Terry Francona had a surprise announcement in his press conference today: Kevin Cash, who had only 27 at-bats this season, will be on the Red Sox roster for the ALDS, while Tim Wakefield, who won 17 games, will not. Ironically, speedy outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury played a role in the decision.
Cash was the only Red Sox catcher to throw out an Angel attempting to steal this year – LA was successful on 10 of 11 tries against Boston – but it is the Red Sox running game that Francona made note of when explaining why he was carrying three catchers. Along with saying that he was comfortable with a 10-man pitching staff in a 5-game series, he also pointed to Ellsbury. Downplaying a comparison to Dave Roberts in 2004, Francona said the team wants to give Ellsbury “an opportunity to impact the game,” and that he may be “running for a lot of people.” The flexibility of carrying Cash will help in that regard, especially with back-up catcher Doug Mirabelli having missed time in September with a gimpy leg. Ellsbury swiped 41 bases in the minor leagues this season, and went 9-for-9 with the Red Sox.
An injury to Tim Wakefield also factored into the roster decision. The veteran knuckleballer, who has been battling a back injury, received a cortisone shot after his last appearance and was referred to by Francona as “not ready.” In addressing the difficulty of leaving Wakefield off the ALDS roster, Francona evoked another pitcher on his staff when he said, “We all know Wake. He bleeds for us.”
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