loss to the Rays, Bard has a 24.33 ERA since being recalled from Pawtucket. He spent three months in Triple-A to “work things out” and returned exactly the same pitcher we saw in Toronto on June 3.

Which leads, inevitably, to more questions.

Is Daniel Bard ruined? Can this career be salvaged? And how badly have the Sox bungled the entire process?

It’s uncomfortable at best to see Bard struggle like this. Even those who strongly advocated against moving Bard out of the bullpen and into the rotation (Full Disclosure: I was for the move, figured a potential No. 2 or No. 3 starter under club control was tougher to find than a top reliever, or at least more valuable) could never have imagined the worst-case scenario occuring, but here we are.

There’s still time to re-write the ending, of course, but if you somehow stumbled over to NESN on Wednesday and watched Bard throw 16 hopeless pitches (four strikes) you saw Steve Blass, you saw Rick Ankiel. That’s the reality of the situation with Bard, who was one of the half dozen best relief pitchers in baseball 13 months ago.

Probably everything seemed real easy when things were good. But now Bard is as lost as a pitcher can be, buried in the weeds with seemingly no way out. Each time he seems to hit bottom — Toronto, Charlotte, Wednesday night — there is another disaster looming, another confirmation that there is every reason to doubt if this will ever be a major-league pitcher again, forget an elite one.

I understand the Sox are in a tough spot with Bard here. They want his season to end on something that looks like progress, and Wednesday doesn’t exactly qualify. But it’s time to shut Bard down, let his miserable season finally end. There is zero benefit to dragging him out two or three times over the last 12 games. None. We’ve seen the evidence, we have a sample size. I have no idea if shutting him down will reap long-term benefits. It might not. But I know the solution isn’t pitching him again this season.

Let it end, at least for now. Hope he can figure it out in the offseason, hope something clicks, even hope there is some injury that surfaces that explains the staggering loss of velocity and control. At least it would help solve the biggest mystery of 2012 for the Red Sox, no small feat with this bunch.

What has happened to Daniel Bard?

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  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/ZVFM2HRNC5CTO2OUXD4XTX65O4 Dennis

    Making him a starter was a dumb move. Unless they work with him in the off-season to get him straightened out, he’s done. Do the Sox know what a pitching coach is?

  • Sean

    Did Bard’s fastball drop off last year when he fell apart(like the rest of the team)?

    Let’s just blame it on Beckett and call it a day.

  • Jwing3399

    its hard not to associate the organizational mess the Sox have made out of their pitching coaches with the poor performance that has touched virtually every pitcher in the last 13 months.  Yes, Bard is the extreme case …. but it’s just too widespread to not think it goes beyond the individual pitchers. 

  • Toldyaso

    I said this right when the decided to transform him into a starter: They will regret it. And look what has happened. You had a dominant closer, and you lost Papelbon. Why in earth would you move him into the starting role? This team is horrible. Terrible management (owners care too much about their beloved soccer team), terrible coaching, terrible chemistry. No one will want to sign here in the offseason. The Red Sox will be very bad for a very long time

  • Jeff Nowell

    Let Rick Peterson figure it out; his pitching philosophy & approach with pitchers is second to none. Just look what he’s done with the Baltimore this season. Not to mention what he could do with Lester, Buch and the rest of the staff

  • JimDaytona

    Agree with you, Bard was lousy last September and command was part of the issue. The league just caught up with him and that translated over to this season with him as a starter. Not having command puts a lot of pressure on any pitcher. I hope he can turn it around.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/AZZTNEQE6WYICLUMOSG77RZDRU Howie

    Players will always sign with whomever gives them the most money.  They really don’t care where, or if the team ever wins a game.  As long as that paycheck clears each week, they are happy.

  • Sparky

    blame it on felger…he’s a sox blowhole

  • Frankie

    any truth to the rumor that Remy’s retiring as president of sox nation?  Would be a huge deal…may lizzy warren can run for that job…she’s indian you know, 32nd generation.

  • Watsontj

    Watching Bard last night was brutal…very painful.  I have no idea what happend to this guy and apparently no one on the Red Sox does either.  The loss of command is one thing (seen plenty of guys experience that), but the dramatic drop in velocity is quite another.  Why suddenly can’t he throw 97, 98 like he did last year?  Do an MRI on the guy’s arm, elbow, shoulder, whatever.  Maybe there’s something going on in there.

  • OY

    It’s sad, etc. and I agree with you…check the guy out and see if there’s something physical…and, if not, get him a good shrink.  If that doesn’t help – career counseling.

  • Hubsportsman

    hopefully not

  • cc-rider

     Yes, it makes no sense why his velocity is that far off last year. 

  • Bubba

    But it isn’t just this guy. It’s Lester too – what the heck happened to him? And Crawford, who came here and made Iglesias look like he had more of a clue at the plate. Or Gonzo, who is a shadow of his San Diego self. Or Lackey, who was a decent 15 game winner before signing with Boston. You could go on and on. What happens here that makes players forget how to play the game?

  • Bubba

    His velocity is off because his mechanics are all aout of whack. It’s like the old limerick about the centipede who was fine until someone asked him which leg came after which, and then he couldn’t walk because he started thinking about how he did it.

    Bard can’t get his mechanics back because he’s trying to do it with his brain instead of his instincts.

  • Biff22baller

    making him a starter was a complete stupid move by both Bard & the Sox. I understand Bard wants more $ than being a setup guy in the pen, but if you are dominant in a role, you will get paid. But he got greedy and went for being a starter & that completely blew up in his face. Now he can’t pitch anywhere or anytime. He made his career a short one. I don’t know if he’ll ever be what he was. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it. If the Sox really pushed him to become a starter, they also could be responsible for what has happened to him. But Bard can’t even pitch well in AAA. That’s not good. I think he’s lost and he might be done as a major leaguer.

  • jhaggerty

    I heard he strain a ligament in his elbow and will need Tommy John surgery. That would explain the loss in velocity and Minihan has no hair line.

  • oldgeezer

    Above all else, it was just sad to watch Bard the other night.  From all appearances he’s just a likeable guy who has suddenly found his world in tatters. He’s intelligent (That’s why he was the Sox player rep) and trying hard to find his way back.  But you sure do worry if he ever will. Sad.

  • San Diego Dreamer

    sign him up, half price

  • WHO CARES

    HOPE HE IS BACK ON THE TEAM SOON.

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