Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
CSNNE: Francona: Albers didn't pitch as bad as his line suggests
Correct me if I am wrong, when a reliever comes in and does not record an out, gives up 3 hits, 2 walks and is credited for 5 earned runs, that's a pretty bad outing. Tito said he missed location with his curveball a couple of times, and the Cubs hit good pitches. When any pitcher misses their location, that is not a good outing. I hate the excuse that the opposing batters just hit good pitches. A good pitcher will always dominate a good hitter. When the Cubs were hitting good pitches, they were mis-located, which meant Albers had an off game. It happens.
For everyone wondering why Bard wasn't warming up...He needed an extra day of rest.
The more hits Albers and Franklin Morales gave up, the more glaring the absence of Bard started to look. But the decision already had been made.
"That's why we do it before the game," Francona said. "Your emotions get the best of you during the game, and you want to use him. We've been leaning on him a lot. It'll do him a world of good. It didn't do us a world of good tonight, but it was something we needed to do."...
..."We've used him a lot -- and in high-leverage situations," Francona said. "We just want to take care of him."
"He told me I had a heavy workload and I had two days off," Bard said. "I told him I was good to go. ... It's hard. I want to be in there real bad."
Projo: Why Daniel Bard was unavailable
Since Tito has been using Bard a lot, everyone expected news of an injury to explain his lack of presence in the game. Daniel Bard has been used a lot, appearing in 22 games (most of any Sox pitcher), and pitching a bullpen high 23 innings. That is a lot of appearances this early in the year and Bard has had to pitch himself out of his share of jams. This is a much needed rest for Bard and hopefully the Sox will retaliate, score another 15 runs, and not have to worry about the pen.
On another note, Congrats to David Ortiz for hitting his 300th career home run as a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Rest of the links:
ESPN Boston: Rapid reaction Cubs 9, Sox 3 | Globe: Albers, Sox thrown for a loss | WEEI: Ortiz: 'An Honor' to join Red Sox' 300-homer club
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