How's that young pitching working out?

I enjoyed that. The Sox should do that more often. That thing where you get some guys on base and then the next guy up hits the ball hard and it hits the wall or it goes over the wall and the guys who were on base run fast and get home and then the guys who operate the scoreboard change the numbers. Then later, we bring in some new pitchers to throw the ball to the other team, and the other team has a really hard time hitting the ball hard against the wall or over the wall. What is that whole thing called? Whatever it is, I think I like it. I'd be interested in seeing the Red Sox doing that sort of thing more often.

That win was really good. Not just because the Sox beat the Tigers 6-4. Not just because Papi hit a three-run shot and Papelbon got a strong save. Not just because Coco woke up a little more and hit a huge bases-clearing double (Lopez WAS safe on that play. Maybe 4999 games was enough for you, Mr. Froemming). Not just because both the Yankees and the White Sox lost, moving us back to a reasonable two games out of the lead. It was also good because it took that Verlander down a peg- 7 walks? Welcome to the bigs, kid. It was good for all of those reasons.

The odd thing about Verlander's performance was that it was so uncharacteristically bad that it changed what I wanted to say about the Tigers. When Dave Dombrowski took over as GM a couple of years ago, he recognized where Detroit was in their success cycle- which was to say, rock bottom. He mapped out a strategy to start winning- drafting lots of young power arms and a couple of good position prospects, mix in a few high-priced free agents, and give it a couple of years. Give it time, and be patient. Do people remember when he threw Jeremy Bonderman and Mike Maroth in there as 20- or 21-year olds and had them pitch the full year? Maroth lost 20 games, and Bonderman looked lost. It was brutal.

Fast forward two and a half years, and Dombrowski looks brutal like a fox. That young pitching staff, plus a good first half from Kenny Rogers and thus far a good second half from Todd Jones, is kicking the ass of the American League. Bonderman, Maroth, Verlander, Zumaya, Robertson- these young power arms are just awesome. This is what can happen when you're patient with young pitching. This is why you stick with these guys and don't trade them at the deadline. They're very good, they're inexpensive, they're exciting, and they just might help you win lots of games. Of course, they throw a bad game every so often, and I'm happy that Verlander chose last night to unravel a bit. The rookie of the year and maybe even the Cy Young award will depend on whether he or Papelbon make a bigger impact down the stretch.

My big question of the day is how this would fly in Red Sox Nation? To a certain extent, Theo has already made it clear that we're sticking with these young arms and not trading them, even if it means losing some games when they're still learning how to pitch. Everyone I talk to or listen to express a variety of the same sentiment- "well, that's Detroit, it's ok to be a loser there for a few years, the fans don't expect much. You can't do that in Boston. The fans wouldn't stand for it." It's become almost a truism through its repetition.

I think it's wrong, though. I know Sox fans hate to lose, hate to face the possibility of not making the playoffs. But it's wrong. Not only did 2004 change everything, but the Sox have become almost inelastic in their demand. Like the Green Bay Packers, win or lose, the Sox will always play to a full house. Fans may grumble, but they'll grumble from their expensive, uncomfortable seats at Fenway. They'll grumble while paying for NESN as part of their cable or satellite package. There may come a time when Theo's modified, hybrid rebuilding process gets old or falls apart and fans get truly alienated, but that day is a long long way off. More than anything, and despite all their grumbling, the fans realize that Theo is a smart guy who wants to put together a great system and a great team for the sustainable future. They know he wants to do the right thing more than he wants to please the fans. They might resent this, but they also respect it and even appreciate it.

Of course if your veteran starters can't ever get into the seventh inning and your young bullpen pitchers are so overworked their arms fall off by the first week in September, that might change things. Check back on this one.