Youk & Middlebrooks Co-Existing

Give Bobby V. a little credit. He found a way to move around Gonzo, Youk & Middlebrooks to keep all 3 bats in the lineup. And let's give some kudos to Gonzo for offering to play right & to Youk for moving over to play 1B. All 3 bats accounting for 6 hits & 4 runs, including 2 homers, to lead the Sox to a come-from- behind 6-4 win. Let's not be so fast to trade away Youk, a perennial all-star when healthy - which he is now. Big Papi continues to swing a hot bat as well, hitting his 11th HR last night. And all of this without Dustin Pedroia. Sox go for the sweep with Beckett on the hill tonight. It's been a nice revenge series thus far for the clobbering the Sox took in Detroit in their opening series of the year.

Pedroia's Thumb An Issue

I love how all the sports outlets have Petey missing a month of games already. How does anyone know at this point? If you listen carefully to these reports, they say he MAY miss or COULD miss or MIGHT miss a month. But they lead with Pedroia out for a month. That's good ol' Marketing 101. Make a big headline, then retract as the story unfolds. In fact no one knows definitely how long Pedroia will be out. Nick Punto can fill in temporarily on defense, but his bat is not producing for a long term fix. There are options in Pawtucket in Iglesias & Ciriaco. Middlebrooks played 2B years ago. I wouldn't expect a move until this weekend & the Sox are very sure what he has & how long the proper fix will take to get Petey back on the field. Don't believe everything you hear - that's an understatement!

Sox Beat Verlander 6-3

When I was pitching in college my roommate was from Connecticut. We were getting ready to play UConn & he kept telling me how good each player from UConn was, how they were all-state, & on & on. I finally asked him if we should bother getting on the field. Not only did we beat UConn that day, but we beat them every time I pitched against UConn in college. Maybe Daniel Bard & his teammates felt that way about facing Justin Verlander. Verlander is all-world, but just not last night as the Sox beat him & the Tigers 6-3. Papi has 3 big hits including a home run over the monster. Bard pitched 5+ giving up only 2 runs. And Alfredo Aceves pitched a scoreless 9th to seal the victory. It was a nice team win to get the club over .500 for the 1st time all year & they pull within 3 1/2 games of the leaders in the AL East. Like the NL East, all 5 teams in the AL East are above .500 now.

Back to .500 - Again

Felix Doubront pitched another good game. Ryan Sweeney & Salty paced the offense with multiple hits. And a fortuitous umpire's call helped the Sox to a 7-4 victory. It was disappointing to see Aceves give up 2 runs on a homer in the 9th - same as against the Rays on Sunday. Maybe he needs a day or two off. But we'll take the win, especially since Verlander goes for the Tigers today against the walk machine known as Daniel Bard. It would be a nice step forward for Bard to embrace the competition with Verlander & come up with a big game.

Sox Drop Series Finale 4-3

Too bad. A missed opportunity - again - for the Sox to get over .500. Gonzo came up big with a 3-run homer in the 7th. Buck pitched very well which is encouraging. But Aceves gives up a crushing 2-run homer in the 9th to blow a save. You could see that Aceves didn't have his best stuff as he walked a batter & fell behind Rodriguez before the homer. Margin for error was small & the Rays find a way to come back & win this series. Frustrating...

Should We Expect Less?

I've been struggling this Memorial Day Weekend to come to grips with who I think the 2012 Red Sox are as a team. Should I expect them to be a team that stays around .500 for the rest of the season & finish the season with 81 wins & out of the playoffs? Should I listen to Sean McAdams when he says that if the Sox tred water around .500 for the next 5 weeks, then they have as good a chance to make the playoffs as any other team? If past experience teaches us anything, I know that the season comes down to the last 6 weeks - from mid-August onward. Look at the lead that the Red Sox had last year & how it dissipated. I guess I will take the Sean McAdams approach. I won't count them out just now. But there are sure a lot of good teams in the AL East that the Sox need to climb over to make the playoffs. Where is your head this Memorial Day Weekend on the 2012 Sox?

Salty Delivers A Walk-Off Win

Is anyone listening to Kelly Shoppach now? His request for more playing time just got trashed. Jarrod Saltalamacchia's pinch-hit 2 run homer in the 9th gave the Red Sox the lift they needed in a big win over the Rays 3-2. Sox got another nice pitching performance by Josh Beckett, even though he will not get the win. Too bad Lester couldn't get over a few umpire calls that didn't go his way on Friday & pitch like Beckett too. Now it falls on Clay Buchholz to find a way to beat the Rays today & win this important series.

Lester, Sox Can't Get Above .500

Sox lose 7-4 to drop the opening game of their important series with the Rays. It was another step backwards for Jon Lester after 2 good outings. Yes, the Carlos Pena homer was a 1st row seat-scraper that Marlon Byrd could have caught. But the damaged from the Joyce grand slam & a 2nd homer had already been done. There were some balls thrown at Pedroia & Scott that got the teams, mostly the coaches, riled up. But that is a smoke screen to divert thought away from a critical loss. All the positive momentum from Baltimore is gone, thanks to a day off on Thursday & a loss on Friday. Now the Sox need to beat Price & Hellickson to win this series. To me, Jon Lester came up short when the team needed him to pitch a good game. That's the story of last night, not the pushing by coaches on the field.

Big Series Versus Rays

After winning 2 out of 3 in Baltimore the Sox face the Tampa Bay Rays starting tonight in a weekend series at Fenway. It will be a good test of the Sox rotation's #1, 2 & 3 starters to see how they fare against their counterparts from Tampa. Momentum to win another series is with the Sox, but the Rays have been playing well too. We should see a lot of good pitching from both sides over the weekend. As long as we win 2 out of 3, however we do it, I'm happy. Sox are 11-11 for the month of May with 7 left against the Rays & Tigers. I'm thinking 16-13 is about right. What do you think?

Lots of Slow Starts in 2012

Here's what I found in the paper this morning as I read the standings. Boston Red Sox 22-22. New York Yankees 23-21. Detroit Tigers 20-23. Chicago White Sox 22-22. LA Angels 20-25. Philadelphia Phillies 22-23. San Francisco Giants 23-21. There's 7 big money, perennial playoff teams floundering just above or just below .500 for the first 2 months of the 2012 season. If the season ended today, the AL playoff teams would be the O's, Indians & Rangers with wild cards to the Rays & Blue Jays. The NL teams going to the playoffs would be the Nats, Cardinals & Dodgers with wild cards to the Braves & Reds. But the season doesn't end today. There are still 4 months & 118 games to go for the Red Sox. The Sox need to go 68-50 over the rest of the season to get to 90 wins. That equates to 5 games over .500 each month for the rest of the season. I think that's do-able, especially with key guys coming back from injuries next month.

Sox Win Series in Baltimore

Another terrible start by Daniel Bard. If not for some key outs, he could have given up 10 runs in 5 innings. Bard has no control as evidenced by the number of walks & hit batsmen. He needs to go to the pen. Despite another poor start, the Sox prevailed 6-5 thanks to the bottom 3rd of the order making big contributions offensively. Nava, Podsednik & Shoppach all went yard in the win which keeps the Sox at .500. Maybe the worst is over, even with a make-shift outfield.

Sox Lose Close One 4-1

My brother hates low-scoring games. Being a former pitcher I appreciate a well pitched game on both sides. Unfortunately, Felix Doubront came out the tough luck loser last night as the Sox offense could only muster 1 run on 2 hits. That one run was a statement homer by Kevin Youkilis in his first game back from a 22 game DL stint. How ironic was it for Youk to field questions about Middlebrooks before the game & then get a high 5 from him after his home run! Michael Douglas said "greed is good" in Wall Street. In baseball competition is good. As I said before, you can't have enough good players out there & Youk knows he is competing for his job. A win this afternoon would be a nice way to finish this road trip.

Sox Keep Rolling In Baltimore

Another win, this time against the division leading O's 8-6. Clay Buchholz may be the only pitcher in the bigs with 4 wins & an ERA of 6.00+. It was another mediocre performance by Buck who was aided once again by the bullpen & the offense. David Ortiz hit a monster shot over everything in right field for his 10th of the year. And Will Middlebrooks had 3 hits, keeping a decision to send him down a tough one for management to make. Given all the injuries to the outfield, there is now talk of Adrian Gonzalez playing right field for 10 games or so to make room for Middlebrooks & Youk to co-exist at 3B & 1B. Good for Middlebrooks for fighting to stay with the big team. You can't have too many good players. Sox are now back at the magical .500 mark at 21-21 & tied with the Yankees for 4th. Keep riding this winning streak as long as you can boys!

Mike Aviles, I Was Wrong

I didn't like the trade that brought Mike Aviles to the Red Sox. I didn't like the trade of Marco Scutaro even more. I didn't like the idea of Mike Aviles as the everyday shortstop in 2012. I didn't like what I saw of Aviles in Spring Training. I was not a fan of Mike Aviles. But Aviles has quietly put all the doubters like me to shame with his bat & glove thus far. I admit my mistakes & Mike Aviles was one of them. Sorry, Mike!

Beckett, Sox Win Again

I like listening to baseball on the radio. It reminds me of listening to games when I was a kid. Rob Bradford gave a very interesting stat on Josh Beckett. If you take out 4 bad starts over his last 38 from this year & last, his ERA is 2.05. I guess Beckett is really good more than he is really bad. He showed it again yesterday as the Sox beat the Phillies 5-1. Salty & Aviles hit homers in support of Beckett's 7-inning plus performance. Don't look now, but the Sox are 8-2 in their last 10 games, just 1 behind the stinkin' Yankees who lost like every other AL East team yesterday. Let's see if the Sox stay hot & win their next series in Baltimore.

Salty Has Big Night

Sox win 7-5 in Philly. Yes, Gonzo made a nice catch in right & yes Ryan Sweeney made a nice catch in center. But thanks to their newly stitched-up catcher who had 3 hits, including a home run, just a night after receiving 12 stitches it was Salty that made the difference. He had a great night at the plate in support of an OK performance by Jon Lester. Lester gave up 5 runs in 6 innings. Aviles, Middlebrooks & Big Papi also went yard for a total of 4 more dingers on the night in small Citizens Bank Park. Beckett faces Cliff Lee in the finale of the series this afternoon. A win would certainly give the Sox momentum going into Baltimore to face the 1st place O's.

Kerry Wood Retires

What a great way to end your career! Kerry Wood strikes out the last batter he will ever face & his son is there to greet him at the dugout steps. That ending couldn't be anymore perfect.

Bad Bard

5 walks. 2 hit by pitch. 3 hits. 10 baserunners in 5 innings is not good. Spotting Cole Hamels & the Phillies 4 runs in the 1st inning is not good. Sox lose 6-4. The Daniel Bard experiment may be coming to an end in the very near future as Dice-K finishes up his rehab stint. Sox are now 3 behind the Yankees in the loss column to get out of the cellar.

Sox Visit Pap and Phillies

Jonathan Papelbon got his big payday in Philadelphia with a 4-year, $50 million deal. While Pap is not a rocket scientist, as evidenced with his Cinco Ocho alter ego & several interview comments, he is a very dependable closer. Barring injury, the Phillies should get their money's worth out of Pap during his 4 years in the City of Brotherly Love & of Rocky Balboa fame. Like the football Eagles, the Phillies pay top dollar to get 30-somethings onto their rosters. Look at Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Asante Samuel, etc. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not. The Phillies won 1 World Series in the recent past, but have had a hard time repeating. Same could be said of the Red Sox since 2007 & their payroll expenses. Carl Crawford, John Lackey & Josh Beckett have not exactly turned out the way they were expected to. Phillies are similar to the Red Sox in that they need their big money guys to perform if they are to get to the playoffs. Both teams are cellar-dwellers right now, but most people think both will contend for a playoff spot by September. Time will tell.

Doubront, Offense Beat Rays 5-3

Clay Buchholz & Felix Doubront both continued the streak of well pitched games by starters in Tampa Bay. Buck & Doubront both gave up only 2 runs. The offense could only score 1 for Buck, but they used 2 homers & 4 RBI by Cody Ross last night to score 5 which was enough for the win & a split against their inter-division rival. You have to be impressed with the turnaround in pitching, but my question is why did it take so long? 6 weeks into the 2012 season, coming off a poor start & end to 2011, the Sox may finally be hitting their stride. As of today, they are 2 behind the Yankees in the loss column. Oddly enough, the Phillies have a similar record to the Sox & are in the botton of the NL East at this point. This should be a fun 3-game weekend against Pap & Co.

Rays Beat Sox 2-1

Weird game. But a good pitcher's duel. A balk by Clay Buchholz & a botched fly ball by Cody Ross gave Tampa Bay the 2 runs they needed to beat the Sox. Hellickson stmied the Sox bats all night, giving up just one run. We need to get Ells & Crawford back so Ross doesn't play every day. He has provided some long ball offense at times, but he has looked bad on several balls in the outfield. Last night he misjudged a short fly to right, circling around the ball, then throwing home late to miss getting the Rays runner from 3rd. It seems like the Rays keep winning with smoke & mirrors, but they keep winning. Big start for Doubront tonight to see if they can split.

Beckett, Good, Sox Win 5-0

Big Papi started the scoring by hitting a 3-2 pitch into the Red Sox bullpen for his 8th HR of the season. That would be all that Josh Beckett needed to silence the Mariners bats over the first 7 innings. Sox win 5-0 & Beckett looked more like the Beckett prior to September 2011. If the Sox 5 starters can have another round of starts like they did against Cleveland & Seattle, then Tampa Bay, Philadelphia & Baltimore have trouble on their hands. Once again the Sox can pull themselves out of a slow start to May & end up around .500. Top to bottom, the Sox are only 5 games out in the AL East in the loss column & just 1 behind Toronto to move out of the cellar. As one reporter mentioned, the AL East teams may beat up on each other so much that the wild cards may come out of the Central & West. Wouldn't that be interesting! Clay Buchholz makes an important start tonight in Tampa Bay to see if he has turned the corner with his control issues. The next 3 series will be a good barometer of where the Sox are as a team.

Lester Hurls Complete Game Win

I said to my brother last night that Jon Lester is having a good game because the home plate umpire was calling the low strike for him. It worked the whole game for Lester as he cruised past the Mariners lineup with a complete game effort. More important than pitching 9 full innings to me was the fact that there were zero walks, no free bases, that typically turn his outings into multiple-run innings. It's simple - throw strikes early in the count & make hitters hit your pitch. Lester did that to turn in the 4th start where the Red Sox rotation went 6 or more innings during the 4-game win streak. Today the bullseye is squarely on Josh Beckett to follow suit with the rest of the rotation to keep the winning streak alive with another good start of 6 or more innings. He takes the mound after a dismal 2+ inning performance last week.

Middlebrooks, Nava Providing Youthful Punch to Lineup

It's just what the doctor ordered to get the Sox out of their May funk. Another win last night, 6-1 over the Mariners, moves the Sox to 3 games under .500 for the season. And it's no coincidence that Daniel Nava & Will Middlebrooks are a big part of the Sox current 4 game win streak. Both have contributed offensively & defensively. They have provided a shot in the arm at a much needed time for this depleted lineup. Youk is expected to return to the lineup versus the Phillies this weekend. That will necessitate Middlebrooks going back to Pawtucket. But Middlebrooks is just one injury away from coming back to the big club. And Nava is a lot different from the kid who made his debut a few years ago. You might say that Nava returned from the scrap pile as a better hitter from both sides of the plate & a much, much better fielder. Hard work does pay off in his case. An infusion of youthful exuberrance can ignite a team for a short period & we'll take what these 2 guys provide as long as possible.

Can Youk Get Back Into the Lineup?

The short answer: Yes. For a number of reasons Youk needs to get back into the lineup as he comes off his stint on the DL. First, he's a good player. Has been for years. I like the comment by Nick Cafardo about Youk being the Michael Young of this Red Sox team. Play some 3rd, play some first, use him as a DH. Second, if Youk's time in Boston has expired & a trade is imminent, they need to show he is productive once again to get a player or two of comparable value. Third, he's earned a spot on the field. You can't have enough good players. You should expect to see Youk on the field soon, like this week.

Make It 3 Wins In A Row

OK, the Sox are only 4 games out of .500 & 3 behind Toronto to get out of the AL East cellar. Sox win 3 out of 4 over the Indians with a 12-1 outburst yesterday. Bard pitched well enough to win, although the 4 walks still bother me. Salty had 5 RBI. Middlebrooks continues to contribute offensively. Gonzo & Big Papi are driving in runs again. With 2 games against Seattle on Monday & Tuesday it will be interesting to see if aces Lester & Beckett can shake off their last outings & go deep like their #4 & #5 counterparts in the rotation. If not, there may be a mysterious injury to one or both so Cook & Dice-K can find their way back into the rotation later this month.

Sox Win Again 4-1

Is this the winning streak we've been waiting for? Maybe. Sox offensive could only muster 4 runs, but Felix Doubront & the pen pitched well enough to make the 4 runs stand up for another win. 2 in a row now against the Indians. The Sox will have their work cutout for themselves today, however, when they face old friend Justin Masterson who has had their number each of the last 2 years.

Saturday Baseball Shows - No

I decided not watch any baseball shows today. I guess I'm not interested in having someone tell me what to think about the Red Sox.

Red Sox Win 7-5

I'm not excited. But it's a win at home. I'll get excited if we string 5 or more wins together & get above .500.

A Second Chance

What can you say about the 2012 edition of the Boston Red Sox after another brutal loss at home? All the adjectives have been used - inconsistent, underperforming, lack of basics, no leadership. The outfield desperately needs Ellsbury & Crawford, yes I said Crawford, back. The top 3 starters of Lester, Beckett & Buchholz need to go down to Triple-A. Andrew Bailey & Youk need to get back on the field. At this point even Dice-K would help. And, even though it kills me to say this, nothing gets won or lost in April or May. With every day comes the promise of another game. With every day this team - like us as people - get a second chance to be better. The Sox have enough talent on the field to be above .500. They just haven't shown it yet. And while Josh Beckett is the media's new whipping boy, don't believe everything you hear. Outside of Boston people have a different view of him as I mentioned in Detroit. If he is 7-0, no one cares about his off day. There was no injury. He skipped a turn to give Aaron Cook a start. But Beckett is not 7-0 & that's the problem. Everything is magnified when a player & a team are going this bad. There is still time to turn things around. It's time for the Sox to use their second chance today & get a win.

Carl Beane Dead At 59

Carl Beane was born the same year as me. Makes you wonder about the whole mortality thing. Carl had his dream job for 10 years as the PA announcer at Fenway Park. He loved the Red Sox & it showed in his booming voice. I saw one old interview clip today where Carl would pause his voice between Derek & Jeter so that Red Sox fans could boo Jeter twice. Gotta' love that. Carl will be missed.

Sox Lose 4-3 to Drop Another Series

Sox lose in KC 4-3 to the low-flying Royals. Things are bad when you can't beat a team struggling more than you. Call it bad karma, bad luck, whatever, but the Red Sox could have swept all 3 games with a break here or there. Case in point, Cody Ross' ball that goes in & out of his glove. As I use to tell my kids when I coached, it's hard to get out of a bad slump. But the harder you work, the luckier you become. It's going to take more work by these players to hit better, field better & pitch better. As Lester said, we are not executing. Translation - get better by working harder. If you always do the same things, you usually get the same results. 12-18 & in last place is embarassing at this point.

Where's the Rem Dawg?

Jerry Remy must be pretty sick again. He did not look well at the start of the season when we saw him in Detroit. He has missed significant time in the booth over the past 2 weeks. It has to be more than sinuses. All of Red Sox Nation hopes that he can beat whatever is ailing him & he gets back to the booth with Don soon. You have to admit that Eck is pretty entertaining, though.

Sox Lose Late 6-4

Sox lose. No fireworks by the offense last night. Bard take a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the 8th. He walks the first 2. Albers comes in to pitch to Billy Butler. Butler hits the 4th pitch into the left field bleachers. Game over. In my mind it was the 2 walks that killed us, not the home run. For good measure add Middlebrooks injuring his hamstring. He is taken out after hitting a double & scoring. The rookie is day-to-day. Just an ugly way to lose. Maybe Lester can salvage the series with a good performance tonight.

Cole Hamels Versus Bryce Harper

Earth to Cole Hamels: Never admit to throwing at a batter, even if you did. Hamels is suspended 5 games (a/k/a 1 start) for admitting that he intentionally threw at rookie Nats phenom Bryce Harper. Harper got him back by stealing home when Hamels threw to first on a pickoff play. With Cole Hamels on the verge of a free agent contract year in 2013 this is not the kind of stuff that will up his value. Enough teams, however, probably won't care. It will be interesting to see how the year plays out between the Nats & Phillies. Bad blood lingers.

Sox Ride Middlebrooks' Bat to Win

Finally, a win! Decent pitching by Doubront. Padilla is the only reliever used to save the pen. Middlebrooks goes yard twice, as did Big Papi & Petey. It wasn't perfect, but we'll take an 11-5 win to stop the losing streak. Even though Middlebrooks threw a ball away that led to 2 runs, he more than made up for it with 2 homers & a double. It will be hard to take this kid & his hot bat out of the lineup when Youk is ready to return.

Buchholz Bad Again

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon. After church services & lunch with a family member I sat outside & put the radio on to listen to an inning or so of the Red Sox game. When I turned it off the score was 2-0 O's. After touching base with another family member by phone & watching a movie I turned the game back on & it was 6-6. After getting caught up on a few other TV shows that I had taped I turned the TV back to the game to catch the wrap-up & found Darnell McDonald warming up in the pen. I couldn't watch, but I did check the final score before bed & that's when I saw the 9-6 loss in 17 innings. Crushing defeat for a team starving for a win. If we thought blowing the 9-0 lead to the Yankees was "the" low point of the season, it seems that a 1-5 homestand to start May could top that. To say that the Sox are at another low point & that they have to go on the road again to get re-grouped is an understatement. Buchholz has been aweful all year. The defense committed 3 more errors. The offense, except for the grand slam by Middlebrooks, has been non-existent. Once again, for the 2nd time in 2 months, I have to say that the Sox have hit bottom & the only place to go is up. Bobby Valentine's job is looking anything but secure at this point.

Time for Buck to Step Up

Your team is in a tailspin. This is why today would be a nice time for Clay Buchholz to step up with a good performance over a team that he no-hit a few years ago. Buck has not regained his form from 2010 yet, even though he does have a few wins thanks to 9+ runs of support every time he pitches. If the Sox are ready to stop the bleeding at Fenway today before heading out to KC, it's time for Buck to shutdown the O's bats.

Different Day, Another Loss

Another loss at home. Another loss of a home series. More injuries, this time to Middlebrooks & Cook. As Nick Cafardo said on the NESN post-game show, the Sox are snake-bitten right now. Baltimore takes game 2 by a score of 8-2. The Sox need to fight through this bad stretch, similar to the first few weeks of the season, & hope that a few players get hot enough to produce a few wins. The troops, however, are getting pretty depleted. It's been a sad, sad May so far.

Sox Lose Again At Home

Where's the home field advantage? It hasn't shown up so far this year as the Red Sox lose another home game, this time against the O's 6-4 in 13 innings. Most games that the Sox pitchers hold other teams under 5 runs through 9 they win. Lately, however, the offense has been sputtering, causing the Sox to lose close games. Lester & the bullpen pitched well enough to win last night. The O's just pitched a little better.

Lots of Questions With Sox

As the Red Sox start a soggy weekend series with the Baltimore Orioles, you might say that the Red Sox thus far are playing like the weather - cloudy & unsettled. Consistency of play eluded them for the first 2 weeks, then they found it on the road, now they are back to unsettled after dropping 2 of 3 at home to the Oakland A's. Questions abound. Why are the Sox playing so miserably at home? When will Gonzo come out of his slump? Who will return first - Jacoby Ellsbury or Carl Crawford? Is Youk on the verge of losing his job to Will Middlebrooks? Will Josh Beckett miss more than 1 start with a lat muscle problem? Does Aaron Cook stay in the rotation? Does Daniel Bard go back to the bullpen? Lots & lots of questions. The best way that I know to answer these & others is to just go out & win. And to do that it is all about the pitching. Steady pitching got 6 wins out of 7 on the road. We need to have everyone go once around, starting with Lester tonight, & get 7 good innings before calling on the pen. Let's see if the pitching staff is up to the challenge.

Aaron Cook Gets His Chance

Aaron Cook will get his start on Saturday against the high-flying birds from Baltimore at Fenway. Cook will start in place of Josh Beckett who, hopefully, is being rested for just one start after throwing 126 pitches in his last outing. If Cook can produce the same results as those he got in Pawtucket, it will be tough to get him out of the rotation. Felix Doubront & Daniel Bard are both coming off poor outings. Bobby V. will have some hard decisions to make about who stays & who goes from the rotation. But, like the situation with Youk & Middlebrooks, competition is good. It keeps everyone focused on positive results. Don't forget that Dice-K will be coming back at the end of the month, adding another arm to the mix.

Nice Start for Middlebrooks

Will Middlebrooks had a nicve debut at 3B for the Sox in their loss to Oakland last night. A walk, stolen base, infield hit & double gave him a 2-3 night hitting out of the #8 spot. Will looks to be an adequate replacement for Youk while his back mends. By next year Middlebrooks will be vying to become the regular 3B. Competition is good.

Sox Drop Another Home Game

The Red Sox lost their rubber game to the A's 4-2. Seems as if they only win when they score 10 or more runs. And even though I had the pleasure of meeting Cody Ross, I have to wonder about his defense which accounted for another run last night. Ross has misplayed several balls in the outfield & his defense is costing the Sox games. I believe that is why the Sox got Marlon Byrd since Ross could not effectively handle CF. I'm not sure what's up with Cody's defense, both at home & on the road, but he needs to get better.

Sox Lose, Anderson Sent Down, Youk Still Out

Lots of questions surfaced before & after the Red Sox loss to the A's 5-3 last night. Kevin Youkilis was not in the lineup for the 3rd straight game with muscle spasms in his back. Jose Iglesias was brought up to the big club to shore up the infield. No word was given on the status of Aaron Cook. And Lars Anderson was optioned back to Pawtucket after the game. Lots of moving parts on this team roster. Despite the changing of the guard, the Sox can win their 3rd series in a row by having Daniel Bard (another conversial piece of the roster) mow down the A's tonight. I think you see Aviles at 3rd & Iglesias at short to see how that works. Nick Punto has not contributed offensively in Youk's position & Iglesias brings more range to short.

Sox Win, Decision on Cook Today

The Boston Red Sox started their 6 game homestand last night with a win over the Oakland A's 11-6. The Sox finish April at 11-11. The offense employed 4 long balls, 2 by David Ortiz who finishes an April to remember. Big Papi is on pace for 36 jacks & 120 RBI. Buchholz pitched well through the first 6, but ran into trouble in the 7th. But the offense scored enough runs & a nifty double play by Petey preserved the win. All eyes are on Aaron Cook today as the Sox need to add him to the big league roster or release him. Cook is pitching well in Pawtucket, but so are all the starters in the Red Sox rotation. It's a nice problem to have that will be compounded further when Dice-K comes off his rehab outings at the end of May. The old saying is that you can never have too much pitching. May shapes up to be quite a test of that saying.