March 21, 200521 yr Article Wells to start opener: Tito calls on lefty with Schilling out By Jeff Horrigan Sunday, March 20, 2005 - Updated: 08:24 AM EST FORT MYERS - With Curt Schilling [stats, news] expected to be out for at least the first two weeks of the regular season, Red Sox [stats, schedule] manager Terry Francona has decided to go with a four-man starting rotation until at least April 18. Francona announced David Wells will get the starting assignment in the season opener against the New York Yankees [stats, schedule] April 3. Matt Clement, Tim Wakefield [stats, news] and Bronson Arroyo [stats, news] will follow him in the rotation. Barring rainouts, that will put Wakefield in line to start the home opener against the Yankees April 11. With three days off in the first 10 days of the season, Francona said he felt comfortable using only four starting pitchers in the first two weeks. ``It's probably somewhat silly to think that it won't change because we will be in Boston half of the time and we're probably going to get a rainout somewhere, but that's how we're going to start out,'' he said. Wells, who had a pair of successful, two-year stints with New York in 1997-98 and 2002-03 (going a combined 68-28), is expected to oppose Randy Johnson in Major League Baseball's season opener. The 41-year-old left-hander, who signed a two-year contract with the Sox in December after the Yankees rejected his overtures, is 44-18 lifetime at Yankee Stadium. Wells said on Friday that he would welcome the opportunity to start the opener. ``Who wouldn't want to pitch on Opening Day at Yankee Stadium?'' he said. ``It's a great stadium to pitch in, the tension's going to be high and the crowd is going to be unbelievable. It's what I'm here for, man. I love those type of games. If you don't want to be in that game, you don't want to play baseball, period.'' Schilling, who had surgery in November to repair a dislocated tendon in his right ankle, appears a lock to open the season on the disabled list for the third time in his career. He started the 1996 season on the DL for the Philadelphia Phillies [stats, schedule] as he recovered from shoulder surgery the previous August. He also opened the 2000 season on the DL following offseason shoulder surgery. The Sox projected a probable late start for him this season due to the complexity of the Nov. 8 surgery and the month of complete rest that it required to heal. Schilling was unhappy with his early bullpen sessions this spring and didn't throw to batters for the first time until last Wednesday. He'll appear in his first game action tomorrow in a minor league intracamp exhibition. Schilling may work in a couple of minor league games before making his first appearance in a Grapefruit League contest. Clement, who signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract with the Sox on Dec. 22, took the loss yesterday after surrendering three runs on five hits and a walk in four innings. The right-hander struck out four batters and fell to 0-2 with a 5.54 ERA in four spring starts, but he's confident he'll be ready for the second game of the season on April 5 in New York. ``It doesn't get any better than that,'' Clement said of his scheduled Sox debut. ``I'm excited. That's why I came here, to pitch games like that.'' Positioned fourth in the rotation, Arroyo is slated to make his season debut on April 8 in the first game of the second road series in Toronto. The right-hander made his best start last year at SkyDome, where he returned to the starting rotation (in place of Byung-Hyun Kim [stats, news]) on May 15, holding the Blue Jays to three hits in eight scoreless innings of a 4-0 win. ``That was one of the best games of Bronson's career up in Toronto,'' Francona said.
March 21, 200521 yr Go Red Sox!!! The sox are number one!!! 6 championships in 100 years of existence!!! While those crappy yankees only have a measley 26!!! 20 more to go!!!
March 21, 200521 yr F**k the Yankees!! 716690[/snapback] F**k the Red Sox!!! 716688[/snapback] F**k Them Both!!! :hat :plain
March 21, 200521 yr Go Red Sox!!! The sox are number one!!! 6 championships in 100 years of existence!!! While those crappy yankees only have a measley 26!!! 20 more to go!!! 716693[/snapback] Intelligent post.
March 21, 200521 yr That"] http://www.marlinbaseball.com/forums/index...04entry677604 :plain 716933[/snapback] Pedro Martinez had a higher ERA then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez had more losses then Wells in '04 despite playing with the best offense in the AL. Pedro Martinez walked 3 times as many batters in '04 then David Wells. Pedro Martinez had a higher WHIP then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez had a higher OBA then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez gave up more total bases then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez will cost the Mets 53,000,000 over the next four years...David Wells will cost the Red Sox 8,000,000 over two.
March 21, 200521 yr F**k the Yankees!! 716690[/snapback] F**k the Red Sox!!! 716688[/snapback] F**k Them Both!!! :hat :plain 716758[/snapback] Beautiful. Nice pwn, teh passhun!
March 21, 200521 yr That"] http://www.marlinbaseball.com/forums/index...04entry677604 :plain 716933[/snapback] Pedro Martinez had a higher ERA then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez had more losses then Wells in '04 despite playing with the best offense in the AL. Pedro Martinez walked 3 times as many batters in '04 then David Wells. Pedro Martinez had a higher WHIP then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez had a higher OBA then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez gave up more total bases then Wells in '04. Pedro Martinez will cost the Mets 53,000,000 over the next four years...David Wells will cost the Red Sox 8,000,000 over two. 716947[/snapback] Pedro had nearly twice the amount of K's as Wells Pedro had a BAA 30 point lower than Wells Pedro had a lower slg%. Pedro pitched 20 more innings Pedro started 2 mores games. Pedro gave up less 10 less hits Pedro gave 3 more homers despite those 20 extra innings. See, I can come up with obscure stats too ... but atleast Pedro hasn't missed portions of the past couple seasons with spells of Gout :plain Maybe I should give him my grandfather's number, he has the same problem.
March 21, 200521 yr All those 20 more innings will be worth 9 million more a year....but, good point.
March 21, 200521 yr Say what you want, we got the better pitcher. Pedro has already paid for himself with the advanced tickets sales that have sky rocketed ... oh yeah and he was only one of the main reasons some guy named Beltran signed here.
March 22, 200521 yr Say what you want, we got the better pitcher. Pedro has already paid for himself with the advanced tickets sales that have sky rocketed ... oh yeah and he was only one of the main reasons some guy named Beltran signed here. 717008[/snapback] Advanced ticket sales cover 53 mil? You are a fool. I would say ticket sales in Boston went up, but thats right, they cant beat 81 sellouts.
March 22, 200521 yr oh yeah and he was only one of the main reasons some guy named Beltran signed here. 717008[/snapback] I'd say the 100 some million dollar deal is probably a pretty decent reason too
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