“It’s hard, man. But the hardest thing is to watch a guy like Bailey struggle. That guy has a lot of enthusiasm and he works hard. He goes out there with an attitude. It’s just hard to watch him like this.” ~ David Ortiz
What is wrong with Andrew Bailey? At the beginning of the year he was spectacular, stealing the job for main closer right out of the grasp of former all-star Joel Hanrahan. 3 months later he has collapsed blowing 3 saves in 5 opportunities.
Nevertheless he has had his high points. In the entire month of April, a total of 12 innings pitched for Bailey, the closer notched 5 saves and allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits. In May, his success was no different: 1 for 1 in save opportunities as the Sox went 3 and 0 in games in which he was inserted into. Nevertheless once the calendar flipped into June things turned ugly for Bailey. 8 games, 5 different teams yet 3 blown saves, and a June ERA of 9.00 have all basically shot him out of the sky.
"I'm just not being myself out there. I've got to pitch better." Bailey said last night after surrendering a walk off home run for the Tigers that prompted play by play man Don Orsillo to yell "This is a problem for the Red Sox!"
Yet while the fact that Bailey has basically forgot how to pitch cannot be ignored, this recent slump may not have been entirely his fault. You see while, all season long we have been singing the praises of John Farrell, a Red Sox manager who has picked his team up from the doldrums of baseball, he has made a quite a few questionable decisions of late posing the question does he have TO much faith in his asserted closer?
To back up that theory you don't have to look very far as, as recent as June 10th, Bailey's first blown save in this lowly month of June, the evidence of over confidence is clear. The 10th inning: after being put in for the 9th inning, Clayton Mortonson excelled, throwing 12 strikes on 15 pitches and was expected to return for the 10th. Nevertheless with Boston up by two going into the bottom of the inning, Farrell automatically called in Bailey who promptly allowed 3 walks and 2 hits to tie the game at 8 and caused Bailey to allow just his 2nd blown save of his 2013 season.
Yet that wasn't even the worst of it. 3 games later with the Sox up 1-0 in the top of the ninth, Felix Dubront had been on fire and was still in the game as he hoped to complete a 3 hit no walk shutout. Yet after pitching one of the best games of his career, Dubront was pulled and in came Bailey. Long story short, one home run later, the game was tied and Bailey had blown yet another save.
Last night was no different. With the Sox up once again, Farrell pulled a pitcher who was on a roll all to put in his struggling closer. The only difference was this time when Bailey allowed a 2 run homer, it was in the bottom of the ninth inning meaning that once that ball left the yard this game was over.
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