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August 16, 2007
Sean McAdam joins us once again for today's edition of projo SoxTalk. Click here to listen to the full audio. The topics: the Red Sox' struggles against pitchers they see for the first time; the Red Sox' struggles in the ninth inning; what to watch for in Clay Buchholz's debut; big weekend series in both Boston and New York; and the party-spoiling Baltimore Orioles.
Here are some excerpts from Sean's comments:
Struggling against pitchers they face for the first time: "It's kind of a pattern that we see all the time. ... Terry Francona said that maybe we're making too much of it; if you look at it league-wide that most teams struggle against pitchers they're seeing for the first time. The edge always seems to go to the pitcher in those matchups. But beyond anecdotally, it's almost like the Red Sox are more susceptible than others, and yesterday was a prime example."
On the ninth-inning struggles: "I think that so much of their comeback aura was associated with Ortiz that with his declining production, whether it be from the shoulder, the knee, or how teams are pitching him, it just seems like a lot of that magic revolved around him, and it's no longer there this year."
Welcome, Clay Buchholz: "You get a guy who is not your classic power pitcher build, a little more on the wiry side. He has a plus fastball that he can throw in the mid 90s and up, he has a plus curveball that is his second best pitch, but he's got command of three or four pitches. He has showed the ability to make people swing and miss at every level, including Triple A. ... Red Sox fans have been hearing about this guy for the last year-plus, and now they'll get to see him up close and on a major-league mound."
Posted by Mike McDermott 
at 11:27 AM to McAdam
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