This Week In Paw: Revolving Doors and Pushing Buttons

By Scoop Fox

Hello everybody. Just when you thought that your week couldn't get any better it’s time for the 990WBOB PawSox Weekly Update. The playoffs are less than a month away and things are starting to tighten up. Unfortunately the PawSox are in a little pickle and if things don’t change, then something dreadful will happen.

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Where They Stand

Should we press it?

After so many weeks of being in first place, Paw Sox are going cold at the worst time. In the first couple few weeks of August, they dropped 6 out of their 8 games in the month, including a getting swept in a crucial double-header against the Syracuse Chiefs. Right now they're at 61-58, which places them in 3rd in the IL North and 4.0 games behind the divisional leaders, the Rochester Red Wings.

Bonus: Going from Wild to Tame

 With less than a month till the end of the IL 2013 IL season, the PawSox are currently sit at 61-58 (.513). They are now 0.5 games back of the 61-57 Buffalo Bison (.517) and the 62-58 Norfolk Tides (.517). If things stay the same for the rest of the season, then the PawSox will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

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It's a Numbers Game

Numbers Galore

Here are your up-to-date team stats for your Pawtucket Red Sox. If you baseball geeks are upset that there’s no WAR or RAR stat, then GTFO.



At the Plate:

• OF Bryce Brentz leads the team in HRs (16), RBIs (53), and total bases (147)
• OF Jeremy Hazelbaker leads the team in games played (102), at-bats (366), hits (98), strikeouts (111) and stolen bases (28). He is also tied with INF Drew Sutton for team lead of runs scored (50)
• INF Drew Sutton also leads the teams in walks (52)
  
• C Dan Butler leads the team in slugging percentage (.507) and is tied with OF Mitch Maier in leading the team in OPS (.882)
  
• OF Mitch Maier also leads the team in batting average (.310)
  
    Starting Rotation:
  
• RHP Allen Webster leads all starters in strikeouts (87), opponent batting average (.200), WHIP (1.15), and hit batters (14). He’s also tied with RHP Steven Wright for most wins in for a starting pitcher (5)
  
• RHP Steven Wright also leads all starters in game played in (19), games started (19) innings pitched (106.1), complete games (2), complete game shutouts (2), ERA (3.89), hits allowed (103), walks allowed (55), and runs allowed (55)

In the Bullpen:

• LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith leads the PawSox bullpen in wins (6) and ERA (1.54). His 6 wins also leads all of the team’s pitchers
• RHP Jose De La Torre leads the bullpen in WHIP (0.97) and opponent batting average (.140)

• RHP Chris Carpenter leads the bullpen in walks allowed (25). He is also tied with RHP Anthony Carter for team lead of hit batters (3)

• RHP Anthony Carter leads the bullpen in games appearances (42), innings pitched (52.1), strikeouts (68), saves (15), and hits allowed (52). 

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Player Movements

Don't know who will walk through

In past PawSox updates, there have been certain themes when it comes to player movements. We had the injury bug theme, the pre-trade deadline theme, and a post-trade deadline theme. This week’s theme is ‘The Revolving Pitcher’ where it seems like the only players moving around are pitchers.


8/2

• Received RHP Anthony Ranaudo from Double-A Portland
  
• Sent LHP Chris Hernandez to Double-A Portland 

8/3

• Sent RHP Rubby De La Rosa up to Boston
  
• Received RHP Pedro Beato from Boston

8/4

• Received OF Tony Thomas from Double-A Portland
  
• Placed RHP Charlie Haeger on Temporary-Inactive List

8/5

• Sent RHP Brandon Workman up to Boston

8/6

• Received RHP Keith Couch from Double-A Portland
  
• Sent RHP Brayan Villareal to Short-Season Single-A Lowell for rehab assignment 

8/7

• Placed OF Mitch Maier on disabled list
  
• Sent RHP Keith Couch to Double-A Portland
  
• Sent RHP Pedro Beato to Boston
  
• Transferred RHP Franklin Morales to Double-A Portland to continue rehab assignment

8/8

• Received RHP Steven Wright from Boston
  
• Reinstated RHP Charlie Haeger from Temporary-Inactive List

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New Kid on the Block

There's a new pitcher in town

With a non-stop revolving door of pitchers coming and going, it seems like there’s a new face on the PawSox pitching staff. More recently, the PawSox called up RHP Anthony Ranaudo on August 2nd. Ranaudo was considered to be the #4 pitching prospect and #6 prospect overall in the Boston Red Sox farm system. He was drafted in the 1st round (39th overall) by Boston in the 2010 draft and spent most of his time in Single-A and Double-A. His off-speed pitch command (especially his curveball) has good consistency and accuracy while his fastball pitch command is considered to be spotty.

This past season, Ranaudo started the season in Double-A Portland. His stat line was as followed: 19 games started, played in 109.2 innings, went 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA, gave up 80 hits, walked 40 batters, struck out 109, a WHIP of 1.09, and opponents batted .204 against him. After getting his call up to Pawtucket, Ranaudo started on Sunday, August 4th, against the Buffalo Bison. In his debut Ranaudo went 6.0 innings, gave up 4 hits, allowed no walks or runs, and struck out 5 in an 8-1 victory. Hopefully Ranaudo can help shore up and provide relief to a pitching staff that has been plucked apart by call-ups all season long. 

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Home Relief

After finishing up their 8-game road trip in upstate New York, the PawSox will get a much needed day off August 12th. Then from August 13th-16th, they’ll host the Louisville Bats for the last match up of the season between the two teams and the last match up for the PawSox against a team from the IL West Division. The PawSox lead the season series 3-1 and have a 19-9 record against teams from the IL West.

Then from August 17th-20th, it’s the final match-up against the Buffalo Bison at McCoy. Recently the two teams split their series in Buffalo 2-2 this last weekend and the season series is a dead even 6-6. However the PawSox are 3-1 against the Bison at McCoy and currently trailing them in the wild card standings.

That’s it for your PawSox weekly update. This is Scoop Fox, signing off.

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