Hideki Okajima is Chopped Sushi Right Now

The Red Sox' left-handed savior in 2007 was born on Christmas Day. Yesterday, he did anything but deliver a present to Sox fans.

Former Red Sox Jay Payton took the second pitch he saw from Okajima, an 88-mile-an-hour meat ball down and in, and took it out of Camden Yards like it was on fi-yah to give the Birds a 6-3 advantage that George 'Straight brim' Sherrill would not relinquish.

Gordon Edes of the Boston Globe tells us of Okie Dokie's struggles when not starting an inning off fresh (link):

"So far this season, Okajima has treated inherited runners like junk you get rid of at a flea market: Of the 14 runners on base when he has entered to pitch, 11 have scored."

Gordo tells us that this percentage is worst in the majors. What's the problem here? Why the struggles with Okie this season?

The explanation is easy really. For the majority of 2007, Okajima came into the game in the eighth (or ninth sometimes) with a clean slate. No inherited runners.

Unfortunately, I have to compare him to Mike Timlin in 2006, because he was the same way. Start him off clean, he'll more often that not retire the side without an issue. Bring him in with runners on, you're in trouble. Why? I'm not sure. Chalk it up to a mental thing right now.

Let's just hope that Tito Francona will notice the trend and try his best to to get Okajima in the game at the start of an inning. The key is to build a better bridge to Okajima and Papelbon, and in order to do that, you need a lot of wood. Or, maybe the Red Sox just need another releiver to step up.

The much ballyhooed Manny Delcarmen could be an option, as long as he stops throwing "hit me, here I am" change ups, grows a pair, and steps up. Damn pitchers, always thinking too much.

Craig Hansen is another possible option. He didn't look too sharp yesterday, but he can (hopefully) find his groove at the major league level and be that seventh inning guy the Sox deperately need right now.

Dark Horse Alert! David Aardsma. If he can throw first pitch strikes with consistency, he can be a legitimate swing-and-miss type of guy and be a huge piece of the Red Sox' bullpen puzzle.

The bottom line is that Okajima has been used too much, too soon, and in some cases, in the wrong situations. It's not his fault, not the manager's fault, it's just that there's no one else trustworthy enough right now for Francona to go to. One of the three aforementioned guys must step up, or Okajima's downfall will be in June this year, not the end of August.