Red Sox v White Sox: Bowden Solid in MLB Debut

With Beckett's arm remaining uncomfortably numb, the Sox handed the ball to the organization's top pitching prospect: Michael Bowden. Heading into last night's start, the 21-year-old had a record of 0-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 6 starts at Pawtucket. Prior to his promotion to Triple A, Bowden had a much more impressive 9-4 record with a 2.33 ERA in 19 starts at Portland. Bowden's impressed coaches and teammates alike on every stop in his minor league career, but getting the start under the lights of Fenway in one of the nation's most sports-obsessed towns is a tall order for any player, whether they be an established veteran or a late season call-up. But just as he's been doing all along, Bowden provided fans with plenty to talk about.

The Sox staked Bowden (5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) to an early 3-run lead thanks to a pair of ground rule doubles, one from Bay and one from Kotsay. That would prove to be all Bowden would need to earn his first ever MLB victory as the White Sox could only muster 2 runs of their own. Alexi Ramirez doubled Jermaine Dye home in the second, while the platinum-haired A.J. Pierzynski (sweet look, A.J.!) scored Joe Crede on a ground-out in the third.

The Sox went on to score 5 more runs after their 3-run first and would win the game 8-2. Rounding out the scoring for the good guys: Bailey hit a solo homer and Lowrie scored Ellsbury on a sac fly in the second; Kotsay (his acquisition by Theo & co. really can't be lauded enough) plated Papi and Pedroia on a double in the fifth; Lowrie got Ellsbury home again in the ninth with a double to deep center. Overall, it was a great showing against one of the league's more reliable inning-eaters (Mark Buehrle).

Perhaps even more impressive than Bowden's fine pitching performance was the offensive display put on by Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia's importance to this club seems to show itself in a new way every game, whether it's making a key play in the field, swiping a bag late in a game (dude's got 15 SBs at the time of this posting!), or coming up clutch at the plate. This time 'round Dusty assumed the cleanup spot with Youk out due to flu-like symptoms and filled in quite admirably, to say the least. He collected 4 hits for the second straight game (raising his AL-leading average to .327), walked once and scored twice. It's his seventh game with at least 4 hits this season (he had one 5-hit game back on August 12th in the 19-17 affair against the Rangers), and judging from his recent surge in production, would you be surprised if he had a few more before the regular season concludes? Didn't think so.

Read more from Boston Sports Buzz here: www.bostonsportsbuzz.com.

Red Sox Pitcher Update: Bowden will start vs White Sox

Rookie phenom Michael Bowden will start tonight for the Red Sox. He was 0-3 with the PawSox and posting a 3.38 ERA in seven games. Bowden was much more successful while in Portland, earning a 9-4 record and a 2.33 ERA - so it will be interesting to see how the youngster handle the early call up...

"This is a little bit of a rapid assent, but I think we all feel -- our development people especially -- that he can handle whatever comes at him," manager Terry Francona said. "It's an exciting day for the organization."

Bowden is taking the spot of another Triple-A callup in David Pauley, who was scheduled to pitch in the contest. Pauley was 14-4 with Pawtucket this season, and Francona said he wanted to move Pauley to the bullpen to make sure the relief corps had a little extra backup.

Here's the scouting report from Soxprospects.com:

Bowden is a big righty starter with a top-of-the-rotation ceiling, presently projecting as a solid third starter at the major league level. He is an advanced pitcher for his age, but there's some room for improvement. He has an arsenal of three pitches that could be big-league caliber: a 90-94 mph four-seam fastball that tops out around 95 mph, a very good 12-6 hard breaking curve, and a developing circle changeup with plus potential. His main pitch - the four-seamer - has a late, heavy sinking movement, and he generally keeps it down in the zone. Bowden can also work in a two-seamer that is a few mph off of his four-seamer, with a bit more movement. His deceptive changeup sits in the low 80s, about 10 mph off of his fastball, with action moving away from lefties. His mid-70s curve is pretty sharp and he keeps hitters at bay with it. However, he can telegraph his curve on occasion. Secondary stuff is really coming along in 2008. Overall, Bowden has an excellent command of the zone. One aspect that should come with more experience is improved pitchability against advanced hitters. His mechanics are somewhat unconventional in that his delivery is quite compact and he doesn't pull back his arm with a lot of torque. His arm slot is a touch above 3/4, and his delivery finishes off with a quick leaning motion while dropping his head a bit. But he's able to maintain consistent arm action throughout his outings, so the Sox haven't' messed with it. Bowden is said to be a workaholic and just loves to pitch - another player who just lives and dies for baseball. Very athletic.


Josh Beckett and the Red Sox got some good news from Dr. James Andrews yesterday. Andrews performed a number of tests and concluded the visit by telling Beckett that his elbow is structurally sound.

“It was a big relief,” said Beckett. “It’s something I needed to do just to clear my mind and to make sure that this wasn’t anything more serious than we thought it was.”

“He said my ligament looked fine - that’s what I was afraid of, my ligament,” Beckett said. “Obviously, Tommy John surgery, a lot of people come back from it but it takes a long time. That’s what I was afraid of, with the stuff that I had going on I was afraid of that there was something going on with my ligament. They did every test they do. Stress test, put you in a vise, shot dye in there.”

Beckett said medication has been effective in managing the discomfort and inflammation he has felt in the elbow. He'll throw a side session this weekend and could be cleared to start as early at September 5th...

Bottom Line: Good news all around.

Red Sox v White Sox: Matsuzaka fills in for Beckett

With Josh Beckett on his way to see Dr. James Andrews about his tingling elbow, Daisuke Matsuzaka will fill in for Beckett tonioght against the White Sox.

Thanks to Monday's off-day, Matsuzaka will pitch on regular rest (4 days), but Dice-K continues to be mystery wrapped within a puzzle, surrounded by an enigma.

He's 15-2 with an ERA under 3.00, but during the 4-game win streak prior the no-decision he took in his last start, he gave up 15 free passes (5 vs TEX and 5 @ BAL), but won all four games and allowed just 5 earned runs over 26.0 innings...

His last time out, he walked just one batter, but gave up 5 runs over six innings... and still managed to strikeout eight!

You tell me what to expect tonight, because I have no idea... perhaps Matsuzaka's last start against the Chi-Sox will help: 8.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, victory.

The White Sox will counter with Javier Vasquez, who's season has been a bit of a roller coaster this year. After posting a 7.48 ERA in June and a 5.65 ERA in July, Vasquez, seemed to turn things around with back to back 8 inning performances and 18 total strikeouts against the Royals and Athletics... but Javier came back to earth in his last outing, giving up 4 runs over 7 innings to the Rays in a 3-5 defeat.

Beating up on the A's and Royals is nothing to call home about so, my guess is the Sox will put some runs on the board tonight. Vasquez is 4-6 with a 4.55 ERA on the road and the are 30-35 away from Chicago, while the Red Sox are 43-18 at Fenway and 8-2 at home.

Bottom Line: We've got 6 games with the Rays in September, so we need to keep their lead at 3 games or less... and we've got 20 of the last 29 games at home, so that should be very doable.

And if the Sox need some extra motivation... there's this bit of gibberish from Ozzie:

“I don’t think (the Red Sox) will be the same, mentally-tough-wise, after playing New York and then come to play us,” Guillen told the White Sox’s official Web site. “I know a little bit. They are going to be down. No way they are going to max out when you play in Yankee Stadium.”

Who to Watch: Orlando Cabrera has been the hottest White Sox hitter (.348 in last 7 days) and is 2 for 3 against Matsuzaka ... Jermaine Dye has 3 homers and 18 total bases over the past 7 days ... Coco Crisp has been the Red Sox hottest hitter, batting .421 over the past week ... Jed Lowrie (.348) and Jason Bay (.345) also love hitting at Fenway ... and Pedroyah the Destroyah is 4 for 7 (.571) against Vasquez.

Beckett scratched, will see Dr. Kevorkian... I mean Andrews

From Extra Bases:

Josh Beckett has been scratched from his scheduled start on Friday, and the Red Sox ace plans to have his ailing right elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews in Alabama.

In a postgame interview, manager Terry Francona said Beckett was seeing Andrews as a precaution. There was no indication the tingling sensation he had previously felt in his pitching hand had returned.

"I think the best word I can use is we're just trying to get some closure," Francona said. "We never want to send anyone out there that's not 100 percent. We're no more pessimistic about him today than we were, but when he goes out there [again] we want him to be able to pitch with peace of mind."

General manager Theo Epstein echoed those precautionary sentiments.

"We don't feel comfortable pitching him unless he is 100 percent because we have to take his long term interests and the team's long term interests into account first and foremost," Epstein said.

Epstein also said it was his understanding that the tingling was not still present in Beckett's pitching hand, but that "the elbow itself doesn't feel 100 percent."

"We're pretty optimistic this thing's getting better," Epstein said. "It just makes sense. Josh has a great relationship with Andrews, he's an accomplished doctor. Get another opinion here, hoping he comes back and can take the ball pretty soon."

Daisuke Matsuzaka will take the mound in Beckett's place on Friday night at Fenway Park against the White Sox. The Providence Journal reported that David Pauley would take Dice-K's spot on Saturday.

Dan at Red Sox Monster also has a list of players that have been connected to Dr. Andrews... they all left the doctor's office with a lollipop and a note that says "your season is over."

Bottom Line: This is not good... and it's happening at the worst time... but it does explain why Beckett has not been himself this season. We've got 30 days to fix this...

Yankees win 3-2 in 9th, mustache = hero

Jon Lester pitched a beauty, fanning 8 over 6+ innings, but Terry Francona called for Okajima to face Jason Giambi in the 7th... the same Jason Giambi that had the day off because he was 0-3 with 2 Ks against Lester... and the same Jason Giambi that is 7-2 with a homer against Okajima...

The result?

Giambi is now 3 for 7 with 2 home runs against Okajima... and the score was tied at 2-2.

Okajima recorded three more outs and then Justin Masterson and his magical melon came in and fanned Arod... again... but the Yankees rallied in the 9th and Papelbon missed his location on an 0-2 count to "the mustache" and the game was over.

We had our foot on their throats and we let them get up. I doubt this will propel the Yankees into a 20-game winning streak, but we could have left the Bronx knowing that we had taken their hearts with a sweep.

Bottom Line: We won every series on the road trip and you can't ask for much more than that...

Time to turn the page and hope that Josh Beckett is healthy.

Notes: Mark Kotsay went 1 for 4 with a double in his Red Sox debut, but failed to step up in two key situations:

Top 6th: Boston
- D. Pedroia singled to left
- D. Ortiz struck out looking
- K. Youkilis hit by pitch, D. Pedroia to second
- J. Bay grounded out to third, D. Pedroia to third, K. Youkilis to second
- M. Kotsay struck out swinging

and

Top 9th: Boston
- J. Bay safe at first on shortstop D. Jeter's throwing error
- M. Kotsay flied out to deep right
- J. Lowrie grounded out to first, J. Bay to second
- A. Cora grounded out to third

After fearing that Arod wasdue for a big game... he went 0-4 with the 3 strikeouts... shows you what I know.

Yahoo! Box Score

Lester and Sox go for Sweep - OPEN THREAD

I'd like to use today's day game to check in with the Bottom Line readership. I'm going to keep this open thread going all day today and I'm hoping you guys will stop by and leave a comment... Many of us bloggers have stat counters and do-dads that tell us how many people stop by each day, but I really have no idea who's reading this stuff - so help me out and leave a comment at some point today.

I'll be posting updates as the game goes along, but for now here are some factoids for today's match-up...

Jon Lester had pitched 7+ innings in eight consecutive games, before giving up 7 runs in 2 1/3 innings in Toronto in his last start.

The last time Jon faced the Yankees, he pitched a complete game 5-hitter and fanned eight... in the Bronx... He's also 2-0 lifetime against the Yankees with a 4.12 ERA.

Lester's been pretty awesome this year, but he's been better at home (7-1, 2.93) than on the road (5-4, 4.11)...

Mike Mussina is the Yankee's Tim Wakefield. He's not great, but he gives you a solid effort every time and has surprisingly decent numbers this season: 16-7, 3.45 ERA.

Moose grabbed the win in his last match-up with the Sox - holding the Sox to just 4 hits and no runs in what ended up being a 2-1 victory for the Yankees.

However, back in April, he pitched back-to-back games against the Sox and was shellacked for 9 runs on 15 hits (3 homers) over 8 2/3 total innings of work...

Who to Watch: Johnny Damon is 5 for 10 with a homer against Lester ... Arod had two doubles last night and has been too quiet. He's 1 for 8 off Lester, but I have a bad feeling he's due for a big game ... David Ortiz is due for a homer - he has 3 against Mussina, but he's also K'd 20 times in 59 at-bats ... Pedroia the Destroy-ah is 8 for 16 against Moose and had 3 hits last night ... Mark Kotsay could play today - he's 6 for 27 (.222) against Mussina, but Coco is 8 for 26 (.308) and Ellsbury is 3 for 6 (.500).

Now get to the Comments section and say hello... Go Sox!

Manny Who? Jason Bay (and Pedroia) lead Sox past Yanks

Okay, so it wasn't the slugfest I predicted yesterday, but the Sox did post 13 hits, 6 walks and 11 runs in the 11-3 win yesterday.

Byrd held the Yanks to just 2 runs through 6 innings and even managed to fan five batters... he also avoided the home run, after allowing 6 in two games to the Yanks this year. And Ponson finished up with just 4 earned runs on his plate, but the 5th inning made it feel like he was alot worse...

In reality, it was the Yankees bullpen that opened the flood gates for the Sox. Jason "Fours" Bay got the party started with a triple to right that score Youk (Bay's 4th RBI of the night), then the track meet continued with a Cora sac fly, a Coco bloop that scored Lowrie and finally the Grand Salami from Dustin Pedroia.

Mike Timlin gave up a solo shot to Giambi's mustache in the 9th, but the damage was done... Yankee Stadium was empty and the Sox had taken the second game, and New York's heart.

Now we step on it - this afternoon at 1 PM.

Notes: Jason Bay cannot be stopped. He was 2 for 4 with 4 RBI last night and if apposing teams continue to pitch around Big Papi (2 more walks last night), Bay is going to continue to make them regret it ... Dustin Pedroia hit his 15 th homer and drove in his 68th RBI last night - in 129 games this season (10 less than all of '07) "The Destroy-ah" has already surpassed all of his 2007 totals ... Ortiz struggled after Manny's departure, but he's turned it on during this road trip, batting .333 with 6 doubles and 9 walks - the RBIs have been missing, but it's good to see Papi looking comfortable.

Red Sox @ Yankees: On your marks... get set...

The Sox took Game 1 of this series, perhaps the most crucial of the three games, and already the momentum seems to have shifted. Tonight's match-up is clearly in favor of the Red Sox, but Paul Byrd is a far cry from a sure thing...

He's 5-1 in his last 6 starts, but since coming to Boston he's been tagged for 16 hits, 4 homers and 8 runs in two starts... he pitches to contact, and despite last night's laughable offensive showing from the Yankees - that's not how you want to approach this Yankee lineup...

Byrd is 2-5 in 10 career starts versus the Yanks thanks to a scary .290 BAA... and the last two times Byrd saw the Yankees, things did not go well:

May 8 - 6.1 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 3 HR, 0 K
April 25 - 5.25, 6 H, 4 ER, 3 HR, 0 K

In case you missed it, that's 6 homers in two games and ZERO strikeouts... Some might argue that that was the "old Paul Byrd," but the "new Paul Byrd" has given up 4 ding-dongs in his last two starts... apparently old habits die hard.

The Yankees will be playing like a starving coyote backed into a corner tonight, so Byrd will have to pull something out of his ass if he wants to keep all his fingers.

But Byrd does have the luxury of sharing the mound with Sydney Ponson tonight. Ponson lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his last outing, after the Blue Jays tagged him for 7 runs on 8 hits... but there's more good news... Back on 7/27 the Sox tattooed Sydney for 10 hits and 7 runs, pushing his career line against the Sox to a bloated 6.92 ERA and a staggering .333 BAA.

Bottom Line: The Olympics are over, but if you're still craving for some track meet excitement, I suggest you tune into NESN tonight around 7PM...

Who to Watch: David Ortiz loves to play with Ponson: 18 for 39 (.462), 3 HR, 10 RBI ... Jason Vartiek should be back behind the plate tonight, and should keep hitting while at the plate: 14 for 43 (.326), 5 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI ... and keep an eye on Coco - he's been hot lately (.440 since Aug 18) and with Kotsay coming to Boston, he'll be looking to prove he deserves more playing time ... Robinson Cano is batting .308 with 2 homers against Byrd ... Jason Giambi's mustache has 4 home runs and a .316 BA against Byrd ... and Derek Jeter likes Byrd food: 12 for 33 (.364).

JD Drew to the DL, Mark Kotsay to Boston

JD Drew (back) was finally placed on the DL yesterday. He's been battling a hernitaed disc in his back and has not played since August 17th. The Sox have been using Ellsbury in right and Coco is center, but Gordon Edes is reporting that the Sox have acquired OF Mark Kotsay from the Braves...

The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Mark Kotsay from the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night pending a physical, according to a baseball source with knowledge of the deal. The Braves will receive a minor-league pitcher in return if the pitcher passes a physical.

Bottom Line: Kotsay, 32, is batting .289 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 318 at-bats this season. He's a nice addition to the lineup, but you have to feel bad for Coco... he seemed to be heating up recently, perhaps due to some regular playing time: 11 for 25 (.440) with a homer and 2 stolen bases since August 18th... but Drew could be out for a while, so expect Tito to continue mixing it up in the outfield.

Side Note: Red Sox Monster thinks Kotsay's sense of humor is going to help him fit it here in Boston... he also points out that his woodsman-type beard should draw praise from the likes of Youk, Timlin and Wake...

Red Sox @ Yankees: Patchwork lineup comes up big

Kevin Cash?

Jeff Bailey?

Mitchell Freedman?

Throwing Tim "fresh off the DL" Wakefield at the Yankees yesterday had me nervous from the get go, but with Manny gone, Lowell out and Drew and Casey hurt, I have to admit I did not expect this lineup to do much damage against Andy Pettitte and the Yankees.

Here's what I got for my lack of faith:

80 pitches and 6 solid innings from Wake. He gave up 3 runs (including to solo shots from Damon), but for the most part he held the Yankees down like the gritty veteran that he is...

Coco Crisp goes 3 for 5 with a home run... he also stole second in the 5th and came around to score on Jeff Bailey's key 2-run single... driving Pettitte from the game and gving the Sox a 6-2 lead.

Jason Bay continued his quiet thrashing of AL pitching, driving in 2 more runs and raising his AL average to a ridiculous .341... Manny who!?

In total, the Sox racked up 14 hits, 7 walks and 7 runs on the night while the Yankees, and their supposedly superior offense, simply couldn't get it done - specifically Arod and Giambi, who went a combined 0-9 in the 4/5 spots.

“Tonight, you can put it on me,” Rodriguez said. “It was a lousy night. We pretty much screwed it up every way you can screw it up. There’s absolutely no excuse.”

Bottom Line: I will put it on you Arod and thank you kindly while doing so... but I have to give credit to my team as well. They got the hits when they needed them, they made key plays in the field, and every guy out of the bullpen did his job.

The result was a well deserved victory... a sort of David and Goliath victory at that.

Yahoo! Box Score

Batman and Baseball

I don't really know why I posted this, I just couldn't stop laughing... comments and funny captions are welcome... and expected.

Thanks to Bar Stool Sports for the photo.

Red Sox @ Yankees: Wake returns for key match-up

The Yankees are 5 games behind the Red Sox in the Wild Card race. They're coming off a sweep of the Orioles in which they scored 22 runs... but they also gave up 14 runs in that series.

That's good news for the Sox who head to the Bronx having won 4 of their last 6. Tim Wakefield will be making his first start since he hit the DL back in early August with tightness in his shoulder. Wake had been sharp leading up to the shut down, allowing just 1 earned run over 12.1 innings in his last two starts... but that was against Oakland and Kansas City.

Wake has not faired as well against the Yankees... he's 9-17 in 30 starts with a 5.14 ERA against the pinstripes... and 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA in the Bronx. If you thought that was bad, take a look at 2007: 0-3 with a 10.93 ERA... 17 hits and 17 walks through 14 innings...

Jeter and Co. have clearly seen enough of Wake over the years to know what to do with him, so I don't really like this match-up, but it is what it is. David Pauley would likely be the first out of the pen if things go bad early.

The Yankess will be countering with Andy Pettitte. The lefty has been solid against the Sox (16-7, 3.54 ERA, 29 starts), but he's been mediocre at best as fo late, posting a 4.15 ERA and a .278 BAA in August, and that includes his last outing - 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 K against Toronto.

Pettitte and the Yankees will be looking to capitalize on their recent surge, as well as the playoff atmosphere...

“I feel like it’s a must-win series,” Andy Pettitte, Tuesday’s starter for the Yankees, told the team’s official Web site. “I don’t necessarily feel like we need to sweep them, but I feel like we need to win the series.”

We can bury the Yankees with a sweep and take their hearts in the process, but despite that - and the series’ historical significance - Red Sox manager Terry Francona says it’s just another series.

“Because of the media and the fans, there’s more energy or electricity in the ballpark, but you can’t bring in a pitcher an inning earlier,” Francona said. “They don’t give you two wins when you beat the Yankees.”

Bottom Line: Tito's right, but taking 2 of 3 instead of giving them 2 of 3 (or worse) should keep the Yankees at bay and give us a nice boost as we head into September. The Twins aren't going away and the Rays are clearly legit, so we'll need all the hlpe we can get from the Fenway Faithful when we play 16 of our last 25 at home...

Who to Watch: Bobby Abreu is batting .440 over the past 7 days and went 5 for 5 day on Sunday - he's 7 for 25 (.280) vs Wake ... Ex-Pirate Xavier Nady has been hot as well (3.46 this week) but he's 0-3 lifetime against the knuckleball ... and Robinson Cano continues his 2nd half tear - he's batting .328 this half and .333 against Wakefield ... Youk is riding a 5-game hitting streak and is batting .444 with a home against Pettitte ... David Ortiz is batting .309 at Yankee Stadium with 16 HRs and .357 against Pettitte, but he's batting just .212 against southpaws this year ... Jason Bay is 8 for 19 (.421) with a homer, so that should help him stay relaxed in his introduction to "The Rivalry."

Red Sox Injury Update

The Red Sox are pretty banged up right now, but they've managed to win 4 of the last 6 and they've got an off day today and three Thursday's in September off...

RF JD Drew: Drew has now missed 6 games with a herniated disc in his back. Francona says it's something they've been aware of all season, but the surrounding muscles have been flaring up lately... Tito says they're hoping to avoid the DL, but if thing aren't better by the end of the off day, you may see a move... Kinda wish B-Moss was still here... but for now it looks like Coco, Bay and Ellsbury.

1B Sean Casey: Casey's been out wit ha stiff neck, but he says it's improving and he should be ready for the series in New York...

SP Josh Beckett: Beckett felt more tingling his his throwing arm and has officially been bumped from the Yankees series. He's now set to start on Friday against teh White Sox...

"Got some inflammation, and when you get some tingling, you're looking at the nerve," Tito said. "Beckett went out and threw real well and was going to do a side today."

"John [Farrell] and I, [assistant trainer] Mike Reinold, we were kind of sitting around here talking last night. The more we thought about it, we're thinking, we're trying to do everything in our power to make sure this guy is able to go out and pitch like he can pitch. We're probably being overcautious, but when it comes to somebody's arm and their future, I just think we need to do that."

RP David Aardsma: Aardsma was placed ont he 15-day DL and is scheduled to have an MRI in Boston today... David Pauley was called up from Pawtucket to take his spot... If Wake struggles in tomorrow's game against the Yankees, it could be Pauley that is first out of the pen...

3B Mike Lowell: Lowell (oblique) is scheduled to speak with medical director Dr. Thomas Gill today to get approval to head to New York.

SS Julio Lugo: Lugo (quadriceps) pulled his left quadriceps during a running session Wednesday, Aug. 20. Lugo was hoping to go on a rehab assignment at some point next week, but will head to Boston with Aardsma for another MRI instead... (snicker)

OF Jacoby Ellsbury: Ellsbury hit the right field wall pretty hard yesterday, but remained in the game. Th trainers spent a good eight minutes checking Ellsbury out, but Francona said after the game that most of that time was spent adjusting Ellsbury's contact - which had popped loose. Jacoby said he's hit walls harder before and finished the game with some scratches and sore shoulder...

Red Sox @ Blue Jays: Little Guys Come Up Big

Jed Lowrie's solo shot in the 11th gave the Red Sox the 6-5 win and the series... but this game was full of big moments.

With the Sox down 2-0 right off the bat, Crisp and Cora earned a couple of walks in the 3rd and Dustin Pedroia drove them in with his 14th home run of the season.

Vernon Wells was determined to get the win, hitting his second homer of the game in the 6th and starting a rally that gave the Jays a 5-4 lead after six...

But Coco Crisp, who was hitting just .224 since July 1st, became the unlikely hero, blasting a solo shot to right center - tying the game at five.

As the game spilled over into extra innings, the bullpen came up huge, holding Toronto off through 5 innings after Matsuzaka's exit in the 6th. Masterson (1.1), Okajima (0.2), Papelbon (2.0) and Delcarmen (1.0) all pitched well - a good sign with September around the corner...

There were some great plays in the field as well, most notably, Jason Bay's leaping catch in extra innings and Jacoby Ellsbury's wall-smashing grab back in the 4th.

Francona saluted Ellsbury for staying in, knowing that J.D. Drew (sore back) was unavailable for the sixth straight game.

“The fact that (Ellsbury) stayed in and played that game, it might be a little over-dramatic, but I thought he grew up a little bit today,” Francona said. “He understood where we were physically with the rest of our team and what he can do by staying in the game. I thought that was huge.”

Bottom Line: Yesterday's win means the Sox have won both series so far on this road trip. There was a bit of playoff atmosphere at this game, and the Sox should be proud of themselves for fighting hard and earning the win... but the Rays just keep on winning and remain 4.5 up on the Sox... and the Twins are still just 1 game back in the Wild Card race.

Yahoo! Box Score

Red Sox @ Blue Jays: The stopper falters as the offense sputters

How better to kick off my weekend duties at TBL than by reminiscing about a game (which the Sox lost 11-0) I'm sure we'd all rather forget?

Up to this point, Jon Lester's really made a case to be team MVP for the 2008 season. He may not have the most flashy stats and he'll probably never instill fear in hitters the way other lefties like Lefty Grove, Steve Carlton, Sandy Koufax and Randy Johnson have, but he's become perhaps the most reliable starter the Sox have and looks poised to be a mainstay at the front end of the rotation for many years to come.

So it was all the more surprising when Lester (you know, the Jon Lester who'd only lost one game in the past three months and who's also won a team-high 5 games following a loss), who's gone 9-1 since the beginning of June, looked pretty mediocre in 2.1 innings, the shortest start of his career.

The scoring got underway when oft-injured Vernon Wells smacked a two-run homer in the first. After that, Jose Bautista plated another run in the second thanks to a sac fly. 3 runs in 2 innings is hardly ideal, but we've seen Lester come back from worse and all it takes is a couple base hits to get the Sox back into it. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off in the third.

After Wells collected his second hit off Lester (a single to left), Cora made a nice diving play but threw the ball away while trying to go to second, allowing both runners to get into scoring position. Five batters later, the score was 7-0, Lester was yanked in favor of Chris Smith, and the Sox were permanently out of the game as the offense could never get going. Lester left with a line of 2.1 IP, 7 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 2 K.

Speaking of the offense, there were a few troubling occurrences other than the lack of hitting (the Sox got 4 as a team) and the leaving of men on base (17). First off, Youk went 1-for-4 with 3 strikeouts. I've been as big a proponent of Youk as anyone this year, but he's bound to cool off and perhaps we're starting to see it. Also, with Lowell, Drew and Casey out at the moment, the lineup is spread remarkably thin. A 7-8-9 of Tek, Cora and Crisp isn't exactly what you'd call formidable, so the injury bug has to quit biting at some point (hopefully).

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Red Sox @ Blue Jays: Byrd versus the Birds

Paul Byrd will make his third start in a row against the Blue Jays tonight in Toronto. On August 9th, he beat the Jays with a complete game, 4-2 victory in his last start as an Indian... Then, in his first start with the Sox, he went toe-to-toe with Roy Halladay, but took the loss after giving up 4 runs on 2 early homers and an RBI single in the 8th.

Byrd's 4-game winning streak was broken in his first start for Boston, but he has remained effective, posting a 2.70 ERA in Augsut. Let's hope the "effective streak" keeps going, 'cause the Twins (tied for AL wc) and the Rays (4.5 up in East) aren't going away...

The Jays will counter with Shaun Marcum, who has been more than "effective" this month and against the Red Sox... Marcum has won his last three starts, posting a 1.50 during that run. He's also 4-1 in 5 starts against Boston with a 2.84 ERA - and that includes his last start, a 5-inning, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K effort on the 17th.

Bottom Line: It's time to get serious. This is where you sepreate the men from the boys... just ask Big Papi...

Who to Watch: The Sox had an off day, so hopefully everyone is fresh 'cause nobody has hit Marcum very well: Ortiz (2 for 12), Pedroia (0 for 11), Youk (3 for 15) - but with a double and a homer ... Alex Rios has been hot in the 2nd half and took Byrd deep in their last meeting - he's 3 for 15 (.200) overall ... the Jays also beat the crap out of the Yankees yesterday, so they're all feeling good right now.

Sox @ O's: Will Clay's mechanical fix get him back on track?

Clay Buchholz will make another attempt to fix his 2008 season tonight, when he applies a mechanical adjustment that he and Pitching Coach John Farrell have discovered. Rob Bradford reported that Bucky has been "drifting forward upon beginning his approach to the plate with runners on base, causing problems with the location of his pitches."

"It's more like a drift in my delivery," Buchholz explained. "When I'm in the windup I'm fine, but when I'm in the stretch, I go to my balance point, I pick my leg up and I'm already going forward. It's not allowing me to get the ball out of my glove and really be on top.

"We did one side by side where I waited back and threw a pitch and one where I didn't wait back. In one frame you can see the difference where my upper body is at and where my lower body is at, the right way, and in the other one it's all out of whack. Fastballs when I stay back and let myself to get on top of it its for the most part where I want to throw it, and when I don't that's when the ball tails back over the middle."

I'm praying that fixing this problem will be as simple as Buchholz makes it sound, but as I mentioned over at Centerfield (shout out for breaking this story to me), I feel like we've already experienced a mechanical adjustment with Buchholz... and it clearly didn't stick.

NESN's Jerry Remy made a good point about O's starter Daniel Cabrera last night that reminded me of Buchholz - Remy said he thinks Cabrera's body type (and temper) may be working against him... he's tall and a little lanky, and that can make it hard to consistently keep your mechanics in check.

Clay is even "lankier" (is that a word?) - leading me to wonder if he'll ever gain enough control over his body to be consistently effective for 6+ innings...

Another attempt will begin tonight as he and the Sox look to sweep the Orioles. The bad news? Bucky gave up 5 runs on 5 hits and 5 walks through 5 innings (weird!) the last time he faced the Orioles... and he's 0-6 in 9 road starts this season... The good news? He's 1-2 with a 2.12 and a .115 BAA versus the O's in his career (thanks largely to the no-hitter).

The Orioles will counter with a youngster of their own - LHP Chris Waters. Waters looked very sharp in his 2008 debut, one-hitting the Angles through 8 innings and earning the win, but he hasn't made it out the 5th in his last two starts - giving up 15 hits and 8 runs to the Rangers and Tigers... I'm guessing we'll see more of the most recent version of Waters tonight, since he was 3-6 with a 5.70 ERA through 16 starts in AAA Norfolk.

Bottom Line: Clay isn't gonna get a much better match-up than the one he has tonight, so let's hope this latest tweak to his delivery, get him and the Sox a much need victory tonight.

Who to Watch: Lefties are batting .750 against Waters, so Look for Ortiz to keep stroking the ball (4-8 with 2 doubles and 2 walks this series) as well as Sean Casey (.379 vs LHP) and Jed Lowrie (.357) ... and Dustin Pedroia is riding yet another hitting-streak - 7 games ... Brian Roberts had 3 hits last night and is 3 for 7 against Buchholz ... the rest of the O's are a combined 6 for 41 (.146) ... Ramon Hernanadez has a hit in 14 of 15 games in August, but he's literally had just ONE hit in 11 of those games for a modest .281 BA on the month...

RP Corpas put on waivers, coming to Boston?

Nick Cafardo had an interesting note on Extra Bases this morning:

One of the interesting names that appeared on today's waiver wire was Colorado reliever Manny Corpas.

Before you think that the 25-year-old righthander would be a nice fit for the Red Sox, consider that several teams with worst records than Boston would put in a claim for him. Corpas signed a four-year, $8.025 million extension with the Rockies in February. He's gone in and out of the closer role. Mostly a set-up guy, but an excellent fit for someone. Colorado is putting him out there probably to see what his worth is.

Boston would have interest, just hard to believe he'd get to them.

Bottom Line: Nick's correct, there's a very good chance that Corpas is staying in Colorado... or that other teams will have a chance to snatch him up before the Sox... but Corpas would be a huge addition to this bullpen - given that the 8th inning has become one big question mark this season... Corpas and Paps would make a nice game ending duo...

VIDEO: Beckett has tingling, numbness in fingers

Yahoo! is also reporting that Beckett will not make his next scheduled start, this Saturday in Toronto:

Beckett is experiencing numbness and discomfort in his right hand and his next start has been pushed back three days until Tuesday, when the Red Sox start a three-game series with the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium.

Missing a start against the Blue Jays may be a blessing in disguise for Beckett, who has lost four of his last six starts overall. He has struggled against Toronto this season, including a disastrous showing Sunday in which he gave up eight runs before being pulled with one out in the third inning.

Beckett is 0-2 against the Jays this year with a 16.71 ERA, managing just seven innings in two starts.

Matsuzaka is gonna kill us in the playoffs

As expected, Matsuzaka and Cabrera handed out 8 walks total last night. But, just as they have done all season, Matsuzaka worked his magic through five innings, giving up just two runs, while Cabrera was knocked out of the game after 4 1/2 innings and was tagged for 6 earned runs when the dust settled.

NESN's Don Orsillo said it well alst night: "If you can do it (get guys out) with the bases loaded, why can't you do it whenever you want (like at the start of the inning)?"

Some have argued that Matsuzaka "chooses" to nip the corners and is willing to give up the walk because he knows he'll eventually get the outs... and the win. Daisuke backed that theory in last night's post game:

“Whether I allow hits or I allow walks, I always think that the important thing is not to allow the runners to score,” Matsuzaka said through an interpreter. “That’s the way I thought last year and it’s still the same this year.”

That approach has earned him back-to-back seasons with at least 15 wins, so it's hard to argue, but this season has been much more of a high-wire act than 2007 was.

That's what makes me nervous.

He's proven that he can beat a solid offense, blanking Texas for 7 innings on 8/14 and holding Chicago to 4 hits and 1 run through 8 innings on 8/9... but it's becoming more and more obvious to opponents that patient is the key to facing Matsuzaka... and a 5 inning starter in the playoffs will get you into trouble.

Bottom Line: Matsuzaka wins games. Watching him pitch will have us all as bald as Tito come November, but he's been featuring this Houdini act all season and it worked - especially lately: 4-0, 1.73 ERA in August.

My fear? His only loss in the past 7 starts came against the Angels, a team we will likely face on the road to the World Series. They only walked twice in that game, but if they know that patience at the plate will lead to base runners and an early exit for Dice-K, the Angels will cause all kinds of problems for him and the Sox... not to mention that the opposing pitcher in that game will be Saunders (14-5, 3.14), Lackey (10-2, 3.22) or Santana (13-5, 3.39)...

Other notes from the game: Jason Varitek hit another homer and had a key RBI double in the 5th ... Kevin Youkilis must have heard me talking "slump" because he went 3-5 with a huge home run in the 5th to give the Sox a 5-2 lead at the time, after posting just 1 hit and 2 walks in his last 11 plate appearances ... Ellsbury looked good grabbing 2 hits and two stolen bases last night ... and Big Papi continues to swing the bat well going 2-3 with a RBI and 2 walks ... Justin Masterson also looked awesome, fanning two through two innings of relief.

Yahoo! Box Score

Red Sox @ Orioles: Matsuzaka undefeated on the road...

Daisuke Matsuzaka will attempt to remain undefeated on the road when he squares off with Daniel Cabrera and the Orioles tonight...

Dice-K has won his last 3 starts, and has thrown at least 6 innings in all three of those games - something he has struggled to do this year thanks to high pitch counts and lots of walks (72). He's 6-0 on the road with a 2.04 ERA, but he's 1-1 in 3 starts versus Baltimore with a 5.17 ERA.

That said, he did blank the O's through 6 innings in a 2-1 victory on June 13 - despite giving up 5 free passes.

Speaking of free passes, Daniel Cabrera (73) will be starting for the O's. He's just 2-10 against Boston in his career with a 6.81 ERA... He was also the tough luck loser in the same game mentioned above, although he only lasted 4.1 innings thanks to 6 walks...

Bottom Line: Both offense were kept in check last night, but tonight's match-up is clearly in favor of the Sox... and they need to take advantage.

Who to Watch: Somehow, Jacoby Ellsbury already has 19 at-bats againt Cabrera and is 8 for 19 with 2 double, a homer and 4 stolen bases ... Dustin Pedroia is 8 for 16 against Cabrera and has to furious that he hasn't had a multi-hit game in three whole days! - I expect a big nite from "The Destroy-ah" ... Aubrey Huff is just 1 for 6 against Matsuzaka, but he's red hot right now ... Mora and Markakis are a combined 0 for 11 with 3 Ks.

Lester and Bay lead Sox past O's

Last night, in "Fenway South" (aka. Camden Yards) Jon Lester and Jeremy Guthrie locked horns for 7 innings, but the Sox hitters gave Lester a small lead in the 2nd and he never gave it up.

"The Jasons" (Tek and Bay) each hit solo ding-dongs in the second inning, giving the Sox a 2-0 lead, but Aubrey Huff was not messing around last night. He cut that lead in half with a solo shot of his own in the 4th... but Jason Bay would have none of that.

Bay hit is second homer of the game, a 2-run blast to deep center, and gave the Sox a 4-1 lead in the 8th, but Huff came right back with a 2-run double to the gap in the bottom of the inning - thanks to the never ending frustration that is Manny Delcarmen.

But the Orioles bullpen would give up two more runs in the 9th, handing Bay his 4th RBI of the night and Papelbon his 33rd save of the season.

Bay was the star of the game, but Jon Lester just continues to impress this year.

“I don’t think my mind-set has changed any since April,” Lester said. “More consistent, pound the zone. If you can show guys you’re ahead in the zone, they’re going to swing at pitches early in the count that aren’t necessarily good pitches to hit. I was able to do that tonight.”

Also, it should be noted that all the "hotties" mentioned yesterday, were kept in check last night by solid pitching: Mora 0-3, BB / Markakis - 0-3 / BB, Youk - 0-4, BB / Pedroia - 1-4, BB...

Yahoo! Box Score

Youk and Pedroia battling for AL batting title - Earmuffs!

In 2003 the unlikely duo of Bill Mueller and Manny Ramirez battled through September for the AL batting title... Mueller eventually squeezed out the trophy, beating Manny by one point - .326 to .325. On the second to last day of the season, Mueller went 1 for 3, putting him at .327, and Manny 1 for 2 leaving him at .325... Both players were given the final game of the year off, but Mueller was called off the bench to pinch hit for David Ortiz - he did not get a hit, but managed to keep his average one point higher than Manny's and win the title.

Fast forward to 2008 and you'll find two Red Sox players leading the AL in batting average - Dustin Pedroia tied for 1st with Joe Mauer at .321 and Kevin Youkilis right behind them at .320. Both players have been OBP machines in their short careers (.363 OPB & 3.84 - respectively), but Youkilis has made a habit of tapering off in the second half of the season... Even with his insane numbers this August (.396 BA, 1.269 OPS), Youk currently owns a mediocre .258 career BA after the All-Star break.

When you couple that factoid with Pedroia's .317 BA in 2007 (10th in AL), you have to wonder if this will eventually become a battle between Pedey and Mauer... but Youk has defined laws of statistics so far this half and is showing no signs of slowing down...

Bottom Line: Mauer will likely remain in the mix, and you can find familiar names like Kinsler (.319), Ordonez (.317) and Polanco (.313) just a few points behind, but the Sox can only benefit from a little teamate vs. teammate challenge down the stretch... although a competitive battle between two of the most competitive guys in baseball could scare the children... Earmuffs!

Who do you think will take home the AL Batting Champion Title - "Pedroia the Destroyah" or "Yooouuukk!" ??

This post brought to you by Sox Addict...

Red Sox @ Orioles: Sox start 9-game road trip with red-hot O's

Jon Lester will attempt to play stopper tonight as the Sox look to get to their winnings ways. The Red Sox had won 10 of 13 in August before dropping two in a row to the Jays this weekend. They're now just 1/2 game up on the Twins in the Wild Card race, and 4.5 games behind the Rays in the East...

Lester, who is 8-1 with a 2.87 ERA over his last 12 starts, limited Texas' high-powered offense to three runs and seven hits while fanning six over 7 1-3 innings in an 8-4 win on Wednesday.

Lester has been a stud this year, but he'll have his hands full with a Orioles offense that has scored a league best 114 runs this month... they're also batting .282 (5th) against southpaws this season.

Jeremy Guthrie has also been hot as of late, winning his last four starts, while allowing just one earned run in each of those outings. Guthrie gave up 5 runs in 4 2/3 innings against the Red Sox back in June, but he's buckled down since then and really is a different pitcher.

Who to Watch: Melvin Mora has been out of control since the All-Star break. He's batting .432 in the second half and .500 in August... Nick Markakis has also been hot, posting 8 multi-hit games this month... Youk and Pedroia remain the Sox hottest bats but Sean Casey is batting .385 against Baltimore this year... and JD Drew is batting .417 with 4 homers - but he could be out with back tightness tonight.

Bottom Line: It's not September... yet... but the Sox need to have a winning road trip if they want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot. It starts tonight...

Red Sox Weekend Update: Jays quiet Sox offense

Blue Jays 4, Red Sox 1

Roy Halladay pitched his league leading 8th complete game on Saturday, after Friday night's rain out. After putting up 37 runs against the Rangers, many were curious to see if the Red Sox offense would remain hot when facing a quality pitcher. They did not. Halladay had just 4 K's through 9 innings, but he kept his out pace and the hitters off balance.

“He should make a pitching video. He’s pretty tough,” Pedroia said. “He throws strikes. He’s got great stuff and it’s tough to get into a rhythm on him because he’s creating his own rhythm for himself. We didn’t get anything going.”

Doc's nastiness, overshadowed a decent outing from Paul Byrd. Byrd gave up 10 hits through 7+ innings, but made two major mistakes - a 2-run homer to Rios in the 1st and a solo shot to Lind in the 6th. Byrd didn't fan anyone, but he didn't walk anyone either - pretty much what you should have expected from the veteran.

Ellsbury was back at the top of the order, but went 0-4... Pedroia supplied the only offense with a solo shot in the 9th... and Jason Bay grabbed 2 more hits.

Yahoo! Box Score

Blue Jays 15, Red Sox 4

After pitching a gem in Chicago his last time out, Beckett's struggles with consistency continued on Sunday. Beckett was tagged for 6 runs in the 1st and was pulled at just 2 1/3 innings. He finished the day with 8 ER on 8 hits and a walk.

“Whenever you have a chance to get those pitchers out of the game quick, it’s good to get to their bullpen and work their bullpen,” Rios said. “It was a good day for everybody. I guess that gave us a little more confidence.”

The Jays didn't stop there, scoring runs on every reliever except Papelbon - who fanned 2 in the 9th. Aardsma, Timlin and Matserson all gave up a run and Okajim gave up 3 runs on 5 hits. Clay Buchholz also worked an inning in relief, since the rain out forced him to miss his scheduled start on Sunday.

There wasn't much offense in this one either, making many Sox fans wonder if this team simply can't hit quality pitchers... Youk hit his 23rd homer... Pedroia his his 12th and second of the weekend... and Jed Lowrie got back to work grabbing 3 hits and his 3rd thriple of the year, after putting up a rare goose egg on Saturday.

Yahoo! Box Score

Bottom Line: Red Sox Nation woke up this morning with alot of questions:

1) What's up with Beckett? Can he fix it and be the same pitcher he was last October?
2) Why do these guys beat up on the weak teams and fall apart against decent pitching?
3) What happened to the bullpen? They seemed to be getting better, but maybe not...

Dustin Pedroia: Greatest Red Sox 2B ever???

I caught a glimpse of an interesting Comcast Sports Net survey yesterday…

“Is Dustin Pedroia the greatest Red Sox second baseman ever?”

My immediate reaction was no – especially since he’s only in his second full major league season… but I crunched the numbers and if he keeps this pace for at least 5 years, Pedroia the Destroyah will be right there with the likes of Bobby Doerr and Jerrry Remy. Here’s a look at Pedroia’s stats:

2007 stats
520 AB - .317 BA - 86 R - 39 2B - 8 HR - 230 TB - 50 RBI - 7 SB

Guestimated 2008 stats
580 AB - .320 BA - 103 R - 45 2B - 12 HR - 270 TB - 65 RBI - 14 SB

Now here’s a look at Pedroia’s “guestimated” 5-year and 10-year averages - let’s assume he bats between .290 and .310 over the next 10 years…

5 years
2750 AB - .300 BA - 472 R - 210 2B - 50 HR - 1250 TB - 288 RBI - 52 SB

10 years
5500 AB - .300 BA - 945 R - 420 2B - 100 HR - 2500 TB - 575 RBI, 105 SB

Now let’s compare Pedey’s 10-year numbers to Bobby Doerr (37-51), Bill Goodman (47-57) and Jerry Remy (78-84)

Pedroia: 5500 AB - .300 BA - 945 R - 420 2B - 100 HR - 2500 TB - 575 RBI - 105 SB

Doerr: 7093 AB - .288 BA - 1094 R - 381 2B - 223 HR - 3270 TB - 1247 RBI - 54 SB

Goodman: 4383 AB - .295 BA - 687 R - 247 2B - 14 HR - 1700 TB - 464 RBI - 33 SB

Remy: 2809 AB - .275 BA - 385 R - 90 2B - 7 HR - 1463 TB - 329 RBI - 208 SB

Doerr stats are incredible. He hit for average and power, while swiping over 50 bags in his career… Goodman was solid and also played 1B, 3B and OF, while Pedroia is likely a 2B for life… Remy’s numbers and Pedey’s 5-year stats give you a better comparison – Pedroia has more pop (50 HR vs 7 HR) but Remy’s game was all about speed (32 SBs / year over 6.5 years in Boston) and he probably bunted ten times as often as Pedroia will in his career.

Bottom Line: My vote has to go to Doerr... for now… he was a 9-time All-Star and drove in 100+ runs in a season six times… as a second baseman!

But keep in mind that Pedroia’s guestimated stats are simply averages of his first two seasons… He’s turns 25 on Sunday and could easily get better over the next five years… and if the Red Sox offense stays as high-powered as it has been since 2007, the Destroyah could give Doerr a run for his money.

Cast your vote over on the right-hand side... and spread the word!

Red Sox v Blue Jays: Byrd is the word...

The Sox have been on a roll this month, winning their last 4 contests and 10 of 13 in August.

Kevin Youkilis is batting .417 with 7 doubles, 4 homers, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored so far this month. Dustin Pedroia is right behind him with a .393 BA, 7 doubles, 1 homer, 8 RBI, 16 runs and just 3 strikeouts. Jed Lowrie has become and unstoppable force at the bottom of the order, batting .375 with 8 doubles, 2 triples and a team best 18 RBI in August. And new-comer Jason Bay has been all that Red Sox Nation could hope for batting .327 with 12 RBI and 15 runs scored since the trade.

David Ortiz had three homers in the Texas series and his wrist appears to just fine... and despite a sub-par .262 BA in August, JD Drew been effective in the leadoff spot earning 15 walks and scoring 11 runs.

So the question is: Did the Red Sox simply beat up on the league's worst pitching staff, or can we expect more crooked numbers as we head into September?

We'll find out tonight when the Sox host "Mr. Complete Game" Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays. Halladay has been nasty this year, posting a 13-9 record and a 2.72 ERA... but he should probably be more like 17-3...

Doc is 4-7 with a 4.66 ERA at Fenway and 10-11 with a the same ERA in his career against Boston... he also gave up 10 hits and 4 runs (1 earned) in has most recent start against Cleveland, proving that like Drago from Rocky IV - "He's not a machine!"

With the Sox offense running full speed, it could be a rare stinker for Halladay - but the veteran righty does love a challenge, so look for him to dig in and go for the kill tonight.





The Sox will counter with Paul Byrd, as he makes his Red Sox debut. Byrd is 7-10 with a lac-luster 4.53 ERA, but he's made some adjustments that have resulted in 4 straight wins and a 1.24 ERA during the run.

Coincidentally, Byrd pitched a complete game against the Jays in his last outing, holding them to 2 runs on 6 hits and beating - you guessed it! Roy Halladay. Good news for the Sox, but you have to wonder if the Jays will have a good feel for the crafty veteran after seeing him for 9 inning just 6 days ago...

Bottom Line: Toronto is very beatable team, but Halladay is as good as they get. This will be an uphill battle for the Sox, but if they can get to Doc early and Byrd can keep the Jays miserable offense in check, they should make it 5 in row...

Who to Watch: See above for red hot Sox players... as for the Jays, they kinda stink and none of them hit Byrd well - click here for the sad details.

Sox pour it on in 2nd, sweep Rangers

The Red Sox scored 9 runs in the second inning last night, chasing starter Tommy Hunter out of the game after just 1 2/3 innings, and eventually winning 10-0.

Youkilis had two hits in the inning, scored twice and is now batting .417 with 7 doubles, 4 HR, 13 RBI and 11 runs since Manny left... wonder if Youk misses him...

Jed Lowrie also had two hits in the inning and drove in a run - he finished the night with 3 hits, raising his average to .310.

And, in an interesting twist, the Rangers chose to picth to David Ortiz, despite having first base open, presumably because Youk is so hot... Big Papi thanked them with his third 3-run ding-dong of the series.

Pedroia had just one hit in the inning (what!?) but did have three on the night... he's now hit safely in 40 of his last 40 games and lead the AL with a .323 BA.

Strangely, that would be alomost all of the offense in the game, thanks to more magic from Matsuzaka (7.0 IP, 0 ER, 5 BB, 6 H). As Remy put it last night, it wouldn't feel right if Matsuzaka didn;t pull at least one Houdini act during the start... and Dice-K didn't disappoint, loading teh bases on two walks and a hit in the 2nd inning, but got out of the jam by fanning Vazquez ona full count.

After that he settled down, but ever the perfectrionist, Matsuzaka wanted a better performance:

"We got all those runs near the beginning of the game, soI should have been able to go out there and get outs at a better pace, but I wasn’t able to,” Matsuzaka said through a translator. “I felt like I was struggling to get into a good groove all game.”

Bottom Line: The Rays squeezed out another victory in the 12th inning, and the Twins had the night off, so the standing remain the same, but if the offense keeps clicking like this and the big three (Bckett, Lester and Dice-K) keep mowing 'em down, the Sox will be atop the AL East come September.

ps. Manny Delcarmen is the most frustrating pitcher since Joe Borowski was closing games in Cleveland... After giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits on Tuesday, he looked like closer last night, fanning 2 of the 3 in the 8th... I just don't get it.

Red Sox v Rangers: Can Dice-K keep the Sox rolling?

Diasuke Matsuzaka is 13-2 with a 2.90 ERA. Since giving up 7 runs in one inning to the Cardinals back on June 21st, Dice-K has allowed an average of 1.5 RPG while posting a 2.20 ERA. If you take away the 6 runs he gave up in his only loss since the break, his ERA falls to a ridiculous 1.22.
The Texas Rangers will be looking to change all that as they attepmt to win at leat one game this year against the Red Sox, but Diasuke is 2-0 in two starts against Texas in his career.

What the Rangers do have going for them is the 6.97 ERA they've handed Matsuzaka over those two starts. Dice-K earned the victory, despite allowing 3 runs in 5.1 innings back on April 18th... he was worse in 2007 when he allowed 5 runs and two homers in Texas on May 25 - but he got the win anyway thanks to the offense and the bullpen.

Matsuzaka gave the Sox eight strong innings in his last start in Chicago... Tito will be hoping for a similar outing tonight, especially with the bullpen still recovering.

Texas will counter with Tommy Hunter. Hunter will be making just his third start of the season and hasn't lasted more than 5 innings in either outing. He's allowed 16 hits and 11 runs over his short time in the majors, and with the Sox offense clicking, you can expect more of the same tonight.

Bottom Line: The Sox should earn the sweep tonight. There ain't much more to say.

Who to Watch: Marlon Byrd, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia and Ian Kinsler are all red hot right now... the Sox haven't seen much of Hunter and the Rangers have seen very little of Daisuke... Ellsbury should be in the lineup again, after missing some time with a sore tooshy... He's batting .393 in August.

Pauley optioned, Bailey promoted

Yahoo reports: The Red Sox recalled first baseman-outfielder Jeff Bailey from Triple-A Pawtucket after the game and returned RHP David Pauley, who had been called up before the game.

Yesterday, we thought we might see Pauley get a start over Clay Buchholz, but it appears he was simply called up to help a tired bullpen last night.

The Sox didn't need him and they swapped him out with Bailey after the game. With Casey ready and able to fill in at 1B, I have to assume Bailey's main job function will be to spell Jason bay and JD Drew in the out field...

Bottom Line: It sure is nice to have your farm system just 45 minutes down RT 95...

Lester holds it down... Sox win 8-4

Josh Beckett will still get the ball in the first playoff game, and Dice-K still has a few more wins and a lower ERA, but in my mind, Jon Lester is the ace of this staff right now.

Lester made it look easy against the league's best offense, pitching 7+ innings and holding the Rangers to 3 runs on 7 hits, while fanning six. In fact, Lester didn't allow a run until the 7th, when he gave up a solo shot to Kinsler. That should have been it, but Mike Timlin came on in relief with two men on and promptly gave up a 3-run homer to Milton Bradley - tacking 2 more earned runs onto Letser's line.

With the bullpen tuckered out from last night's roller coaster, Tito turned to Lopez and Masterson to close out the game. Masterson gave up a hit and walk to make things interesting, but turned a nice double play on a high chopper to the mound to get out of the jam.
Lester earned his 11th win and looked great doing it, but he'll have to share the Hero of the Game spotlight with Kevin Youkilis. Youk, who traditionally tapers off in the second half, went 3 for 4 with 3 doubles in the cleanup spot. He's now batting .409 in August and .320 on the season - putting him 2 points behind Johnny Damon for the league's best BA.

Youkilis “has had a phenomenal offensive year,” Jason Varitek said. “We’ve known about him as a hitter, but now he’s added some power.”

“He comes to play hard. He come up with big hits,” Sean Casey said. “The energy he brings, you can’t measure it.”

As if leading the offense wasn't enough, Youk will be playing alot of the third base over the next few weeks, with Mike Lowell on the DL. He eventually shifted back to first in the 8th for defensive purposes, pushing another Red Sox Swiss Army knife, Jed Lowrie over to third.

Bottom Line: The Sox are on a roll, winning 9 of 12 in August. The Rays squeezed out a 3-2 win over Oakland to keep a 3 game lead in the East, but the Yankees lost and fell to 9 games back...

I think it's time to start looking at the Wild Card race and not the Yankees... The Sox have pushed the Rangers back with two big wins and have a 2.5 game lead over the Twins.

Lowell hits the DL, Pauley called up, Buchholz done?

Mike Lowell was officially placed on the disabled list today. David Pauley was called up from Pawtucket to take his roster spot.

Charlie Zink was options back to Pawtucket after last night's game, but with the arrival of Paul Byrd earlier this week, the Red Sox now have six starters: Beckett, Matsuazka, Lester, Buchholz, Byrd and Pauley.

Like Zink, Pauley was nasty in Pawtucket (13-4, 3.32 ERA), but Zink's success at AAA did not transfre in Boston... Pauley's didn't either back on April 22nd, when the Angels tagged him for 5 runs over 4 1/3 innings...

Fenway West thinks this move means Buchholz is out... here's what the next few days look like:

The rotation is set through Saturday: Matsuzaka (THU), Byrd (FRI) and Beckett (SAT). Buchholz would have started Friday, but Byrd took his spot. Pauley will likely go on Sunday, setting up Lester for Monday on a normal 5 days rest.

If the plan is to have Buchholz skip a start, he could slide back into the rotation on Saturday the 23rd at Toronto - if they decide to send Pauley back to Pawtucket...

Side Note: Peter Gammons had this to say about in his Q&A session this afternoon:

PJ: Peter, what do you think Buchholz's biggest problem is right now? Mechanical, Mental?

Peter Gammons: All of the above. It's really surprised me because he's such a great athlete but all season he's seemed to have lost his mechanics and when he gets in trouble seems to panic. The great changeup that we saw last year had seemingly disappeared at times. I thought he could be a righthanded Cole Hamels with a great curve ball, a great changeup, and mediocre fastball command but he's lost that.

Bottom Line: I don't see much point in sending Buchholz back down, but there's also no point in holding a roster spot for him if he's not going to pitch... I think he'll get 1 or 2 more starts before the September call-up... and then they'll have more freedom to work with him some more if needed.

Red Sox v Rangers: Is there anything left in the tank?

The Red Sox and Rangers will get right back to work tonight, after compiling 36 runs on 37 hits (10 doubles and 5 homers) in last night's roller coaster ride.

Jon Lester will attempt to quiet a Texas lineup that has scored 32 runs in it's last two games... you would have thought they'd be tired after beating Baltimore 15 to 7 on Sunday, but I guess not...

Lester had his first bump in the road, in what seemed like forever, when the White Sox tagged him for 4 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks on Aug. 8. He still gave the Sox 7 full innings, and he did it on 95 pitches, so I'm not too concerned - and niether is Lester:

“I threw the ball a lot better than the linescore said,” said Lester, who is 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 12 starts since losing at Oakland on May 25.

Our surging southpaw gave up 10 hits and 3 runs to Texas back in April, but the Sox won the game 6-4... and that was when Lester was still working the kinks out. I expect him to be much sharper this time around, and the 6-1 record at Fenway is a good sign too.

The Rangers have the best offense in baseball, but they are simply average against lefties (.260 BA, 17th)... but Lester is 0-2 against Texas with a 5.06 ERA, so who knows what to expect.

Texas will counter with Luis Mendoza, a recently converted reliever. He's 3-5 in 10 starts this year and has allowed an average of 5 runs per game over his last four starts.

Most recently, Mendoza got beat up by the Orioles, lasting just 3 innings and giving up 5 earned runs on 69 pitches. Both bullpens were worn out last night, so the Rangers could be in trouble is Mendoza needs help early...

Who to Watch: David Ortiz hit a 3-run homer off of Mendoza back in April - maybe he just likes to hit 3-run ding-dongs against Texas... Josh Hamilton is 2-4 with a homer against Lester... and Marlon Byrd, Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia are all on fire right now.

Bottom Line: Another slugfest is plausible, but I think Lester will keep Texas in check... after all Okie-Dokie (lefty) managed to hold them down for 1 2/3 innings last night.

Mike Lowell to the DL? Sean Casey to the rescue?

Mike Lowell has been nursing an achey hip for weeks now, but he's managed to avoid the disabled list thanks to a couple of cortisone shots.

Last night, Mikey strained his right oblique during a swing, and this time he may be forced to take a few weeks off.

“It’s frustrating because I’ve never had this happen before,” Lowell told the Herald. “I’d like to avoid (the DL), but the doc said it’s a possibility. I think right now it’s probably too early. (Today) after the MRI, they’ll have a lot more information.”

The Red Sox certainly have options, if Lowell hits the DL. Sliding Youkilis to third base and slotting Sean Casey at first, is the obvious choice, but Jed Lowrie can also play third base, and there's always Alex Cora...

“It’s definitely bad when one of your key players is out, but hopefully we have guys who will step in and play,” said Youkilis, who finished up at third base last night. “If I play third and Sean Casey plays first, that’s still a pretty good team there.”

Bottom Line: With Mikey struggling as of late - .215 in July, .195 in August - Sean Casey and his .353 BA could actually be an upgrade for the Sox... And Casey actually gets better when he's playing regularly - he batted .353 with 6 doubles and 8 RBI in 51 at-bats back in April - his busiest month by far.

Sox win 19-16, my emotions hurt...

It was the best of times... it was the worst of times... and then it was the best of times all over again.

The Sox won a wild one last night, so wild in fact that we'll need the Lightning Round Recap to ge through it all before lunch:

The Red Sox scored 10 runs in the first inning. David Ortiz hit two 3-run home runs, grabbing 6 RBI in one inning, though instant reply proved later that the second ding-dong was not a ding-dong at all... Big Papi missed a third home run by inches, when a fan interfered in the 5th, but he finished the night going 3-4 with 2 HR, a double and 6 RBI... proving that his wrist is A-Okay.

As predicted yesterday, Pedroia went 5 for 6 on the night after getting blanked by the White Sox on Monday... that's what happens when you kick Bruce Banner in the shins.

Charlie Zink looked okay through 4 innings, but his knuckleball wasn't dancing like Wake's does and his secondary pitches weren't fooling any one. Five of the eleven hits he gave up came in the 5th, when the Rangers simply waited him out and tagged him for 8 runs. It was not the debut he was looking for, but he wasn't the only Sox pitcher to get beat up last night...

Remy invented a new reality show during the broadcast. It's called "My kid can clean the garage faster than your kid." It can't be any worse than Sox Appeal, right?

Okajima was the best pitcher of the game, pitching 1 2/3 innings with a walk and a strikeout... he deservingly earned the "W"... the rest of the pen was dreadful:

Lopez: 0.1 IP, 1 ER, 1 K
Aardsma: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Delcarmen: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 1 K

But Kevin Youkilis was not about to let this game get away. After striking out twice to start the night, Youk hit two home runs, the second of which became the game winner. Strangely, Youk also made two errors on the night, capping a Two-Face-like evening: 2 homers, 2 K's, 2 errors.

Youk made his second error at third base, after making a web-gem catch down the line earlier in the game... he was there because Mike Lowell, left the game with an achey oblique after fouling off a pitch in the 7th.

Other Notables:

Jacoby Ellsbury is wicked fast... he scored from first on a wall ball from Pedroia, with a bruised tailbone... in the snow... uphill... both ways...

Jed Lowrie is pretty good. He grabbed two more hits and two more RBI last night. He's batting .317 in August and has a hit in every start this month.

Marlon Byrd went 5-6, with 3 RBI and 4 runs on the night... as we mentioned yesterday, the guy is locked in like no one else right now... if you play fantasy baseball, you might want to look him up.

JD Drew quietly (as always) went 2-4 with 2 walks and 3 runs as the lead off man.

Bottom Line: This was one of the craziest games I've ever seen. It went from a laugher, to an embarrassing loss, to a dramatic victory. These types of games can make or break a team, but I feel like the Rangers do this sort of thing once a week, so don't expect them to hang their heads tonight... the Sox however, sould still be on cloud nine... except for most of the bullpen.

"We needed it," David Ortiz said after the game. "We need that kind of game, the way everybody relaxed and loosened up. We've got two more months to decide where we're going to be at the end of the season. So that's the kind of game that puts you in the mood and gets you going."

Breaking News: Paul Byrd traded to Red Sox

MLB.com is reporting that Inidan's starter Paul Byrd has been traded to the Red Sox for a player to be named later.

Boston is getting Byrd at his best. After a rough first half in which he seemingly couldn't keep the ball in the park, Byrd changed his windup, rediscovered his curveball, curtailed the home runs and gone 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA in four starts since the All-Star break. He is 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA in 22 starts overall.

"I knew I had to do something different," Byrd said after a complete-game victory over the Blue Jays on Saturday. "I had to change. I feel good with where I'm at right now. I'm very confident. Better late than never."

If you're wondering how this is possible after the July 31st trade deadline...

Once the July 31 Trade Deadline passes, teams must put players through waivers before trading them. Every other team has the option of claiming a waived player, in reverse order of the standings. The team putting the player through waivers can then either let the player go, pull him back or try to work out a deal with the team that claimed the player.

Bottom Line: With Wake on the DL, Buchholz struggling and Colon not ready, adding Byrd should definitely help the Sox... though I have to admit, I was hoping Zink might stick around a little longer than one start.

More to come...

UPDATE: Extra Bases says the deal is a "for for a player to be named or cash. The player to be named must be agreed upon on or before January 15, 2009." - Which is good, because Byrd ain't worth one of our prospects...

Red Sox v Rangers: Getting to know Charlie Zink

The Red Sox have called up knuckleballer Charlie Zink for tonight's start. Zink has been sensational in Pawtucket this season, posting a 13-4 record with a 2.89 ERA and 95 strike outs in 152.1 innings.

Fenway West tracks Zink on his road to Fenway and grabbed a quote from a 2007 interview:

I actually figured out how to throw the knuckleball when I was 11 I think. I saw Wakefield throwing it during the playoffs for the pirates and I was just fascinated. It came really easy to me and I would always throw it playing catch, However, I didn’t throw a knuckleball in a game until 2002. All of my coaches growing up said it was stupid and I shouldn't mess around with it.

I worked with Wakefield a few times every spring training for the past four years. He has been really helpful in just teaching the little things that I never knew before about how to be consistent. I think I've learned the most by just watching him and seeing how he pitches in different situations. I also worked with Charlie Hough for about a week during spring training two years ago. He was extremely helpful and it was nice to have another person to talk to about the knuckleball.

The Globe also talked with Zink and Director of Player Development Mike Hazen:

He throws fewer "other" pitches, like fastballs and curveballs, even though his fastball is faster than Wakefield's, coming in around the low to mid 80s. Red Sox director of player development Mike Hazen said recently that Zink's improvement from last year (11-6, 4.63, between Portland and Pawtucket) to this has to do with an increased maturity level and an increased commitment to throwing knuckleballs in any count.

"It just gradually kept getting better and better," Zink said two weeks ago. "Now it's finally to the point where I'm not ever worried about throwing a ball. Full counts, I'll throw a knuckleball still. I don't worry about walking people anymore.

"A lot of it is me just having to believe in it. I always wanted to go back to throwing hard. Now I know I can't do that anymore, so I have to be able to figure it out to throw consistent knuckleballs up there that will move and hopefully not get hit hard."

"Knuckleball specialist" Kevin Cash may have summed it up best:

Said Kevin Cash, who caught Zink in the minors last season, "He pitches a lot like Wake as far as he throws his knuckleball for strikes. When he gets behind 2-and-0, 3-and-1, he is still committed to throwing a knuckleball. That's big. If you're not doing that, you are going to get in trouble throwing 80-mile-per-hour fastballs."

Zink will need to remember those words tonight as he prepares to face the high-powered Texas Rangers offense.

The Rangers offense, lead by Josh Hamilton and Ian Kinsler is first in runs with 667 and team BA at .281, but they have been hit with injuries as of late (Milton Bradley, quad and Murphy, knee). Bradley is expected to be in the lineup tonight, but Murphy will not play in his first visit back to Fenway.

The Rangers hit like no other team, but they also pitch like no other team - very badly. They own the leagues worst ERA at 5.33 and they were the first team to allow 700 runs on the season (currently, 706).

Scott Feldman will face the Sox tonight. He owns a modest 4-5, 4.82 line, but his last start was decent (7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K). He did end up taking the 0-3 loss thanks to a rare goose egg by the Rangers offense. He's never started against the Sox, but he has 6 strikeouts and 6.2 inning of relief.

Bottom Line: The Sox are nasty at home (40-16) and the Rangers pitching is awful everywhere... Zink should be able to grab his first major league win tonight, but it may be in the form of a 7-5 victory. It will be fun to see how the Rangers handle the young knucklballer... and how he handles them.

Who to Watch: Ian Kinsler had 5 hits, including a homer, in Baltimore on Sunday - He's batting .319 on the season... Marlon Byrd is batting 4.74 in August and has had multiple hits in 6 of his last 7 games... Pedroia's hit streak was snapped yesterday - you know he's pissed, so I expect at least 3 hits tonight... Big Papi will likely be back in the lineup tonight, but the wrist remains a problem.


UPDATE: Center Field has 10 Zink Factoids we should all know about...

Beckett looking like an ace again

It looked like it was going to be the same-old, same-old for Josh Beckett last night. He was pitching a beauty, but the opposing pitcher was too...

But in the 7th, John Danks seemed to loose his mojo after giving up a broken-bat single to Youkilis. Once the no-hit bid was ruined, Danks seemed flustered. He walked Mike Lowell, which prompted a visit from the pitching coach, and eventually gave up a 2-run double to JD Drew. He also walked Jed Lowrie, but came back to fan Varitek and end the inning.

Josh Beckett would take advantage, breezing through the 7th and then closing out the 8th, after the Red Sox added three more runs to the 2-1 lead. Paps closed things out in the 9th - in a non-save situation, but the night belonged to Beckett.

After losing three in a row and looking more like a No. 3 than an ace, Beckett looked extra sharp last night.

“He looks like he’s primed to go ahead and be the guy that we need,” Terry Francona said.

Bottom Line: With Wake going down and Buchholz fall ling apart, the Sox need Beckett, as well as Lester and Matsuzaka, to step in the final two months. This was a good start.

Yahoo! Box Score

Wakefield to the DL... Decisions... Decisions...

The Red Sox have some decisions to make...

Tim Wakefield was placed in the DL yesterday due to shoulder stiffness, the same injury that caused Wake to pull himself off the playoff roster in 2007.

“We’re trying to not have this thing get to the point where it did last year,” Terry Francona said.

Despite earning just 7 wins so far this season, Wake has been invaluable as the No. 4 starter, eating innings (6.4 innings per start) while posting a 3.67 ERA. With Wake down and Buccholz struggling, the Red Sox are down to just 3 quality starters: Lester, Beckett and Matsuzaka.

Clay Buchholz was just plain awful on Sunday, giving up 5 earned runs on 7 hits, including 3 home runs. Right from the start Buchholz looked like he was aiming his throws - hoping the White Sox hitters would make mistakes. They did not and Buchholz was pulled after just 3 innings.

“It’s the same story, but I actually felt like I threw some good pitches that got hit,” said Buchholz. “When you make a mistake with one of your pitches then you expect to get hit, but when you make your pitch and it still gets hit... that’s definitely more frustrating.”

With no clear cause for the struggles Buchholz is having, his outings have become frustrating for Red Sox fans as well. After his 2007 no-hitter, Buccholz seemed destined for greatness, but the young phenom struggled out of the gate, thrived in Pawtucket during a demotion, and now seems even worse than before, losing badly in 5 of his 6 starts since the call-up in June - making me wonder if the Sox simply rushed him and now his confidence is completely shot.

The Red Sox will need to make a move now that Wake is on the DL. Bartolo Colon is the first name on most people's minds, but Colon has labored in his AAA rehab. He finally managed to throw three shutout innings for the Paw Sox on Sunday, fanning fanned three batters and throwing 34 pitches - 27 of them strikes. An encouraging sign, but Colon probably won't be ready for a major league start until the September call-up.

Justin Masterson had filled in nicely as a starter earlier this season, but he has looked great as a reliever, particularly yesterday, when he allowed just one hit through 2 2/3 innings and struck out 5 batters. Hindsight is 20/20, but with Wake aging and Buchholz struggling, you have to wonder if it might have been smarter to keep Masterson stretched out and help the bullpen at the trade deadline...

Boston's favorite relievers either went elsewhere (Marte - NYY) or were too pricey (Fuentes), but you have to wonder if the Manny issue clouded Theo's vision.

Extra Bases is reporting that the likely candidates for a call-up from Pawtucket, David Pauley (13-4, 3.32) and Charlie Zink (13-4, 2.89) won't be available for the Tuesday start due to scheduling... so Devern Hansack (5-10, 4.10) or rookie sensation Michael Bowden (0-2, 4.15 w/ PAW) could get the call. Hansack isn;t the best option and Bowden was just promoted from Double A Portland, so expect the Sox to make another move to get Zink or Pauley up once the scheduling is worked out.

Bottom Line: Beckett, Matsuzaka and Lester make for a formidable threesome in the playoffs, but they'll have to earn a post-season spot first, and that may prove difficult without a reliable No. 4 or 5 starter...

Red Sox @ White Sox: Battle of the Sox-es!

The Red Sox will get a good look the White Sox his weekend, a team they very well likely could meet in the playoffs.

The Red Sox arrive in Chi-town having won 5 of their last 6 games. The White Sox will play host after taking 2 of 3 from the Tigers.

Jon Lester gets the call tonight against Mark Buehrle. Lester has been brilliant as of late, winning three starts in a row and lasting 6+ innings in 9 of his last 10 outings - something he struggled with earlier this year.

Despite being part of a rotation that included Josh Beckett and Diasuke Matsuzaka, Lester has some people calling him the ace of the Boston staff. He hasn't taken a loss since May 25th, notching 7 wins in 10 starts since that game against the Athletics, and dropping his ERA from 3.55 to 3.14...

Lester has faced the Chi-Sox once before, but it was back in 2006. He held them to 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks through 6 innings and grabbed the win back opn July 7th. That was a while ago, so it's tough to say how he'll faor against these White Sox and their 571 runs (5th in MLB)... but Lester should feel good knowing that the Ozzie Gullien's crew has not faired well against south paws this season - .249 BA (23rd).

The Red Sox will step in against Buehrle, who is probably still trying to forget his last outing - 14 H, 8 R, 2 HR, 4.1 IP vs Royals. Buehrle didn't do much better in the outing before that, allowing 8 hits and 5 runs (4 earned) over 5 innings, in a 7-0 loss to the Twins... so the Sox maybe catching him at the right time. He's a modest 4-4 with a 4.46 ERA against Boston, but he has a 3.15 ERA at home this year.

Yahoo! also reminds us abou the last trip the Red Sox made a trip to US Cellular Field:

The last time the Boston Red Sox visited Chicago, one of the most lopsided series in AL history served as a springboard for the Red Sox en route to last year’s World Series title.

The Red Sox won each game from Aug. 24-26 by at least eight runs, scoring in double digits in all four games—a feat that hadn’t been achieved in the AL in 85 years. The aggregate score in the series was 46-7.

“I never think in my career, ‘Wow, I can’t wait until this game is over,’” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told his team’s official Web site Thursday. “Then, I couldn’t wait until that series was over. I thought about it that weekend. It was pretty awful.”

Who to Watch: Jim Thome is riding a 7-game hitting streak and 2 for 3 off of Lester - despite a .241 career BA vs lefties... 2B Alexei Ramírez has also been hot, posting a .310 BA and .369 BA against lefties in 2008... Jason Varitek should be happy to see Buehrle - he's 9 for 23 (.391) with 2 homers... as should David Ortiz (.372, 2 HR, 7 RBI)... Pedroia will be back in the lineup tonigh, looking to extend his road game hitting streak (26 games) - he's 1-4 off Beuhrle.

Bottom Line: We've been beating up on the A's and Royals... after looking dreaful against the Angels, the Red Sox need to prove they can beat a contending team this weekend.

Red Sox News - Quick Hits

The Red Sox have claimed OF Brian Giles off of waivers. Seems like an odd move, butone theory is that they simply didn't want him going to Tampa Bay... the Sox are also a little thin in the outfield now that Brandon Moss is a Pirate, Manny's a Dodger and Bobby Kielty is gone...

Giles his hitting .296 with 389 at-bats, so he still capable of helping a team win... but Giles can veto the claim if he chooses... the teams have 48 hours to make it official.

The Sox got a scare yesterday when the red-hot Kevin Youkilis took a pitch off the hand. The Herald reports that Youk has a nasty contusion, but nothing was broken. He hopes to be in the lineup on Friday.

The Sox optioned RP Chris Smith to Pawtucket to make room for David Aardsma. Aardsma threw just 2 innings in AAA, compiling two walks and two strikeouts.

Yahoo!'s Jeff Passan thinks Manny's departure can be directly connected to the Sox current good vibes and solid play... Mike Lowell agrees:

"I wouldn’t say there was this change, like people were happy to see Manny go,” Lowell said. "There was a little bit of a discomfort in the clubhouse. … There was a turn-the-page-type attitude."

“Manny was a very good player. But there was a weird feeling in the clubhouse.”

And Fenway West considers the idea of Freddy Garcia in a Red Sox uniform... not likely, but Colon unable to get going and Buchholz struggling... you never know.

Garcia's agent Peter Greenberg told ESPN.com:

"Freddy is working hard to come back as a starter," Greenberg said. "That's his goal -- to help a pennant-contending team get to October. There are a lot of factors that he'll take into consideration. But he'd like it to be with a winning team with a chance to help get another ring."

Not to beat a dead horse, but... Jed Lowrie is awesome

The Boston Herald caught up with a few of Jed Lowrie's temmates. Here's what they're saying about the young infielder:

Mike Lowell:

“He’s not going to wow you with incredible range, but he’s a baseball player.”

Jason Varitek:

“He plays the game right, and he’s got good baseball makeup, no matter what position he plays.”

Josh Beckett:

“He’s a very solid player - like most guys that come out of this organization,” Beckett said. “If I was a GM and I was trading with somebody and I knew I was going to get minor leaguers in return, I’d come to our organization before I went to anyone else. Everybody that comes out of our organization knows how to play the game.”

Tito:

“He’s kinda Billy Mueller-ish, which isn’t so bad,” Terry Francona said . “It means he’s a switch hitter that swings at strikes and hits the ball in the gap. You don’t know after 80 or 90 at-bats what a kid is going to be, but he’s really an interesting young hitter.”

Theo Epstein:

“I think he’s shown since the day he signed with us that he has what it takes to be an everyday, middle-of-the-infield player in the major leagues - including shortstop,” Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein said yesterday of Lowrie, who was 1-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and a run scored in the finale of a three-game series against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. “He’s been really consistent. He knows his strengths as a player, and he knows his weaknesses as a player.

“He plays the game under control and he brings a lot to the table as a shortstop. We’ve said all along that we like his future.”

Bottom Line: Until further notice, Lowrie is my favorite Sox player. As I said earlier, I've got $50 for anybody who thinks that can take acre of that pesky Julio Lugo problem...

Bottom Line: Lowrie should remain the starting short stop

Dan over at Lansdowne 9 (formerly "On Deck Sports") has asked me to team-up on a weekly basis to talk Sox. Swing over to Landsdowne and read the first installment. Here's a teaser:


Zero.

That’s the number of errors Jed Lowrie has made in a Red Sox uniform. That factoid alone should cement Lowrie at short stop for the rest of the season, but Julio Lugo (who still leads the AL with 16 errors despite not playing since July 11th) has been lurking in the training pool like a $36 million dollar shark looking to reclaim his territory.

Tito says Lugo still isn’t ready to begin baseball activities, but Lowrie may be sensing that his roster spot is in jeopardy… hence the sudden outburst at the plate this month.


Read more at Lansdowne 9.

Joba lands on DL... WHOOPS!

Lansdowne 9 tells us that Joba has hit the DL and wonders why the Yankees didn't see this coming:

Maybe it’s just a coincidence that Joba Chamberlain was recently placed on the DL due to right shoulder tendinitis — maybe this was simply a foregone conclusion.

The fact of the matter is the Yankees ownership wanted the fire-baller to be a starting pitcher, so they quickly tried to groom the reliever to try to handle a starting pitchers workload. The Steinbrenners raised eyebrows as many felt Joba’s best role was the setup man in New York. We now know Joba’s rush to the starting rotation was a foreshadowing of what was to come — a visit to Dr. James Andrews. Anybody in baseball knows that visiting with Dr. Andrews raises much concern for a pitchers future.

- - -

If Joba comes back, Joe Girardi wants to make it clear that they will be extra cautious with Chamberlain, even through a tight pennant race or playoff series.

“You’re always careful with your players,” Girardi said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their long-term health. And we’re talking about a 22-year-old kid here.”

Too little, too late, Joe. The lesson is learned. We hope you enjoy watching the Red Sox and Rays in the playoffs from your living room home.

Wake Give Royals Knuckle Sandwich

Okay... that was lame. But Wake did look nasty last night, fanningv 7 and walking zero as the Sox beat the Royals 8-2 for the second night in a row. Apparently, KC's manager tossed his version of the "knucklah" to Royals hitters in batting practice, hoping to get them ready for Wakefield... it didn't work.

Wake was asked if that's happened before... his response? Priceless.

“It’s happened before,” said the 42-year-old right-hander (7-8), who had six strikeouts and no walks. “When I faced the Braves in ‘92, Bruce Dal Canton threw knuckleballs to the guys in batting practice.”

Did it work?

"No."

Thing appear to be clicking for the Sox right now. They've won 5 of their last 6 and the offense has come around, outscoing opponents 38-13. Jacoby Ellsbury has also started clicking, stealing two bases yesterday and hitting a 3-run ding-dong last night in the 7th to cap a 3-4 night.

Other noteables: Jason Bay had another 2 hits last night... Drew reached base three time as the leadoff man and had 2 RBI... and Lowrie got to hit in the 2-hole and grabbed 2 more RBI as well - equalling Lugo's season total...

On a more concerning note, Youkilis left the game after being hit in the hand with a pitch... but he did plug the blog when asked about it:

“It hurts like hell still,” he said. “It’s swollen and bruised up.”

Youkilis said he hoped to play in Chicago on Friday after an off day on Thursday.

“If I feel good, I’ll play,” he said. “Bottom line.”

Bottom Line: The offense is clicking. The pitching has been supurb: Just 13 runs allowed in the last 6 games (2.2 RPG)... but we've been beating up on the A's and Royals... the White Sox will be a good test for this club - they've got a top 10 pitching staff (3.90, 9th) and a top 5 offense (568 runs, 5th)... but so do we (3.77, T-4th / 576, 3rd).

Red Sox @ Royals: Sox look to Wake for series win

Because I didn't have time for a pre-gae post today:

RHP Tim Wakefield (6-8, 3.77 ERA)

The veteran knuckleballer continues to be the most snakebitten pitcher on the staff. Wakefield has left six starts with a lead and wound up with either a loss or a no-decision. The latter was true Friday, when Wakefield fired 6 1/3 innings and departed with a one-run lead. The Red Sox wound up winning that game in 12 innings. Lifetime in his career at Kauffman Stadium, Wakefield is 6-4 with a 3.45 ERA.

KC: RHP Luke Hochevar (6-9, 5.42 ERA)

Hochevar gave up four runs on 10 hits to the White Sox in six innings Friday night, but he wasn't hit that hard. Hochevar did have three wild pitches, equaling a club record, but he issued no walks. In his past nine starts, the right-hander has averaged only 1.5 walks per nine innings. Two-out runs continued to plague him, though; all four Chicago runs came with two down. Hochevar pitched at Boston on May 19 and gave up seven runs (four earned) in a 7-0 loss.

Cap tip to redsox.com.

Bay leads Sox to victory with wacky double

That's more like it!

The Red Sox piled it on in the middle innings last night, driving Brian Bannister out of the game in the 5th and then beating up on the bullpen.

Jason Bay lead the surge with a 4 for 4 night that was capped off with a deep drive to center that just missed being a home run. Instead, the ball fell out of Maier's glove and rolled along the top of the fence, before Gload snatched it and gunned it back into the infield.

Bay didn't get the homer, but it did give him his second RBI of the night.

“While I was running to second, I watched the whole thing transpire. It was kind of weird because everything is happening that fast, all at once. You can’t really tell what’s going on and you’re just waiting for it to end to really take a look. The ball rolled on the wall for 10 feet and he came in and pulled down the offensive board. It was even more amazing to see it on the replay.”

The Sox put up 8 runs for Josh Beckett, who has been deprived of run support this season, earning him the win and ending a 3-game losing streak. Beckett looked sharp in this one, mixing his fastball and curve, much like Gil Meche had done the night before. In the end, he fanned 7 through 6 1/3 innings.

Jason Bay's continued success in a Red Sox uniform is a welcome sight... but there were a few other bright spots from last night's game as well.

1) Jed Lowrie's 2-run triple in the 7th was just the kind of hit we've come NOT to expect from Julio Lugo. He was just 1 for 5 on the night, but he's batting .368 with a double, 2 triples and 9 RBI this month... as Surviving Grady wrote yesterday, a well-placed banana peel near Lugo's locker would come in handy right now...

2) Jacoby Ellsbury went 2 for 4 with 2 stolen bases last night. Granted the second one was a gimmie, but the first was his first SB since June 17!

3) Mike Lowell returned the lineup and went 2 for 4.

4) JD Drew has 3 walks and a double in 10 at-bats as the lead off man. Not amazing, but his .406 OBP (3rd in AL) should enable him to fill in at the top until Ellsbury is ready. Plus, with Youkilis showing no signs of slowing down, the middle of the lineup seems secure, even with Drew at the top...

Bottom Line: We had the advantage last night and got the win. We didn't gain any ground on the Rays but we're up another game on the Yanks. Wake should be able to help us take the series tonight - he's 6-4 with a 3.45 ERA (.213 BAA) at KC in his career.

Also, David Ortiz had a surprise for Jason Bay after his 4-4 night...

Red Sox @ Royals: Will the road woes continue?

Josh Beckett will take the mound tonight as the Sox look to improve on a 24-33 road record. Beckett will also be looking to avoid losing his 4th straight start - something he's never done before.

Gil Meche and Co. held the Sox to just 2 runs last night, making things even more difficult for the you Clay Buchholz. I doubt Josh Beckett had much sympathy for him, since the Sox have lost 5 of 8 games in which Beckett has held the opposing team to 2 runs or less.

Lack of run support has been a problem for Beckett, but the Sox road woes are a larger concern. After outscoring the A's 19 to 5 this weekend the Sox now average 5.6 RPG at home and just 4.3 RPG on the road. Normally, four runs would be enough for Beckett, the 2008 season has been a roller coaster for Beckett.

Last time out he gave up 8 runs (7 earned) on 11 hits to the Angels. The starts before that he held the to just 1 run over 7 innings. Bottom Line: Beckett has not been the "sure thing" he was in 2007. He is however, 2-0 in 4 starts against KC with a 2.33 ERA. He's also 1-0 in two starts at Kauffman Stadium with a .195 BAA...

The Royals will counter with Brian Bannister who has also dropped three consecutive decisions. He is 0-3 with an 8.19 ERA and .346 opponent batting average over his last six starts while pitching through the sixth inning just once in that span.

Bannister likes to pitch for contact, which, as of late, has resulted in games like his last start versus Oakland. Bannister lasted five innings giving two runs on eight hits and SEVEN walks - the Royals eventually won 4-3 in 10 innings.

Bannister is 0-2 with an 8.74 ERA in two career starts against the Red Sox, including an 11-8 loss at Boston on May 22, when he was tagged for seven runs and 12 hits in 5 1-3 innings.

Bottom Line: The tables have turned and the Red Sox have the upper hand tonight. Mike Lowell is also expected to be back, so I'm hopeful for a win.

Who to Watch: Most of the Royals either haven't seen Beckett or ran into him during his dominance last season, but Jose Gullien is 6-19 (.316)... JD Drew (.375), David Ortiz (.333) and the red-hot Dustin Pedroia (.333) all his Bannister well and each have a homer off of him... though no Red Sox player has more than 8 at-bats against him.

The 'click' heard round the Nation...

David Ortiz told the Boston Herald that he felt a click in his wrist during his final at-bat in last night's 4-3 loss to the Royals.

“My last at-bat, it kind of pulled back a little bit,” Ortiz said of his wrist. “You feel that click and you get a little concerned about it.”

The Herald says that while Ortiz did not know whether the problem would affect his status for tonight’s game, he knew he might experience some instability in his wrist after tearing a tendon sheath earlier in the season. Ortiz effectively missed two months while resting and rehabilitating the injury, and team medical personnel cautioned him he might feel movement in the joint from time to time.

“The main thing is to make sure my hand feels fine,” said Ortiz, who has been wearing an ice pack on his wrist following games, including last night. “I don’t want to be thinking about my hand and my timing - it’s too much.”

Bottom Line: Tito's not overly concerned:

"The good news, for me, is that he looks healthy,” Francona said when asked about Ortiz before last night’s game. “I think we all feel that if he’s healthy, we’ll be fine.”

But I am. Since Manny left, Ortiz is 1-15 with 4 walks and an RBI... if he's hurt - or even worried about getting hurt - Big Papi won't be the hitter we need him to be down the stretch.

Joba hurt, Yankees lose in 'grand' fashion

From the Boston Globe:

Joba Chamberlain went down with a stiff shoulder during a tight pennant race. On a tough night in Texas for the New York Yankees, the latest injury to their pitching staff really hurt.

After the hard-throwing Chamberlain came out in the fifth inning, the Yankees lost 9-5 to the Rangers on Marlon Byrd's game-ending grand slam off Damaso Marte with two outs in the ninth.

Chamberlain was slated to return to New York on Tuesday for tests, and manager Joe Girardi said the 22-year-old right-hander probably will miss a turn in the rotation. Anything more than that would be a major blow to the depleted Yankees, who are 2 1/2 games behind Boston for the AL wild-card lead.

"My strength was fine. My velocity was fine," Chamberlain said. "We'll have tests just so we can rule out everything. It kind of grabbed and it was a little bit tighter in the fifth inning."

Already missing Chien-Ming Wang and Phil Hughes from a top-heavy rotation, the Yankees got more bad news when Chamberlain began shaking his arm on the mound.

"He has a little stiffness. We believe it's muscular," Girardi said. "We'll see what the tests reveal. I don't think it's serious. I don't think he'll be shut down a long time."

Bottom Line: The Rays also lost last night to Cleveland, so the standings remain frozen for one night... but this could be a huge blow to the Yankees. When Joba was moved in to the rotation, Yankees management looked like geniuses as they watched him fan 69 batters through 60.2 IPs in June & July, while earning a 2.24 ERA and a 3-1 record.

If this injury is serious, I don't think "genius" is the word Yankees fans will be using any more...

Also, I really wanted the Sox to grab Marte at the deadline... but hearing that he gave up a 2-out, game losing Grand Salami makes me feel a little better.

Meche pulls a Dice-K, beats Sox 4-3

Gil Meche walked a season high 5 batters last night... but he also fanned 9, allowed just 4 hits and 2 runs, and grabbed his 4th consecutive win.

Sounds like someone we know right?

It looked like the Sox were going carry the offensive surge from the weekend into last night's game when the put up two quick runs in the first. Even Clay Buchholz seemed to be feeding off of the positive energy, needing just 18 pitches to get through the first two innings.

But then Meche settled in, making batter after batter look silly with a nice mix of nasty curves and 95 MPH fastballs. Cooc Crisp looked particulalry bad, whiffing 3 times.... you have to wonder if all the time off was effecting him...

That said, the Red Sox had their chances. Buccholz also settled down after a rough 3rd inning and held the score at 4-2 through 6 innings, but with men on first and third, Varitek struck out to end the threat, despite giving Ron Mahay a good battle at the plate.

The Sox would get one back in the ninth when Jason Bay drove in Coco, but Casey would fly out with Ellsbury sitting at 3rd to end the game.

Bottom Line: This was the game we were most likely to lose, but this missed opportunities really hurt. KC threw their best pitchers at us, and they're good, but we let this one get away.

The good news is the nest two match-ups are in our favor and the KC bullpen will be tuckered out for the rest of the series...

Kevin Youkilis: Triple Crown Threat?

While checking the stats for tonight's match-up, I saw three Youk-heads pop up on the screen...

Does anyone else find it kind of amazing that Kevin Youkilis is currently leading this offense? Sure, Ortiz was hurt for a month.. .and sure, Manny's stats have been moved the the LA Dodgers team page... and sure Youk is probably just teasing up and his annual second half swoon will probably start any day now... but on August 4th 2008 - Youk is the man!

Pretty impressive, I thought, but try this on for size: Youkilis' BA puts him at 6th in the whole American League... his 20 ding-dongs put him in a tie for 7th... and his 75 RBI are 6th best in the AL.

He won't catch Hamilton (106 RBI), and he's already bested his career mark for homers, but technically he's in the running for the AL Triple Crown.

Who'da thunk it!?

Red Sox @ Royals: Buchholz due for a road win?

Clay Buchholz hasn't earned a win since May 2nd. He went 0-3 in 4 starts in July, finishing with a 6.75 ERA for the month. He did run into the red-hot Angels twice, but the fact is, Bucky just hasn't pitched well since his return to the bigs.

He did finally get beyond the 5th inning in his last start, but gave up 6 runs (5 earned ) over 6.1 innings and took the loss. John Lackey's near no-hitter didn't help Buccholz or the Sox offense any...

Now, Clay will be asked to help keep a new winning streak going as the Sox head to Kansas City. Bucky's never faced the Royals and he's 0-4 with a 7.97 ERA in 7 road starts this year... those numbers are just plain scary, but if you try real hard you can convince yourself that they mean he's "due" for a road win... seriously, keep trying...

He'll lock horns with KC's ace Gil Meche, who has pitched very well as of late. Meche will be going for his 4th straight victory and has allowed just 3 runs in his last 20.1 IPs (3 starts).

Last time out, Meche fanned 8 Athletics over 7 innings in a 5-2 victory. He's just 4-4 at home this year, but a closer look reveals that he has dominated at Kauffman Stadium lately:

Meche 3-0 and owns a 1.95 ERA in his last 32.2 innings at home, most recently blanking the Rays for 7 innings in a 4-2 win.

A sweep of the lowly A's has rejuvenated the Red Sox, but they're just 24-32 on the road this year. Meanwhile, the Royals have won 6 of their last 7, but are just 7-3 in their last 10 home games - 26-30 overall.

Who Watch: Billy Butler has been tearing it up since his recall from AAA and went 8-14 (.571) with a homer and 5 RBI in the weekend series against the ChiSox... SS/2B Mike Aviles has also been red-hot over the past 7 games: 17-30 (.566) 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 9 R, 6 RBI... Kevin Youkilis hit two homers on Saturday and was 7 for 15 (.466) over the weekend... David Ortiz is batting .450 (9-20) against Meche with 4 homers and 9 RBI...

Bottom Line: This match-up favors the Royals, but the Sox took all four games against KC back in May and are 15-5 against he Central this season... after tonight the Sox have the advantage with Beckett and Wake... taking at least 2 of 3 shouldn't be a problem.

Beijing Olympic Update: "When it get's dark, they're going to bring out their dragons."

Because it made me laugh out loud:



Tip o' the cap to Eric Wilbur, Boston.com

Sox Sweep... Thank you A's... and Theo?

After losing 8 of 12 after the All-Star break, the Red Sox found their rhythm again and swept the Oakland Athletics at Fenway this weekend.

So what sparked the turn-around? I have a few guesses:

1) The Manny distraction is over. When the Angels were sweeping the Sox for the second time this month, I tried to convince myself that Manny's antics weren't the problem, but the extra sloppy play in Thursday's game had "Manny's in their heads" written all over it. Then there was this from Mike Lowell:

"... There was definitely a different sense that was going in the clubhouse over the last week. It was uncomfortable, not so much for the players because we’re used to things going on, but with his relationship with upper management. It was different. It was a weird feeling in here."

Theo's hand was forced, and in the end, I think he did the best he could for his team and that's all you can ask for.

2) The Oakland A's aren't very good. The A's might have been the only team playing worse than the Sox after the break. They had lost 10 of 12 and came to Fenway on Friday after being swept by the 47-59 (at the the time) Kansas City Royals.

Justin Duchscherer made it tough on Friday, but Bay and Lowrie took care of that... once that was over, you knew the Sox would take advantage of Eveland (5.88 ERA, .300 BAA in July) and converted RP Dallas Braden. When the smoke cleared, the Sox had outscored the A's 17-4 in two games and Eveland was optioned to AAA. Thanks Dana.

3) Jason Bay hasn't crumbled under the pressure. The concern was legit: After years of playing in Pittsburgh, would Jason Bay be able to handle the pressure-cooker that is Fenway Park? So far the answer is a resounding yes.

Since he donned the Red Sox uni, Bay has gone 4 for 11 (.363) with 3 walks, a triple, a home run, 6 runs and 3 RBI... while anchoring the lineup in the 5-hole. And as if that wasn't enough, he's been superb in the outfield, making diving catches and gunning down base runners.

But the key moment happened on Bay's first night in Boston. Manny was gone. The Sox had juts been swept by the Angels. They had produced just one measly run through 9 innings. And David Ortiz had just struck out. In his Boston debut, Jason Bay had the collective hearts of Red Sox Nation in his hands... a hit would earn their faith and adoration, anything less and Bay would see how fickle Boston fans can really be.

Bay would knock a triple off the Monster and score the winning run on a Jed Lowrie single, building the "Bay Watch" bandwagon with one swing of the bat... I expect the T-shirts to be ready before the next home stand.

Bottom Line: The Angels kicked our asses... twice... and Manny Saga just made things worse. But when you step back and look at the month of July, the Sox were swept twice, but they also swept the Mariners and Twins. They lost 8 of 12 after the break, but went 10-13 on the month - it felt worse than it really was.

Now it's time to turn the page. We've won three in a row with KC up next. The Rays get to beat up on Cleveland, Seattle and Oakland over the next week and a half, so the pressure will be on to shrink that 3 game lead they have in the AL East,while fending off the Yankees (5.5 back) who head west to Texas, Anaheim and Minnesota.

Saturday Sox Blog Roundup: Manny wanted to stay in Boston

Surviving Grady says that Manny lobbied to stay in Boston AFTER learning of the trade to Los Angeles... he also grounded into a DP while Jason Bay was scoring the winning run for the Sox...

The Boston Globe has more on that shocking detail...

Within an hour after Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein informed Manny Ramírez he had been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers Thursday, Ramírez's agent, Scott Boras, called the Sox back, according to a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations. If the Sox dropped the option years on his contract - which they had agreed to do if they traded him - Boras said Ramírez would not be a problem the rest of the season.

Red Sox Monster has video of Manny making more Brett Favre jokes... in Doger blue this time.

Sox & Dawgs has shots of #99 Manny Ramirez...

Fenway West has reactions from Paps, Ortiz and other regarding the Manny trade.

And Yahoo! Sports says a weight was been lifted with Manny's departure:

“There are 25 guys down there right now that feel like a team,” general manager Theo Epstein. “It hasn’t felt like that for a while and you have to feel like that in professional sports to perform at your best.”

Jason Bay Scouting Report

From The Projo:

•NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOUT:

“He’s not a superstar, so people need to remember that. But he’s a pretty solid player, a pretty good hitter. To say he’s an All-Star is a stretch; he was an All-Star because the Pirates needed to be represented.

He likes the ball out over the middle of the plate. I project him as a 25-homer, 90-RBI guy, but he’ll probably be a little better than that in that (Boston) lineup. He hits a lot of flyballs, so he’ll take advantage of that wall in Fenway. He can be pounded in; how he adjusts to that will determine if he’s a good player or a really good player. If you make a mistake to him in Boston, he can hit it out.

He’s patient at the plate and likes to extend his arms. You can get him out by pounding him inside, and throwing soft stuff away. He makes nice adjustments as two-strike hitter and can go the other way in those situations.

Defensively, he’s an average outfielder with an average arm, but certainly, he’ll be better out there than Manny."

•NATIONAL LEAGUE ASSISTANT GM:

“He had a bad season last year because he had sore knees. But before that, he was one of the better offensive players in this league. He has a unique swing — he kind of drops his hands to his belt and swings uphill. But he’s capable of good offensive production and he runs better than you think. He’s not Manny Ramirez, but he can hit balls to right-center, and he can pull. I would label him primarily an offensive player, but he’s adequate in the field.

He’s not a dynamic personality or a leader. He might be a little bland, but he’s a good guy, certainly not any trouble.”

Center Field is also checking in with Pirate bloggers today to geth their take on Bay... here's what "Tecmo" (as in Tecmo Bowl? That game was awesome!) from "Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies" (don't ask, I have no idea) has to say:

What can I say about Jason Bay? A Pirate for parts of six seasons, Bay gave us fans every emotion one could hope for when one becomes baseball fan. Franchise records as a rookie, power to all fields despite looking like a third line hockey winger, unrealized potential, "is-he-clutch?" worries, nasty injuries and at times, All-Star caliber play. As a Pirates fan, I get to see Bay's tenure in the Burgh within the greater context and how he has shaped the future of the Pirates. Yeah, we suck now, but just you wait.

The Sox were probably impressed with his 26 dingers as a rookie. If Boston has done their collective homework, they'll be more than happy with Bay's current .985+ fielding percentage, or the little nugget that the guy counted on to be the Buccos' primary source or power actually tied a MLB record in 2005 for most steals in a season without getting caught (before getting thrown out at the very end of the year, dammit). Boston fans, you're getting a guy who might worry you, or might blow your..ahem...Sox off (sorry). Baseball-Reference says you're getting either Kevin Mench or Grady Sizemore. Seems about right.

A little part of me is sad to see Bay go, mostly because I'll miss his opposite-field homers over the Clemente wall. If Bay continues his trend of hot hitting against AL East pitching, that short porch near Pesky's Pole might get lit up.

Pittsburgh wins, getting top prospects that we desperately need, and Boston makes out by getting a guy 7 years younger than Manny who can still be counted on for 28-30 homers and 100 RBIs when playing to potential. Not a bad trade by anyone's count.

30+ Things to know about Jason Bay

Extra Bases has posted a list of thing to know about the newest meber of the Red Sox.

The 29-year-old Bay is a career .281 hitter who gets on base (.375 career OBP) and hits to all fields. He is on pace for a 33-homer, 97-RBI campaign in 2008. He's a relative newcomer to Fenway, having played there in 2005 when the Pirates visited for a three-game set. He went 3-12 in that series.

Here's what else we were able to dig up about him:

- Full name: Jason Raymond Bay. He'll turn 30 on Sept. 20. He's 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and was born in Trail, B.C., Canada (population 7,237).
- He and his wife, Kristen, have one daughter, Addison, who will turn 2 in November.
- His sister, Lauren, is a professional softball player who pitched for Canada in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- He is reportedly friends with fellow Trail native and Edmonton Oilers center Shawn Horcoff, and hails from the same town as St. Louis Blues defenseman Barrett Jackman and 408-goal-scorer Ray Ferraro.
- He played hockey as a youngster, but quit in favor of baseball. Like many Canadian ballplayers, he grew up idolizing Larry Walker, also a B.C. native. He rooted for the Mariners as a kid. He was a member of the 1990 Trail Little League team that represented Canada in the Little League World Series.
- He played two years at Gonzaga, earning first-team All-West Coast Conference honors as a junior and senior. He was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 22nd round, 2000.
- New England connection: He started playing for the Vermont Expos of the New York-Penn League and played two seasons ('99, 2000) for the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod League.
- He spent time in A-ball in 2002, hitting for average and power. He was dealt in March of that year to the Mets, who flipped him to the Padres for reliever Steve Reed at the 2002 trade deadline.
- He made his MLB debut May 23, 2003. His first big-league hit was a ninth-inning homer off of Arizona reliever (and future Red Sox reliever) Matt Mantei.
- An Elmer Dessens pitch fractured his wrist two days later and was sent to the minors for rehab.
- He was a teammate of former Sox infielder and current NESN studio analyst Lou Merloni on the 2003 Padres.
- In August 2003, he was traded with Oliver Perez and Cory Stewart to the Pirates for Brian Giles. He finished the year with a .287 average, 4 homers and 13 RBI in 87 at-bats. He reached base safely in his final 14 games, though he was bothered by a torn right labrum that required offseason surgery.
- After the 2003 season, he signed a one-year, $305,000 contract with Pittsburgh. He rehabbed in the minors until May, then recovered in time to have a breakout season.
- He hit .282 with 26 homers (a Pirates rookie record) and 82 RBIs that season and was a runaway choice for the 2004 NL Rookie of the Year, the first Pirate to win the award. He had little protection in the lineup, and the Pirates won 72 games.
- Despite the lack of talent around him, Bay had a monster 2005, hitting .306 with 32 homers, 101 RBIs, 44 doubles, 110 runs and 21 steals, leading the Pirates in every major offensive category. Statistically, it was one of the best seasons in Pirates history.
- That summer, he was selected to his first All-Star squad, but was the only player on either roster not to appear in the game. He did appear in the Home Run Derby, but didn't last long -- he produced 0 home runs in the first round. "I think a lot of people felt bad for me," he later told ESPN.com about his Derby doughnut. "But the bottom line is I just stunk."
- He finished third in voting for Canada's Male Athlete of the Year in 2005, behind Steve Nash and Sidney Crosby.
- He signed a four-year, $18.25-million extension in November 2005, receiving a one-year signing bonus. The deal paid him $750,000 in 2006, $3.25 million in 2006, $5.75 million in 2008 and $7.5 million next season. His agent is Joe Urbon, of Octagon Baseball, who played baseball professionally in the Phillies organization and who also represents Cleveland outfielder Grady Sizemore.
- In 2006, he established career-highs in homers (35) and RBIs (109), hitting in a lineup with current Sox first baseman Sean Casey. He hit 10 homers in a 10-games span in May and had 20 bombs at the All-Star break.
- He rode the hometown vote to the 2006 All-Star Game, held in Pittsburgh. The Pirates staged an aggressive marketing campaign to get Bay votes, and Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder urged fans to vote for Bay during a late June concert at Mellon Arena. Bay was sheepish about the publicity, saying that the attention was "very flattering. I never would imagine I'd be in this position with the names that are out there." He went 1 for 3 in the All-Star Game. He declined to appear in the Derby.
He was troubled by knee problems all season, usually icing it after games. In late November, he had a quick, 10-minute arthroscopic procedure to relieve irritation in his right knee (he walked out of the hospital).
- In 2006, he represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic, leading his team to opening-round wins over South Africa and the US before they were crushed by Mexico.
- Last season, he again led the struggling Pirates by hitting 21 homers and driving in 84 runs. He shared the team lead in homers with Adam LaRoche, the brother of then-Dodgers third baseman Andy LaRoche, who went to the Pirates in today's deal. He played in 15 of Pittsburgh's 28 games in September due to tendinitis in his right knee.
- He made 142 starts in left field and despite an average (at best) arm, Bay ranked third among NL outfielders with a career-high 13 assists. Manny Ramirez had 8 assists in 2007.
- In addition to left, Bay has played center field in the past. He spent time DH'ing in the minors.
- He strikes out more than the average hitter, averaging 153 whiffs over a 162-game season. He is on pace for 130 this season. He averages 84 walks per 162 games, with a high of 102 in 2006.
- He's not exceptionally fast, but is an intelligent base runner -- his steal-to-caught stealing ratio is 50-11 for his career (caught four times over the past four years).
- This season, Bay is batting .282 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs while playing in all but two of the Pirates' games.
- Super important stats: Bay is hitting .421 lifetime (8-19) against Andy Pettitte, .429 (3-7) against Mike Mussina and .500 (1-2) against Joba Chamberlain.
- He wore No. 38 for the Pirates and No. 2 for the Padres. Curt Schilling said today he would give up his No. 38 -- for a fee, which would go to Schilling's Curt's Pitch charity.

Manny... going...going...gone.

To Red Sox
Jason Bay

To Dodgers
Manny Ramirez

To Pirates
Craig Hansen (from Red Sox)
Brandon Moss (from Red Sox)
Andy LaRoche (from Dodgers)
Bryan Morris (from Dodgers)



That's the deal. An official announcement has still not been made by the Red Sox... Extra Bases has a few possible reasons for the hold up... but MLB.com has already got Manny in Dodger blue.

Personally, I think the Sox got hosed on this deal, but it's clear now that Manny had taken them hostage and the goal was to ship him out before 4PM - even if was for a bag of balls.

Jason Bay is not a bag of balls, but still... We basically gave up the best hitter in the game, a nice prospect in Brandon Moss, Craig "yet to live up to the hype" Hansen and 7 million dollars for Jason Bay.

The kicker?

Bay is a free agent after 2009 and if the kid plays well for the Sox, his agent - Scott Boras - will make damn sure he's not making a measly $5.75M per year. If the Sox want him to stay, they can certainly afford him, but is he really the the answer to the hole left by Manny?

Feway West grabbed his stats for this season:

Jason Bay - 106 games, 393 AB, 72 R, 111 H, 23 2B, 22 HR, 64 RBI, .282 BA and .894 OPS.

Manny Ramirez - 100 games, 365 AB, 66 R, 109 H, 22 2B, 20 HR, 68 RBI, .299 BA and .926 OPS.

Not too shabby, and Bay will certainly be an upgrade in the outfield... but one has to wonder how a 29-year old kid that has spent his major league career in the cellar with Pittsburgh (and San Diego) will handle playing the pressure-cooker that is Boston...

That said, here's something that might lift your spirits - both Bay and Manny have been hot after the break:

Bay (last 10) - .308 with 3 HRs and 10 RBI.
Manny (last 10) - .351 with 2 HR, 4 2B and 8 RBI.

Maybe Jason and his hunger for a chance to play in the post season will spark an offense that has hit just .241 (26th) and scored just 43 runs (27th) sine the break. Or perhaps, simply removing Manny from the clubhouse will get the engines turning again... and let's face it, not having to play the Angels anymore can't hurt...

I'll leave you all with this before we turn the page and get ready for Oakland and Jason Bay's Fenway Baptism:

The Red Sox are now free of the shackle that was Manny and his $20M a year contract. Money is not an issuse for the Red Sox, but imagine what they could do with that money this offseason... Remember, many of the big names from the trading deadline will be back on the Free Agent list come October... guy like Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Damaso Marte and Brian Fuentes come to mind...

Bottom Line: For a guy who seemed to personify the phrase "for the love of the game" Manny apparently loves money more. His bat will be missed, his antics will not.