Boston-Tampa Box Score April 1
I wasn’t able to watch the game but I got play by play from a friend in New England. What everybody wants to talk about is the collapse, again, of the Committee. The spring reports were that Howry and Timlin were not throwing as hard as expected, and we all knew that Alan Embree is not a front line reliever. It looks like those spring training reports were right, and Ramiro Mendoza looks increasingly attractive as the Red Sox go-to guy. Of course, even if they name a closer, they’re stuck for the time being with pitchers who can’t get Rey Ordonez out before the ninth inning. That’s a much bigger problem than the committee approach.
Speaking of closers, Jesus Colome was brought into a losing situation in the sixth inning and walked three in less than two innings. The Boston announcers called Lance Carter the Devil Rays’ closer, and he shut the Sox down for four sparkling innings. Tampa didn’t convert a couple of opportunities to win the game, but Carter looks like he’s every bit as sharp as he was last September. If his price skyrockets back off, but if you can pick him off cheaply he’s well worth a chance.