Rich Harden Out, Erik Bedard In

Sorry for my post that said Rich Harden was acquired from Oakland. He was, but the physical was a stumbling block that nixed that trade.

Instead, the Sox got creative in a 3-team deal that sends Erik Bedard from Seattle to Boston - unless there are some strings attached that I don't know about. Bedard will be the 5th starter if Buchholz returns this year. If not, he will vie for the #3 spot with John Lackey or become the #4.

Good move, Theo. We needed another arm. Bedard will be a rent-a-pitcher for the remainder of this season. I say it can't hurt because Miller has to be moved out of the rotation.

Sox Win Series in Windy City

Timely hitting & excellent relief pitching by Aceves, Bard & Pap sunk the White Sox today 5-3. The Red Sox finally shake-off their poor record against the ChiSox by winning 2 out of 3 this weekend.

Jason Varitek hit a big 2-run homer to get the Sox on the board first. Dustin Pedroia came through with a big 2-run single in the 7th. And Adrian Gonzalez hit a big double to score an insurance run in the 9th.

The Andrew Miller experiment should be coming to an end. Too many free bases. Too many hits. He did have several K's today which just reflects the up & down nature of his control from batter to batter. Maybe new acquiree Erik Bedard will take his spot in the rotation. I'd even go with Wake over Miller for the future.

Welcome Rich Harden, Mike Aviles

Theo got the depth he was looking for in starting pitching by bringing in Rich Harden from the A's. Often injured, Harden just needs to stay healthy for a few months through the end of the season & into the playoffs. When healthy Harden can give you quality starts. Just what the doctor ordered. Anderson & a player to be named later go to Oakland in return.

Mike Aviles is more of a lateral move for Navarro with more experience & perhaps a more consistent bat. He brings an option for a right-handed bat to the outfield as well.

Do you think Theo is done? For some reason I think he is still interested in Eric Bedard. If we get another pitcher, I think that signals the end of the season for Clay Buchholz. Both Harden & Bedard would be rent-a-pitcher scenarios as both are free agents at the end of the year.

Sox Bats Awaken to 10-2 Win

Jon Lester looked super.

After a night off Adrian Gonzalez got back to punishing the ball with 3 hits including a homer to right. Youk followed suit with a big fly to left to go back-to-back. Saltie continued his hot hitting with 2 doubles after homering the night before. Sox offense scored 6 runs in the last 2 innings to break the game open.

As Jerry Remy said, the story of this game is Jon Lester's dominating performance over 8 innings. His location was good & his pitches were crisp with good break. This might have been his best game of 2011.

Sometimes a little rest in mid-season does a body well. We can only hope for the same result with Clay Buchholz.

Sox Lose, Trade Deadline Looms

The White Sox could make a living beating up on the Red Sox this year. Tim Wakefield pitches what might be his best game of the year & loses 3-1. Go figr!

The bigger question heading into tonight's game is the status of Clay Buchholz for the remainder of the 2011 season & whether the Sox will make a move to get another pitcher before Sunday at 4 PM.

Ubaldo Jimenez is too expensive & may head to NY for a bunch of top prospects. Eric Bedard is the least expensive & could be the best option for another arm for 2 months. I still like the in-house solutions with Aceves & Doubront.

I'm sure Theo & Co. are doing due diligence on a number of options.

Buchholz Misdiagnosed?

Anyone out there thinking like me on this back injury situation with Clay Buchholz?

Let's turn the page back to last year. Ellsbury had cracked ribs which were misdiagnosed by the Sox medical staff. It caused Ells a lot of angst with players, management & reporters.

And don't forget Dustin Pedroia last year. The medical staff cleared him to play & he wound up with a screw in his ankle.

Is Buchholz doomed to a similar fate this year? How can 3 opinions clear him to work through pain & now Buck is getting a specialist to look at possible structural damage?

The Sox medical staff does not have a great track record, especially after last year. I hope that Buck was not advised down the wrong path & that he can eventually return this year in time for the playoffs.

Pats Upstage Red Sox With Signings

We're in the heat of a pennant race with just days left until the end of the trade deadline. However, the New England Patriots upstaged the Red Sox by signing nose tackle Albert Haynesworth & wide receiver Chad Ochocinco. Both are coming off poor years & have much off-the-field baggage.

Can these two bad boys find the errors of their past ways & become a Bill Belichick makeover? Hard to say right now. This could be the final contract for both 30-somethings, so maybe they decide to win before retiring.

These Pat signings have stirred up their neighbors to the south down in Jet-land.

KC Earns Split With 4-3 Win

This may sound a little weird, but I actually felt good for the players on the Royals with their 4-3 win this afternoon. After being crushed & totally dominated for the past 2 nights by the Red Sox offense a big 3-run homer by Billy Butler propelled the Royals to a win.

Josh Beckett still pitched well. He ran into trouble in the 4th on two fronts. First, he walked 2 batters in front of Butler before his blast. Second, if you watch the pitch sequences, it looks like Varitek & Beckett went away from using the changeup & curve. It was fastball, fastball or cut fastball, cut fastball. Butler knew a fastball was coming & he creamed it. Hey, it happens. Any other day & the Sox score 10 & win 10-4. It just didn't happen today.

Now it's off to Chicago & Ozzie-world. The White Sox, like the Red Sox, may be looking to make roster moves over the weekend before the trade dealine expires on Sunday. Other than Carlos Beltran to the Giants, most of the other trades have been so-so. No blockbusters to date. I hope the Sox fill their pitching needs from within the organization.

Finally, how about Dustin Pedroia stroking a Green Monster homer in his last at-bat to keep his hitting streak alive?

Pirates Get Screwed On Jerry Meals Call

My opinion - stop all the hubbub about more instant replay. Meals got the call wrong. He admitted it. Move on.

When I was playing I was told not to make the game so close that one call by an umpire can effect the final outcome. Over the 19 inning, 6 hour marathon I know that the Pirates & Braves had other missed opportunities to end the game. Go back & focus on those opportunities that were in your control.

Weather, umpires calls - those are things you can't control. Making the game longer with more replay is not going to fix anything - unless you're a Pirate fan!

Sox Win 12-5, Buchholz on DL

Good news, bad news.

The Sox offense continue to massacre Royals pitching with another 10+ run output last night. Ells, Pedroia & Big Papi (granny) all hit homers to account for 8 RBI. John Lackey had another OK performance, keeping the Royals under 5 runs over the first 6 innings. Other than giving up a 3-run bomb in the 1st, he was pretty effective. We'll take it. Josh Beckett goes this afternoon as the Sox try for 3 out of 4. A Yankees loss to the Mariners last night puts the Sox lead back to 3 full games.

Clay Buchholz was placed on the 15-day disabled list. His scheduled side session was stopped & it appears that he is headed for another evaluation on his ailing back from another specialist. This is not good news. Now Theo & Co. need to listen a little harder & longer about acquiring another starter for the stretch run. As part of their options, since there are no outstanding pitchers out there, I hope they look internally at Felix Doubront or Alfredo Aceves. Doubront may be a few more starts away from joining the big club as he makes his way back from an injury. With the emergence of Dan Wheeler as a multiple inning guy in the bullpen Aceves can be converted back to their 4th starter.

The Sox will be in Chicago when the trade dealine hits on Sunday. It will make for an interesting weekend in the Windy City.

Has Gonzo Hit the Wall?

First, I should say that I haven't watched every inning of every game in this last week. However, what I have seen is an Adrian Gonzalez that hits ground balls or strikes out with frequency. I haven't seen Gonzo drive a ball deep in the air or on a line in over a week. Have I missed something?

Statistically, Adrian is the best hitter in the AL. Can any hitter go into a slump? Sure. I know he has refuted the notion that his participation in the home run derby did not affect his swing. However, I think any fan can see that he has not been the same guy at the plate since the all-star break.

Once Youk gets back in the lineup I would give Gonzalez a day or two off. The Sox have 15 games in 15 days before their next scheduled off day on August 11th. The Yankees series at Fenway is on the tail end of that stretch. I'd like to see Gonzo fresh(er) & ready to go for the Yankees in August.

Do you agree?

Another Slugfest Win 13-9

Dustin Pedroia - 4 hits. David Ortiz - 4 hits. Sox offense continues to roll, even without Kevin Youkilis in the lineup. Scoring 10 or more runs in a game has become commonplace.

And thank goodness for the offense, given the less-than-spectacular starting pitching by Andrew Miller last night. Isn't it time for the Miller experiment to end? His control has reverted to poor once again &, when pitching behind in the count, hitters are taking him to the cleaners. Maybe it's time to give Kevin Millwood or Felix Doubront a try. Either could do no worse.

Jon Lester Back

It was great to see the Sox big lefty back on the mound. Lester showed a few signs of rust, but overall had a good outing, giving up just one run over 5 + innings.

He will be scheduled to pitch in Chicago against Ozzie & Co. on Saturday. That will be a better challenge than the Royals. Getting Lester ramped up on his normal 5 day schedule can only help the Sox going forward. Kyle Weiland was optioned back to Pawtucket yesterday. His time as Lester's replacement is over.

Lester joins Beckett, Lackey, Wake & Andrew Miller as the 5 starters for the remainder of July. Clay Buchholz should return to mound duties by mid-August, assuming no setbacks in his rehab program.

Where is Felix Doubront in this whole pitching picture?

Sox Lose in Extras 3-1

It was bound to happen. The Sox had to lose a game sometime. I made it through the first 9 innings on TV, then I had to get some sleep for an early morning work appointment today.

It took 14 innings, after a 2 hour plus rain delay, but the KC Royals persevered to a 3-1 win. Williams took the loss.

My only comment about this game is that Adrian Gonzalez looks like he needs a day off. 3 strikeouts over the first 9 is one thing, but he really looked bad. Either he wasn't seeing the ball well or he just has dead bat speed. I think a day off would serve him well.

Youk hurt his right hamstring running out a ground ball last night when he clipped the front part of the first base bag. The Red Sox website says Youk will be out of the game tonight. Let's hope that it's just one game, not more.

Coming Soon - Ryan Lavarnway

He went to an Ivy League school, so we have to discount his power numbers due to the competition. (I take offense to that!)

He hasn't been a catcher long enough yet.

These are the standard "rubs" against Red Sox prospect Ryan Lavarnway. But all Lavarnway has done is prove everyone wrong at each level in the farm system.

Lavarnway is now tearing the cover off the ball at triple-A Pawtucket. Just like in AA Portland & the Arizona Fall League he has hit for average & hit for power at every level. Fans will get to see him soon with the September call-ups & maybe even sooner should something happen to Varitek, Saltie or Big Papi.

Lavarnway had the best home run per at bat ratio of all NCAA D1 players in the country. I saw him play & hit an HR in the AFL & immediately thought here is a guy on his way up.

My podcast partners have heard me talk about him a lot. I look forward to seeing what he can do for the big team later this year.

Sox Win Slugfest 12-8, Sweep Mariners

Even a grand slam was no problem for the Sox to overcome today as the Boston offense pounded out a dozen runs to sweep the Mariners with a 12-8 victory.

Good for Tim Wakefield to get a win & move to one shy of 200 for his long career. He also achieved his 2,000 strikeout during the game. Prior to the grand slam in the 7th Wake had pitched effectively, giving up 3 runs over the first 6. What a great career it has been for Tim Wakefield with the Red Sox. He needs about 8 more wins to become the all-time winningest pitcher in Red Sox history.

Gonzo, Crawford & Saltie all had 3-hit days. Youk had a 2-run homer. Pedroia kept his hit streak going. And on & on & on. This Sox offense was relentless on the day & would not be denied a win.

The KC Royals visit Fenway for a 4-game set on Monday. Jon Lester gets his first start of the 2nd half & looks to shrug off any downtime effects from a back injury.

Ellsbury, Beckett Lead Sox to 3-1 Win

If the Sox are lucky, they just might squeeze out one more win behind Tim Wakefield today before the Seattle Mariners awake from their 14-game losing streak funk.

Yesterday, Josh Beckett pitched 7 strong innings, giving up just one run while inching his ERA closer to 2.00 for the season. He did earn his 9th win. Beckett continues to provide reliability & consistency to a rotation which has only 2 starters left out of the original 5 that started the season. Lester will make it 3 starters back on Monday, but he will be under an 80 to 90 pitch count.

Jacoby Ellsbury continues to provide offensive punch by getting on base regularly & also by knocking in key RBI's. His 2-run single in the 7th broke a 1-1 tie & gave Beckett the win. It is not a stretch to consider Ellsbury in the conversation for AL MVP. He is having that kind of year.

Dustin Pedroia chipped in 2 more hits to keep his 20-game hit streak alive. Ells, Pedroia & Youk are certainly the hot bats right now. Both Pedroia & Youk have raised the BA's to the more respectable .280 / .290 ranges after having subpar offensive years in the first half.

The Red Sox are a tough team to beat right now. A Yankees loss to Oakland yesterday now lengthens the Sox lead to 3 full games over the boys in pinstripes. Another win by Wake today would be icing on the cake.

Sox Beat the King 7-4

Felix Hernandez made it through the first 6 innings fine, but a 5-run 7th spelled a loss, the 13th in a row, for the Mariners who are a team adrift in the ocean. Most of their starters are triple-A guys whose names are new to baseball fans. Other than Ichiro, it's a young & unproven roster as their record would indicate.

However, no team is ever as bad as you think. I hope Beckett & Wake can keep Seattle in a lull for 2 more games before they decide to wake up.

John Lackey pitched another good game over the first 7 innings. Jacoby Ellsbury kept his home run swing going. Dustin Pedroia had 3 more hits. Youk chipped in 2 hits. And Adrian Gonzalez keeps hitting seeing-eye ground balls for RBI's. We'll take it.

60 wins gives the Sox the 2nd best record in the bigs. The only team better is the Phillies with 62 wins. As long as the Sox win, the Yankees can't gain any ground at 2 full games behind.

New Podcast

Since we have an off-day today we were able to get another podcast into the books - so to speak. Look for the newest podcast to be uploaded in the new day or two.

Please feel free to let us know about future discussion questions that you would like to hear our thoughts about.

Thanks for visiting 3 no-hitters!

Ells, Gonzo, Miller Lead Sox to 4-0 Win

Jacoby Ellsbury - 2 home runs.

Adrian Gonzalez - 4 hits to end his slump.

Andrew Miller - bounce back performance of zero runs over 5 2/3rd.

And the Sox win another series on the road, taking 2 out of 3 in Baltimore in the sweltering heat. Tomorrow is a good off-day with temps expected to be in the high 90's.

Another positive step was taken by Clay Buchholz who threw off the mound for the first time with no pain. He should begin to ramp up his rehab now & get back into game action by mid-August. Looks like Andrew Miller gets more starts until Buck gets back.

The Sox look for big results on their homestand which starts on Friday against Seattle & then Kansas City. Perhaps we can lengthen out our lead over the Yankees.

Sox Lose 6-2

Kyle Weiland pitched well enough to get a win - 3 runs over 6 innings. However, the Sox offense could muster only 2 runs in the heat & the 2nd-day hangover of their 16 inning tilt vs. the Rays from Sunday night. Good news - Yankees lost to the Rays.

Dustin Pedroia kept his hitting streak alive at 18. Saltie hit a homerun for the 2nd day in a row. But Youk, Gonzo & Crawford could do nothing against Jeremy Guthrie. For a guy with 13 losses Guthrie pitched pretty well.

This was Weiland's last fill-in start as Jon Lester is scheduled to pitch on Monday at home vs. the KC Royals. Weiland is certainly a guy with a lot of future potential.

Andrew Miller tries to rebound from a poor outing this afternoon & the Sox go for their 5th series win in a row. July has been a very good month so far.

Sox Outslug O's 15-10

Unfortunately, this may be the recipe for Sox wins, at least for the near future. With guys like Wake, Weiland & Miller pitching a full series in Baltimore you can expect the O's to score runs. We just have to score more.

And 8 runs in the 8th inning by the Sox offense last night put a 7-7 game out of reach. It was a combination of walks, singles & doubles that saw Baltimore die a slow death in the 8th as the Sox batted around. It was like a cat that catches a mouse & bats it around before ending the misery. Several Baltimore pitchers were ineffective against the Sox lineup. I was surprised that Buck Showalter brought in a kid just called up from triple-A to face a bases loaded, 1-out situation & it didn't fare well for the young pitcher. I don't believe he recorded an out.

Dan Wheeler got the win with 2+ innings of scoreless relief work. Wheeler has quiet become a more dependable bullpen guy since his return from the DL. We do need a lot of bullpen arms to backup the starters in place for another week until Lester gets back on Monday. Buchholz is taking baby steps towards returning, but is still weeks away.

Win anyway you can. This week is all about the bats.

Pedroia, Sox Win Marathon in 16 Innings

I made it through the top of the 13th before closing my eyes for the night. It was great to wake up this morning & learn that Pedroia's single in the 16th to drive in Josh Reddick was the game-winner. Sox win the marathon 1-0 & take the series in St. Pete 2 out of 3. That's a great start to the unofficial 2nd half of the season.

Josh Reddick is an emerging story as he made a spectacular jumping catch high off the wall in left at the Trop earlier in the game. With Carl Crawford's return to the lineup Tito will be faced with starting Reddick or Drew in RF. Reddick is swinging the hot bat while Drew is still hitting in the .230's. Nothing like competition.

The question of Josh Beckett's knee was answered last night. He was healthy enough to throw a 1-hitter for 8 innings. A healthy & nasty Beckett is what the Sox need for the stretch run. Jon Lester is scheduled to make a start next Tuesday at home against KC. Now the 3rd piece is Clay Buchholz who has not thrown in a real game for a month. He's the biggest concern of the big 3.

A tired Sox team heads into Baltimore tonight for a 3-game set. Let's watch & see if Buck Showalter is going to play baseball or continue the feud from the last series. Tim Wakefield goes for the Sox in an effort to inch closer to becoming the all-time winner in Sox history.

Jenks Out Again, Crawford Coming Back

Bobby Jenks is on the DL for the 3rd time this year. If it wasn't for John Lackey & J.D. Drew underperforming thus far, more attention would be on Jenks as the anti-ironman. Maybe Ozzie was right!

Let's just say it & get it out there. Jenks is out of shape. So am I, but I'm not making $6 million a year for 2 years. He needs to shed several pounds to take a little weight off his ailing back. Let's get Bobby a free membership to Weight Watchers. Maybe that will keep him on the field. He has been a major disappointment so far.

On the positive side, Carl Crawford will rejoin the Sox after 2 successful rehab starts in Pawtucket. He will be available for the Baltimore series on Monday. crawford's return will start the controversy over Reddick or Drew in RF. Right now Reddick has the hot bat. It wouldn't be surprising to see one of the 2 right-fielders being dangled out there at the trade deadline.

As usual, it will be a fun week covering the Sox.

One Down, One Up

So far the Sox have split their first 2 games in the Trop. Andrew Miller was unimpressive in a 9-6 loss on Friday night, giving up 7 runs in 3 innings. The Sox offense made a nice comeback, but it's almost impossible to spot a team like the Rays 7 early runs & expect to win.

It was looking bad again on Saturday afternoon when John Lackey & poor defense gave up 3 first-inning runs to James Shields & the Rays. However, a big 2-run homer by Josh Reddick put the Sox back into the game & the offense took over from there to earn a 9-5 win. Shields was definitely not the same guy who pitched a complete game against the Sox shutout earlier in the year.

I have to give John Lackey credit for hanging in there after a rough start. And, as much as Lackey was not happy to come out of the game at 6-4, I give Theo credit for not stretching him too far & giving the bullpen a chance to save the game. As it turns out, the offense scored 3 more late-inning runs to put the game out of reach.

The first 2 games did favor the Rays from a pitching standpoint, but now we get the nod with Josh Beckett going tonight. Starting the 2nd half with 2 out of 3 wins in Tampa Bay would be a big lift.

Let Get It Re-Started!

The Sox get ready to do battle with the Rays in St. Pete tonight. If you look at the pitching matchups, they favor the Rays very heavily. They have Price, Shields & Newmann going while we have Miller, Lackey & Beckett or Weiland.

If we are to win 2 out of 3, the offense is going to have to beat a couple of real good pitchers.

First Half Surprises

Positive things that hit me so far about the 2011 season:

- Jacoby Ellsbury - what a comeback year he's having.

- David Ortiz & Josh Beckett - same as above in beating the odds on having much better than anticipated years.

- Josh Reddick making a case to replace J.D. Drew once Carl Crawford is back.

- Other fill-ins who have made a positive contribution like Navarro, Sutton, Miller & even Tim Wakefield.

I still think that a healthy Red Sox team is as good as it gets in the AL. Sox will be shortening their list on the DL. On the other side, the Yankees will need to manage 3-6 weeks without A-Rod.

I think we are in for a great 2nd half.

All-Stars Over, Beckett Questionable

I'm not a fan of the All-Star game. I didn't watch the Home Run Derby. And even though Josh Beckett said he could have pitched, his left knee was still sore enough to keep him out of action.

Bud Selig's & FOX's exhibition game that "counts" is over. Now we can focus on the 2nd half of the season. Now we can focus on getting players like Crawford, Buchholz & Lester back for the stretch run. And let's hope Beckett is ready to go for Sunday in Tampa Bay.

Playoffs, Realignment, Extra Wild Card

At the break I thought it would be fun to show which teams might benefit from realignment & which would benefit from adding an extra wild card team.

Under the current system, playoff teams would be:

AL - Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers & Yankees as wild card

NL - Phillies, Brewers/ Cards tied, Giants & Braves as wild card

Under realignment, which takes the teams with the 4 best records in each league, playoff teams would be:

AL - Boston, New York, Texas & Tampa Bay

NL - Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco, & 3 teams tied for last spot in Milwaukee, St. Louis & Arizona

Under the current system with the addition of an extra wild card team, playoff teams would be:

AL - Red Sox, Tigers, Rangers with 1-game playoff by Yankees & Rays

NL - Phillies, Brewers/Cards, Giants & 1-game playoff by Braves & either Brewers/Cards/Diamondbacks who are all tied

Bud Selig has said that realignment is premature, but the idea is certainly interesting & is creating a lot of buzz. You can see why it would with teams like the Tampa Bay Rays who outplay most of their competitors in the AL Central & AL West.

I like the idea of realignment or an extra wild card. Either change will make every team fight to the end of the season instead of being able to line-up their pitching for the playoffs 2 or 3 weeks ahead of time. There are so few good new ideas in baseball we should keep this one in the conversation.

Bush League, Buck, Bush League!

I believe that Buck Showalter told his pitcher Mike Gonzalez to throw at David Ortiz in the 6th inning of a 1-run game today. Very stupid. Very bush league. I thought a manager was suppose to coach his team to win, not teach them to play "plug-ees."

With the score 7-6 the O's were still in this game as opposed to the other 3. Yet Showalter just can't get his team focused on winning. He has to keep the feud against Ortiz going. As it turns out, Gonzalez' replacement gave up the insurance run & the Sox win 8-6.

As Francona said after the game, throwing behind a batter can get someone hurt. It should be an interesting series in Baltimore after the all-star break.

Grow up, Showalter, & fix your team before you lose your job.

Jeter is 3,003 & Counting

Derek Jeter did it in front of his home crowd. He also did it in high fashion, going 5 for 5 & hitting a homer for # 3000.

Say what you want, but I admire the body of work & consistency in play from year to year to year. Averaging 200 hits for 15 years is no easy fete as just 28 players in the history of baseball have been able to achieve the elusive 3,000 hit plateau.

Jeter is a throw-back. He plays the game right. You will never hear an opposing player say he didn't run out a fly ball or routine ground ball. He plays hard & he plays to win. A modern equivalent would be Pedroia or Youkilis on the Sox. Jeter has just done it longer.

It may be appropriate for Jeter to retire after this season before the Yankees have to move him out of shortstop. Even if he stays as a DH or outfielder, Jeter is going into the Hall of Fame. He has had a great career.

Sox Win Again 4-0

The story of last night's game wasn't lots of offense or lots of players mulling around on the field. It was John Lackey. Lackey pitched well into the 7th & combined with the bullpen to pitch a shutout over the hapless Orioles.

Lackey picked a good time to stymie the O's offense as fellow starters Buchholz & Lester are on the DL & Beckett is nursing a minor knee injury. The fact that the Sox have kept winning in spite of all the injuries is quite a story in itself.

At least Lackey has one good performance to build on to end the 1st half. His 2nd half has to be better.

Kevin Gregg - Wrong

Since when did Kevin Gregg become the keeper of the national pastime? He needs to tell us what's acceptable behavior & what isn't? Give me a break! Sox dismantle the O's 10-3 & the O's frustration comes out.

About the only thing that Gregg didn't say about the brawl with Big Papi is the truth. The truth is that he tried to hit Ortiz & missed. Then Gregg had to mouth off after he got an out instead of letting it go.

Gregg - loser. Orioles - losers.

All these Boston reporters are now chirping in about proper etiquette & whether or not Big Papi has a right to enjoy a homer run that happened 7 innings before. Stop! It's not about Ortiz. It's about a bad Orioles team - period.

Let me tell you that a pitcher doesn't like giving up homers to anyone. I gave up a few in my time & I didn't blame the batter for celebrating - unless he pointed at me. The next time at the plate I can tell you that the same batter is getting one high & tight on the first pitch. And that's the end of it. Then you go back to baseball.

Gregg is trying to confuse the issue by saying Ortiz didn't run out his fly ball, the $180 million payroll, etc. The honest explanation is that Gregg threw at Ortiz - simple as that. He was frustrated since the Sox scored 10 runs for the 2nd night in a row. And he's frustrated playing for a bad team.

Be a man, Kevin Gregg. Say the truth instead of making up excuses. Say I was frustrated & felt like hitting someone. That's more believable than not running out a fly ball. I have know respect for someone who has to make up excuses for his behavior.

Bombs Away!

As George Bush would say, it was a campaign of shock & awe.

In last night's game the Boston Red Sox offense shocked the Baltimore Orioles pitchers with 6 home runs, 3 in a row at one point. Sox score double-digits once again & beat the O's 10-4 in Game 1. The Sox win, combined with a Yankees loss, finds the Boston 9 atop the AL East in 1st place today.

Here's some of my thoughts about last night's game & just some thoughts in general.

- How long can the Sox continue to win with replacements? At some point these subs, like Reddick & Miller, will come down to earth again.

- Wouldn't it be funny to see the Rays sweep the Yankees in New York & have the Yankees finish in 3rd place at the All-Star break!

- It's unfortunate that a fan fell to his death in Texas. I've been to The Ballpark & it's a beautiful place to watch a game.

- The start of the Roger Clemens trial will remind all baseball fans of the dark ages of steriods & PED's. It reminds me today of Batolo Colon's witch doctor surgery to fix his ailing arm that gets him back to big leagues pitching like he was 20 again. Not all illegal substances are out of the game.

- Is anyone going to watch the All-Star game? It's become the equivalent of a Spring Training game for veterans.

- Dick Williams passed away. I will remember him for the '67 Impossible Dream year as most fans will too. Rest in peace.

That's my thoughts for today. Hit the comment button below & let me know yours. Have a good weekend & let's stay in 1st!

Wake Wins, Closes In On 200

Tim Wakefield is closing in on 200 wins. He went the first 7 last night, giving up only 3 runs, & let the offense help him to a 6-4 victory. Sox beat the Jays 2 out of 3 to take the series. They also gain a game on the Yankees who lost in Cleveland thanks to old friend Justin Masterson.

Even without Adrian Gonzalez, both Jacoby Ellsbury & Kevin Youkilis powered up the offense by getting 3 hits a piece, including one homer each. Even J.D. Drew contributed to the offense which is a good sign.

It was noticeable to me on a ground ball last night that the range of Marco Scutaro is decreasing. As dependable as he has been over the past few years, it is evident that Scutaro's first step into the hole is not what it use to be. I don't think that's news to anyone, but it does mean that a new shortstop, maybe Iglesius or Navarro, is on the horizon. Just imagine when the Yankees move Jeter out of short!

Fill-in Andrew Miller gets to start the series against the O's tonight. 3 out of 4 against Baltimore would be a nice finish to the unofficial first half.

Edge-Of-Your-Seat Win for Sox 3-2

WOW! Where do you start in describing last night's win over the Blue Jays 3-2?

McDonald to Varitek -- An accurate & pinpoint throw from McDonald in left to Varitek blocking the plate. Tek tags the runner for the final out of the game on what would have been the tying run in the 9th.

Jon Papelbon -- Probably the worst save of his career. He gave up 2 runs on a Bautista 2-run homer & almost blew the save by allowing a single to John McDonald. Sometimes lucky trumps good.

Matt Albers -- Pitches 2 scoreless innings of relief, including a spin move to trap a runner between 2nd & 3rd for the final out of the 6th. Very nice job by the entire bullpen from the 5th through the 8th.

Adrian Gonzalez -- He may need a day off due to his many strikeouts & many double play balls lately. Gonzo may have reached his wall & a day off may do him well.

Jon Lester -- Another starting pitcher will back problems. If all goes well, Lester will only miss his next start on Sunday & rejoin the rotation after the All-Star break in the #5 position. This will give him a full 2 weeks rest.

Clay Buchholz -- He flies to North Carolina today for a 2nd opinion on his back. Buck says the pain is 8 out of 10 when he tries to pitch. Not a good situation to say the least.

Carl Crawford -- The positive news is that Crawford is nearing 100%. He could return later this week to the lineup which may need more offense to make up for the use of substitute pitchers.

Kevin Youkilis -- After getting plunked in the back with a fastball & missing last night's game Youk is expected to return to the lineup tonight. With Tim Wakefield on the mound we need all the offense we can muster.

For a team that went through a ton of injuries last year the Boston MASH unit is starting to get busy again. Let's just limp into the All-Star break no further behind the Yankees than we are now.

Jacoby Ellsbury On Fire

Moving from the negativity surrounding John Lackey yesterday, it's time to give Jacoby Ellsbury his due. 4 more hits yesterday puts him on pace for close to 200 this year. He is also on pace to score 110 runs, steal about 55 bases & has an OBP of around .370. There is no better leadoff hitter in the majors.

In addition, commentators have used the words Gold Glove caliber outfielder in describing Ells' play on the defensive side of the ball. Jacoby reminds me of a young Johnny Damon. Maybe his only weakness is his throwing arm, but Ells makes up for it with his speed.

I am guilty of overlooking a great season to date by Ellsbury. He does deserve to be an All-Star & is a big reason why the Sox offense is so good.

Rough Day for Lackey

It was a train wreck. Balls hit hard onto & over the Monster. Balls hit softly & finding holes. Players unable to make plays. And John Lackey was in the middle of the whole debacle.

Before 3 innings were over the Sox were beaten into submission 7-0 by the Jays. Maybe the Jays are looking to return the favor to the Sox who crushed them in the Rogers Centre earlier this year. To the Sox credit, however, they battled back to make it an interesting game, losing in the end 9-7. Good news is that the Yankees & Rays also lost yesterday.

With Clay Buchholz off this week to get a 2nd opinion on his ailing back it appears that Francona is stuck with at least one more start by Lackey against the Orioles before the All-Star break. What happens after that?

About the only short-range option is to have Aceves & Lackey trade places in the rotation & bullpen. Long-term is for Lackey to get back to a middle-of-the-rotation, Tim Wakefield kind of guy, giving up 4 or 5 runs over 6 to 7 innings & giving your team a chance to win. If he can't be that guy, maybe Felix Doubront or Kevin Millwood get a chance to start.

We have no Dice-K for the rest of the year. We have no Buchholz for the month of July. And we have a questionnable John Lackey at present. Who would have "thunk" in Spring Training that 3 of your 5 starters would be out with injury or underperforming?

Starting pitching, a perceived strength this year, is becoming a real problem.

Sox Win 4th in a Row

Dustin Pedroia was right. When asked about the team's 4 game losing streak, he said they could easily win 4 in a row. Well, his prediction came through.

Sox finished a sweep of the Astros with a 2-1 win on Sunday afternoon, moving to within 1 1/2 of the Yankees who lost to the Mets. The Sox take their 4-game win streak home this week to play AL East foes Toronto & Baltimore before the All-Star break.

Nice to see Josh Beckett pitch the 8th yesterday & end up with a win. He has too many well pitched games that ended up in no decision this year. Also good to see that Josh joins Big Papi, Adrian & Ells on the AL All-Star team.

One happy guy to get back home is David Ortiz. Big Papi can resume his normal DH role & get back in the groove of hitting everyday again. He went hitless in pinch-hit & spot start roles over the 9 game road trip through the NL.

The Blue Jays, on the other hand, are coming off a big win yesterday at home over Cliff Lee & the Phils. Don't expect the Sox to humiliate them again like their last series in Toronto. This will be a tough series, but one which I expect the Sox to win.

How about the John Lackey drama? Will his start today be anything like his excellent one in Philly last week? It would be nice to see him become more consistent, wouldn't it? Every start for Lackey will be a big start now.

I'd like to see the Sox overtake the Yankees for 1st by the end of the week.

Are We Watching the Rays Now?

As the first half ended, the Sox would make the playoffs as the AL Wild Card team. Their closest competitor for the Wild Card is Tampa Bay, 2 back of Boston in the loss column.

As the second half unfurls, we will continue to watch the Yankees & hopefully overtake them for 1st place in the near future. It would be nice to win the AL East outright & have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But in the meantime, aren't we also looking below us to see what the Rays are doing? We want to get into the playoffs anyway possible. As in past years, however, one team from the AL East will be the odd man out. Right now, it's the Rays who are out, but we'll be watching that closely for the rest of the season.

Sox Beat Astros Again 10-4

The Red Sox are doing what they are suppose to - beat the low-flying Astros. Last night it was Andrew Miller who kept the Astros offense in check while Navarro & McDonald were adding late inning homers for the Sox to seal the win. Nice to see new contributors to the offense.

Miller is becoming a dependable 5 & 6 inning guy. He hasn't pitched against the toughest of lineups yet, but he will get a chance against the AL East this coming week. Miller & Wakefield have filled-in very nicely for Dice-K & Buchholz. Both will get at least one more turn before the All-Star break.

Speaking of Buchholz, let's hope his back is ready to go after his new return date of after the All-Star game. We will need Buck for the stretch run.

Sox Win In Comeback 7-5

The Sox offense erupted for 6 runs in the 7th, just in time to salvage a win in Game 1 in Houston last night. Prior to the 7th inning, it was looking pretty bleak for the Sox who scored only 1 run off the Houston starter who fans 10 along the way.

Dustin Pedroia had the at-bat of the night after arguing a pitch called a strike with home plate umpire Laz Diaz. Pedroia hit the next pitch for a 2-run single to right & turned around on his way to first to bark more at Diaz over the previous pitch. That's what we need, a little intensity.

Too bad Tim Wakefield couldn't make it through the first 6 full innings. He missed out on a win by 2 outs which Dan Wheeler picked up for him. The bullpen of Wheeler, Albers, Morales, Bard & Papelbon shutdown the Astros the rest of the way.

Last night's win finishes the 1st half of the season with 47 wins & 2 1/2 games behind the Yankees in the AL East standings. I'm looking for better results in the 2nd half as players like Beckett, Crawford & Buchholz get healthy for the stretch run.

Cameron Waived

Mike Cameron is gone. As Theo admitted, this was one signing that didn't work.

Cameron was hurt with a sports hernia for most of 2010. He earned points with his teammates by playing through pain for as long as he did. This year it appears that Cameron never regained his old form. Neither at the plate nor in the field was he the same guy. It was time to let Cameron go & get a more productive player to take his spot on the 25-man roster.

The Sox have options in J.D. Drew, Darnell McDonald & Josh Reddick. As in a previous article I wrote about time for John Lackey to "man up," can't we say the same about J.D. Drew? Time for Drew to play everyday & contribute. If he's played 40 games out of the first 80, I'd be surprised. Vacation is over, J.D. Pick up your glove, get your butt on the field & stay there.

With Cameron gone opportunity is knocking in RF. Who will answer the door? I think Drew.

80 Games Down, 82 To Go

After the first 80 games of 2011 the Sox are 12 games above .500 at 46-34. 12 games over .500 seemed impossible in early June when they were still trying to get to .500.

As it stands now, the Sox would win the AL wild card, joining the Yankees, Tigers & Rangers in the playoffs. The surprising Cleveland Indians are still in the AL Central race at this late date, as are the LA Angels in the AL West.

One big surprise is the Tampa Bay Rays. They have 45 wins & are a definite contender for the AL wild card spot. The Sox will need to beat out the Yankees or Rays for a playoff berth. Only 2 of the 3 can make it.

Isn't this the way we thought it would be? It's always the Yankees & Red Sox. This weekend series in Houston should help the Sox get off to a good 2nd half start.