01:17 PM EDT on Thursday, October 6, 2005

Frank the moderator: Hey all, join Art Martone for a noontime chat on TODAY to talk about the Red Sox and White Sox matchup. Submit your questions or comments now.
And go to projo.com/redsox/chat to read the previous chat transcripts.

tom: If you're Francona, aside from the rotation and the Millar/Olerude choice, are there any other area where Francona can make a strategic move to give the Sox a lift?
Art Martone: That's one of the main differences between this year's team and last: There aren't a whole lot of in-game options for Francona. Because of Gabe Kapler's injury, Trot Nixon has to play every game in right field (unless you want Adam Hyzdu out there in a playoff game). You can't really do anything at second base because Alex Cora is a weak offensive player and too many of the Sox are struggling at the plate; you can't afford to carry a weak bat in the lineup since, because of their pitching and defensive deficiencies, the Sox need to score a lot of runs to win. Damon, Ramirez, Renteria, Mueller, Ortiz, Varitek . . . these guys are going to play every day. (Except for Varitek, who sits for Mirabelli when Wakefield pitches.) So, no, other than choosing between Millar and Olerud, there isn't much Francona can do. Just put his top players out there and hope for the best.

wrosenberg: Art...All the signs seem to point towards a very busy off-season for Theo...he's got to rebuild the pitching...what avenues do you think he will take ? The free agent market seems thin ?
Art Martone: The free-agent market *is* thin, which is the one of the reasons Epstein and the Red Sox were so reluctant to deal the Papelbons, the Delcarmens, the Lesters, etc., at this year's trading deadline. Those were the guys the Sox were being asked for, and they refused to part with them. It may have cost them this year -- their inability to strengthen the pitching staff may have been the reason they didn't win the division and may be the reason they fall in the postseason -- but it gives them a solid base of young pitching next year in the years to come. Certainly the Sox have high hopes for Papelbon, and if pitchers like Delcarmen and Craig Hanson come through, then the Sox' pitching staff will be a lot deeper than it was in 2005. That being the case, a few complimentary pickups -- especially for the relief corps -- could really improve things in 2006.

wrosenberg: Art....The forecast for this weekend is rain and lots of it...might this work in our favor by cooling off a piping hot Whitesox team and allow the sox to collect themselves...
Art Martone: I think the main advantage will be that it allows the Sox (Red, that is) to come back with David Wells on full rest for Game Five if one of the games in Boston this weekend is postponed. With Clement's implosion the Sox really only have three starters they trust, and this way they get to avoid the one they don't. Of course, should they win and advance, this would bite them in the next series since Clement would *have* to pitch. It's a little reminiscent of the 1999 playoffs, when they used Pedro Martinez in relief to win Game Five of the ALDS against Cleveland and then had no one ready for Game One of the ALCS against the Yankees. Kent Mercker, if you recall, was the starter in *that* one.

wrosenberg: ART, other than our history of coming back...is there anything us in REDSOX nation can cling to as a sign that we might win this series yet ?
Art Martone: That's a good question, warren. I think the main thing to remember is this: These were just two games. The fact that Matt Clement pitched poorly doesn't necessarily mean the Red Sox have bad pitching. The fact that Tony Graffanino made a ghastly error doesn't necessarily mean that the Red Sox have a bad defense. The fact that the Sox were shut out for the last six innings last night doesn't necessarily mean that they can't score against Chicago. Now, some -- or even all -- of those things might actually be true, but there's no way to make that determination off two games. Because in the grand scheme of things, two games don't mean a thing. So I think what you have to realize is that whatever we were saying about the strengths and weaknesses of the two teams on Monday is still true. And if you thought the Red Sox are good enough to beat the White Sox back then, that's probably still true today.

wrosenberg: Art....if we are finished off by Chicago..do you think it will make the off-season decisions that Theo has to make easier or harder...after all he won't have to be sentimental about getting rid of or letting go personal as he might if we won it all !
Art Martone: I think it'll make them easier. The Red Sox are in a situation where they're beginning to get a little long in the tooth and they really need to get younger. Another championship, and the pressure would built to bring back the nucleus en masse; that would almost certainly fail, since we've already seen marked deterioration in Kevin Millar's game and signs of it with people like Bill Mueller and Edgar Renteria. You even have to wonder if Jason Varitek's and Trot Nixon's late-season struggles aren't at least partially age-related. A team like this can get old *very* quickly, and the collapse isn't pretty when it does. (Think 1992 Red Sox.) A playoff loss would justify the moves Epstein and crew probably *have* to make.

wrosenberg: Art...do you think Fatigue is playing a factor in our predicament ?
Art Martone: Jason Varitek certainly looks tired, and Trot Nixon dropped off in September, as well. Today is only the Sox' fourth off-days since Aug. 22 -- and one of them was a rainout -- so, yes, they could be weary. Especially considering the age of the team, which is yet another reason that one of their aims this offseason to get younger.

wrosenberg: Art...am I the only one that feels that as bad as the sox situation is...at least the yanks lost last night ( wink wink)
Art Martone: Not among anyone I talked to today, that's for sure. Of course, the Yankees are in far better shape than the Sox, coming back home at 1-1. I think the Angels' strategy has to be, obviously, to somehow win one of the two games at Yankee Stadium and take it back to Anaheim and Bartolo Colon for Game Five.

stantheman: to heck with baseball..it's Bruins season...who's with me??
Art Martone: I think it'll be tough to find people to jump on the bandwagon today, not after the way they lost last night!

warren: ART...who would ever have considered Wells at this stage in his career to be our ace in the hole...boy have we slipped pitching wise ?
Art Martone replied: Well, as Bill Belichick would say, it is what it is. The Sox banked on Curt Schilling being able to come back as *Curt Schilling*, and so far he hasn't pitched like a 21-game winner. I think they gambled that Wade Miller could step in, eventually, and give them the same kind of production that Pedro Martinez gave them in 2004 (3.90 ERA), but they lost the gamble. And I'm sure they felt both Matt Clement and David Wells would outpitch Derek Lowe 2004 . . . which they did, in the regular season, but haven't yet matched what Lowe gave them in the postseason. So most of the decisions they made pitching-wise last offseason haven't panned out for whatever reason, and we're seeing the results.

stantheman: Art...how did u feel about renteria swinging at the first pitch in the 9th with 2 outs. Kid, Jenks had been wild first few batters before. Pitching to his 8th batter. With Papi behind him HOW does he get a green light. I feel like he shoulda worked the count.
Art Martone: *Very* good point. It looked to me as if Jenks was having trouble spotting his off-speed pitches and was mostly relying on the fastball. Renteria may have known that and was waiting to swing at the first fastball he saw. Unfortunately -- for the Red Sox -- that fastball had movement; Damon talked after the game, almost in awe, about how difficult it was to hit. And that may be why Renteria grounded out; the ball just moved on him in a way he didn't expect. But I think the reason he swung was that he didn't want to fall behind in the count, and put himself in a situation where Jenks could expand the zone and make Renteria hit his pitch.

warren: Art...speaking of Wade Miller...is his time with Boston over ?
Art Martone: I don't know. He's not eligible for free agency so he's under their contractual control. He should, theoretically, be closer to his old self *after* the surgery than he was with simple rehab. Most of the things that attracted them to him in 2005 would still be in place in 2006. I guess it will depend if they want to wait through his recovery to discover what's left when he's back completely healthy.

warren: Art...how please do you think the brass is with Renteria...are they will to write this year off...or are they re-thinking things at Short ?
Art Martone: Renteria has three years remaining on a big contract, so I don't think there's any decision to make here. I would imagine there's no way they do anything other than bring him back and hope he gets better, since there's no way they eat the $30 or so million they owe him.

warren: Art...how seriously do you think Damon and his free agent will be about offers from New York...I can see the yanks trying to drive up the cost in re-signing him...but Johnny as a Yankee ?
Art Martone: Damon and his agent -- Scott Boras -- will be serious about offers from anybody. Damon may love it here, and this may be the best place for him, but if history has taught us anything about Scott Boras it's that he's going to squeeze the market for every last penny before he lets his client make his decision. Now, there have been instances where clients have left money on the table to go where they wanted to go (Bernie Williams) and other instances where the player made sure negotiations with the preferred team took place (Jason Varitek). But there's no way Damon signs before they hit the free-agent trail and see exactly what's out there, and the Red Sox' offer is going to have to be reasonably close to the best offer. As for how serious the Yankees are going to be, I don't know. They've been so burned by Williams' defensive deterioration in center field that you wonder if they'd be willing to live with another rag-armed center fielder (and for huge money, no less).

Frank the moderator: Art -- the Red Sox are getting out played. by the White Six. Chicago seems to want it, while the Red Sox aren't hungry or aggresive like last year. What do you think?
Art Martone : I'm reluctant to speculate on things like desire and heart, because I think every team is putting forth its best effort when they reach this stage. What tends to happen, though, is that teams look lethargic when they're not hitting -- and, conversely, teams look great when they are -- and that's what I think we're seeing here. Like I think I said in yesterday's chat, I don't think there's anything wrong with the Red Sox that a well-pitched game wouldn't solve. The trick is getting one!

warren: ART...if this off-season the sox do renew talks with the mets about Manny...how likely is Boston to float the name David Wright ?
Art Martone: They'll float it, but I doubt they'll get him. My understanding is, the deal they were close on last winter didn't include Wright but did have several other highly regarded prospects. That's all for today, folks; I have to get back to work. See you all tomorrow at noon!