Krause: Questions linger after frustrating Red Sox loss

Trying to coax greatness out of players who are no longer great can be a risky venture.Once in a while, they might come through. But it’s just as likely their feet of clay will make a reappearance at the most inopportune time.That’s the dilemma the Boston Red Sox face tonight as they take to Jacobs Field in Cleveland for Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.They thought they were getting some real security for their bullpen when they acquired Eric Gagne in a deadline trade with the Texas Rangers. That hasn’t worked out – obviously – and now they’re stuck with a player they absolutely cannot use for the rest of the series (he answered that question himself Saturday night).If the Sox can recover from Saturday’s 13-6 debacle, they have to seriously consider whether they should include Gagne on the World Series roster.This will be a huge test of general manager Theo Epstein’s ego, because to keep him off the roster would be to admit the huge mistake he made acquiring Gagne.Gagne was once the dominant closer in baseball. But that was then, and this is now. He had a decent first half on a team that was nowhere close to being in contention, but with the spotlight on him, he’s been a disaster. Meanwhile, Julian Tavarez, who pitched nobly for the Red Sox all season, is on the sidelines ? off the roster. This just doesn’t make sense.The tougher question, though, concerns Curt Schilling. Sure, he toyed with a decimated Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (can we just call them Anaheim in future reference?) lineup last week. But he couldn’t get out of the fifth inning Saturday when the Red Sox really needed at least six out of him. The Sox pitching staff is built around starters going at least six. That way, they can trot out their specialists for their one inning apiece.There will be lots of daggers thrown at Gagne after Saturday’s game, but Schilling’s the bigger culprit here. The Red Sox went out and got him a 3-1 lead off the one pitcher who actually SCARED me coming into this series (Fausto Carmona). Getting to him early was like playing poker with house money.But on this night, even the house lost. Schilling went out and gave it right back. He also forced the Sox to go to their bullpen much earlier than they usually do, and it had a bad ripple effect all the way down the line.There’s no use recounting the garish ending two days later, but Houston, I think we have a problem with Schilling – even if he’s only our problem for two more weeks.Schilling has talked all year about no longer being a power pitcher, and maybe he isn’t. But he’s no Greg Maddux either, and therein lies the problem. He wants to be Greg Maddux. He feels the only way he can still pitch effectively is to be Greg Maddux.But ?Pitchers like Maddux have to have outrageously excellent command – as they say today. Maddux, who was a finesse pitcher in his prime, knew he had little margin for error and had the stuff to pitch that way.When you throw the ball 95-96 miles per hour, and you miss a little bit, the sheer velocity and movement on your pitch should help compensate. When you’re in the high 80s or low 90s, or when you rely on a splitter that absolutely has to drop off the table, you can’t miss by a little. You can’t miss at all.Schilling, Saturday, wasn’t missing by a little. He was missing by a lot.So you have to ask yourself whether this transition Schilling keeps talking about can ever happen consistently. You also have to ask yourself why Schilling – at age 40 – feels the need to turn himself Greg Maddux. Does he feel he needs one or two more decent years to be a Hall of Fame mortal lock? That is a fair question.Myself, I see Roger Clemens on the mound in the playoffs walking gingerly on a sore hamstring. He’s already a first-ballot Hall of Famer. I see Erik Gagne ? a pitiful shell of his former self. He once saved 88 straight games and should merit serious consideration for Cooperstown.And I see Curt Schilling trying to be Mike Cuellar out there when it c