Red Sox bullpen willing to be called on

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Sure, starting pitching isn’t what it used to be.

Then again, if you have the bullpen that the Boston Red Sox do, well, who cares?

Five of the seven current members of the Red Sox bullpen boast ERAs below 3.00; Jonathan Papelbon (0-1, 16 saves, 1.86 ERA), Ramon Ramirez (4-2, 1.97), Manny Delcarmen (1-1, 2.25), Takashi Saito (2-0, 2.31) and Hideki Okajima (3-0, 2-40). The only two members with an ERA over 3.00 are rookie Daniel Bard (0-0, 3.29) and Justin Masterson (2-2, 3.81).

Masterson’s numbers are a bit skewed, though, because of his stint as a starter when Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the disabled list with arm fatigue. Masterson made six starts in that time. As a starter, the Jamaican’s numbers are pedestrian, at best (2-2, 4.59 ERA). In 12 games as a reliever, though, Masterson is 0-0 with an ERA of 2.37.

The big question is, can the bullpen continue on its torrid pace?

There’s only so many times that Terry Francona can make the call to the bullpen before something gives, right?

Maybe not.

The combination of young arm/veteran presence of Delcarmen, Papelbon and Masterson, the young arm of Daniel Bard and the even keel presence of Saito and Okajima, this bullpen has been the best in baseball and could very well be the reason the Red Sox are still playing come late October.