May 8th Red Sox

        So this Will Middlebrooks kid, he has got some serious game. The problem is what do the Sox do with him when Youkilis gets back? I mean Youk has had a rough start to the season, but he’s a proven player and you don’t bail on someone like that twenty-five games into the season because a Triple AAA guy had a great first four games. However, that isn’t to say Middlebrooks has to be sent back down to the minors either. With Ortiz swinging the best bat of his career at DH and Adrian Gonzalez being one of the best hitters in baseball when he is at his best you don’t have anywhere Youk can move to so he’s locked in at third. 

         My question would have to be can he learn to play the outfield. He has good speed and he is clearly a good athlete so I don’t think it would be that big a stretch to throw him in right field. I mean we put Lars Anderson out there a couple times and he is half the athlete Middlebrooks is. His numbers were ridiculous in the minors and now he has three home runs in his first four major league games, not to mention tying a record for most runs batted in during the first four games of a career. He is batting .381 with six extra base hits as well as a stolen base. They say he is a five tool player and he is proving it. Last night after the game the analysts were considering the possibility of trading him when Youkilis gets back, which is outrageous. He has proven himself during the past two seasons with monstrous numbers in the minors and he is continuing it with the Red Sox. Just because you don’t have a spot in the starting lineup for him right now doesn’t mean you try and get an average player for him. 

        Worst case scenario if they decide they don’t want to try him in the outfield is he backs up Youkilis. He could get the start when Youk, Ortiz or Gonzalez needed a day off. I understand that isn’t often, but if he is swinging a hot bat you can afford to give those guys a day off every couple of weeks. 

        Now the Red Sox got a much needed win last night in Kansas City. I fooled you didn’t I. After they got on that winning streak to get back to .500 you thought they would be atop the AL East in a week or two, but no they lost five straight and find themselves almost seven games behind the Rays and Orioles. Once again I’m not in panic mode because I know they have over 130 games left. However, I am very worried about Clay Buchholz. He hasn’t had a start this year that he has allowed fewer than five runs. I don’t know what his problem is, but if he continues to struggle it may be his spot that Dice-K ends up taking in order to give Buchholz some time to figure it all out. 

        The Aaron Cook experiment didn’t go so well. In his one shot to prove himself up here during Beckett’s start he didn’t make it past the third inning. Why people try to say numbers in Triple AAA has any correlation to how a guy with pitch in the majors is beyond me. You have to look at a guys stuff which yes to be honest he did look good, but clearly the awful hitters aided that. 

May 3rd Red Sox

        Well that wasn’t the start to the home stand the Sox were looking for. After taking the first game against Oakland, the A’s pitching shut us down winning the last two to take the series. Once again the Sox find themselves staring up at .500 and in the basement of the AL East. The Orioles come into town for a weekend series, but that doesn’t sound quite as good as it has in past years. Baltimore brings a 16-9 record to Boston after having taken a series against the Yankees. 

        The Sox have more injury problems, Kevin Youkilis has been placed on the disabled list and Josh Beckett will miss his start on Saturday, but that seems more like 

an excuse for Aaron Cook than anything. However, fortunately for the Red Sox they have Will Middlebrooks while Youkilis is out. In his first big league game he went 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base. He was batting well over .300 in Triple AAA and was leading the PawSox with nine home runs. He has a tremendous combination of speed and power and the Sox may have to find a roster spot for him after Youkilis comes back. It is nice to see someone from the farm system getting the call because it seems like the Sox have been going away from that recently, we don’t want to turn into the Yankees. Sorry Nick Punto, but if this kids for real you may need to find a new home.

       Now for the pitching situation, we all new Aaron Cook was coming up, but no one knew what they were going to do with him. Beckett apparently is feeling a “bit stiff” so Cook will start in his spot on Saturday. What happens after that, well your guess is as good as mine. I imagine that whoever has the worst start out of Dubrount, Bard, and Cook will be moved to the bullpen, but it is really just a complete and utter mess. The Sox brought up Clayton Mortensen to the bullpen for a few days until Cook is actually needed, turns out the guy has some real stuff. He struck out six batters in three innings, allowing just one baserunner during that time. Are you really going to send him down for Cook after a performance like that? They said they are going to so they most likely will, but I feel like someone else in the bullpen should probably get the boot. 

       The Red Sox also added Jose Iglesias, the strong fielding shortstop, who many wanted to start the season as the Sox shortstop. The problem is he can’t really hit and his speed is useless if he isn’t getting on base. Aviles’ glove has been fine this year and he is hitting great and even running on the bases so don’t expect Iglesias to last past Youkilis’ return. He will probably get a start at shortstop or pinch run for someone, but they are just trying to give him a little taste of the Bigs while they have the chance. 

April 30th Red Sox

         The White Sox scored early on Beckett and that was the difference in the ball game. Chicago scored three runs against him in the first, the only runs he would allow in the 6.2 innings that he pitched. Unfortunately for the second straight day the Sox offense was slowed down by the White Sox pitching. After four innings it was looking a lot like the Sox might get perfect gamed, but a walk to Cody Ross with two outs in the fifth ended that. The no hitter lasted until the seventh when Dustin Pedroia grabbed the first hit of the game for the Red Sox, eventually coming across to score their only run of the ball game. 

         The bullpen for Boston allowed just the second run in their last twenty innings pitched, no surprise the Sox went 6-1 during that stretch. I don’t think any Sox fan will overlook the importance of a strong bullpen after this season. It may very well be what makes or breaks the Sox all season long and determines if they have a chance at the World Series. 

         Once again it was Kelly Shoppach doing the catching behind the plate for Josh Beckett. When asked about it after the game he denied him being Beckett’s personal catcher, but I think everyone knows that without him admitting it, he is. Kevin Youkilis was a late scratch before the game due to back stiffness, but it sounds like it isn’t something to be too worried about. The Sox haven’t had any days off in the past twenty days except the rain out before they hit the road. Youkilis had some injuries last season and I’m sure it was just to be very cautious and Valentine wanted to get Nick Punto into the lineup anyways. Everyone thought it would be a pluton between him and Aviles at shortstop, but with Mike playing so well that just hasn’t been the case. Punto is going to have a tough time finding playing time with Youkilis, Aviles and Pedroia in front of him and Iglesias waiting in the weeds behind him. 

         The Sox get to head home after there nice winning streak for hopefully a little home cooking. Once again their schedule is favorable as well as the pitching match-ups. They have three games at home against Oakland before an off day on Thursday and then the surprising Orioles come to town for a weekend series before the Sox out to Kansas City for a very quick three game set with the Royals. Then they will head right back to Boston for a four game series with Cleveland followed by a short two game stint with the Mariners. With the way the Sox have been hitting the ball and with the pitching finally coming around the Sox have the potential to take the lead in the division. Yes I said it, take control of the AL East. 

April 29th Red Sox

         The Sox did it, what seemed to be the impossible a week ago has come true. Boston won their sixth game in a row raising their record to 10-10 and now sitting at

.500 just a few games behind Baltimore and Tampa Bay for the lead in the division. It took the best pitching performance of the year for the Sox, but it was a huge confidence booster for everyone involved. Jon Lester went seven very strong innings striking out seven without allowing a run. He turned the ball over to the bullpen with just a one run lead and absolutely no margin for error. Franklin Morales and Vincente Padilla combined to pitch a scary, but scoreless eighth inning leaving Alfredo Aceves three outs to get and he did. Aceves pitched his first inning without allowing a baserunner and striking out one. Once again the bullpen looked strong. 

         On the other side over shadowed by the Sox sixth straight win was Jake Peavy’s great performance allowing just one run in a complete game. He allowed just five base-runners all night and struck out seven, but his offense couldn’t come through for him. This kind of win even gives confidence to the offense, realizing they aren’t going to have to score ten runs a night in order to get a win. Jon Lester got his first win in his last eight starts dating back to last season, hard to say that doesn’t give him a ton of confidence especially knowing if he had allowed a single run he wouldn’t have got it. 

        What I don’t understand is why Ryan Sweeney isn’t playing everyday, regardless of whether the opposing pitcher is a lefty or not. The guy is batting .391 and is in the top five in the American League in batting average, at least give the guy a chance to see how he hits them on this hot streak. Clearly he is seeing the ball remarkably well and another lefty on the team, David Ortiz, happens to be hitting .400 for the season and against lefties alone. Now I know he isn’t Big Papi, but Ortiz is hitting lefties well for the first time in a long time and it just so happens it’s while he is swinging the hottest bat in the league. Can’t tell me those two things don’t have some correlation, so why not give Sweeney a chance against lefties, especially when you have a shorthanded outfield. 

        The Sox look for a seven game winning streak tomorrow, all on the road and a four game sweep of the Chicago White Sox. They will be matched up against Gavin Floyd who has had the Sox number in the past, career 6-0 against them. However, Josh Beckett has been pitching much better as of late and the Sox are just finding ways to win. It should be a great final game to the road trip. 

April 28th Red Sox

         The Red Sox kept the winning streak alive last night with an identical 10-3 win in the second of four games against Chicago. Along the way the Sox answered a few questions, at least for now. Daniel Bard will stay the fifth starter for now, tossing seven innings with just two earned runs coming home. Once again he looked really good in the starters role and his stuff is just working. People really underestimate how difficult it is to go from being a setup man or closer to a starter and he has gone back and forth just this week. Things are going to get pretty complicated when Aaron Cook’s contract is up and Dice-K is back from rehab, but for the moment the rotation is going to stay as it is. 

         The Sox offense continues to shine scoring ten runs again, they must be leading the league in most games with double digit runs. The unlikely hero last night was Darnell McDonald, perhaps my least favorite Red Sox. He hit a bases clearing double in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie giving the Red Sox a lead they would never again let up. McDonald is a hard worker and all, but I just don’t think he should be on the Sox major league roster. I would much rather see one of the young speedy kids in the farm system get a chance while Ellsbury and Crawford are out. His 2 for 4 night with four runs batted in skyrocketed his batting average to .147. Any guy in the majors without a great track record should not be playing with any consistency if they are hitting that low. He has a decent glove and moderate speed, but neither are so stunning that they alone should keep him up here. I would much rather see a prospect that can come in to run in the ninth and steal second or come in to shut down center field. For a guy with little power and moderate speed, batting with a career average under .250 just isn’t working for me, especially given that he is thirty-three years old and on the downside of a lousy career. 

         Well I kind of do feel bad for slamming Darnell after he had a great night for the Sox and I fully expect him to be the utility man for the Sox while Ellsbury and Crawford are injured, but I just don’t think it’s the best man for the Sox. What I do like about him is he cares and works very hard to try and keep his spot so as long as he can sprinkle in a night like this once a month than I will keep my mouth shut for now. Tomorrow each teams ace take the hill in what could be the first time the Red Sox reach .500 this season. When I said they need to go on a tear to reach .500 before May I didn’t think it was possible, but Lester and Sox will have a chance tomorrow against Jake Peavy. 

April 27th Red Sox

       The Sox were lucky in enough to face Humber the start after his perfect game, but they didn’t let him contain their hot bats. Instead the Sox erupted for nine runs against him during his five innings, raising his ERA from 0.63 to a rough 4.66. I said in yesterdays entry that the White Sox have some good pitching, but I wasn’t sure if they were going to be able to slow down the Sox offense and that was certainly the case last night. On the other side of things Felix Dubrount continued his consistency tossing six innings allowing just three earned runs. Perhaps the best moment of the night was seeing Junichi Tazawa combine three scoreless innings to record his first save of his major league career. He missed the entire last season with Tommy John surgery, but he looked very sharp last night. The Sox had high hopes for this kid before his surgery and the bullpen could use a few more outings out of him like last night. 

        The Sox continued to display their power last night as well as their early dominance, scoring two in the first and adding another five in the third inning. That early run support is going to be a key factor in the success of the Sox starters for the remainder of the long season. Kevin Youkilis may have finally busted out of his slump with a grand slam in the top of the third inning. He went 3 for 4 with two runs and four runs batted in. Just behind him in the lineup catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia had a big night, going deep twice against not-so-perfect Phillip Humber. The Sox lacked power early in the season, but it is a big boost to a lineup when guys up and down your order have the potential to go yard at any given time. With Aviles showing great power in the past few games and Salty yesterday the Sox may not have a thirty home run guy on their squad, but they have plenty who can hit at least twenty. 

        Tomorrow it will be Daniel Bard taking the baseball to the mound for the Sox hoping to extend their winning streak to five games and one win shy of .500. It will be interesting to see how Bard performs after having pitched out of the bullpen on Monday. He looked like he was really getting into a rythm before the weather disrupted his routine and he knows he is fighting to stay out of the bullpen. Sox fans aren’t really sure where they want Bard and his next couple of performances will have a big impact on wether or not he stays in the rotation or takes over the closer role. The bullpen had another scoreless performance and I don’t dare say it but...

 

April 26th Red Sox

        Dustin Pedroia fell a home run shy of the cycle in the Sox scary final game of their sweep. The Sox appeared to be cruising to their third win in a row until Buchholz hit a road block in the sixth inning. It appeared he would finally get a nice start under his belt until he couldn’t record an out in the sixth inning. He left in the middle of the inning with the bases juiced and the bullpen didn’t come through for him (big surprise I know). Scott Atchinson and Justin Thomas came in to face three batter without managing to record an out. It took a huge Matt Albers double play to let the Sox escape with their head just barely above water with a 7-6 lead. Somehow, someway that is how the game ended. The twins had seized all momentum, but the Sox bullpen kept them scoreless after the sixth. 

        Of course Aceves came in for a heart-attack save in the ninth, allowing two base runners with no margin for error, but he got out of the inning unscathed. All in all it was actually a good outing for the Sox pen allowing just one earned run the 3.2 innings they pitched and it turned out to be a great series for just about everyone involved, especially the bullpen. Maybe Daniel Bard’s appearence gave everyone a little extra confidence (while I doubt that to be true it sounds good and it makes Bobby V actually look good for once, well I’m not sure if I actually want that). 

         While the matchups looked promising for the Sox, with the way they were playing a sweep on the road seemed damn near impossible, even if it was against the now 5-14 Minnesota Twins. The Sox bats once again came alive when they needed them, scoring a combined twenty-five runs in the three game series. What I am most pleased to see is the production they have been getting early in the games, we can finally see what happens when our starting pitchers are able to work with a lead. 

         The Sox now head to the windy city to take on a very beatable Chicago White Sox team. They have some good starting pitching, but with the way Boston is swinging the bat right now I am not sure if they have quite the stuff to tame the Sox. What I do know is the White Sox lineup is not strong and the Sox starters actually need to take advantage of that for once. It will be the bottom end of the rotation in the first couple of games, but they have actually been two of the more reliable so far this season. The Sox need to continue this winning streak if they want a taste of .500 before May strikes.