He was terrible in Toronto, and the bullpen doesn't need him.
Daniel Bard has had some positive moments, but Sunday's Red Sox start was a huge backward step that raised questions of his future in the rotation.The issue of Daniel Bard is such that the Red Sox have already started worrying about it, several days before the right-hander's next scheduled start.
Bard's start Sunday in Toronto was not just bad, it was a disaster. He walked six batters, hit two others with pitches and allowed Jose Bautista's three-run home run, while retiring only five batters in Boston's 5-1 loss.
That outing dulled the optimism otherwise surrounding this team, which returns home to play Baltimore and Washington at Fenway Park.
Each series is appealing and significant. The Orioles have cooled off, but are only a game off the lead in the AL East, and ahead of the Red Sox.
The Nationals are one of baseball's exciting teams, with Stephen Strasburg and Gio Gonzalez leading the pitching and Bryce Harper providing a rookie slugging presence.
The Red Sox have won 16 of 23 and stand only three game out of first. Second baseman Dustin Pedroia's jammed thumb is healing, and he could play on Tuesday.
Outfielder Cody Ross' foot injury has improved. He could return this week as well.
But the Bard issue was on the mind of manager Bobby Valentine, who planned to devote Monday's off day to pondering the fate of a pitcher who is 5-6 (with one win in relief) and has an ERA of 5.24.
Bard said on Sunday that it may be as simple as going back to basics. But this is June, and the Red Sox are in no position to restart the process of developing Bard as a starter.
Gutting the experiment is an unpleasant option. The organization made a commitment to the conversion in the offseason, and by the final stages of spring training, it seemed to be working.
Now he's regressing, and all signs point to a pitcher doing too much thinking.
From the start of spring training, Bard has been open to breaking down the nuances of his pitching, perhaps to the point where natural athletic talent has been nullified by the clutter of overthinking about detail, as the Boston Herald and other media indicated.
“If anything, it’s that I allowed something to happen when I switched roles, it’s that maybe we tried to turn me into a starter rather than just taking the same pitcher I was out of the ’pen and moving that guy to the rotation — that’s probably what should have been done.It’s partially my fault — it’s all my fault,'' Bard said.Once timed at 100 miles per hour, his fastball has lost its zip. Now he can't find the plate.
NESN.com lobbied for a rotation change, which is interesting because this particular site, a quality information source, generally does not delve into overly critical analysis.
This is not critical, it's analytical. NESN.com noted that Bard's walks have exceeded his strikeouts in six of his last seven starts.
If the Red Sox and Bard could simply chalk it up to one terrible day, they could move on. In Bard's previous outing, he had allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings in a win over Detroit, and he felt he could have pitched longer.
Bard was walked 37 batters with 34 strikeouts, though. The latest episode was the wildest two-inning start by a Red Sox pitcher since 1918.
Bard's own self-doubt has fueled the question of whether it's time for change. But how?
Moving him to the bullpen is not an automatic alternative anymore. If Bard can't throw strikes, for whatever reason, he'll be of no help in relief.
The Red Sox also don't need him there. Once seen as a crisis situation, the bullpen has evolved into a deep, well-organized outfit with well-defined roles that leave no room for newcomers.
A big boost Sunday came from Franklin Morales, who pitched 4 1/3 innings in a 52-pitch relief stint that came after Bard's early exit.
Morales saved the bullpen, as Boston.com pointed out. Just because Monday was an off day didn't mean Valentine wanted to burn through a bunch of arms.
The obvious replacements in the rotation would be Aaron Cook or Daisuke Matsuzaka. Cook is still healing from an April 7 spiking.
Matsuzaka has been up and down in Pawtucket, where his rehab from Tommy John elbow surgery is nearing its one-year anniversary. If he's healthy, the Red Sox may have to consider him, but that would not answer what to do with Bard.
On another subject, the Boston Herald has a good piece on the drawback of trading Kevin Youkilis just to remove a glut of position players. Youk's name keeps getting tossed around in trade rumors, contrary to the denials of the Red Sox, but he's hitting .314 since coming off the disabled list and deserves more respect than simply to be treated as a spare part who must be moved.