In the world of sports, there is seldom something sadder than watching a one-time great player trying to hang on to the glory days trying to play well past his prime. Such was the case Thursday night for Boston pitcher John Smoltz.
Smoltz has struggled all season long, but Boston fans were pointing to last night as the reason they went out and got him. He has a history of being a big-game pitcher and Sox fans were expecting that he would step up and shutdown the hated Yankees Thursday night, only it just did not happen.
What happened was an over-the-hill pitcher, who has given up fewer than 5 runs just twice in his previous 7 starts, got lit up by a red-hot Yankees team last night. Smoltz has made it back from arm/shoulder injuries that cost him months of playing time in the past only this does not seem to happening this time around. Smoltz had nothing for the Yankees and has had little to offer all season long.
Manager Terry Francona sounded resigned to the fact that Smoltz' days as a starter, and possibly a member of the Sox, may be numbered saying he needed to speak with General Manager Theo Epstein about what the team was going to do next. Boston is now 2-6 in games that Smoltz has started and with Daisuke Matsuzaka's not coming back any time soon, this could not have come at a worse time for Boston as they struggle to find any kind of stability in the rotation after Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.
Tim Wakefield is on the Disabled List and the team is not sure when he will be back, though the fact that he is throwing bullpen sessions and not experiencing too much discomfort is a positive sign. Brad Penny and Clay Buchholz cannot seem to get out of the fifth inning on a consistent basis, so Boston really needed Smoltz to get it together and start giving them six innings on a consistent basis. At the beginning of the year, Smoltz was seen as a luxury for the Red Sox and now his ability to give them quality starts is a necessity they were not bargaining for and it has hamstrung their staff.
The fact that Boston went out and signed Paul Byrd to a minor league deal yesterday leads signals it is preparing for the worst in terms of Smoltz and Matsuzaka's ability to deliver quality innings down the stretch for them. There is some sentiment that Smoltz could continue on as a reliever for the Red Sox. After all, he was a dominant closer for the Braves over a three-year span earlier in the decade before begging to get back into the rotation. Does he really have enough left to even be a quality reliever for them?
Consider that hitters are hitting .267 against him in the first inning of starts alone. While that is not horrible, consider that in his 8 starts this year, he has struck out 7, walked 5, and allowed 5 runs. His best innings this year have been the second and fifth innings, which is typically when a starter is facing the bottom half of the batting order. The fact of the matter is he is getting lit up by the opposition's best hitters and seems to only be able to get out the lesser hitters these days. He simply is not fooling anyone and the fact that lefties are hitting .440 against him is a huge red flag. They might be able to use him as specialist to get out right-handed hitters, but what is to stop the other team's manager from putting left-handed pinch hitters in there against him?
Even if they went that route, the Red Sox have better relievers against right-handed hitters than Smoltz and Francona does not have to worry about yanking them against lefties since they are equally as adept at getting left-handed hitters out as well. Why risk even running Smoltz out there when he is struggling to get quality hitters out anyway? Signing Smoltz back in the winter was a nice story and looked like shrewd move at the time. But given that Smoltz could not even give them quality starts against teams like Baltimore and Oakland, what use is he really? Boston's bullpen is full of quality arms and goes six deep. They need starting pitching right now and if Smoltz cannot give that to them then it is time to cut him loose and move on.
Maybe they give him an opportunity to work it out in the bullpen, but can his stuff be trusted in tight games? There is no doubting his toughness and mental capacity to rise to the moment, but it is readily apparent that his body is not willing to do what his heart is telling him to do. If you are Terry Francona, are you going to go with Smoltz over Jonathan Papelbon, Daniel Bard, Ramon Ramirez, or Hideki Okajima if you need an out late in a tight game?
Until Smoltz proves he can get guys out on a regular basis out of the 'pen, he is of no real use for the Red Sox and he just needs to do the noble thing and simply fall on his sword and put an end to it all. He needs to announce his retirement now rather than suffer the potential embarrassment of being released. Come to grips with reality, John, and hang 'em up so that Boston fans can move on and not anguish over the next time you are scheduled to pitch. You know and I know that you have nothing left. You say you want to do what is best for the Boston Red Sox and what is going to help them win more games. What is best for the Red Sox is you not taking the mound in a game that matters or the outcome is still in the balance.
It is sad that it has come to this and I always enjoyed watching you throw down in big games, but those days are behind you now and it is time to join Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux on the golf course and enjoy the spoils of a long and storied career.
This story was re-published with permission from PopPickle.
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