April 24th Red Sox

        Last night has left Bobby Valentine one of the toughest decisions he will face this season. He must decide whether or not to keep Daniel Bard as a starter or move him back into the bullpen. They brought him in last night with a man on third and one out and he stranded the man there something nobody in the bullpen has been able to do all season. I heard Bard talking about the decision to put him in the bullpen for the night and he was only willing because he knew the team needed it, he wants to be a starter for the Red Sox and that will a key factor in the final decision. Valentine committed to Bard as a starter at the beginning of the season and now that is what Bard wants. 

         The decision must be made quickly because the Sox have to decide whether they want to bring up Aaron Cook from Triple AAA and make him the fifth starter or if they are going to let him go. In three starts for the PawSox he is 3-0 with an ERA under 2. There is a huge difference between pitching down there and in the big leagues, but he has a lot of experience and he is throwing the ball extremely well right now. If the Sox don’t bring him up by May 1 he comes a free agent and the Sox could end up wasting a potentially strong fifth starter. Also good ol’ Dice-K made his first rehab start yesterday and while his numbers weren’t pretty I imagine the goal is to give him a spot in the rotation when he is ready. 

         I am not really sure which side I am rooting for. It is one of those decisions that will severely impact the Sox and how they play, but both sides have just as much potential. Bard is coming off a great start against the Rays where he held them to just one run in six innings. He has looked really good as a starter this season, but the Sox need a closer and he is the only guy on the roster that has the right stuff and the right confidence to do that job. Alfredo Aceves is a great pitcher, but he is just not fit for the closer job. Mentally he is not the right guy and he is trying to change his pitching style and it is causing him to overthrow the ball. He doesn’t have blow you away stuff and he doesn’t need it, but that is the typical profile of a closer. I love Aceves and the Sox need him to be the guy he was last year and the only way to do that is put him back in the same role as last year. 

         I think that if they go with Bard as a starter for now then they have to go out and get someone that close out games for them. I am not sure if they have anyone in the farm system ready or if that means making a trade, but the job is just not for Aceves and Melancon certainly didn’t pan out. The problem really is that Bobby V screwed everyone by committing to Bard as the fifth starter, and that is why I think he is going to keep Bard as a starter and Aceves as the closer.

          What would have made sense was giving Aceves the fifth spot in the rotation and make Bard the closer early in the year. That way when Dice-K comes back or if they wanted to call up Aaron Cook they could have and just moved Aceves into the bullpen. Aceves is used to having a funky job in the bullpen and making spot starts, Bard isn’t. I am confused as to what the game plan is for when Dice-K comes back, I mean they knew it wasn’t going to happen sometime. That means unless someone is injured you have to either move Dubrount or Bard to the bullpen, but they are “committed” to these guys as the starters. So even if he keeps Bard as a starter someone is eventually going to get screwed out of the rotation so why not just put Bard into the bullpen now because you know he is the most valuable in the pen. I understand he has great potential as a starter and I was really excited to see him start, but he also will be one of the best closers in the league if given that role. He has proven himself in the bullpen, not as a starter so why take that risk instead of leaving him where you know he is strong. Especially when you have no one else on your roster that has any experience closing out games. I know everything is messed up because Andrew Bailey is supposed to be the closer and they only committed to Bard as a starter because they thought he was going to be the closer, but there is no problem switching Bard after seeing an injury and what has happened to the Sox pen this season. It will be interesting to see what happens to Bard during the next few weeks because it will have a big impact on many pitchers in the Sox organization. 

April 23rd Red Sox

Well after thinking the Sox had finally figured everything out and thinking they had all the confidence in the world they lose their final five games of the home stand. After scoring at will with thirty-one runs in just three games against the Rays. They managed to cross the plate just seven times in the next four games. I don’t care if your pitching is awful or unreal that isn’t going to get the job done. Then when the bats finally come alive for the Sox and Dubrount shuts down the Yankees the bullpen comes in and allows back to back touchdowns in the seventh and eighth inning to blow a 9-0 lead. Fortunately for the Red Sox their Sunday night showdown with the Yankees was postponed so they get a much needed day of rest and avoid a game against the Yankees when they are clearly not playing well. 

I have said before that I am not panicked and I am sticking to my word, but I am stunned at what has happened to the Red Sox. They just don’t look like a team right now. The fans don’t have a lick of trust in manager Bobby Valentine, the bullpen has no confidence what so ever and quite frankly it looks like the Sox are still hungover from what blew up in the clubhouse last season. Granted it isn’t an easy thing to put past you, but it’s a new season guys show us you are pissed off about game 162. 

The real problem is this team just doesn’t have as many “true” Red Sox players as past years. They still have Lester, Beckett, Ortiz, Pedroia and Youk, but they don’t have the chemistry of prior Sox ball clubs. They don’t have the fire at the end of games that Papelbon brought they don’t have a cowboy up guy in Kevin Millar. Watching the Red Sox celebrate the 100 year anniversary made me realize these Red Sox aren’t like those guys. There is no more Varitek ,no more Wakefield, no more Nomar or Pedro. Not even Manny being Manny. And sadly no more Terry Francona (though it was very nice to see him show up to the anniversary). 

This is a new era of Red Sox and I don’t think fans are ready to accept that and they shouldn’t. Guys like Ortiz are trying to lead the new guys, but there is just to much controversy getting in the way. The Sox needed a hot start this season to put away the media concerning a new manager and the great collapse from last season, but they have just created more by starting 4-10. And by the fashion in which they have done so, blowing game after game in the bullpen in heartbreaking fashion. 

The Sox have made an interesting decision to skip Bard’s start and go with Lester today in Minnesota. I assume Valentine just wanted to make sure Lester and Beckett stay on schedule so they can get into a groove, but what is to come of Bard now. Is he available for the bullpen? When will he make his next start? These are all questions that Bobby V has to answer and I just don’t feel comfortable with him making the right call. The Sox need to shut everyone up and end this losing streak. They may be heading on the road, but their schedule is much more favorable than the one they just got done with. They have some good pitching match-ups lined up in their favor and they need to exploit them.

April 22nd Red Sox

        Good ol’ Bobby Valentine. Can we trust him? Is he the right fit for the job? Is he to blame for this horrendous start by the Boston Red Sox. I can really only answer the last question with any certainty, the answer is no, but he is a good scapegoat. Quite frankly I just don’t like the guy, he is arrogant and he succeeds one of the most likable guys ever in Terry Francona. He comes into a bad situation media wise and playing around with the media is the last thing the Sox need from him. 

          To me he seems like a guy that is trying to do to much just to say he did. The Sox have a bunch of great players and they don’t need Bobby V to do much for them to win. They don’t need him coming in here changing up the lineup and making a bunch of weird bullpen decisions, he hasn’t earned that right. In Francona’s final years as Sox manager he would make a small tweak in the lineup when the Sox were slumping, but the difference one he had proven himself and they always seemed to work. Had he been doing that for seven years and not one a championship he wouldn’t have lasted. Sure the Sox need a little spice from him, but he is doing way to much which is why the blame is being placed on him. Managers are the face of franchises and they are the easiest to blame and that is the case here. He can’t go out there and toss a shutout or hit home runs, but if the Sox guys aren’t doing that then fans get cranky and all eyes look to the new guy who happens to also now be the face of the franchise.

          For the past decade Boston fans have been treated with three of the best coaches in their respective sports and arguably the top in their sports. It is no surprise that all of them have brought home at least one championship in their respective sports during their coaching reigns. Sox fans know what a good coach is and that is why they aren’t putting up with all of Valentine’s bullshit. He comes into Boston acting like he owns the place, but fans aren’t going to deal with that if he isn’t winning games. He has a cocky attitude which can work if you have proven track record and your ballclub is winning games, he has neither of those things going for him. He and Cherington haven’t been the best of friends since their arrivals this summer and it won’t be long until people put him on the hot seat if the Sox don’t start winning games. 

         He has done two things that I just can’t even comprehend. First he calls out Kevin Youkilis for not putting in the effort he thinks he should be getting from him. He is the last guy on the Sox I would call out for a lack of effort. He wears his heart on his sleeve and despite being in a slump, every Sox fan out there knows Youk is working his tail off for the Sox. He is one of the few veterans left on this team and he is not the guy to call out. I don’t know if Valentine thought saying that would set a spark off for the Sox, but it didn’t and it just got both Sox fans and players very upset with Valentine. He also said that Derek Jeter was overrated. Don’t get me wrong I hate the Yankees and I hate Jeter, but I have respect for Jeter, he is one of the greatest hitters the game has ever seen. I hate him because he plays for the Sox rival and he is one of the main reasons why the Yankees are good not because he is overrated. I have never been a fan of coaches talking trash about the other team before a game or series and if anything that sparked the Yankees not the Sox as you saw in the result of the series. Bobby V had better hope the Sox start winning and he keeps his mouth shut or else his stay in Boston could be very short. 

April 16th Red Sox

        The Red Sox bats failed to complete the sweep of the Rays, but it was still a good sign for the Sox. As nice as it would’ve been to see them get back to .500 it was nice to see Daniel Bard pitch a gem. He had nasty stuff and if he could have kept it in the strike zone the result may have been in favor of the Sox. I have to imagine his pitch count was wearing on him and that is what lead to his loss of control in the seventh inning. He ended up walking home the only run of the ball game, but surprise Justin Thomas came in a got a key double play to get the Sox out of the inning. Unfortunately they ran into red hot James Shields who fell two outs away from what he does best, toss complete games. 

         The Sox bats were finally tamed, mustering up just four hits against the duo of Shields and Rodney. This was the series the Sox need though and they are now just a couple games behind the entire division. The pitching has looked a ton better, allowing just twelve runs in the four game series. However, it was the bats that really erupted and that is just what the Sox needed. They need to start jumping out to early leads and giving the pitching staff some solid run support. These guys need confidence and the Sox lineup is capable of doing so. 

         Texas comes to Boston tomorrow for a quick two game series. If the Sox aces, Lester and Beckett can pitch well and contain the Rangers potent offense the Sox will find themselves at .500 entering a three game series with the hated Yankees. Lester has pitched extremely well so far this season and hopefully he can continue that against the Rangers. The best way to beat Texas is by pounding their pitching and the Rangers are coming to town at the wrong time. The Sox have finally got their bats going and the match-ups look good for the Sox. Against one of the best teams in the league this is an important series for the Sox confidence. 

April 15th Red Sox

         Finally the Sox bats gave the pitching a little early run support and it was the difference in the game for the Sox. Cody Ross blasted a three run homer in the bottom of the second to get it started for the Sox. A double by Kelly Shoppach added another run in the fourth to give the Sox a 4-0 lead. Unfortunately Dubrount lost his stuff in the fifth and sixth and allowed the Rays to tie it up, but because the Sox finally had the early lead the three run fifth and one run sixth only tied the game. With the game up for grabs Big Papi answered for the Sox with an RBI double in the bottom half of the sixth to give the Sox the lead that they never gave back. Aviles hit a blast in the seventh to provide a very important insurance run for the shaky bullpen. 

          The pitching looked very good again for the Sox. The fourth and fifth starters were supposed to be the weak spot in the Sox team, but they have been one of the few bright spots on the pitching staff to open the season. While Dubrount didn’t finish with a strong pitching line his stuff looked scary good. He seemed to lose focus towards the end of his outing and the Rays capitalized. He was hitting his spots for the first four innings and then it was like he got lazy and it cost him. If he can continue to pitch like this and the top three Sox pitchers get back on track the Sox will be a force to reckoned with this season. 

          The Sox send Daniel Bard to the bump tomorrow in hopes to hit .500 for the first time this season. The Sox bats will face a tough matchup against ace James Shields, but it won’t be easy to tame the red hot Sox bats. You never expect to sweep a division rival and it would a be a huge four game sweep if the Sox can find a way to pull it off tomorrow.

April 14th Red Sox

The Red Sox looked right at home again today, piling on a slew of runs against the Rays in a 13-5 victory. After 25 runs in the past two games the Red Sox have the most runs scored in all of baseball. The eighth inning was kind to the Sox again as they scored five runs to seal the deal. However, the Sox got off to another slow start allowing the Rays to score four times in the top of the first. The Sox scored first in just one of their eight games this season, that is a stat they are going to have to change if they want to have a successful season. 

Buchholz settled in very nicely after allowing four in the first. He went seven innings allowing five runs on six hits. Morales looked very strong coming out of the pen once again securing the Sox lead until they broke it open in the bottom half of eighth. It was a home run derby for the Sox, who went yard five different times during the slug fest. Big Papi hit a two run shot, part of his five RBI day, and Mike Aviles broke the 5-5 tie in the seventh with a solo shot. Yet none was better than Cody Ross’s monster clearing bomb to cap the Sox victory. 

Cody Ross had a huge spring and many thought he would come out of the gates on fire, but it was just the opposite, he entered todays game hitting under .200 to start the season. He hit the ball hard today in all five of his at-bats. He only ended up with a hit in two of them, but it is a good sign for Sox fans. He has the potential to be a deadly Fenway hitter and he showed why today. Someone has to step up in the outfield with Crawford and Ellsbury out and he and Sweeney are doing just that. 

I thought it might be Sweeney who got a chance at the top of the order but Valentine elected to go with Mike Aviles instead. Aviles went 3-5 with two runs scored. It will probably be a combination of Aviles and Punto at the top spot. We have already seen Punto at the top once and it worked out well so don’t be surprised if whoever is at shortstop is also leading off. 

The Sox look to pull even with the Rays with a win tomorrow and pull with one game of .500. It won’t come easy though, the Rays send young phenom Matt Moore to the mound in hopes of containing this red hot Sox team. For the Sox it will be Felix Dubrount. 

April 13th Red Sox

       Welcome back to Fenway Park. The Red Sox crushed the Rays with a huge eighth inning to seal the win in their home opener. Josh Beckett pitched an absolute allowing just one run on five hits in eight innings of work. He probably would have come back out for the complete game had the Sox not added eight insurance runs in the bottom half of the eighth. Yet, there was still bad news to come from the win in the home opener. The Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, is out indefinetly with what sounds like a dislocated shoulder. He left the game in the fifth inning after being landed on by the Rays shortstop in an attempt to break up a double play. 

        An outfield that was set to be Crawford, Ellsbury and a combination of Cody Ross and Ryan Sweeney has now become Ross, Sweeney and good ol’ Darnell McDonald. That is a big hit to the Sox lineup and now Bobby V is going to have to decide who will take over as the leadoff man. Dustin Pedroia has has had success at the top of the order, but I am not sure if that is who Valentine will slide up there. My vote would be Ryan Sweeney. He is red hot with the bat and you don’t disrupt any of the veterans spots in the lineup. Then when Carl Crawford gets back have him take over. 

        The game was still a huge win despite the loss of Ellsbury. Josh Beckett rebounded with a great start, proving that is thumb is fine. The Red Sox went 10-17 as a team with runners in scoring position while the Rays were 0-5. I have said this before, but that eighth inning could be what gets this Sox team going. Every run they put across just builds their confidence. It will be interesting to see how this team responds after losing Ellsbury. It is still unclear exactly how much time he will miss. The intial report is a dislocated elbow which would put him out 6-8 weeks. Then once it is healed they would have to evaluate him for surgery which would mean the end of his season. 

        Kelly Shoppach caught Beckett and that may be something we see every time Beckett takes the hill. Beckett has a bad history with Salty and he pitched very well with Shoppach. Shoppach also performed very well at the plate, going 3-4 with three runs and two runs batted in, along with one of the ugliest stolen bases I have ever seen. It appears he will be the guy sharing the work load behind the plate with Salty. 

         The Sox need to keep this momentum going tomorrow when Buchholz and Hellickson face off. Hellickson shut down the Yankees in his first start, going 8.2 innings without allowing a run. Buchholz had a rough first outing, but many forget how good he can be. Two years ago he finished with a top five ERA in the American League and was pitching well last year until his back injury. The Sox need him to return to form against the Rays tomorrow.