Brandon Morrow's conversion from the bullpen to rotation offers an interesting blueprint for Daniel Bard. (AP)

FORT MYERS, Fla. — This offseason, Daniel Bard noted that he felt some kinship with Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow, a pitcher whom the Jays moved from the bullpen to the rotation in 2010. Yet if that is the case, then it is also worth noting that Morrow’s move to the rotation was not without its hitches.

Indeed, one can still describe the right-hander’s conversion as something of a work in progress. That, in turn, is noteworthy given the implications for Bard.

Both Morrow and Bard were first rounders in the 2006 draft, with Morrow going to the Mariners with the No. 5 overall pick and Bard falling to the Red Sox at No. 28 (though Bard once noted that the Mariners had considered him for the pick they used on Morrow). Both are hard-throwing right-handers who have struck out more than a batter an inning in their careers and who broke into the majors as relievers.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tim Wakefield

After a sweep at the hands of the Rays this past weekend, the Red Sox will face Tampa Bay in a crucial four-game series next weekend that will likely determine the winner of the Al Wild Card. But the Red Sox can’t look too far ahead, as Boston starts a two-game homestand against Toronto Tuesday night. Tim Wakefield will take his eighth shot at win No. 200 Tuesday, while Brandon Morrow will try to bounce back from his last start against Boston, when he gave up eight runs in a no-decision.

Wakefield’s (6-6, 5.03 ERA) quest for his 200th win has been painful to watch for many Boston fans. While the knuckleballer hasn’t been spectacular lately, he has been in position to get the milestone multiple times, only to see his hopes dashed by a lack of offense or bullpen implosion.

In his last start, also against Toronto, Wakefield left the game with an 8-5 lead after five innings. But the Red Sox bullpen gave up five runs in the eighth inning of what turned out to be an 11-10 loss for Boston.

Wakefield has one win in two starts and two relief appearances against Toronto this season, giving up eight earned runs in 14 1/3 innings. Yunel Escobar has hit Wakefield well in his career, hitting .462 with one home run. But Wakefield has held Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista to three hits in 17 career plate appearances. The Toronto lineup has a .214 batting average against Wakefield, collectively.

Morrow (9-10, 5.12 ERA) has had problems picking up a win lately as well. The right-hander hasn’t won since Aug. 17, giving up 22 runs in his last four starts. Against Boston on Sept. 7, Morrow was rocked for eight runs in 4 1/3 innings. Jacoby Ellsbury knocked Morrow out of that game with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth, his second home run off of Morrow in just 14 plate appearances. David Ortiz has also had success against Morrow, hitting .429 with two home runs in 18 plate appearances. The Boston lineup has a .331 collective average against Morrow.

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Tim Wakefield

As the season winds down, Tim Wakefield‘s chances at win No. 200 are diminishing. The knuckleballer will give the milestone another shot Wednesday night at Rogers Centre against the Blue Jays, a day after Boston beat Toronto 14-0. For the home team, Brandon Morrow will try to break a string of poor outings against a Boston club that has hammered him for 13 runs in two starts this season.

Wakefield (6-6, 4.95 ERA) has been unable to notch that 200th victory in six starts since picking up his 199th win on July 24. In those six games, Wakefield has a 4.97 ERA, not far off from his season average. He did not give up more than four runs in any game during that stretch and walked just eight batters compared to 25 strikeouts.

In his last start against Oakland on Aug. 26, he gave up four runs in just four innings before being pulled from the game. His last appearance was in relief last Friday against Texas, when Wakefield pitched four scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Wakefield has had some success against Toronto this season. The knuckleballer is 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA against the Blue Jays in one start and two relief appearances. The Toronto lineup has a .219 combined average against Wakefield in his career. Yunel Escobar is 6-for-11 with one home run.

In his second season with Toronto, Morrow (9-10, 4.78 ERA) is also in his second full season as a starting pitcher. His 2011 ERA is a career worst for the right-hander. It has especially been a struggle of late for Morrow, who has lost three straight starts, giving up 14 runs in 16 innings in those outings.

Boston hitters have a .317 combined batting average vs. Morrow in 130 plate appearances. David Ortiz is 5-f0r-11 with one home run and 3 RBIs, while Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Varitek also each have homered once off Morrow. 

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No one has been hit more in Red Sox history than Kevin Youkilis. So when he got hit for the 77th time in his career Monday by Brandon Morrow of the Blue Jays, most figured that he would just shake it off like he has many times before and not be any worse for it.

But this was different. It was a pitch that hit him in a very tender part of his left shoulder. And he knew pretty soon after that he would need at least a day to recover. So, he got that day on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he took out his revenge on Toronto lefty Ricky Romero with a laser beam of a homer to left in his first at-bat in the second, while adding a pair of doubles in his return. He helped Tim Wakefield earn his 198th career win with a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays.

“It was a needed day off,” Youkilis said. “I didn’t feel like I could go out there and play and it would probably get worse. It was a little tight today but it was good enough to go in there and play. Hopefully, [Thursday] wake up and feel even better. It was just good to get that win for Wake.”

Ironically, Youkilis came back on the same day that Adrian Gonzalez missed his first game with the Red Sox due to a stiff neck. Youk batted fifth and played first base for the first time since last August. But Youkilis was focused on Romero and not last year. Read the rest of this entry »

John Lackey

The Red Sox return to American League teams and American League rules Monday when they begin a three-game series with the Blue Jays, part of a seven-game homestand that will close out the first half of the season.

Monday also is Independence Day, which does not bode well for the Red Sox. Boston is 4-6 in its last 10 July 4 starts, including 1-6 in the last seven. The Sox last won on July 4 in 2008.

More encouraging is Boston’s 6-3 record against Toronto this season. The last time the Red Sox and Blue Jays played, Boston swept Toronto by a combined score of 35-6 in three games.

John Lackey will take the mound for the Red Sox. Lackey is coming off his best start since returning from the DL, pitching 7 2/3 innings on Wednesday against the Phillies and giving up two earned runs on eight hits with a walk and five strikeouts. His overall record this year is 5-7 with a 6.81 ERA and a .290 batting average against, but June was Lackey’s best month this season, with a 3-2 record and a 5.28 ERA. This might mean he’s starting to turn his season (and career in Boston) around.

Lackey is 5-6 with a 5.12 ERA and a .264 BAA in 17 career starts against the Blue Jays, but in two starts this season he’s 1-1 with an 8.24 ERA. He won his last start against them on June 11, giving up four runs in six innings of a 16-4 blowout in Toronto.

Lackey’s opponent for that game was Brandon Morrow, whom the Red Sox will face again on Monday. Morrow is 4-4 with a 4.56 ERA this season but is coming off his best start of the season, pitching seven innings of one-run baseball on Wednesday against the Pirates. He gave up four hits and three walks and struck out 10 batters.

Morrow has struggled badly against the Red Sox in the past. In four career starts, Morrow is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA and .304 BAA. He gave up nine runs in less than five innings of that 16-4 loss on June 11.

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On draft day in 2006, the Mariners had narrowed their decision about the fifth overall selection of the first round to two choices.

“The day before the draft [the Mariners] said they had it narrowed down to me or [Brandon] Morrow,” recalled Sox reliever Daniel Bard. “They said, ‘We’re 50-50. We’re split. We’re going to make a game-time decision, and go with who we go with.’ They went with him.”

The Mariners chose Morrow, a pitcher with an explosive, high-90s fastball and a hard slider. The right-hander was in the big leagues by 2007, and over the last three years, his role endured a tug-of-war between the rotation and bullpen. While that may have been detrimental to his development, he did enjoy some success, forging an 8-12 record, 3.96 ERA and striking out more than a batter an inning.

This offseason, he was traded by Seattle to the Blue Jays in exchange for Brandon League and a prospect. Toronto committed to having Morrow in the rotation, and he carried a 2-2 record, 5.40 ERA and American League-leading 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings into his start against the Sox on Monday.

Morrow had a somewhat remarkable outing that highlighted his outstanding stuff but also his control shortcomings. He lost the strike zone and lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing six runs. At one stretch, he went nine batters and 44 pitches without a single Red Sox batter making contact, walking four and striking out four between Victor Martinez’ run-scoring single in the first and his fielder’s choice RBI in the second.

“He’s got great stuff. No doubt about that,” said Bard. “We were talking about it in the bullpen during the game. He just looks like a reliever. His stuff, he’s around the zone. He’s not missing terribly. You can get away with that a little more in a one-inning stint, instead of going six or seven in a start.”

Bard, meanwhile, has gone through his own interesting career twists since the Sox took him with the 28th pick of the 2006 draft. His career nearly got derailed when he began his pro career as a starter. After his conversion to the bullpen, he became a dominant force, and on Monday, while Morrow failed, Bard turned in a strong inning of scoreless relief. He now has a 3.00 ERA this year, and an impressive 22-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 innings of work.

Two weeks ago, the Red Sox traveled to Toronto and swept the Blue Jays in a three game series. John Lackey didn’t get a chance to see Toronto; instead, he will get his first crack at the Jays on Monday night.

Lackey will be trying to follow up a fantastic performance against his old team, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, in his last start. The right-hander let up just two hits and one earned run  in seven innings. After getting shellacked by the Tampa Bay Rays on April 19 — he allowed eight runs in just 3 1/3 innings — Lackey has gone seven innings in each of his last three starts and has lowered his ERA from 5.63 to 3.89 for the season.

The Sox starter faced Toronto once in the 2009 season, with good results. He lasted seven innings and gave up two earned runs, striking out six batters and walking three. That was only good enough for a no-decision, however, in the Angels’ victory. In his career, the right-hander is 3-3 in 11 starts against Toronto, sporting a solid 3.31 ERA. Read the rest of this entry »