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February 26, 2009
The last time Takashi Saito had taken the mound in a game situation before Thursday, he didn't get anyone out. It was Game 2 of the 2008 National League Division Series, and Dodgers manager Joe Torre called on the right-hander to protect a 10-1 lead against the Cubs.
Derrek Lee smoked a ground-rule double. Then came an RBI single to left by Aramis Ramirez. Next thing you know, Mark DeRosa ripped a two-run double. That was all for Saito. In fact, that was all until Thursday.
His right elbow still not quite right, the Dodgers left Saito off their roster for the NL Championship Series. Then they non-tendered him a couple of months later, creating an opening that the Red Sox pounced on.
The Red Sox look at the 39-year-old Saito as a potentially dominant setup man in front of Jonathan Papelbon. And though it is very early in Spring Training, Saito is pain-free and on the same schedule as the rest of Boston's relievers.
Saito turned in his first exhibition outing on Thursday against the Pirates, striking out two and allowing one hit in a scoreless inning of work.
February 25, 2009
Unlike the last time he took the mound in a game for the Red Sox, Josh Beckett didn't need anti-inflammatories just to make it bearable. He didn't grimace with each maximum-effort offering, as was the case for Game 6 of the American League Championship Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The ace took the ball for the first time in 2009 with his health intact, and the fact that the opponent was only Boston College mattered little to Beckett.
"I was actually just having a conversation with David Ortiz about that," said Beckett. "It's a lot easier to focus on what you're trying to do when you're not dealing with those little nagging things that end up being exterior distractions and take your focus away from what you're trying to do."
In Wednesday's Spring Training debut, Beckett focused exclusively on throwing pitches. He fired off 22 of them, 15 for strikes. Over two innings, he struck out two and didn't allow a baserunner.
