Players not happy Jhonny Peralta is playing

Photo Courtesy of Bleacher Report
Conor Frederick (@ConorJF1016)
Contributing Writer

"Several Red Sox players" are complaining about Jhonny Peralta playing in the ALCS, Peter Gammons wrote on his blog yesterday. The Detroit Tigers don't see it that way, but it's not entirely their fault, although they could have taken a leaf out of the San Francisco Giants book and benched him. If you remember, Melky Cabrera was busted near the end of the season much like Peralta and the Giants benched him for the postseason. Remember how that turned out? See, Detroit? It's good karma, or whatever you call it.

Red Sox Nation is upset that Peralta is playing and rightfully so, I think. We spent a good amount of time talking about this last night on RSL Live - it's all about the timing. If this suspension had occured at the beginning of the season, it wouldn't have been a big deal since he would have still played 100+ games. I don't think there was any real doubt that the Tigers would win the division when Peralta was suspended, so he basically got 2 months off with full access to team facilities, which allowed him to come back and not miss a beat. He's gone 10-24 with a crucial 3-run home run and the lone RBI in game 1, so this guy has been a game changer so far. You can say whatever you want about "pitch around him," but the fact is that the system is flawed. Here's what I'd like to see happen - if the player picks up a suspension at the end of the season, the suspension should include the postseason because it gives a team a player returning from 2 months of rest just in time to play the most important games of the season.

I do think this will ultimately be water under the bridge because I am going on record and pick the Red Sox in 6. I don't think they'll win 3 straight in Detroit, but I think we win 1 of 2 games in Detroit and close it out at home. Thoughts? Let me know on Twitter (@ConorJF1016) or leave a comment.