Gagne Hits the Road

All is well in Red Sox Nation. Former Red Sox reliever will be donning Brewers blue and amber to begin to the 2008 season. There may not be any celebrations in the city of Boston, but at least Red Sox fans will be able to sleep a little easier.

I'd like to take a moment to thank the Milwaukee Brewers for giving Gagne a guaranteed $10 million to close next year. That's right, those are the same Milwaukee Brewers who let Francisco Cordero go, because Cordero wanted $11.5 million a year. Although, to be fair, Cordero did also want a four year deal.

In all seriousness, Gagne could be effective again in '08. Milwaukee is hardly the pressure cooker that Boston is. And before coming to Boston in 2007, Gagne converted 16 of 17 save chances, with a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP of 1.05. But it's hard to forget what he did with the Red Sox.

So, in honor of this great day, I thought I'd compile some memories of Eric Gagne's short stint with the Red Sox. I guess this could be considered a highlight of the lowlights. And I'm truly sorry to those of you who have tried to hard to forget them.

August 10th vs. Orioles - In my opinion, this was Gagne's defining moment with the Red Sox. The Red Sox had a six game lead in the AL East when Gagne waddled into the eighth inning of a 5-1 game. Gagne then gives up a double, a single and a walk before recording his first out. That would be the only out he recorded, as he gave up a double to the next batter and was removed. He lasted a third of an inning, allowing four runs and blowing the lead. At the end of the night, the Red Sox lead was down to five games.

September 18th vs. Blue Jays - Perhaps Gagne has a fear of birds? Gagne comes into another 8th inning, this time with the Red Sox division lead down to 3.5 games. Try to picture Gagne, with his scruffy face and over sized three-quarter length sleeves coming into a one run game. Gagne quickly retires the first two batters of the inning. Then he gives up a walk, a single, and another walk to load the bases. Gagne then precedes to walk in the tying run, and then give up a double. The double would have scored three runs, if not for a relay throw by Dustin Pedroia that cuts down Greg Zaun at the plate. At the end of the night, the Red Sox division lead is down to 2.5 games.

August 17th vs. the Angels - The eighth inning wasn't kind to Gagne, so why not try the ninth? This time Gagne comes into a close out a one run game. Gagne records a quick first out, then gives up a walk, followed by a single, followed by yet another game tying single. With two men on, Gagne then gives up a double to Vladimir Guerro which allows two more runs, before Gagne gets a double play. At the end of the night, the Red Sox lost yet another game in the Al East and Josh Beckett lost an extra win that could have netted him the AL Cy Young.

October 28th vs. the Rockies - This one is my absolute favorite Gagne moment - most likely because it doesn't involve him pitching. The Red Sox are in the eighth inning of Game 4 of the World Series. And who would you guess is throwing in the bullpen, right beside Jonathan Papelbon? That's right, Eric Gagne. Of course, when Hideki Okajima gives up a two run home run to Garrett Atkins, it's Papelbon, not Gagne who comes in to close it out. But could you imagine if it was Gagne celebrating on the mound when the Red Sox won it all? Now that would be ironic!

Game One Preview - Lackey vs. Beckett

John Lackey vs. the Red Sox - This matchup particularly had Red Sox fans salivating over a Angels/Red Sox ALDS. Lackey will be facing some heavy demons when he takes the mound in Fenway Park. In 11 career starts against the Red Sox, Lackey's 1-6 with a 6.27 ERA and a WHIP of 1.92. He's struggled even more in Fenway Park where his ERA rises above 7 and his WHIP above 2.00.

Josh Beckett vs. the Angels - Josh Beckett has only four career starts against the Angels. In those starts, he has been dominant, going 2-0 with a 2.16 ERA and a WHIP of 1.08. While that's not much of a sample size, the Angels unfamiliarity with Beckett could work to his advantage.

Red Sox Hitter To Watch:
J.D. Drew - After a disappointing first half, Drew stepped it up a bit in the second half. His hottest month of the season was September in which he hit .342/.454/.618. Drew hits much better at home (.834 OPS vs. .763 OPS) and is the Red Sox hitter with the most success against Lackey. Drew's 4-5 against Lackey with a triple and an RBI.

Angels Hitter To Watch:
Garret Anderson - Anderson is another player who has had a good second half. Since the All-Star break he's hit .305/.361/.530. Anderson has former success at Fenway Park, and limited success against Josh Beckett. And other than Vlad himself, Anderson has the highest SLG on the team. His forte is driving in runs. Anderson is not the guy you want at the plate in a big game situation.

Miscellanious Game Notes - Baserunners have had a success rate of 70% against Beckett this season. That isn't quite as bad as it looks, but it's not going to shut down a running game. Baserunners have an even better success rate against Lackey this year but I don't expect the Red Sox to run a lot given their former success against him.

One thing to watch is just how aggressive the Angels are on the basepaths. Everyone in the world knows the Angels like to run, so the Red Sox may attempt some "novelty" plays on defense. I say novelty in quotation marks because nothing's a novelty if it gets you outs, especially in the playoffs.

The intracacies of Fenway Park may also work to the advantage of the Red Sox. The Angels aren't familiar with the park, as they typically only play in it for 3 games a year. There are times in Fenway Park when you have to be conservative on the bases. Grounders down the left field line that would be doubles anywhere else, often bounce off the stands and come back into the infield. Balls hit off the Green Monster are often just long singles but the Angels could get into trouble trying to stretch them into doubles.


There's a good chance the starters may not decide this game. Angels set up man Scot Shields has been horrid against the Red Sox in his career. In 21 games, Shields has an ERA of 7.71 and a WHIP of 1.75. He's also allowed 6 home runs.

If Beckett does not last 7 innings, there's a good chance the Red Sox will bring in Eric Gagne for the 7th. Gagne hasn't allowed a run in his last five appearances but he's blown up in important spots with the Red Sox. The Angels could easily turn just a walk into a double with a stolen base and I wouldn't trust Gagne to prevent that runner from scoring.