What to Do...What to Do

It wouldn't be a hot stove season at Keep Your Sox On unless our pal DC had a few pearls of baseball wisdom to dispense to the fortunate masses. Here's his take on how the front office is doing as they gear up for the 2008 campaign. Enjoy...

I've been promising to give my opinion of the off-season needs of the Old Towne Team ever since the World Series ended. So why am I so late in doing so? Well, let’s just say that living with Robin can apparently make you lazy through osmosis. So yeah, I know Theo and the boys have already done some things but its never too late to chime in. So without further ado, we might as well start with what’s already happened...

Moves Made:

• Schilling Re-signed – I would have approached this exactly as the front office did. The pitching market this off-season is as dreadful as Ron Jeremy’s physique, so why wouldn’t you throw a one year deal at Schill? Even if he’s no longer a top two guy, he's still a workhorse who competes, drives the rest of the pitching staff, and wants to win. Maybe he can even teach young Clay how to put a little meat on his bones.
  
  
• Lowell Re-signed – This too was ideal in my eyes. I was saying during the World Series that they should offer the Cuban George Clooney a 3 year deal with a club or mutual option for a 4th. Turns out, they got the man with the golden glove for 3 years without the option. So now we all win, Lowell gets paid, the Sox get a World Series MVP, we all get to enjoy his flawless defense and my girlfriend still has someone to think about while we’re in bed...yeah, don’t ask.
  
  
• Wake’s Option Picked Up – This was a no-brainer! Timmy Knuckles continues to be one of the biggest bargains in the league. The guy gives you quality innings, saves your pen, and is one of the vets who keeps things loose. Wake’s option will be picked up every year until he decides to hang it up...and then hopefully he’ll go teach the knuckleball to our A and AA squads.
  
  
• JT’s Option Picked Up – Much like signing Schilling, this makes total sense. The free agent relief pitchers this year are like a who’s who of crap. The devil that you know is much better than the devil that you don’t...particularly when the devil that you know is nuttier than squirrel turds and a quality relief option.

Work To Be Done:

I like the strategy that Theo and the moneymakers seem to be following. In short, secure the starting line up, re-arm the bullpen and then fill in the bench. So let’s look at these three tasks in order:

• Starting Lineup – With Lowell signed, the only decision to be made is who’s in center field. Personally, I like Coco. The guy is a freaking vacuum in center field, only if a vacuum was jet-propelled and was able to fly through the air like Bobby Orr. That being said, Jacoby is clearly the talk of the town and is clearly talented. Sounds like a no lose situation to this guy.
  
  
• Bullpen – As of right now we have a pen of Paps, Okie Dokie, MDC, JT Killer, Javier the Lesser, and Franken-Bronson. Unfortunately a quick perusal of the free agent market leaves you feeling like you just ate a crate of Hot Pockets. While optimistic Sox fans may have faith in the emergence of Bryan Corey and Brendan Donnelly, the reality is we’re talking about a 34 year old with only 3 years of experience in the bigs and a guy coming off Tommy John surgery. So, the front office is going to have to rescue some arms off of this year’s free agent scrap heap and they already missed out on the likes of Kerry Wood, David Riske and Scott Linebrink. Here are some viable options:
  
  
• Mike Timlin – This guy is quickly becoming the ageless wonder. Just when we were all writing him off this season, he came back and cut through more lumber than Paul Bunyan. As long as Tito doesn’t overuse him, he'll be great for 2008.
  
  
• Jeremy Affeldt – Managed to rejuvenate his career for this year’s NL Champs and he’s one of the few free agents who’s actually under 30.
  
  
• Ron Mahay – I don’t know...why not? I trust him more than LaTroy Hawkins.
  
  
• Bench – At this point our bench consists of Alex Cora and the aforementioned Ellsbury. That means we probably have 3 spots that need to be filled and they most likely need to be an outfielder, catcher and utility guy...
  
  
• Catcher – I know somehow Belli fell out of favor with the Boston fans. But here’s the deal, no other guy in the league is a sure thing when it comes to catching Timmy Knuckles. There is no youth available so you’re not getting Tek’s future replacement this off season. So why not go with the sure thing?
  
  
• Outfielder - Bobby Kielty: that huge home run in the World Series has got to be worth something right?
  
  
• Utility - Rob Mackowiak, Eric Hinske, Mike Lamb – None of them are going to carry a team any time soon. But each will give you innings at multiple positions and they all have experience starting games if need be.

Irons in the Fire:

You didn’t think we could go through this roundup without discussion of the blockbuster trade rumors, did you? Honestly, the Santana trade makes me uneasy because of the size of the contract that it will take to complete this deal. $25 million a year is a lot of money for any pitcher. At this point, making a trade for Erik Bedard is more enticing. This trade will cost the Sox fewer prospects and less money. In fact, the ideal move here would be something along the lines of Lester, Coco, Jed Lowry and a mid-to-low level prospect for Bedard and Kevin Millar. This gets Theo the splashy pitcher that he wants, solves the need for a utility guy and makes Boston the most fun-filled clubhouse in the league again. Everybody wins! Regardless of who the Sox trade for (Santana, Bedard, Haren) the real concern here is what does this mean about Dice-K? Do Theo and the boys no longer see him as Schilling’s replacement as 1A to Beckett’s 1?

Game 158: Back in the Saddle Again!

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 11, Oakland Athletics 6

YOUK! MANNY! I remember these guys! These are guys that get on base. Guys that score runs. Guys that have weird hair. These are the Red Sox I remember. Enough of this Hinske, Moss, Kielty garbage. Those guys are fine in small doses, but this is the stretch run and we need to dance with the boys that brung us.

Jon “The Molester” Lester brought his “A” game when it comes to strikeouts (9) but not his best night on everything else. 4 earned in just 4.2 innings from the golden boy. Might not make the playoff rotations with outings like that, buddy.

So it was up to our offense (remember that struggling thing?) to cap off the night. Lowell was ready, Pedroia was ready, and yes Manny was ready! Lowell got his 115th RBI giving him more than any Red Sox third baseman EVER! Pedroia got his 8th homer and 2 doubles pretty much locking up the AL Rookie of the Year Award. Finally there was Manny again batting second and hitting like he has been here all month. We’re back baby and ready to restart the Red Sox Nation of Domination.

With the magic number at 2, the best news of the night might be the realization that the Sox don’t have to face Johan Santana in this 4 game clash with Minnesota. Come on you Great Lake jokers… drop a few for your Boston buddies. We need this.

Oh… and the Yankees clinched a playoff birth. Good for them… have fun with the Wild Card.

Game 149: Screaming for Vengeance

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 10, New York Yankees 1

After last night, everyone from Josh Beckett to Billy the Bat Boy to the drunken old codger sucking down whiskeys in the dark, dusty corner of the bar knew that the only way to avenge the ignominious enormity of defeat was a complete and total victory today. Nothing less would satisfy the need for vengeance that burned inside every fan and - we hoped - inside every bat and arm on the bench and in the bullpen marked "home team" in Fenway; even a close win would mark an untoward weakness of fighting spirit while underscoring the all-too-true axiom: you can never have too much money or score enough runs on the Yankees.

Incredibly, lighting the spark that exploded Boston's offensive powder keg took some doing, while the Yankees struck first - Derek Jeter's solo shot to the center field bleachers crowning a first inning where Beckett looked totteringly unsure and need thirty pitches and six batters to get three ground outs. A combination of Pedroia, Ortiz and Lowell scored Boston's first run in the bottom of the inning, but from there the score remained tied for five innings, a tense balance of occasional squandered opportunities, slowly rising pitch counts and the excellent, excellent pitching this match-up promised.

The spark that finally launched the explosion came from one of those odd, unexpected happenstances that fulfill the promise of any competition (the spirit of the statement, 'that's why they play the game') with their unpredictability: Wang, now throwing his sinker higher and higher in the zone, hit Youkilis on the wrist. Out goes Youkilis with a contusion, in comes Jacoby Ellsbury, the fresh-faced kid with the powerful stroke and the fleet legs, to pinch-run. A Big Papi single to the right side puts Ellsbury on third; J.D. Drew's clutch hit (seven games in a row, baby!) two batters later jogged the runner home for the second Boston run.

Over the next two innings, as the Sox disposed of Wang and tore into the Yankees bullpen like a pack of starving wolves into a weakened deer, Ellsbury took center stage, going two for two and knocking in three runs, raising his average back to .396. Perhaps the best moment of all: one batter after Eric Hinske dropped a shoulder into Jorge Posada trying score from third, Ellsbury tried the same trick, but used his slide to push the confused Yankees catcher off the plate and take his second run. Posada, dazed, forgetting to apply the tag to get the out; Ellsbury, triumphant with victory: this moment was the microcosm for how much things could change in a day, and it felt really, really good.

Game 147: Big Papi Just Breaks Down Your Fences and Runs Off With Your Women

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 5, Tampa Bay Devil Rays 4

Run for the hills!!! Big Papi is back with a vengeance. Screw the rest of the hitters, he’ll score ALL YOUR RUNS! The 2 homers and 5 RBI (including the amazing walk-off that exploded my clothes off my body) meant that Papi ate his morning Wheaties and they had Devil Ray blood in them. And the city of Boston? It’s a crazy love-fest for Ortiz here. More than I ever realized was possible. If he ran for mayor tomorrow it would go:

“Hey, my name is Big Papi and I don’t speak English too good and I don’t know a lot about public works or anything like that… but I’m running for mayor and… ummm I hit a ton of homeruns?”

(cue the stampede caused by every citizen running out to vote for Ortiz. Hell I’d vote twice.)

Now THANK FREAKING GOD that he did the whole heroic thing today, cause this game pretty much SUCKED otherwise. Lester spotted the Rays 4 runs in the first inning and I was calling for the guy’s head right there. He could not throw a strike to save his life. I was climbing the walls and I am still shocked that the Rays only managed to score so FEW runs. Lester was out of there in a hurry… and Tavarez stepped in to put out the fire.

And he really did it! Yeah it’s amazing. Tavarez shut down the Tampa bats for 3 innings and made me smile at his normal scary faced chicanery. Is that blood on your cleat? Oh Julian you big joker!

Meanwhile, besides the Man Mountain that is Ortiz, the rest of the Sox could not get it done with men on base… again. Francona needs to start asking players for 10 pushups for every man they leave on base. Tek and Hinske would be doing 100 between the two of them. It was so ugly that once Papelbon came in and shut the door on the Rays in the 9th, I had pretty much chalked this one up as a loss. I’m such a quitter.

But when Lugo reached… and I saw Papi waiting there with that tree trunk of a bat that he made out of redwood he chopped down with his bare hands… it made me believe again. I KNEW he would do it. He has that look in his eye that we saw in the 2004 playoffs. The look that says:

“Nothing’s over until I say so… and you better vote twice.”

So now I feel ready for New York. Bring on the Yankees because the confidence is back, the swagger is back and no matter HOW far up we are, these games always bring out my venom and hate. You can’t teach a hammer to love nails. That dog won’t hunt.

Game 139: Manny Who?

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 5, Toronto Blue Jays 3

Two series ago, I conjured up the frightening specter of Manny-less Red Sox as the reason for the dead bats in the Bronx. Take away Manny, it seemed and you took away the run-scoring hits the Sox so desperately needed to win. It was a frightening thought when you contemplated the future in all forms: the immediate future (winning the AL East), the near future (the playoffs) and the far future (the expiration of Manny's contract in 2008). What were we going to do while that oblique healed itself?

At the risk of making a tenuous connection, the answer now seems clear: we were going to wait for the September 1 call-ups and the triumphant return of Jacoby Ellsbury. The speedy rookie is tearing the cover off the ball on his third trip up to the majors in 2007, hitting well over .500 in his first four games and knocking in at least one run a day. In the field he's made some excellent catches, mixing well with the speed of Coco and Drew in the other parts of the outfield. He's taken the pressure off of Hinske's weat bat and Kielty's sore back, not to mention Manny, turning our bated breath for the return of our slugger into
consideration for a measured return. Last night Ellsbury opened the first major wound in Doc Halladay's armor with his second home run, a first-pitch blast that came right after a close play at first (thanks to a speedy Coco) broke up an inning-ending double play. It's not enough to say the kid's for real; he's at a higher, sublime level, burning off the rarefied gas of his ascent into our collective consciousness and begging the wonderful question, "Manny who?"

However, all of Ellsbury's success makes me wonder about his future. Making the (dangerous) assumption that he continues to hit at an even a reasonable level after he's faced the same clubs a few times, there's no room for Ellsbury in the outfield in 2008 without a trade or the decision to risk of making him a fourth outfielder for the next year or two. Alternatively, does he become part of a massive trade; something that brings a high-powered first baseman to the Sox while Youkilis moves back to third in place of Mike Lowell? Or does Ellsbury go back to Pawtucket again for another year to continue to post massive numbers against Minor League pitching? I'd hate to see Ellsbury depart, but I'm a bit of a sentimentalist when it comes to ball players and I could see Ellsbury becoming a big fixture in the mind of Sox fans everywhere.

Game 135: Ouch Ouch Ouch

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 8, Baltimore Orioles 9

Days of pain are among us. With Belli and Manny already down with injuries, it was only a matter of time before other players would follow suit. Wake (tonight’s original starter) was scratched with a sore back (could mean anything) and the long over due for an injury winner J.D. Drew bounced a foul ball off the top of his foot, managed to finish the at-bat, and then cried like a girl as he limped his way back to the dugout. Wuss. Other potential trouble in this game happened to Coco (banged into a wall), Ortiz (hit in the ribs) and Youk (hit in the arm).

Anyway, so that means we have Tavarez starting, Hinske in left and Kielty (who’s ALSO hurt) playing right. This has all the makings of a disaster. If I only knew.

It was a travesty. Apparently nobody told Tavarez that he was pitching past the 3rd inning and fell apart like Brittney Spears career. Now I remember why this guy is a reliever. And speaking of relievers, Timlin’s 1,000th appearance was one I wish he didn’t make. He came in, looked tough, and sucked hard. I just cry when I remember how money this guy was for us over the years… and what he’s become now. PLEASE RETIRE after this year. It’s time to bow out gracefully.

To add some salt and lemon to these wounds, the Sox almost managed to WIN this embarrassment. In the 9th, the ALWAYS atrocious Danny Baez tried to throw the game away, but Tek wouldn’t let him. He hit into a double play to end it with the tying run on 2nd. Where is the clutch? Where are the walk-offs? Where are the heroes? The pain… the pain...

Game 133: Don’t Get Any Ideas

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 3, New York Yankees 4

Now before anyone starts jumping off bridges or “waiting till next year” or burning J.D. Drew jerseys (oh too late?) let’s put this whole thing into perspective. The Yankees are still 6 games back. Even if they win tomorrow and sweep the series they are still 5 games back. That’s a lot of breathing room. There is no reason to go all Owen Wilson just yet.

Yes these games are high tension and they have a slight scent of the playoffs… remember that they’re not. The Yankees are a dangerous team because of a scary potent offence and the front of their rotation. Once you get to the 4/5 starters… they are garbage or unproven at best!

Look, I can’t say that I’m happy Beckett pitched as bad as he did (and was still super lucky) and Clemens cherry picked his way through a free swinging Sox lineup… but it’s not the end of the world… or even the season.

Anyway, if you WANT to freak out about something, focus on Manny’s strained oblique that might keep him out 10 games. Yeah it’s the stretch run and we are short our cleanup hitter. And with Bobby Kielty having back problems, it’s up to Eric Hinske to hold down the fort. So much for run production.

So remember… 5 game lead no matter what happens with the Yankees. Then it’s a bunch against Baltimore, Tampa Bay and other dregs of the AL. Calm down… take deep breaths.

Game 97: I Think That Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Gave This Team the Runs

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 11, Chicago White Sox 2

So in a game where the Red Sox score 11 runs… how is it that Manny (2 walks) and Ortiz (didn’t play but the MRI was clear on his knee) had NO HITS? Well thanks to the amazing offense from Coco, Lugo, Drew and Hinske the Sox were still able to score more runs then I ever could have hoped (even with the umps blowing the Lowell out a home call). I can’t verbalize how much I love seeing the dregs produce when the heavy hitters struggle. It’s like losing your wallet on the subway, but then finding three grand in the street.

Speaking of finding gold… is it too late to jump on the Kason Gabbard bandwagon? The only run the Pale Sox scored on him should have been unearned (awful fielding from Wily Mo, somebody him out of MY misery) and he allowed only 3 hits in 7 innings. Combine this with Schilling looking good in AAA and Tavarez running out of crazy magic, I think this means Julian gets sent to the pen while Gabbo is here to stay. Oh and I hope Tavarez doesn’t know where I live because he’d kill me in my sleep for saying that.

Finally, I am not 100% sure these last two games are complete signs that the Red Sox have found a way to turn the “we can’t score runs” thing around. Not to take anything away from the great performance of the lineup OR from the masterful work from Gabbo… but the White Sox suck. I mean they REALLY look awful and lost out there. Who the hell walks in 3 runs?? That’s madness. I’ll need at least a week more at this level and some other teams to test the waters with before I can start screaming about how we’ve turned a corner. But who knows? I hope this is the norm and not some fluke like Wily Mo’s grand slam earlier this year (I heard he’s on roids now! Somebody help me spread that rumor).

Game 93: A Sad State

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 3, Kansas City Royals 9

The Royals? We got our asses kicked by the Royals? This is like coming in second in the Special Olympics except you KNOW you’re retarded. Where’s the short bus and the rubber pants because the Sox are ready to take the slow road to head-slapping-town.

Honestly I don’t have the time or the patience to go into how much of a disaster this was (Wakefield I am looking at you) because I am moving and causing a drastic change in the blog format (more on that to come later).

This was seriously the worst thing that could have happened. Doesn’t anyone realize that the Yankees are breathing down our necks (only 8 games back now)? Don’t people know that a .500 record isn’t going to cut it for the rest of the season? Hasn’t the bench duo of Hinske and Mirabelli been bad enough to induce vomiting in most rational humans?

These are the dregs and we are supposed to beat up on the dregs. This calls for ultimate phony parental crazy guilt.

Ahem…

The Sox don’t have the best record in baseball… is that what you wanted? To be second best? How can you do this to this to our nation/family? Haven’t we cared for you enough? Haven’t we been there through thick and thin? DO YOU WANT TO SEE US IN PAIN??? Look… you’ve made your mother cry. She’s crying because you fail. Just go. Do whatever you want, but don’t come crawling back here expecting a playoff run. God, you make me so crazy.

See? Scary wasn’t it? More losses like this and there's more where that came from. You’ve been warned, Red Sox.

Game 85: The Evening After

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 2, Detroit Tigers 9

One thing I've noticed about blowouts is that unless the offense delivering the beating - a.k.a The Beater - is "go get a bucket of water they're burning up" hot (a standard of offensive prowess measured not in wins, but in sweeps, plural), they'll always come back to Earth in the worst way the next day. We're talking full on post-beating hangover, with a couple of runs scored if you're lucky. In fact, if The Beater is really unlucky, they'll immediately go into a four or five game slump because they're so worn out from punishing The Beatee.
A sidebar: determining the crossing-over point from offensive explosion to blowout seems to be something in the range of a ten run advantage, where The Beater's starting pitcher goes six or seven (or more) innings without surrendering more than a few runs. Number of at-bats might also be a factor; if The Beaters come to the plate five times and start sending in the scrubs in the seventh inning, you know a blowout is taking place.

The Sox suffered the expected post-blowout hangover today, coming up wretched against the Tigers right from the start. Tavarez went from the crazy-eyed psycho with the surprisingly low (for a fifth starter) ERA of 3.48 over ten starts to a shell of man shelled for eight runs (including a grand slam to Marcus Thames) over four and two-thirds. My guess is that Comerica Park doesn't have a clubhouse conducive to blood sacrifice and JT Killer missed his regular "contribution" to the baseball gods.

Meanwhile, the already tired offense went into a bit of a super scrub mode. With Papi benched (but only for tonight; he has to make sure Manny gets to San Fran) and Youkilis in some kind of quadriceps limbo, Francona did the lineup shuffle, mixing in career minor leaguer Jeff Bailey (Jeff who?) to play first in place of the (now) over-worked Hinske. Bailey, described by Francona as someone who "looked to me like he could hit someone who’s throwing decent" ("You're gonna like him. He's a good kid.) turned out to be just as stymied by Tigers rookie Andrew Miller (Andrew who?) as the rest of the crew, but he's got working-class hero vibe written all over him, so the papers love his story. I have no doubt we'll hear all about the virtues of never giving up on your dreams over the next two games and then, unless he hits something fierce, we'll probably never hear of Bailey again.

Anywho, moral of the story: you always pay the Piper for a blowout, Detroit needed to win this game far more than Boston needed to avoid losing it, everyone's in break mode and we'll now be lucky to win one game this weekend. Go Sox!

Game 81: Now Leading Off...A Hitting Renaissance

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 7, Texas Rangers 3

So something weird happened last night: Kevin Youkilis took the night off, after doctors told him his strained quadriceps wouldn't stopped nagging him until he took some rest. Of course, since Youkilis is a dirt dog and sports a beard powerful enough to hit home runs on its own, the doctors in question probably told the trainer to shoot Youk with a tranq dart to make the news easier (and safer) to pass on, but there he was, on the bench and out of the lineup just hours before game time.

Actually, that wasn't really the weird thing; what's weird was the result: Lugo goes from batting ninth to batting first and it actually seems to help. Lugo went 0 for 2 with two walks and a sacrifice bunt, but he looked a lot happier in the box, showing glimpses of the lead off hitter who hit .308 with a .373 OPS a year ago in Tampa Bay. If last night truly marks the end of Lugo's year-long battle with mediocrity, he'd join Pedroia, Drew and (I would argue) Crisp as the fourth Red Sox to experience a renaissance when thrust into the lead off role. There's an adage that baseball announcers will sometimes bring up about how a hit-and-run play can force a slumping player to start hitting again; maybe batting first for the Sox serves the same function. I certainly hope so, because it'd be nice to hold on to a shortstop for more than a season again.

The other result of Youkilis sitting for the night was the triumphant return of Eric Hinske, who did what he does best: score unexpected runs on unexpected hits. Pedroia and Manny may have been at the plate when the Sox scored their first four runs (hallelujah!), but it was Hinske who hit the bases-loaded triple that put Boston up with breathing room after Texas scored three runs to break up Gabbard's no-no bid in the fifth. The guy may not make much of an impression as a pinch hitter, but he does toss in the odd and wonderful surprise coming off the bench for a game.

One final note: Robin called me at the end of the top of the fifth to find out the score and pointed out that Boston has an almost perfect record when they score six or more runs in a game - last Tuesday's game is the only exception. "Only two more," he said, "and we're golden." I went and looked after Hinske's triple made things official: last night made 30 games Boston's won scoring six runs or better, which is almost better (point of pride) than every cellar dweller in the MLB right now. Now we just need to score six runs against nemesis Scott Kazmir tonight...

Game 71: Boomstick

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 11, Atlanta Braves 0

Did you feel that? That was the Red Sox Hammer. And if you were watching the game tonight you saw it fall HARD on that Braves team. 11 runs, 15 hits, 5 HR and a bodybag for that guy Carlyle. The beach balls he was throwing in the first 3 innings weren’t fooling anybody. The strikeouts he managed to get were because the hitters were so SHOCKED that the change up stayed so far up in the zone and were swinging under it… those mistakes were quickly corrected. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see that Manny and Ortiz have found their boomsticks. What makes it even MORE special is that they seemed to have shared the recipe for ultimate power with Coco and Drew. Hell! Even Hinske was in on the fun. Gotta love the full team dog pile. It’s like they smell blood in the water and everyone needs to get their bite. Except Lug0-for-5. He’s batting .201 right now. Just saying.

Not that any of this mattered. The 7 innings of 3 hit ball from Julian Tavarez saw to that. How scary is it that this guy has been so good lately that I am worried that they might replace him with Lester? This is the #5 starter with the mental issues! What other team can claim a #5 guy with a 5-4 record and a 4.50 ERA? He puts the “crazy” into “crazy good” and doesn’t show signs of slowing down.

***Huge aside*** I have heard a few anecdotal sources (including the ESPN guys tonight) say that Tavarez is throwing a junk ball. He goes to the forehead quite often and held on to the ball a lot tonight so I can see where people might come up with this idea of “doctoring” the ball. I just want to go on the record as saying that I don’t think ANY of this is true and I attribute his last few victories on human sacrifice and baby punching. And if you call that cheating then I don’t know what to say to you.

Anyway, an appearance by Joel and Tim lin (mop up guys) couldn’t even damper the spirits on this one. Pop the corks people! The Sox are 21 games over .500 and now 10 games up on the Yankees.

Anything negative from today? Well sure… Schilling is going on the DL which may make room for Lester or Gabbard, Lowell got another day off cause of his hand injury and Drew was removed after going 2 for 2 for “safety” reasons (aka Francona knows Drew is made of balsa wood or that dance he did with Papi hurt his hammys). But none of this can bring down this Sox team. Everyone looks like they’re having fun and I can really see the clubhouse chemistry forming. And now that everyone seems to have pulled out of their slumps (Except Lugo who is batting .201) the Sox are primed to go on a mid season tear.

Stay hot for San Diego guys. I hear that town is named after a whale’s vagina.

Game 40: Somebody Bottle Eric Hinske

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 4, Detroit Tigers 2

This was an “on paper” loss. Curt pitched 100,000 pitches in the first two innings, the Sox left about 100,000 men on base and we were throwing the SUPER B team to the wolves (Tigers?) during the second half of a double header which we ALWAYS manage to split. That’s the “L” baby. Write it down and drown your sorrows in that cheap bottle of wine and the tape of Air Supply. That’s what losers do.

Looks like Hinske didn’t get the memo.

That’s right. He doesn’t know how to lose. He eats excellence and craps awesome. He flies through the air, cracks his neck and hits the go-ahead homer with his fist held high as if to say “YES I AM THE ONE KNOWN AS HINSKE… AND YOUR CHILDREN WILL WEEP!”

Can you believe this guy? He KNOWS he won’t be playing tomorrow (ummm J.D. Drew might make this point moot) and he still give it his all and then some. Hinske is the extra large burrito of ball players. You don’t want him every day, too much and you will get sick, sometimes he sucks, but MAN… when you don’t have another option he comes though in a pinch.

So with our bench players going full bore and Okijima fulfilling contractual obligations to pitch in every game, we got another win. What are we going to do with them all? They just keep piling up. The garage is packed, there’s a half dozen under the bed and the closet is bulging full of ‘em. Greedy with wins… such a sad state.

Game 10: Notes from the Underground

Final Score: Boston Red Sox 8, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 0

A few notes from today's glorious victory:

Tim McCarver. Maybe it was substituting Dick Stockton for Joe Buck, a bit like substituting Folger's Decaf for your regular decaf crystals. Maybe I've just lost that edge and can't recognize bad broadcasting when I hear it. Maybe McCarver's finally turned a corner. Whatever the case, I could actually tolerate...nay, I even enjoyed Tim McCarver's insight into today's game. I don't understand it either. If it happens again, I promise you I'll get my head examined.

Curt Schilling. When I was typing in the title of today's post, Firefox's auto complete pulled up the title I used a year ago today (how long does it store those things?), when Schilling won his 200th victory. The Warrior with the Bloody Sock was even better today, holding the Angels to four hits and a walk through eight innings and, in the process, pushing that much farther past the bad karma generated by his first start. I know we're only three starts in, but I think we're going to see a remarkable season from a man who's transitioned over from overpowering to crafty in an effort to keep in the game for a few more years. Every pitch wasn't a gem today, but though a lot of pitches that would have been kill pitches a few years ago generate contact today, most of that contact was poor; the Angels flied out 13 times today while Curt was on the mound.

Eric Hinske. I love Eric Hinske. I love him so very much. Two for three with three runs and two walks? Are you serious? And who started the flood at the very beginning, after Lugo squandered a bases loaded opportunity in the bottom of the second? That's right: Mr. Eric "Super Utility Man" Hinske, with a lead-off triple in the bottom of the third. Can we teach him to play center field and spell Coc0 for Slump on the bench for a while?

Gary Matthews, Jr. $50 million and you can't catch a fly ball with two hands? Sounds like you're worth every penny.

Chris Bootcheck. I love this man's last name; it sounds like part of a porn star name (maybe Horatio Bootcheck?). Maybe someone who only did movies with Old West themes, teamed up with Miss Kitty? If I ran an Angels blog, I would name it after Chris Bootcheck. I'd also like to thank you for your contribution to the run total.

Mike Scioscia. Ever notice how the Angels manager always look like a guy who's just realized he's in a bad neighborhood and he lost his car keys? Maybe the cameras only focus on him when things are going wrong and he just gets the "deer in headlights" look really easily. It can't be too inspiring to see as a player, though; can you imagine playing on a team down in the runs column and seeing that the guy who's supposed to be steering the ship looks like he just swallowed something toxic? I wonder how many come-from-behind wins the Angels have...

David Ortiz. He's so, so, SO Papi.

All They Needed Was Some Rain...

DC IMed me on Wednesday, wondering whether or not we should be concerned that the Sox seemed to have lost the ability to score runs. He had a good point. Ever since the game on Monday where the Sox blew their load surmounting a five run Yankee lead, Boston scored 3 runs over three games, losing all three contests despite quality pitching from Beckett, Gabbard and Snyder. A mini-slump seemed to be rearing its ugly head as the weather up in the Northeast grew warmer and warmer...and then something weird happened: the wind shifted.

Temperatures dropped in the Northeast and right now it's sleeting something fierce here in New York City. Meanwhile, at the Dodgers/Sox game today in Florida, the skies opened up and poured rain on Holman Stadium. Eventually the weather postponed the game, but not before Wily Mo, Tek and Hinske all pounded in long home runs, scoring more runs (five) in two innings than they had all week. To top it off, Francona ordered Dice-K not to swing at any pitches today (probably with Mike Hampton well in mind) so when Matsuzaka came up he watched as Dodgers starter Hong-Chih Kuo worked the count to 0 and 2 before walking him on four straight balls, thereby assuring Kuo an almost guaranteed spot as the Dodger's sixth starter.

Nice interview on Yanksfan vs Soxfan with journalist Rob Bradford, where Bradford discusses the problems inherent with being a journalist and a fan of the same team. Rob doesn't out-and-out say so, but it sounds like getting a pass to go beyond the lines that exist between fans (including most bloggers ) and players as a member of the press is a bit like biting the apple of the Tree of Knowledge: your priorities change and you can't really go back to the way you were. The interview also links to Rob's blog, Bradford on Baseball, which is an excellent read.

What's Up With Wily Mo?

Last year, he was the Golden Boy slugger the Sox snatched from the Reds in exchange for the Red Sox player well-known for chasing college-aged...well, snatch. Now Wily Mo Pena can't even get a contract and might become the first arbitration case of the Epstein years? Answer me this, Theo: is it because you got married?

Let's examine the situation a little bit. Pena is 25, a mountain of a man who can absolutely rock the ball when he catches it properly and is surprisingly quick for a man his size. Last year he had his highest average and second highest OPS in his four year career, albeit with his second fewest ABs. He legged out 15 doubles and 2 triples, a testament to his speed. All good things so far, I would think. 162 game averages aren't nearly as impressive, with a group of average and below-average numbers, but Pena started out as even more of a free-swinger (unless I'm misinterpreting seasonal average) than he is now. On a related note, his strikeout total and strikeouts per at bat, while much higher (90 total, .32 per AB) than it should be for a full-time player, declined for the first time last year, even taking into account his reduced playing time last year. So what's the deal?

DC put me onto this train of thought earlier today, but I wonder if maybe the Sox don't want to take the time to train Wily Mo to be a more patient hitter, even though it seems like his experience as a Red Sox has already started him on that road. With the sudden appearance of J.D. Drew on the market this winter, his subsequent signing by the Sox and the acquisition of the more patient (if slower footed) Eric Hinske (and his two-year contract) last summer, it's possible Pena's value in Boston has dropped to the point where the Sox are happy to low-ball him or send him somewhere else without feeling like they're on the short end of a stick.