Game One Recap, Game Two Preview

Okay, so the Red Sox dropped an absolute bomb in Chicago yesterday but it doesn't matter if the score is 14-2 or 2-1, the fact is they lost -- end of story. The blowout was actually a blessing in disguise, at least Francona did not have to use his two best relievers (Jonathan Papelbon and Mike Timlin) in a losing effort. Other than Clement handing the White Sox the victory in Game One, the worst performance I have ever seen in a playoff game was my own (in 1993 I did not even last three innings for Kiwanis in the deciding Game Three of my Little League playoff series with Rotary). And the blame for that rests squarely on the shoulders of the rest of the team; if they hadn't played like the 1962 Mets during September than they could have clinched a playoff spot prior to the final game of the regular season which would have allowed Francona to set his rotation for the ALDS. My issue with Francona is with his handling of the bullpen. Seeing that Clement was obviously not on his game, Tito should have gone to Jeremi Gonzalez instead of Chad Bradford in the fourth inning. Isn't that why Gonzalez is on the playoff roster, to eat innings when the Sox are getting smacked around? If Gonzalez is not going to be used in that role then why not keep another middle reliever -- Lenny DiNardo, Manny DelCarmen, Chad Harville or Craig Hansen all could have filled that role. I also have a problem with the ALDS roster -- why not keep an extra pitcher (DiNardo, DelCarmen, Harville, Hansen) when there were obvious doubts about the durability of Clement and health questions concerning Schilling. The option of another arm for the tired bullpen or keeping utilityman Alejandro Machado is really a no-brainer -- the Red Sox need all the pitching they can get. If the Red Sox do advance past the ChiSox to the ALCS, would Epstein and Francona keep Clement on the active roster or would Arroyo take his spot in the rotation with DiNardo and either DelCarmen, Harville or Hansen joining the 'pen? As for Game Two, this is where having a big game veteran like David Wells will pay off dearly for Boston. Wells may be a pain in the ass sometimes and when he gets shelled in Detroit during the summer you worry that he may have finally passed his expiration date BUT having the 42-year-old lefty on the mound in a must-win is certainly a positive for the Red Sox. I say the Sox scratch out a 4-3 win today with Wells going 7, followed by Papelbon and Timlin.