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The Sinker Worked, Mostly

The concern with a sinkerball pitcher when he hasn't pitched for a while is that he will be "too strong," throwing a bit harder than normal, which leaves the ball up in the zone, taking away the sinking action because of the extra velocity.

That was one reason the Sox had Julian Tavarez, pitching today for the first time since April 7, throw a side session on Sunday in Boston and face a few hitters during early batting practice in Toronto on Tuesday.

If the first inning today is any indication, that game plan worked.

Tavarez retired the first two hitters on harmless bouncers, thanks to his sinker, and he fanned Vernon Wells with a nasty, well located slider for the third out.

But, when a sinkerball pitcher gets one up to a powerful hitter, the ball may not be coming back.

That's what happened in the second inning, when designated hitter Frank Thomas crushed a thigh-high 2-and-1 fastball over the fence in left-center, tying the game at 1-1.

Overall, though, Tavarez gave Francona more than the manager could have expected, even if he did walk off the mound trailing, 3-1, with one out in the sixth.

Tavarez got 10 of his 16 outs on ground balls and also fanned four. There were only two flyouts.

In the sixth, though, fatigue may have set in. Alex Rios launched a tie-breaking homer and before Francona could get a right-hander ready to replace Tavarez, the Jays had added another run on a single by Adam Lind, a wild pitch and a double by Vernon Wells.

-- Steven Krasner

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 12:49 PM | Permalink