Sox Swept By Angels Again

Not so long ago the Boston Red Sox use to have the upper hand against the Angels. This was especially true in the AL playoff series of old. But times have changed as the Angels 5-2 win last night completes a 6-game sweep of the Sox this year. No offense & 2 first-inning runs foiled a decent pitching performance by Jon Lester. James Loney hit his 1st HR as a Red Sox. But no key hits against Zack Greinke when needed. It is certainly a different Red Sox lineup with no Ortiz, no Gonzalez, no Middlebrooks. Yet, it's a chance to see the make-up of Kalish, Lavarnway, Loney, Iglesius, Gomez & the like. It will be a pressure-less September as the Sox can now play spoiler to other teams fighting for an AL playoff berth.

Angels 10, Red Sox 3

This one was over early. No sleepless night for Red Sox fans as Zack Stewart gave up 9 runs in 3 innings. Back to the minors for Stewart to make room for Daniel Bard to rejoin the roster today. If I was an Angels batter, I wouldn't dig in at the plate if Bard comes in. Other than a few recent starts, he has continued to hit batters at Triple A. Reminds me of Charlie Sheen in Major League!

Angels 6, Red Sox 5

I went to bed with the Red Sox winning 5 to 3. Glad I didn't stay up for the ending. On a positive note it was nice to see Iglesias & Kalish in the lineup. My boy Ryan Lavarnway has had a rough time at the plate since being called up, although he did get a sac fly last night. And James Loney is an RBI per game so far. On the other side Aceves took the loss on a cheap single by Mike Trout & a sac fly by Torii Hunter. Mike Trout of 2012 is the Jacoby Ellsbury of 2011. Everything is positive for this kid, a Rookie of the year & MVP candidate.

Sox Win 5-1

Well, since the blockbuster trade, the Sox are 2-1. Dice-K actually won a game for the 1st time in over a year. And Jacoby Ellsbury hit a homer to show off some of his power from last year. Maybe the Sox will put Dice-man on waivers now & see if they can get anything for him. Nice to see that James Loney has 2 RBI in 2 games. I wouldn't be so fast to say that he is just a rental until year end.

Clemens' Hall Pass

C'mon, Rocket Man. Are you fooling anyone with this fictitious comeback at age 50? He must be taking good drugs to still hit 87 on the gun. One inning in the bigs this year re-sets the clock for another 5 years before Clemens becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame voting. The Rocket is hoping all Hall voters have short-term memory. I really hate even writing about this because of the sideshow that Clemens has become. Just because he wasn't proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law doesn't mean he was innocent of PED use.

Aceves Pulls A Nutty

Alfredo Aceves got suspended 3 days for barging into Bobby V's office & demanding to know why he was not used in the 9th on Saturday. I guess he ripped his shirt off & discussions got pretty heated. Gee, Alfredo, how about the 4 runs you gave up on Friday night that helped turn a win into a loss? How about the fact that the season is over & the original closer is now available? Egos & testosterone abound in the major leagues with certain athletes. Good for Bobby for putting a little law & order into the clubhouse.

Sox Win 8-6

What a perfect day! Beautiful weather. My grandson's first Red Sox game. Family & friends to share the day with. And the Sox win 8-6. Not that it's about wins to make the playoffs anymore, but it's still nice to send the hometown fans home on a happy note. I like seeing young talent. The rest of this year is just an audition for the next Spring Training. And yes, Felger, I sang Sweet Caroline. Today was great!

"THE" Deal Is Done

"THE" deal of the century is done - signed, sealed, delivered. $250 million went from east to west on Saturday. Even though A-Gon hit a hone run in his 1st Dodger at bat & the Sox lost in extras last night, no one in Red Sox Nation has stopped smiling yet. Who knew the Sox brass has the stones to move big name players with huge salaries to start over next year! The goodwill period with fans will last at least a year while a new crop of prospects work their way to the majors in 2014. Let's watch guys like Ciriaco, Ells & Petey work hard everyday. Let's see how Andrew Bailey progresses as a healthy closer. Let's see what the September call-ups look like for a month. I am so looking forward to going to the game today now that the black cloud over Fenway has been lifted. Back to the days of players working hard to prepare their best & then giving the fans their best effort. Who can argue with honest effort?

Please, Please Let This Trade Happen

Finally! Someone in ownership had the fortitude to make a bold move. And bold doesn't even begin to characterize this blockbuster move of addition by subtraction. Adrian Gonzalez, the centerpiece of the deal, would go to the Dodgers along with the salary dump of Josh Beckett & Carl Crawford also going to LA. Nick Punto was thrown in the deal for good measure. In return, the Sox get James Loney for the rest of the year & 4 minor leaguers - 2 of them young pitchers. If this goes through, the Sox get much needed salary mobility to make more deals in the off-season & start over in 2013. And it also changes the dynamic & chemistry of the clubhouse. Please God, let it happen!

This Loss Goes to Aceves

There is bad karma, bad mojo or just a bad vibe around Fenway this year. And last night's gut-wrenching loss did nothing to improve the situation. The Sox blow a 6-0 lead, comeback to tie it, go ahead by 2 in the 8th only to have Alfredo Aceves come in with his gasoline can in the 9th to put fire on the situation & give up 3 runs. The Sox did tie it in the bottom of the 9th, only to lose the game in the 10th 14-13. I don't like guys who showboat - Robinson Cano comes to mind. But last night Aceves decided to go with a big rocking windup for fun. He also thought he could just blow fastballs by the Angel hitters. Vernon Wells took him out of the park. Mike Trout hit a 2-strike fastball to right for a big single which turned into a double. And Torii Hunter hit a ball off of Aceves' foot up the middle to score the tying run. A few hits later & the Angels had scored 3 to re-take the lead. We all know that Aceves isn't all there. But he picked a poor time last night to let his team down for the 7th blown save of the year. Maybe this performance will humble him into pitching from the stretch all the time like he use to. But maybe not. Don't blame the offense last night.

Less Than 5 Runs (Again), We Lose (Again)

Another loss 7-3. The offense is in a rut. Even Clay Buchholz had an off-night for which I give him a mulligan after several very good starts. The terrible August continues on - like a tooth ache. My neice texted me that we are at the Red Sox time of year when the slogan throughout New England is "anyone but the Yankees" & "go Pats!" It's going to be a long 5 weeks until the end of this season & it will be very hard to watch.

Less Than 5 Runs, We Lose

The Red Sox cannot win a low scoring game. Evidence last night's 5-3 loss. This is just another example of why New York, Tampa & Baltimore are ahead in the standings. They can all win the tight games. We can't. Aaron Cook has 3 or 4 good innings, then gets lit up for a crooked number. Given his record of more losses than wins, perhaps he would be a better long man out of the pen. My family is going to Fenway on Sunday & Cook is the probable starter unless something changes. I hope he fares better against the Royals. It was nice to see Salty connect for an HR, his 1st one in almost a month. Overall, the offense needs to make better use of its limited opportunities. David Ortiz, where are you? It's a different lineup with Big Papi in it.

Rocket Blasts Off At 50

Just when you thought the Roger Clemens saga of steroids was over. The Rocket signs with the Sugar Land Skeeters to pitch later this week at the age of 50. Can't he just stay retired? Some guys need the limelight at any cost. A normal guy's arm would fall off if he tried throwing 90+ at age 50. Maybe Roger has better, untraceable drugs this time that will help him prove to the world that he is Superman reincarnated. Problem is - no one cares, except Roger.

McClure Out, Crawford Gets Surgery Thursday

An interesting off day on Monday for the Sox. Bob McClure is out, fired as pitching coach, & replaced by Jeff Niemann. Like that will solve the ineffectiveness of the starting staff. And in no big surprise Carl Crawford is getting season-ending surgery on Thursday to repair his elbow. It makes sense. Crawford was finally making an impact this year & he leaves with something to build on for 2013. Will there be any further moves before year end? Maybe they can put Dice-K on waivers to get rid of him once & for all. Other than calling up more kids for the final 5 weeks, I wouldn't expect anything major.

August Results

So far the Sox have a record of 6-12 in the month of August. In 11 of these 18 games the Sox offense has scored 4 runs or less. In these 11 games where they scored 4 runs or less they have won only 2. So they are 2-9 when scoring 4 runs or less. They are 4-3 when scoring 5 or more runs. As bad as some of the pitching has been, let's not forget that the offense has not produced much this month. Inconsistency reigns.

Sox Lose 4-1, Drop Series

The Red Sox offense was impotent last night in a 4-1 loss. Josh Beckett pitched OK, but Ichiro did get to Beckett for 2 solo shots. Hard to win when you score just one run. Today's off day brings the drama about whether Carl Crawford should have surgery immediately on his elbow or if he should wait until the season is over. What's to wait for? The Sox are losing more ground every day & they need a run of 30-10 over the last 40 games to have a chance at the playoffs. That kind of win streak hasn't happened in a year. No sense in thinking it's going to happen now.

Always Fun to Beat the Yankees

Yes, I know. Before yesterday's game Sports America gave the Red Sox a 2.9% chance to make the playoffs. Maybe after our 4-1 win yesterday in the Bronx we are up to 3.0% today. It's too little & too late, but it was nice to catch a glimmer of a good Jon Lester in Yankee Stadium. Where was this Jon Lester in the first half? Adrian Gonzalez hit a low & outside pitch for a 2-run homer. It was a very tough ball to hit, nonetheless hit out of the park. Where was this Adrian Gonzalez in the first half? And Pedro Ciriaco continues to rake on Yankees pitching, going 4-4 yesterday & hitting over .500 against the Yankees. As the window closes on post-season play for 2012, every game now counts as the 1st steps towards rebuilding this team for 2013. Gonzalez will be in uniform next year. I hope Ciriaco will be somewhere in the infield. And I guess Lester has shown enough to keep his job for another year. 22 more players to find for 2013.

Going, Going, Gone!

5 home runs propel the NY pinstripers to a 6-4 win over the Red Sox in Gotham last night. The Sox disimprovement continues in August as they are 5-11 at the halfway point of the month. Two quick things. How about our pitcher today drills Nick Swisher between the numbers in his first at-bat for laughing between 1st & 2nd last night after his 2nd home run! He also turned sideways during his base romp to rub in the 2nd homer. Have some pride, Sox, & don't let this guy show you up on the field. Second, it's time to face reality that this team is going nowhere. In fact, their record is getting worse. Instead of making up ground, they are losing more. Fans would rather see Lavarnway, Iglesius, Ciriaco, Kalish & anyone else they need to evaluate for 2013. Release Dice-K. Tell Lackey to go home. 2013 starts now.

What If?

What if Bobby V was able to assemble his own staff & keep his mouth shut at times? What if Josh Beckett was able to be a .500 pitcher? What if Jon Lester could come out of spring training ready to pitch in April & May? What if Big Papi wasn't injured? What if Will Middlebrooks didn't fracture his wrist? What if Ellsbury & Pedroia could perform as in the past? What if Andrew Bailey could stay healthy? What if the Sox had signed Kuroda or Jackson to a 1-year deal in the off season? What if John Lackey stayed in Boston to do his rehab instead of 2-fisting beers? It's that time of year where you look back at a lot of "what if's" because this season is slip, slip, slipping away. It will be a very interesting winter to see if the Sox can right the ship in 2013.

The Buck Stops Here

Clay Buchholz. Stopper. Ace. Too bad a poor 1st half recovering from a back injury will keep Buck from Cy Young nomination. His ERA is 1.45 over his last 7 starts & the Sox are 6-1 in those starts. That sounds like an ace to me. Also, what if Adrian Gonzalez was consistent for a full year? After taking the 1st half off with a mediocre offensive output, Gonzo is good for an RBI or two every game now. He is as hot as any hitter & up over 80 RBI. Once again he will be .300+ & 100 RBI+ when the season ends. Maybe the season is too long for guys like Buck & Gonzo to be at their best for the full 6 months. It would be nice, though, if they could even out the highs & lows to be more consistent throughout the schedule. Performance now is somewhat meaningless since the season is 99% lost.

King Felix Perfect

Why don't we get guys like Felix? He's the real deal. He's Pedro Martinez in his prime. As Eck said, he's not throwing salad to get guys out. He's nasty. We could use Felix Hernandez in a Red Sox uniform next year. If I'm been Cherington, I'm asking the Seattle GM what it would take. Give him the blank check & let him fill-in the number of players. And this perfect game wasn't against Kansas City or Houston. It was against the Rays. And it wasn't a runaway 9-0 score. It was a 1-0 win where one mistake not only costs you a perfect game or no hitter. It could cost you a win. Hats off to Felix. I don't like his crooked cap, but I could get over it if he came to Boston.

Sox Lose Again 5-3

It happens to every pitcher. I did it in a high school state tournament. I remember Mike Flanagan doing it in a Babe Ruth championship game. Aaron Cook did it last night. A hard hit ground ball back to the mound, you snag it & throw too quickly to 2B without setting your feet & off it goes into center field. There is nothing more embarassing to a pitcher. A bad 6th inning for the 2nd night in a row leads to another Sox defeat. The offense looks punchless without the big guy, David Ortiz. The pitching continues to be mediocre. And the losses continue to pile up. The math isn't looking good.

Secrret Player Meeting in NY

Fact: Players met with management in New York. The Felger version is that this meeting was to complain & whin about Bobby V. The NESN version is that the Sox management regularly schedules 2 or 3 of these meetings with the players every year. The truth is probably somewhere in-between. Fact is the team is losing. Fact is the players need to play better, coaches need to coach better. Fact is when things go bad, everyone looks to blame someone else. Isn't that the American way? No personal accountability or personal responsibility anymore. As Steve Burton said last night, everyone needs to look in the mirror at themselves.

Sox Lose 7-1

Did you watch the game? I know that Felger will be all over Josh Beckett today. However, it was the offense that outhit the O's 11-7 & they could only push across 1 run. Not one key hit will runners in scoring position. And how about Melancon coughing up a 3-run homer on his 1st pitch! I would call out the offense & Melancon before Beckett when assigning the blame pie for last night's 7-1 loss in Camden Yards. I would also blame Bobby V for using Melancon 1st out of the pen when all arms were rested after an off-day. How about Andrew Bailey, Clayton Mortenson or Junichi Tazawa? It was a 4-1 game at that point & still winnable. Yes, Beckett did give up 4 runs including 2 solo shots on high fastballs & a couple of cheap infield hits. But I would put him 3rd or 4th on the list of reasons why the Sox lost this game. Time for everyone to look in the mirror & start playing better.

Johnny Pesky Passes

In 2004 Gaff & I were coaching a college team that went to Fort Myers on spring break to play in a tournament. We happened to be staying at the same hotel as the Red Sox. In the lobby bright & early was Johnny Pesky getting his breakfast & in uniform for a day of spring training with the Sox. Later in the day, we saw him holding court in the bleachers after practice with as many people as wanted to listen to his stories about the days of Ted Williams, Dominic DiMaggio & Bobby Doerr. Little did we know that 2004 would be the year that the curse was broken for Johnny & all the previous Red Sox players. Johnny was a lifelong Red Sox & he passes at 92 having seen a pole at Fenway Park named for him & his number retired among his friends. I'd call that a perfect life.

In Or Out?

With 46 games left to the 2012 season & the Red Sox 5 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race the talk shows have hedged their bets as to whether the Sox are still in or already out. Lou Merloni - out. Steve Buckley - not out yet. Dan Shaughnessy - out. Sean McAdams - not out yet. Steve Gasper - 15% chance to get in. Opinions are 50/50 - just like the Sox season. I'll still will wait for the math to sort it all out. Everyone agrees that the upcoming series in Baltimore & the next one in New York will be telling as to how long the Sox can stay in the race. Buchholz & Lester seem to have found their stride. If the "Tough Texan" can follow suit, then maybe just maybe the Sox can put a run together. Hope springs eternal when you are a Red Sox fan. After all, we had 86 years of practice!

Sox Explode for 14 Runs

I didn't see that coming! An offense that scored 2 & 3 runs in the last 2 games exploded for 14 on Sunday. I guess it's feast or famine. And still it's a split series against a team that they should beat. Jon Lester pitched well. A good day all around. Now the talk shows are re-adjusting their statements about whether or not the Red Sox are done. Just wait for math to work itself out. The upcoming 2 series in Baltimore & New York are big - to say the least.

"Greatness" T-Shirts

Going off script since the Red Sox are not so much fun lately, I thought that the U.S. Women's Soccer Team spoiled a special moment at the Olympics by dawning their Nike "Greatness" t-shirts immediately following the match. Couldn't that have waited until after the hand shakes with Japan? A wonderful competitive victory is immediately followed by a totally commercial moment. I'm sure Nike gave the U.S. team a nice contribution for wearing these shirts. To me it ruined a hard fought victory for no reason. No wonder people don't like the U.S.

Indians 5, Red Sox 2

As Jerry Remy said, you have to put points on the board to win. And the lethargic Boston offense has not been doing that. Had it not been for Buck's complete game & holding the Indians to 2 runs, we would be looking at 3 losses to the Tribe. 2 & 3 runs a game puts too much pressuere on the pitching staff to be perfect. And Frank Morales was not perfect last night, but he still did an OK job for a #5 starter. Just another game of no offense. As the local paper wrote today, it's time for the Red Sox to waive the white flag. Play the kids & see what you have for next year might be the smart move. I agree. Can't hurt anything at this point.

Buck the Stopper, Ace

Clay Buchholz is the ace. No question. Move over Beckett & Lester. Buck stopped the Red Sox latest skid with a 2-hit, complete game win over the Cleveland Indians 3-2 in Cleveland last night. Cody Ross delivered a 2-run bomb to center to back the great pitching performance. Will Middlebrooks was hit by a fastball in wrist & immediately left the game. Middlebrooks is another player the Sox can ill-afford to lose to the DL. It's been a crazy year, but there's still time since no one is running away with it & head to head battles are coming up with the O's & Yankees. Who knows, because I sure don't.

Another Loss, Sox Falling Further Behind

It's been an ugly stretch of games for the Red Sox who have a losing record at Fenway Park for the 1st time in 15+ years. The last home stand was 4-6. They have played better on the road & better against the AL Central teams, but not last night. Sox lose to the lowly Indians 5-3. Felix Doubront looks burned out & should probably skip a turn or two. Other than Adrian Gonzalez who is on fire, the offense is sluggish more times than not. As one commenter mentioned, there are only 50 games left. To have any shot, I think the Sox need to be 5 games or less out of a wild card spot by the end of the month. That seems like a tall order for a team reeling with inconsistencies in their daily play which has plagued them all year long.

Tough Loss 10-9

Josh Beckett was terrible through 5+ innings giving up 8 runs & 3 HR's. Texas pitchers Harrison & Oswalt were just as bad. In the end it came down to 1 extra sac fly by Texas that made the difference. It would have been a great comeback win had Middlebrooks or Lavarnway been able to tie the game in the 9th with Cody Ross on 2nd, but both K'ed against closer Joe Nathan. The boo birds were out in force as Beckett left the mound in the 6th after his poor outing. Just an average pitching performance would have gotten a win today, but it was not to be. Another game off the schedule. Another lost series at home. You can hear the tick, tick, tick of time starting to run out in 2012.

Back to Mathematics

Last year at this time the 2011 Boston Red Sox were the best team in baseball with a 99% chance of making the playoffs. Even though the Sox lost last night 6-3, even though they are only 5-5 in their last 10 games, even though a malais has overshadowed this team & prevented them from putting a run of wins together to date, I am now back to the time of year where I look at the math. If we learned nothing from last year, we should remember that it all comes down to who's hot in September. Tampa Bay & St. Louis got hot last September & St. Louis ended up winning it all. The math says that the Sox are 5 games behind the A's for the 2nd wild card. I'm shedding my Michael Felger approach to Red Sox bashing everyday. For the remaining 7 weeks of the season I am deciding to stay positive until the math says the Sox are out. The Sox have done just enough to stay alive to date. Let's play out the season & see what happens. No team has won anything yet. Sorry, Felger, you're on your own.

Bobby Gets Vote of Confidence

John Henry e-mailed media outlets to clear the air about Bobby V. Ben Cherington was repeatedly asked about Bobby & his expected firing, to which Ben also backed up his manager. And Bobby said if the team record was better, no one would need to back him, but he appreciated it. You can develop your own thoughts & opinions about the length of stay that Bobby V will have at the helm of the Red Sox. I agree with one of Henry's statements. The manager gets more credit or more blame in these instances. How about the players taking a major piece of humble pie for underperforming for 4 months? I don't think Bobby survives this year, but who else is out there & who else would come to a team where you have no power?

A Good Night for the Sox

Last night was another glimps of what could be. A tease if you will. Good pitching. Good defense. Good offense. All 3 phases of the game in sync for once. The Red Sox make it look easy over the Rangers & Yu Darvish in a 9-2 win. Why can't we have more nights like this instead of the 2012 yoyo - a good night, a bad night, repeat? The talent is there.

Morales Stops the Skid

Franklin Morales - 6 innings, 1 run. Who needs Josh Beckett? A very nice effort by Morales & the Red Sox win 6-4. It's all about next year now & Frank Morales is making his case to be a permanent starter. A rotation of Buchholz, Lester, Doubront, Morales &, yes, Lackey to start the year is OK with me. Once Lackey gets traded put Alfredo Aceves back into a starting role. I would rather go with no-names than high-priced, underperforming stars. Having said that, I would give up just about any 5 to 7 players to get Felix Hernandez from Seattle. King Felix just threw a complete game shutout over the Yankees in Yankee Stadium & we need a Yankee killer. Next year starts now.

Start Building for 2013

Play Middlebrooks. Play Kalish. Play Lavarnway. Call up Iglesias. Let's see what the young guys can do for the last 3rd of the year. At 53-55 the Sox need to go 36-18 the rest of the way to get to 89 wins & it's not happening with this roster. Cut back on innings by Doubront. Cut back on innings by Buccholz. See what Franklin Morales can do as a starter again. See what Tazawa can do. Move Aceves or Padilla back into the rotation when Bailey returns. It's time to see what you have for 2013 & to showcase certain guys available for trades in the off-season. Pack it in. This season is over. Management isn't fooling anyone.

Sox Blow-Up in 9th

If Bob Lobel was still doing the sports report on WBZ-4, he would bring out the old panic button. And it is time to push the panic button on the Boston Red Sox as they imploded for a 6-4 loss last night, giving up 4 runs in the 9th after taking back the lead in the bottom of the 8th on a Pedro Ciriaco pinch-hit homer. Don Orsillo & Jerry Remy both said that they had no quams with Bobby V bringing Aceves in in the 8th & then leaving him out there in the 9th. I disagree. With runners on 2nd & 3rd & Mauer & Morneau due up I would have brought in Breslow to face these 2 lefties. Aceves was over 30 pitches & not effective. Why have Breslow & Padilla throwing in the bullpen if you weren't going to use them? No move was made & Mauer hit the 3-run homer to ice the game. It's time to dial back the expectations & accept the fact that we are not playoff bound for the 3rd straight year. Heck, we lived it for 86 years prior to 2004. It's back to the future!

Another Game Off the Schedule

Time is running out. A 3rd loss in a row, 2nd in 2 nights to the Twins in extra innings 6-5. Below .500 record at the 2/3rd mark of the season. And the blame game is in full season. In my humble opinion the main problem is the players - period. Too many are below their historical average performance level this year. Take your pick - Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, Adrian Gonzalez. If you are a professional player, even for the lowly Houston Astros or KC Royals, you are expected to be ready to play your best every day. There will be up & down days, but the expectation is that you ready yourself to be at your best on a daily basis. As a competitor, every player should want to win. If results are not what you expect, if results are less than average, then it's up to the player to seek help, modify workouts, add more repetitions, etc. to get better results. Hard work gets results. Talking does not. And the onous is on the player to modify, change & adapt their routine to get better results. Personal responsibility. Where is it?

The Strange Year of Bobby Valentine

Poor Bobby! Now his comment made earlier in the year to Will Middlebrooks is relayed to top management by another player or coach & Bobby has to address it in his pre-game media conference. Bunch of babies going behind his back! The dysfunctional management & players that are the 2012 Boston Red Sox continue their off-field turmoil while consistently being inconsistent on the field. The 1 up, 1 down, .500 season rolls along into August. It's obvious that Bobby Valentine has not been allowed to use the tools of his trade - like picking his own coaches, filling out the roster with players he wanted to play. And it's becoming more obvious that he is telling more of his story to the press in recent days. With no authority comes no respect, so we're back to the inmates running the jail. Bobby won't be back next year, but he will make the Sox fire him so he can collect another year's salary. I say he's due another year for all the bull & handcuffs he's been saddle with. My final question would be - who could the Sox bring in to manage this team after this fiasco?

Sox Lose Again, Back to .500

Here we are at .500 again after 2 losses in a row. Jon Lester pitched OK against a horrible offense. But speaking of no offense, the Sox got shutout on 2 hits as they lose the opener to the Twins 5-0. Where's the beef in this lineup? The Sox need to take the next 3 games against the Twins to keep management's hopes alive for a playoff spot. That means weekend starters Doubront, Cook & a Beckett fill-in need to pitch well to give this slumping offense a chance to win. It's seems as if the offense has joined the starting pitchers with inconsistency.

Tigers Win Finale

Another bad start by Aaron Cook leads to a loss 7-5 against the Tigers. In my day we use to call a guy who throws soft stuff a junk pitcher. And when the junk doesn't work he gets hit hard. Cabrera & Fielder went back to back to ice the game in the 5th. Nice to see Carl Crawford getting his power stroke back. The Tigers bullpen, including closer Valverde who I can't stand, put the Red Sox down 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 over the final 3 innings. Just no good at bats. However, the Sox win this series 2 games out of 3 & need to keep playing at a .600 clip the rest of the way. The cream puff Twins come in for 4 at Fenway starting tonight & the Sox could use a sweep before the Rangers come to town.

Management Holding, Not Folding

It was a calculated risk by the Boston front office. Either keep the current roster for their "estimated" potential based upon past experience or jettison major parts based upon "actual" performance. Think of it as a personal budget. You do an estimate of what you think income & expenses will be , then a reasonable person will adjust the estimate based upon actual income & expenses. We know the expenses associated with this team - which includes millions of dollars on the DL. The income, or results/wins in this case, has been much less than projected. Yet the management feels their assets will perform better in the last 2 months of the season. If Larry Luchhino & his dysfunctional group are correct, then we fans all deserve to eat crow at the end of the year. If Larry guesses wrong, then he can expect the wrath of Red Sox Nation. Time will tell.

Big Papi Not Progressing

Have you ever had an achilles problem? It hurts like heck to do anything. You can't even walk on a bad one, none the less hit & run. Big Papi is not ready to get back into the lineup today & I would bet he won't be ready next week either. For an older guy I have heard that a bad achilles rupture (which no one is saying that this one is that severe) can take up to a year to heal. David Ortiz cannot run pain free yet. His absence is definitely effecting the offensive run production. The top 4 of Ellsbury, Crawford, Pedroia & Gonzalez need to stay hot to give the Sox a chance to win without #34. Middlebrooks has been a nice compliment. Any contributions from the rest of the lineup are a plus - like Ciriaco. But how long can Ciriaco keep coming up with big hits in the clutch? Let's hope that Ciriaco's shelf life doesn't expire before Big Papi gets back. Given the non-active trade deadline, these are our guys for the rest of the season.

No Major Moves, Beckett Hurt

The good news is that the Sox took advantage of a rain-shortened outing where Justin Verlander was not at his best. Sox win 4-1. The bad news is the fact that the Sox made no major moves to get another front-line pitcher like Dempster or Johnson. Not shocking as we knew this would happen weeks ago. And now Josh Beckett is injured again. Craig Breslow joins the Boston bullpen as Matt Albers & Scott Podsednik join the Arizona Diamondbacks. Lars Anderson mercifully moves onto the Indians in return for a minor league pitcher. At least Anderson has a chance to make the big club in Cleveland. If Beckett returns to the DL, it would necessitate Franklin Morales rejoining the rotation & keeping Aaron Cook in the mix. If Dice-K ever gets through his rehab without reinjuring himself, you may see the Dice-man return for a few starts before exiting Boston at year-end. Maybe the Sox will look a little closer at the waiver wire now. So far, they blew it with blind trust in the current pitching staff.