The Sports Beat

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Don’t look now, but Superman may have lost his cape. 

After his most recent allowance of another man’s mistake to haunt his own record, Red Sox setup man Hideki Okajima has officially become an issue.  A surprise stud last season, Okaji has reverted to the mean, meaning he’s pitching more like the guy the Sox originally thought they had signed, rather than the splitter savant who arguably performed better than Jonathan Papelbon in 2007.

So, what should the Boston brass do?

First of all, don’t panic.  This suggestion is aimed more at fans than at the front office, because their natures run diametrically opposite one another, but it’s important nonetheless.  Okaji remains a viable option out of the ‘pen, and there’s a chance he’ll return to his dominant form by season’s end.  However, close monitoring of the wily lefty’s workload and careful use are necessary.  Clean innings facing hitters who struggle against offspeed stuff would be nice, as would proper rest.  Let’s give the guy a shot to get his head on straight before we decide what we do or don’t have.

Next, somewhat paradoxically, prepare for the worst.  In this case, the worst would be the need for a setup man to tandem with Manny Delcarmen.  Mike Timlin is not the answer, Craig Hansen isn’t yet (and may never be), and Daniel Bard can’t be relied upon quite yet.

My suggestion is the forgotten man, Clay Buchholz, but not in the manner you might think.

Buchholz has a starter’s repertoire and has shown he can get through the order several times.  Four quality pitches will do that, and his struggles early on this season should be seen with a relaxed stance–he’s 23 after all, and his numbers in his first year in Pawtucket could help turn our current bear market into its favored cousin, the bull.  But, Mr. Buchholz doesn’t yet have the fastball command you’d want in a late-inning reliever, so, how does he help the setup situation? 

By replacing Justin Masterson in the rotation.

Masterson has surprised thus far, pitching extremely well with a somewhat limited assortment of tricks on the mound.  In fact, he doesn’t really have any tricks.  He throws a plus fastball with nice movement from his slinger arm slot, and has a nice little slider to complement his money pitch.  But his changeup has been hit hard and doesn’t appear likely to improve to the point of allowing the big baldy the three pitches most guys need to survive the third and fourth time through the order.  Unless he develops a splitter or finds a way to trouble hitters with an unforeseen offering, Masterson will likely end up a slightly better than average starter in the end.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but for a team loaded with starting rotation depth, and a newfound semi-dearth of quality relievers, a two-pitch pitcher with a lively fastball and a pension for throwing strikes should solve some 7th and 8th inning befuddlement.

So, come July, when the media starts rambling on about the need to ship Ojaki out of town and replace him with whatever reliever du jour the market conjures up, hope Theo chooses to refrain.  As any wise old sage might say, the answer lies within.

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