Felger & Mazz On: Josh Beckett
Michael Felger and guest host Adam "Pacman" Jones discuss Josh Beckett after his terrible start last night in the Bronx. Is Josh Beckett overrated? The guys seem to think so.
Felger: "Josh Beckett is overrated. He's not what you think he is or what you've been told he is. People think he's an ace. He's a 2 or a 3. People are like 'Sabathia, Halladay, Beckett'. They put him in that same category. He's not your best starter, but try telling people that. He's not an ace. The last week was quintessential Josh Beckett. He's your ace, he's your opening day starter! He's the kid phenom, your Texas tough guy! Boy, he really had it going the other day against Cleveland right? Plunking those Indians, taking them on, challenging them to fights. Woaaa, Texas tough guy! Nice job Josh! Against the Indians? The mighty Indians are 26th ranked in offense in all of baseball. Nice job Josh! And then it comes to playing New York. Last night was clearly the most important game of the year. When you factor in everything, it was really an important game. The Rays are doing what they're doing, the Yankees are starting to look vulnerable, and Beckett is coming off of 3 good starts. Is he just a fraud bully who does that against the Cleveland Indians? When it comes to the real game last night in New York, what does he do? Josh, why weren't you challenging people last night? I didn't see the Texas tough guy last night. His last 5 starts against New York, Beckett is 0-3 with a 10.54 ERA with 10 homeruns. Over his last 27 1/3 against the Yanks, he's given up 42 hits and 32 earned runs. Kid phenom. Josh Beckett. Your ace. Texas tough guy."
Adam "Pacman" Jones: "I'm not totally sold that he's an ace. He's probably overrated. Before the series, you had to give the pitching matchup nod to the Red Sox. The nod goes to the Red Sox, and this was before we knew A.J. Burnett was scratched from the start. When you factor that in, they're looking to get back into the mix. Tampa's lost 5 in a row. It's a missed opportunity, not just because the Rays are fading, but because you're facing Dustin Moseley. You expect they would jump on Moseley, but it's hard when you're playing from 5 runs behind. His ERA is over 11 this year in 4 starts vs. the Yankees. His career ERA is over 6 vs. New York. This was a guy who shut them down in 2003 when he was with the Marlins. That was part of the reason the Red Sox talked themselves into bringing him here: Because he was a Yankee killer, a guy who can shut down that lineup. He hasn't done that at all. Not this year, and he really hasn't done it since he's been with Boston."
