Near No-No for Lackey; Random Thoughts (July 23, 2010)

On the way home from my men's league basketball game last night I decided to stop in on one of the local establishments near my house in order to numb some of the pain in my knees. I honestly went in thinking that one cold beverage would ease my pain. I ended up staying for a few extra, simply because Red Sox pitcher John Lackey was flirting with pitching a no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners. Lackey has come under a lot of criticism this season. Signed to be one of the expected "Three Aces" along with Josh Beckett and Jon Lester, Lackey has produced numbers (9-5, 4.36 ERA) that are closer to Frank Castillo in 2001 than to Derek Lowe in 2002. However, his last two starts have been impressive (1.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP) and a dominant Lackey will be a key ingredient to the Sox hopes for a playoff berth. When Josh Bard singled to right to end the no-no bid with two outs in the eighth, Lackey was still situated to get his 10th win but a poor outing by Manny Delcarmen (see below) allowed the Mariners to tie the game in the ninth and the Red Sox were saved the embarassment of blowing such a wonderful outing from Lackey by an Eric Patterson two-run double in the 13th inning. (I did stay up for the end of the game but was long since in bed.) All things considered, it was important for the Red Sox to salvage a victory to open a four-game series that they need to take at least 3-of-4 games and even more important to get John Lackey rolling at a time when the team's pitching is going to have to carry a heavy burden... Okay, it is time for Theo Epstein to find a buyer for Manny Delcarmen and officially cut ties with the West Roxbury High School graduate who needs a fresh start somewhere else because for whatever reason, he cannot find a way to translate his talent into being a reliable option for Terry Francona out of the bullpen... If the Sox do not take at least 6-of-10 of the games on their West Coast road trip, it may be wise for Epstein to become a seller at the trade deadline next Saturday and start building towards 2011. Contending teams would be interested in Delcarmen as an extra arm in the bullpen and with Adrian Beltre working on what amounts to a one-year deal, he could be moved as well. I also would not be surprised to see Epstein make a major move, like send Jonathan Papelbon to a contender in exchange for a haul of prospects that could be used this winter to land the Red Sox an impact slugger like Adrian Gonzalez... The Celtics have re-signed swingman Marquis Daniels to a one-year contract and the team has basically put the finishing touches on their 2010-2011 roster. As I wrote in this space on Wednesday, Daniels struggled to find a role with the team last year but with a year of experience in Doc Rivers' system and Tony Allen playing for the Grizzlies, Daniels will enter this season as the first option off the bench to spell Paul Pierce at small forward and will provide depth at both guard positions. With the C's expected to sign second round pick Luke Harangody and offer spots in camp to forward Tony Gaffney and guard Oliver Lafayette, this is what the team looks like right now: 5: Jermaine O'Neal, Semih Erden, Kendrick Perkins (injured) 4: Kevin Garnett, Glen Davis, Luke Harangody 3: Paul Pierce, Marquis Daniels, Tony Gaffney 2: Ray Allen, Nate Robinson 1: Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley, Oliver Lafayette While I would like to see the team add another veteran big man to provide insurance in case Perkins does not bounce back from knee surgery, this is a team that will contend with the Lakers, Heat, and Magic for the NBA title... Enjoy Josh Beckett tonight...