but Dotel seems to rely far too much on his fastball.  This was his exact problem last year as I recall (example being his blown save late in the year at Texas).  His pitch selection is fastball and a supposed slider, which we hardly see in some outings.  The Dotel I use on MVP baseball 2004 has something like 5 pitches to choose from...damn those inaccurate video game scouts!

I didn't see today's game either, so it wasn't as devastating as watching the game live. I did follow the bottom of the 9th on gameday though, so all I can say is... deja vu?

Regardless, I think Dotel should get another chance. After last night's blown save, this one was supposed to be HIS. No excuses allowed here. But it's not just him, the whole team is trying to slide through the cracks and get wins by doing as little as humanly possible. Yesterday I said that no one will ever let Dotel forget this. Now no one will really ever let him forget this: Two walk-off home runs given up in a row? If he can come back and be a fighter, then he'll be stronger for it.

Here's to bouncing back.

Street's ready, and don't rush Street. Dotel is a solid B-level closer, and there aren't many A-levels out there (and they are mostly struggling).

Dotel HAS to throw the slider more to be effective. But his problem is strictly control--the 2 walks to Ortiz are what killed him.

The last 48 hours: 6 batters faced, zero first-pitch strikes. Relying on one pitch, starting from 1-0, and still getting by? Not in the big leagues.