After floundering again, Boston's Daniel Bard needs to change approach

Daniel Bard blew it again. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

The Boston Red Sox were in the ideal position after seven innings Wednesday afternoon against the Toronto Blue Jays. John Lackey had pitched his best game in months, the offense had mustered enough runs to put him in line for a deserving win, and Franklin Morales and Alfredo Aceves had been superb out of the bullpen. The team had an opportunity to enter their incredibly important series with the Tampa Bay Rays on a high note.

Then Daniel Bard entered the game. Soon after, everything positive that had happened over the first seven innings was all for naught, ruined.  A step back was taken. Cheers turned into boos. And Bard was yet again to blame, once more left searching for answers.

The 26-year-old right-hander has electric stuff: a blazing fastball that hits 100 miles-per-hour and hard slider. He has fallen in love with bringing the heat. Equipped with a fastball of that velocity, how can this be problematic? Good professional hitters can hit it, especially when it is straight as a string and placed on a platter. Closer Jonathan Papelbon can attest to that.

Papelbon struggled in 2010 because he relied too heavily on his fastball, which ranged from 93-96 and averaged 94.8 mph. The pitch didn’t have much movement for Papelbon, and what resulted was a 3.90 ERA and eight blown saves. He also notched career highs in runs allowed, walks, WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) and BAA (Batting Average Against). He tried to keep hitters guessing, but his splitter was far from polished–it was four miles-per-hour slower than in 2008. Its ineffectiveness led to the unfortunate overuse of his heater and a great deal of disappointment.

The movement of Papelbon’s repertoire has returned in 2011, leading to a dominating season at the bullpen’s back-end. Having polished his pitches, he has mixed them with more regularity, keeping hitters on their toes and reaping the benefits. As of August 13th, he had thrown 74 percent of 151 pitches for strikes; 15 percent of those, according to NESN‘s Michael Hurley, resulted in swings and misses. Pounding the strike-zone with movement has translated to allowing a minimal amount of baserunners: excluding errors committed behind him, only 56 of 229 batters faced have reached.

All in all, his set-up man has been superb. June through August, Bard gave up a grand total four runs–all of which coming in early August–and had 22 holds, a save, and no blow saves. His ERA entering September was 2.08. But he hasn’t delivered in the season’s most crucial month, and therefore has played a significant role in Boston’s slide.

He allowed four baserunners in the eighth inning against Toronto. Two walks, a Bard throwing error, and a single led to three runs. A 4-2 lead was quickly turned into a 5-4 deficit, and soon Boston would suffer their fifth loss in six games. It was his third blown save in a row, his third loss in a row, and the fourth time in five September outings he has allowed a run.

Part of the problem could reside in his head. He could be psyched out, overwhelmed by the pressure. After all, Boston has no choice but to win games at this point. And, more than ever, his job is to give Papelbon the ball with the lead intact. But it is not all mental. He needs to mix up his pitches; sixteen of the 21 he threw on Wednesday were fastballs, including the first 13. Considering hitters can sit dead-red on fastballs, knowing they can catch up to the pitching and knowing it will be straight, Bard’s struggles aren’t surprising.

Boston can’t go away from him, however. He is their set-up man–at times a dominant one. The only way for any pitcher to break out of a slump is to keep toeing the rubber and pitch. Albeit at a slug’s pace, perseverance has paid off for the New York Yankees’ A.J. Burnett. Bard can’t hang his head. He has to have a short memory. Trust is key, confidence is a must, and Red Sox manager Terry Francona knows the only way Bard can restore his confidence and get back on track is to keep using him in tight situations.

The flamethrower has to fix whatever has made him struggle so mightily, and a change in approach appears necessary. The offense is catching fire. Ace Josh Beckett is due back soon. The rotation is taking shape at this late hour. And the bullpen around Bard is doing its job. Yet, if he doesn’t right the ship immediately the team won’t.