 Sent from Beantown's starting five Daniel Bard arrived in Triple A Pawtucket. The purpose of this demotion to the farms was to repair mechanical issues in Bard's delivery. That is at least the illusion.
Daniel Bard was once and by most still considered a potential top tier 8th or 9th inning guy. Spending the better part of the 2009 -2010 campaigns as the setup guy in Boston. The departure of free agent closer Jonathon Papelbon should have left the door open for Bard in the 9th. Then came a notion from the Red Sox brain trust that Bard could and should be more effective in the rotation. This decision all be it in foolish wasn't made in hest. Stricken with waisted big money contracts on disabled arms such as Jon Lackey, and Daisuke, Boston required an inexpensive solution. A last there stood the eager, high powered arm of Daniel Bard. The experiment has been a bust. His numbers are not grossly disgusting. They are actually slightly deciving. Either way, 5-6 with an ERA over five isn't exactly wonderful. Since joining the starting staff his fastball dropped from mid to the upper 90s to the low to mid 90s. Struggling to keep his offspeed pitches under control, he has become vunerable. In his first appearance of "operation mechanical reconstruction" Bard was wild. His first pitch hit the radar gun at 96mph his velocity dipped with every throw. His second pitch hit the batter, that event happened twice in his sole inning of work. The quick fix here is blinding. Although quality starting pitching is always at a premium, the same can be send for a strong reliable reliever. You tried. You failed. Move on. The Sox tried this same experiment awhile back with a guy named Papelbon. That did not work out so well either... and who would dare to argue that Papelbon belongs in a rotation now? -Pal |
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