Posts Tagged ‘Mike Timlin’
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Halfway Point Revisited: Making The GradeJuly 20th, 2008
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The mid-season report card, better known as the beat writer’s great crutch, remains one of the more pointless routines in baseball journalism. After all, a baboon could regurgiate what a player has already done and fling arbitrary grades around.
So, since we all know that assigning high and low marks to individual players is nothing but a sham, I decided to take a stab at it as well, though with, hopefully, some predictive acumen in certain cases. Read more
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Julio Lugo: Another Sunk Cost At Short?May 14th, 2008
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Ever since the eleventh-hour deadline deal that shipped Nomar Garciaparra off to the Cubbies as part of a three-way trade machination and, along with it, sent a Red Sox fandom into knee-jerk hysteria—then eventual baseball ecstasy three months later—general manager Theo Epstein has aggressively engaged in a seasonal pursuit for Boston’s next long-term shortstop.
But for the past four winters—each filled and followed by one fruitless search after another—Epstein’s hunt has seemingly mirrored the life and times of Elmer Fudd. Far too elusive to nab, that wascawly shortstop has evaded the grasp of the Sox GM at every turn—only self-inflicted gunshot wounds in the form of failed signings left in all the aftermath.
So, to say the shortstop position under the Epstein-era has seen more ups, downs and (public relations) spin than a merry-go-round wouldn’t be much of an understatement. In fact, by now, some Red Sox supporters might prefer a daintily handcrafted carousel horse to the club’s incumbent shortstop, one Julio Lugo.
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Some Relief On The Way For BostonApril 11th, 2008
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A bullpen that has already seen its share of April struggles outside of Jonathan Papelbon, Hideki Okajima, and Manny Delcarmen (when not facing Frank Thomas, that is) will receive a much-needed boost when the Red Sox activate veteran reliever Mike Timlin (lacerated ring finger on his pitching hand) from the disabled list after finishing up a short rehab stint with the club’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket this week.
Likely to return on Friday prior to the beginning of a weekend tilt against the Yankees, the 42-year-old Timlin completed his second and almost certainly final rehab appearance for the PawSox on Wednesday night by retiring the side in order on just ten pitches, seven for strikes.
Despite declining peripherals, a sinker that no longer seems to sink (as seen in his GB/FB rates), and a rough ‘06 campaign, the ageless wonder and master marksman (in more ways than one) provided stability in the Boston bullpen last season, posting a 139 ERA+ and a 1.08 WHIP while holding opponents to a .232 batting average.
