Rusney Starts Today in GCL

It's been over a year since Rusney Castillo put on a uniform & played in a real game. The new Red Sox center-fielder will get about 3 innings of work today as the Red Sox play the Yankees minor league affiliate in a Gulf Coast League playoff game. Rusney may see time in Portland & Pawtucket as well since both franchises will be in the playoffs & he can gain some valuable at-bats. Rusney's progression may be the biggest news in September as the Sox will play out the remainder of the season as an evaluation of who stays & who goes in 2015. This off-season, the old hot stove, portends to be a busy one for Ben & his staff as names like Lester, Shields, Cueto, McCarthy, Masterson surface on the pitching front & Giancarlo Stanton still looms out there as a possibility. Castillo may see additional playing time in the Arizona Fall League (I hope!) & even the Caribbean summer league. An outfield of Cespedes, Castillo, Craig (the 3 C's) along with Victorino is intriguing. Good luck, Rusney! See you in Boston soon!

Allen Webster Pitching Himself Out of Rotation

Control. Control. Control. With any of the Red Sox young arms I look in the box score to see one thing - how many walks did they give up? It's human nature to come up to the big club & try to pitch too finely. The good young pitchers can work around their free bases. That's what De La Rosa & Ranaudo do on most nights. Webster & Workman have had more difficulty with men on base &, consequently, they have trouble limiting the damage. Given enough time & enough innings, all will work through it. But Allen Webster is not showing that there is improvement in his control on a game to game basis. Webster gives up 5 earned runs last night as the Sox lose to the Rays 7-0. He may be pitching himself out of a job in 2015. Even if John Farrell goes with a 6-man rotation, Webster would have to fight Kelly, De La Rosa, Ranaudo, Workman & Buchholz for a spot next year. Don't forget Henry Owens & Matt Barnes at Pawtucket as well. A number of these pitchers will be packaged up in a deal with excess outfielders to get a Cole Hamels or Giancarlo Stanton in the off-season. Right now it looks like Webster would be one of them.

What To Do With Mookie?

With 7 outfielders on the Red Sox team you expect several will be offered up in trade. Cespedes, Castillo, Victorino & Craig look like the starting outfielders of 2015. Where does that leave Mookie? Betts hit a grand slam last night to lead the Sox to an 8-4 win over Chris Archer & the Joe Maddon Rays. I hope the Sox overtake the Rays in the final month of play & the Rays finish in last. Back to Mookie, this kid was a lifetime 2nd baseman before being switched to the outfield just this year which he has played average to above-average at times. Not JBJ quality CF, but good enough. He reminds you of Xander Bogaerts in September & October of last year. I feel bad for Ben & his crew when it comes to this off-season. The sample size will be somewhat small on judging Mookie's ability in the bigs, so does he stay or does he go? At this point I could live with Mookie at 3B & Brock Holt at SS while packaging Middlebrooks & Bogaerts. Holt, Pedroia, Ortiz, Cespedes, Napoli, Castillo, Craig/Victorino, Betts, Vazquez would be a quick & powerful lineup. But who's to say that Betts & Holt won't go the way of Middlebrooks & Bogaerts & spiral downward. Tough calls, tough decisions to be made.

A Great Night for Baseball

I got a chance to see the last home game for the NH Fisher Cats last night. The Cats are the AA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Gaff was nice enough to provide me with the ticket. And who do we see in the park but our podcast buddie Steve. In between talking all things Red Sox & catching up on how our families & kids & grandkids are doing, we had an older gentleman in our row who said he goes to many games with his son. Baseball & fathers & sons go back a long, long way. Remember playing catch with your dad? We saw several little kids get baseballs from the ball boy during the night. That made their night. We were entertained by several contests in-between innings, including a water balloon toss to a partner wearing a funnel hat. I'd rather be the thrower than the receiver who got wet. As sometimes happens, we were "treated" to a Mr. Know-It-All behind us who really knew nothing. His best comment was ragging on the 3rd base coach for not sending a runner (who would have been out by a mile) when the team was down 6-0. OK, cut back on the medication pal! Before the game Gaff & I went out past RF & found 3 HR baseballs from batting practice. 3 more to add to the collection for his grandkids Little League team. It reminded me of my childhood when I would wait in the shrubs behind home plate at West Memorial Field & grab a foul ball, throw it over the fence to a buddy waiting there, so we would have a baseball to play catch with the next day. Whoever says baseball is dead hasn't been to a game for awhile. Yes, they need to speed the game up & I'm sure the new commissioner will implement some changes. But it's still one of the best family deals going. Try a game sometimes.

Sox Winning Streak Over

Taking 2 out of 3 on the road is acceptable anytime. But Joe Kelly deserved a win which was botched by Junichi Tazawa who just can't pitch against the Jays. The Jays roughed up Taz - again - with a pinch-hit 3 run homer in the 7th by Danny Valencia & they go on to win 5-2. David Ortiz made his way back into the lineup & he contributed 2 hits & an RBI. Red Sox manager John Farrell rested Yoenis Cespedes yesterday & all the Sox have a day off today as they get set for a Labor Day Weekend in Tampa Bay against the Rays. Rusney Castillo is working out in Fort Myers, so there may be a Rusney sighting while the Sox are in Tampa. Best guess is that Castillo will join the big club in mid-September after a few weeks of workouts & play in minor league games.

Odds & Ends

Here's a few observations. First, why can't pitchers field their position? I've never seen so many balls go through the mound while a pitcher makes little, if any, effort to stab it. If I'm pitching, I'm knocking everything down & no one gets a cheap hit. Same applies on bunts & throws to first. I see terrible mechanics by pitchers. Casey Jannsen last night tries to field a bunt by Brock Holt with his bare hand & he muffed it. Even Jon Lester can't throw overhand to first base. He has to underhand it. I was taught to catch the ball, plant my feet first, don't rush it, then make a good hard throw to first. Second point, doesn't Jeff Samardzija of the A's look like a young Dennis Eckersley? Take a good look next time you see Samardzija. He could pass as the 1980's version of the Eck. Finally, a pet peeve with Fernando Rodney & Michael Pineda wearing their team hats crooked. I'm with Psycho Lyons on this point. It's disrespectful to the game of baseball. Even football polices how players can wear their uniforms. What's wrong with wearing your hat properly & looking like you are a member of a T-E-A-M instead of the "I'm an individual, look at me thing?" Those are just a couple of odds & ends that crossed my mind lately. Let me know if you have any items.

Sox Win 2 In A Row

Maybe the Red Sox are starting a new streak. The 8 game losing streak is over. Now we have 2 wins in a row in Toronto. A 7-run 11th inning did the trick as the Sox won 11-7. Heath Hembree had a tough bottom of the 11th, giving up 3 runs before getting the final 3 outs. Rubby De La Rosa couldn't get the last out in the 5th which is disappointing. But he limited the damage by the Blue Jays to just 3 runs. Every player in the Red Sox lineup had a hit last night with the top 4 batters having multi-hit nights. Mike Napoli belted a homer for the ages at the Rogers Centre, hitting the upper upper deck to put the game out of reach at 9-4. Later Allen Craig followed with his 1st homer as a Red Sox. Nice to see Craig getting into the offense. The Sox can act as spoilers over the last 30 games with many against the AL East. As my niece said, let's hope that we can finish the season in 4th instead of last.

Alleluia! Losing Streak Over

Finally, a win. It took a great pitching performance by Clay Buchholz, homers from Mookie Betts & Dustin Pedroia, & a run in the 10th inning on a base hit by Yoenis Cespedes to plate Brock Holt who stole 2 bases. Red Sox 4, Jays 3. Koji still looked terrible as he gave up 3 in the 9th on a homer by Encarnacion to tie the game. Farrell needs to sit him for awhile. No reason to keep running Koji out there until he figures out what's going wrong. And a little rest can't hurt. Maybe this is a chance to find another closer like Hembree. But any win after an 8 game losing streak is a good one. Going forward, Buchholz may have done enough to keep his spot in the rotation next year, just by seeing how good he is when he is on his game. Can Buck sustain that? Good luck, Ben, trying to figure out if he can stay healthy & be effective over the course of an entire 30+ starts season in 2015. I think a backup plan is in order.

Sox Lose 8th In A Row

Allen Webster was bad after coming off a good start in his previous outing. Sox lose 8-6 & get swept by the Mariners. If we had to be swept by 2 teams, at least the Angels & Mariners are ahead of the Yankees in the wild card race. Maybe they will keep New York out of post-season play. Yoenis Cespedes continued his hot bat with 3 more hits. At this point all we can hope for are signs of life over the last 30 games that can translate into a better 2015 season. Players like Webster, Workman, Betts & Middlebrooks need to know that they are in a tryout camp for next year.

Sox Lose Again

Another 3-0 lead goes by the boards as the Mariners put up 7 runs in the 4th to beat the Red Sox 7-3. I was at the game & a couple of players impressed me. Cespedes had a good day at the plate & in the field, throwing out another runner at home. Alex Wilson did a great job in relief of Workman, including hitting Robinson Cano after Ortiz got hit in the arm the inning before. Everyone knew this was coming & he hit Cano right where he needed to - in the butt. Brock Holt was steady at SS & he hit the ball hard a couple of times. After seeing Cespedes play, I hope the Sox can sign him to a long-term deal. The play of the game to me was the strikeout of Napoli with the bases loaded. The Sox never seemed to recover after that. It's going to be a long September.

Koji Blows Another Game

The Red Sox took a 3-0 lead into the 9th, thanks to a Yoenis Cespedes 3-run homer off of King Felix. As usual, Koji came in to close the game out. However, he left after giving up 5 runs. Sox lose 5-3. That's a buzz kill! I think it's time for Farrell to give his closer a week of rest before using the 39 year old again. Koji blew a game earlier in the week against the Angels. He has not been himself lately. Both Koji & Tazawa have not been as effective or as dependable as last year. Maybe all of these appearances are finally catching up with the Japanese 8th & 9th inning guys. My man Allen Craig has not gotten his rhythm at the plate back yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do on a regular basis. Overall, this has been an ugly home stand.

Sox Get Rusney Castillo for 7 Years, $72 Mil

The Cubans are coming, the Cubans are coming! Fidel must be turning in his grave. We win the bidding war for Rusney Castillo, the Cuban defector who caught the interest of just about every team in MLB. The 27 year old outfielder looks like an impressive specimen of muscle at 5'9" & 205 lbs. So much for no long-term deals by the Red Sox! However, if Castillo is even close to producing like other Cuban defectors to the US - for instance Puig, Abreau, Cespedes, Chapman - his average salary of $10 million + will be the steal of the century. Let's hope the Sox scouts & Ben haven't picked the one lemon in the barrel from Havana. Hey, but it's only money. Look how much it would have cost to sign Stanton long-term or Nelson Cruz. This is a nice, nice signing. Sox have plenty of outfielders & pitchers to trade for front-line pitching in the off-season. Cespedes, Castillo & Craig sure pack a lot more offensive fire-power than Gomes, JBJ & an injured Victorino. Let's get 2015 started!

Price Loses to Rays 1-0

David Price got outpitched by his counterpart Alex Cobb in his return to the Trop. Rays 1, Tigers 0. Detroit has been on a tailspin since the acquisition of Price. Meanwhile, the KC Royals, who stood pat & made no moves at the trade deadline, have been on fire to take possession of 1st place in the AL Central. Kansas City is an organization that had faith in their young talent over the last 3 or 4 years, & now that patience is paying off. Could we be as patient with JBJ, Bogaerts, Middlebrooks? Doubtful. We like results now.

Red Sox Swept By Angels

I looked at the lineup put out by John Farrell last night & I said 3 runs or less - max. No Big Papi who got a day off. No Mike Napoli who has back spasms. As it turns out, my guess of 3 runs was generous as the Sox offense could muster only 1 hit of Matt Shoemaker over 7 2/3rds. And of all people, it was Will Middlebrooks who got the lone hit, a double in the bottom of the 7th. Rubby De La Rosa had a nice bounce back effort in limiting the Angels to 2 runs, something Clay Buchholz couldn't do the night before. If I'm the Oakland A's, I'm not too happy with Farrell sitting Ortiz because the big man ran the bases the night before. Now the Angels move on to a bigger series in Oakland this weekend while the Seattle Mariners invade Fenway. The Mariners are in contention for a wild card berth, so expect the M's to pull out all the stops. Gaff & I are going to the game on Saturday.

Sox Lose Again

Clay Buchholz couldn't make it 3 good starts in a row, giving up several walks & 6 runs in 6 innings. Sox lose 8-3. Old Man River David Ortiz keeps banging out home runs, his 30th last night in a 4-for-4 offensive performance for number 34. Big Papi has accounted for a majority of the Red Sox offense this entire season & you wonder how long he can continue at this pace. I'm sure there are a lot of PED skeptics out there & rightly so. Angels star pitcher Richards got injured on a freak play covering 1B. And the Angels have a big series coming up in Oakland this weekend. There are a lot of good races as we hit the end of August & we come down the home stretch in September. Too bad we are not part of it, but no one else can claim 3 championships in 10 years. I'll take the 3 rings & give the Sox a mulligan this year.

Cuban Rusney Castillo to Decide Soon

WEEI reports that the Red Sox are one of several teams who have put a blind bid in on Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo. Castillo is a former teammate of Yoenis Cespedes & Cespedes compares Castillo to a smaller version of Yasiel Puig. Not much is known about the 27 year old who needs to be added to the major league roster by September 1st to be eligible for the playoffs. If the Red Sox are the winning bidder, the Sox would get to keep all of their prospects & have a chance to package them with surplus pitchers into an off-season trade or two for front-line pitching. Given the success of Cubans Puig, Cespedes & Jose Abreau, the Sox may have been inspired enough to throw a bunch of dollars into the pot for Castillo as a way to fix their outfield production woes. We should know the outcome soon.

Good Mookie, Bad Mookie

Koji gives up the winning run in the 9th as Sox lose again to Angels by 1 run, this time 4-3. Allen Webster pitched 6 innings & limited the damage to 3 runs. Mookie Betts had an eventful game. He did get a double at the plate & he did make one nice catch going up against the stands in center, then turning his catch into a double play. On the bad side he did get a poor jump on a sinking liner, dove for it & the ball got by him for a triple. Mookie also pulled up short of the wall in the 9th to allow a ground rule double, the eventual winning run. Hey, he's a 2nd baseman being asked to learn CF at the big league level. How do you think Pedroia would do in CF at Fenway? I like Mookie & I think he brings energy to this lineup. Maybe the Sox should think about bringing Mookie back into the infield at 3B for Middlebrooks or at SS for Bogaerts.

JBJ Down, Mookie Up

It was time for Jackie Bradley, Jr. to go down to Pawtucket & time for the Red Sox to see if Mookie Betts can be a major league center-fielder. With Dustin Pedroia anchoring 2B for the next several years Mookie had to find another position to play. Betts has continued to hit in Pawtucket, so why not see what you have. Mookie got a hit in last night's game & played fine in the outfield. Once Allen Craig gets back from his rehab stint it will be a crowded Red Sox outfield with Betts, Cespedes, Nava, Craig, Holt & next year Victorino & Bradley. Surplus outfielders & surplus pitching will be Ben's trade bait to land a starting pitcher or two, maybe a 3rd baseman or shortstop, & maybe another big outfield bat. Changes - they are a comin'!

Tazawa Has Big Error

Junichi Tazawa hasn't been the same dependable guy out of the pen this year as he was last year. After the first 2 batters that he faced in the 8th I could see that he didn't have his good stuff, didn't have good control. Taz could have worked through the 8th by starting a 1-2-3 double play, but instead he misplayed the ball & 2 runs scored. It happens. Those runs sealed a win for the Angels 4-2 over the Red Sox. Brandon Workman had a nice comeback game after skipping a turn with arm fatigue. He deserved a better fate. Since the trading deadline the Red Sox are 8-8 in the month of August. Not bad for no Jon Lester & no John Lackey. For a team that has played below .500 most of the season you have to be encouraged by the young pitching staff that is throwing more good games than bad. This will be a busy hot stove for Ben & company as they figure out who's in & who's out for 2015. The next 6 weeks will have a lot to do with both sides of the question.

What To Do With Kids?

Xander Bogaerts makes mental mistakes & he is struggling at the plate. JBJ can't hit a lick, but he does play Gold Glove center field. What should the Red Sox do with these 2 young guys? Several, or should I say most, reporters would have both heading out of town as part of the next big trade for a Giancarlo Stanton or a Cole Hamels. I say stay the course. Maybe X-man is playing himself out of a position at SS, but he could certainly handle easier duties at 3B. And no, don't send them back to triple-A. There is no substitute for learning on the job. And this is a perfect year to do so because the Red Sox are out of contention. Use the final 2 months as a learning laboratory to see what help this experience will give to both in the future. I always learned more as a player from my defeats than my victories. Yes, Lou Merloni, in a perfect world these guys should get 1,000 minor league at-bats before coming to the big leagues. Instead, they are going to get most of those at-bats against big league pitchers. I'm OK with that. Playing up against better competition can only help you in the long run. Let's see what happens after those 1,000 at-bats are complete & see what kind of players we have then. We are talking end of 2015 by the time Bogaerts & Bradley hit the 1,000 mark. Can we be a little more patient & give these kids a chance? Stop running them out of town.

Big Night for Big Papi

The Red Sox beat the Astros 10-7, a nice comeback win after trailing 6-3. 6 of the Sox 10 runs were driven in by David Ortiz. Ortiz connected for 2 2-run homers & a very big 2-run double late in the game. His homers were #400 & #401 as a Red Sox, 3rd most of all time behind Williams & Yaz. The Sox bullpen picked up a poor start by Rubby De La Rosa who lasted only 4 innings. Wilson, Layne & Badenhop combined for 4 scoreless innings before Koji gave up a run in the 9th. Daniel Nava had a nice 3-hit night & Brock Holt kept his hitting streak alive, extending it to 10 games. A nice base running play by Cespedes to steal 3rd let Nava single him in for a tying run earlier in the game. Allen Craig will make a few rehab starts as he comes off the DL, but it will be nice to see how he lengthens the lineup with Pedroia, Ortiz, Cespedes, Napoli & Craig hitting 2 through 6. Craig's return means that Nava will have less playing time which is too bad since he has been swinging the bat well on this home stand. It's all about 2015 though. If & when Victorino is healthy, you could see Cespedes, Victorino & Criag as your outfield next year with JBJ & Nava battling for the 4th outfield position.

Astros Finally Win At Fenway 5-3

Craig Breslow is not the same dependable guy that he was out of the pen last year. Last night he pitched the 10th, allowing 3 runners to reach base before recording an out. Two of those runners eventually scored on a bloop hit that bounced into the first base stands. Not Tazawa's fault. Sox lose 5-3 in 10 innings. Clay Buchholz had a solid outing. Yoenis Cespedes hit a laser into the green monster seats. But a weird play at home on a throw from Pedroia to Vazquez to Badenhop allowed the tying run to score, sending the game into extras. A 4-game win streak is stopped, but who wouldn't take 4 wins out of every 5 games? Maybe I have to eat my words yesterday about Buck & maybe he does belong in the rotation next year. I still don't feel he is a pitcher you can expect 30+ starts out of, certainly no Jon Lester or John Lackey.

Can Buck Keep It Together?

If everyone on the Red Sox is auditioning for 2015, shouldn't we put Clay Buchholz in that category too? I have heard way too many reporters say that Buck is a lock for a spot in the rotation next year because he has a club-friendly contract for 2 more years. This guy is erratic, often injured (more than Jacoby ever was) & looks like he needs to put on about 25 pounds so he does not look like he's starving. I think all of Buck's starts from now until year end, including tonight's, are an audition for him as well. Maybe I'm the only one that thinks so, but with so much young talent getting their chance now & the eventual signing of a top line pitcher or two in the off-season, I'm not sure that Buchholz is a lock. It will be interesting to follow his progress for the rest of this year.

Red Sox 9, Astros 4

A nice team win. Contributions up & down the lineup. Allen Webster righted himself after a tough couple of innings to go a full 6 before turning it over to the pen. The little man, Dustin Pedroia, has a 3 for 5 night with a couple of big RBI in a 7-run 6th inning when 12 Red Sox batters made it to the plate. Daniel Nava had a nice night on both sides of the ball, throwing out a runner at home & collecting a couple of hits. 4 wins in a row now. Beating up on bad teams is what good teams do. And the Boston Red Sox are playing like a much better team lately. Even JBJ & Will Middlebrooks contributed hits in last night's game. Christian Vazquez had a 2-hit night as well. Production from the bottom 3rd always helps. And don't forget Brock Holt, master of 7 positions & playing SS last night, producing in the leadoff spot again. Holt is very underrated for the season he is having. Again, a nice team win.

Watch Chris Carter

He doesn't get the press of a Yoenis Cespedes or a Giancarlo Stanton. But watch Chris Carter of the Houston Astros over this 4-game series at Fenway starting tonight. Carter, 27 years old, is a 6'4", 250 pounds OF/1B who enters tonight's contest as the hottest hitter in August. For the season he has amassed 28 homers & 67 RBI for a last place team. Carter is eligible for arbitration in 2015, meaning he is still under control for 3 or more years. One day David Ortiz will retire & someone has to take his place. Maybe Carter is the guy. I like him.

A Winning Road Trip

5-3, over .500. When is the last time we were able to say that about a Red Sox road trip? Sox sweep the Reds yesterday with a 5-4 victory. Anthony Ranaudo gives the team a serviceable 6 innings before turning it over to the bullpen. Edward Mujica has actually been better lately & he closed the game, although he is still scary to me. Mike Napoli plays in place of Big Papi at 1B & Nap collects 3 RBI, 2 of them on a game-winning homer to right center. Is Ben right? Do you really need an ace when you have Buck, De La Rosa, Ranaudo, Kelly, Workman & Webster? Believe me, the answer is "yes!" I have no faith in Buchholz making it through a whole year healthy. Webster scares me. Workman has a tired arm. I still believe in the conspiracy theory that Jon Lester went to Oakland solely so the Red Sox could get Cespedes on the team for next year & that the Sox will re-sign Lester in the off-season. And I think the Sox will add another proven arm like Cole Hamel or James Shields to the mix. They certainly have the money to do whatever they want.

Yoenis Again

Another late-inning HR by Yoenis Cespedes led the Sox to a 3-2 win in Cincinnati. Yoenis got buzzed high & tight by Jonathan Broxton on a pitch clocked at 95 mph & he then deposited the very next pitch 433 feet away to CF. That had to feel good, like a "take that Broxton" moment. The Sox are 4-3 on this road trip, despite a team batting average less than .200. Thanks to another great starting effort by Joe Kelly the Sox pitchers threw up zeros for 8 innings after the Reds scored 2 in the 1st. Kelly also got a hit & stole a base. This young rotation has had a turn & a half of excellent starts. Xander Bogaerts had 2 hits & drove in the 1st Red Sox run. Maybe he is starting to come out of it. No signs of life for Will Middlebrooks yet. He hit a long fly that had a chance to go out, but it stayed in the park for an out. Good team win in Cincy. Anthony Ranaudo gets his 2nd start tonight in place of a tired Brandon Workman.

KC Royals #1 in Central

Look out Detroit! The Kansas City Royals have finally overtaken the heavily favored Tigers in the AL Central for the top spot. I had the good fortune of seeing a game in Kaufmann Stadium a few years ago. Kaufmann & Arrowhead, home of the football Chiefs, share a common parking area as the stadiums are very close to each other. Many fans were tailgating before the Royals-Red Sox game. KC is a nice Midwestern town that loves barbeque. The Royals haven't been in the playoffs or won anything since 1985. It would be nice to see them edge out a big favorite like the Tigers for 1st place in the AL Central. Go Royals!

Guest Article: So You Think They Are Rich

Inevitably during one of the AA games I go to each year the question always seems to come up about how much do minor league players make? Here you go. Rookie League - Gulf Coast Red Sox, Foreign Rookie Dominican Summer League - $1,500/mo. 1st year, $1,200/mo. 2nd year, $1,250/mo. 3rd year. Short Season A - Lowell, MA, Utica, NY, Elmira, NY, Williamsport, PA - $1,150/mo. 1st year, $1,200/mo. 2nd year, $1,250/mo. 3rd year (Lowell). Low A - Greenville, SC, Augusta, GA, Winter Haven, FL, Lynchburg, VA, Winston-Salem, NC, Oneonta, NY - $1,300/mo. 1st year, $1,350/mo. 2nd year, $1,400/mo. 3rd year. High A - Salem, VA - $1,500/mo. 1st year, $1,550/mo. 2nd year, $1,600/mo. 3rd year. Double A - Portland, ME - $1,700/mo. 1st year, $1,800/mo. 2nd year, $1,900/mo. 3rd year. Triple A - Pawtucket, RI - $2,150/mo. 1st year, $2,400/mo. 2nd year, $2,700/mo. 3rd year. Major League - minimum salary is $400,000/year. Incentives include: $500 bonus after 60 days of Double A time, $1,000 bonus after 60 days of Triple A time, $5,000 bonus after 60 days of big league time. All minor league players receive $25 meal money per day when the team is away from home. Minor league players do not get paid during spring training. They receive $25 for every meal the team does not provide during spring training. Players may get a signing bonus depending upon where they were drafted. (Author: Coach Gaff)

Superstitions

I turned on the Red Sox game yesterday in my office. I had no sooner turned it on when Yoenis Cespedes hit his 3-run homer to give the Sox a 3-0 lead in the 8th. For some reason I was superstitious about leaving the office as if my moving would jinx the chances of the Red Sox winning. So I kept playing the same computer game in the office until the game was over. Red Sox won 3-1. Remember Wade Boggs use to eat chicken before every game. Some players shave, don't shave, pull up their pants a certain height, have a favorite bat or glove, sit a certain place in the dugout or bullpen, etc. etc. Superstitions abound in baseball & I was just reminded of it yesterday. There was a beer commercial last year for football that had a team's fans turn their beer bottles a certain way during a field goal attempt. The caption was it's only weird if it doesn't work. Yesterday my end result was a win. Nuf ced!

Sox Win Series in Anaheim

Webster on Friday. Buchholz on Saturday. De La Rosa on Sunday. Three nice starts by the current rotation as the Red Sox win 2 of 3 against the Angels. Throw in a 19 inning loss on Saturday, extended to Sunday morning, & the Sox will take a road series win anytime. Cespedes blasts his 1st HR as a Sox. Butler catches his first game. And even though runs throughout this series were at a premium, the Sox put a wrench in the LA Angels of Anaheim's post-season aspirations. I love Trout, don't like Sciosca at all. Going back to the rotation, there is no way that the Sox go with 4 young guns & Buchholz next year as their starting 5 arms. But it was nice to see all 3 pitchers have a good run through the rotation in La-La-Land. I'd still like to see more of Ranaudo & I'd like to see Allen Craig play more this year to see how the lineup gets lengthened out before the strikeout bats of Bogaerts, Bradley & Middlebrooks come up. Tough year for those guys. A day off is needed before 2 more in Cincinnati with no DH. Good road win!

Guest Article: The Good And The Not So Good

After watching GM Ben the last couple of weeks moving players in & moving players out, I thought about trades of yester years, both good & not so good. GOOD: July 31, 1997 - Jason Varitek & Derek Lowe for Heathcliff Slocumb. Thank you Seattle! November 24, 2005 - Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell & Guillermo Mota for Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez, Harvey Garcia & Jesus Delgado. Thank you Marlins! July 31, 2004 - Dave Roberts from the Dodgers in exchange for Henri Stanley. We all know what David did!!! November, 1997 - Pedro Martinez from the Expos for Carl Pavano & Tony Armas, Jr. Remember 2004 & the reverse of the curse. March 30, 1978 - Hall of Famer The Eck & catcher Fred Kendall from the Indians for Rick Wise, Mike Paxton Ted Cox & Bo Diaz. THE NIGHTMARES: January 3, 1920 - BABE RUTH for a bag of cash. You are kidding me, right! August 31, 1990 - Jeff Bagwell to Houston for Larry Anderson. All I can say is Lou Gorman went to one too many buffets that day! Think about what Bagwell could have done at Fenway. It keeps me up at night. March 22, 1972 - Sparky Lyle to the Yankees for Danny Cater. Let me say that again, Sparky Lyle to the Yankees for Danny Cater. That's what I thought I said. Come on, man! Bronson Arroyo to the Reds for Willy Mo Pena. Bronson is still pitching. Willy Mo is playing in Taiwan. Kason Gabbard, David Murphy & Engel Beltre for Eric "you suck" Gagne. What was that 6.72 ERA while with the Sox? Give him another meatball. I would be interested to hear from others about your favorite trade or least favorite. Sparky Lyle for Danny Cater - I just cannot get over this bone head move. (Author: Coach Gaff)

Rough Outing for Workman

It's never easy when pitching against a guy like Adam Wainwright. And I hate to agree with Tom Caron, but Brandon Workman has not been the same pitcher since he got suspended for throwing behind Evan Longoria. Sox lose 5-2 in their rain delayed finale at Busch Stadium. Not much going right for the Sox these days as they have dropped 2 out of 3 in each of their last series. Now it's off to the left coast to play against another playoff contender in the Angels. Sox need a spark for someone. A player needs to hit for the cycle or a pitcher needs to throw a no-no, something like that. Losing gets boring after awhile.

Down Year, Parity Reigns

As of today, only the Oakland A's have a winning percentage above .600. This could be a year where several divisional winners end up at 89 wins or less. Why? Pitching seems to dominate & power hitting seems to be elusive. At the moment there are 5 teams in the AL within 1 game of the 2nd wild card. Like the NFL, I guess mediocrity makes for more teams vying for the playoffs. And it keeps fan interest right up until game 162. You would have to look at the A's as the favorite to win it all based upon their season to date. But the Tigers, Dodger & Brewers may have something to say about that. As always, a Red Sox backup position in a year that we are out of it is any team but the Yankees winning is OK. That still holds true. And the Yankees are on the verge of missing the playoffs for 2 years in a row. I can do without the Dodgers as well, just because of all the ex-Red Sox castoffs. And I could do without the Brewers because of Ryan Braun & crazy man Carlos Gomes. I'd be OK with the A's, Tigers, Nationals or even the Orioles.

Nice Debut for Joe Kelly

Supported by offense & defense from Xander Bogaerts, Joe Kelly pitched 7 strong innings in a 2-1 win by the Red Sox over the Cards. Kelly induced several ground ball outs with his 3 pitch mix of fastball, slider/curve & change. I like what I saw. Meanwhile, X-man accounted for both RBI with a double off the left field wall & a sac fly to center. Bogaerts also played good D at SS. St. Louis just doesn't look like they have enough fire power on offense to do any damage in the playoffs this year. The Cards need to pitch perfect & play perfect defense to eek out wins. Example is this series, a 3-2 win & a 2-1 loss. WEEI commented that it was odd to have Middlebrooks pinch hit & try to bunt instead of Farrell letting him hit away to see what he could do at the bat. JBJ & Middlebrooks haven't had much playing time lately as Farrell moves Brock Holt around to keep him in the lineup at leadoff. That should change if the Sox are to evaluate all of these young guys before the end of the season. I think Holt has convinced everyone that he can handle the leadoff spot.

Patience With the Kids, Please

JBJ. Middlebrooks. Betts. Holt. De La Rosa. Ranaudo. Bogaerts. Webster. Barnes. Owens. Vazquez. We are not a patient lot in New England. Before we start clamoring to trade Bradley, Jr. & Middlebrooks & Webster & others I want to impart a little patience by comparing our 25-26 year olds & younger players to other major leaguers & their development. Example - position player - Michael Brantley, age 27. I have watched Brantley in spring training for the past several years & I say to myself how come this guy is not producing more? How come he is not a better-than-average major league ballplayer? You see the tools & ability in spurts. Well, Brantley is finally a much better-than-average player this year. In fact, he is the 4th best hitter in the AL with a batting average of .323. At age 24 Brantley became an everyday player after 2 years of partial play. His average after his 1st full season was .266. It has taken him 3 full major league season to get where he is today, one of the best hitters in the AL at .323. The talent was always there. Sometimes it just takes time for a player to put everything together. Example - pitcher - Justin Verlander. At age 23 Verlander threw 186 innings with an ERA was 3.63. 2 years later he throws 201 innings, but his ERA balloons to 4.84. 3 years after that he throws 251 innings with an ERA of 2.40. Now regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball, Verlander took 5 full seasons in the bigs before he delivered his best season at age 28. I'm hoping that these 2 comparison show Red Sox Nation that we will not know what we truly have for talent in these young 20-somethings until they get a year or two or three under their belts. What if the Tigers gave up on Verlander at age 25 when he posted a 4.84 ERA? Maybe Ben will find out that he gave up too early on Felix Doubront, even though Doubront was not a good fit here. Let's give Big Papi, Pedroia, Ross, Napoli & other vets that Ben brings in in the off-season a chance to help these kids mature. Don't give up on these kids just yet.

Cards 3, Sox 2

Shane Victorino had season-ending surgery & Allen Craig was placed on the DL before Tuesday's game in St. Louis. Yoenis Cespedes collected his 1st 3-hit game as a Red Sox. Rubby De La Rosa pitched 6 innings of 1-run ball & left the game with a 2-1 lead. But the bullpen gave it up again & the Sox lose 3-2. Tommy Layne gave up a big walk to a guy hitting around .200 which came back to bite him in the 7th. And Junichi Tazawa continued his downward trend in the 8th by giving up the game-winning run. Where is that shutdown bullpen late in games? Ortiz doesn't seem to hit well when he plays 1B. Brock Holt is cooling off at the leadoff spot. Xander Bogaerts appears to have a mental issue when batting with RISP. And Will Middlebrooks looks like a guy that is pressing. Taking Mike Napoli out of the order in an NL park with no DH doesn't help your offense either. And speaking of Napoli, he got screwed on a 3-2 call which would have loaded the bases in the 7th. But that's what happens when a team is going bad & loses 10 out of 12. I am, however, looking forward to seeing Joe Kelly pitch tonight against his former teammates. Awkward don't you think? NESN said that the Cards pitcher tonight, Shelby Miller, was Kelly's best man at his wedding. Two good friends pitching against each other. Makes for an interesting by-line. August & September is all about evaluating talent for the 2015 Boston Red Sox.

Owens & Swihart Move to AAA

As the Sox tryout a number of talented minor league kids at the big league level over the next 2 months, maybe 2 of the best prospects just made their debut in Pawtucket. Henry Owens & Blake Swihart mowed down Columbus last night at McCoy Stadium. Owens gave up no runs & had 9 K's while Swihart caught him & went 0-3 at the plate. Don't be surprised if we see these 2 guys as part of the September call-ups.

"Mentor" Buchholz No Lester or Lackey

Clay Buchholz is no mentor. 7 runs in 5 innings of work, blowing 2 leads. Sox lose 8-7. Given the Sox propensity to win now, we may see Clay Buchholz packaged up in a deal to be shipped out this off-season. If not coming back from odd injuries, then it's his control this year. Buck is not even close to being the dominant pitcher from the 1st half of last season before his injury kept him out pretty much all of the 2nd half, coming back just in time for limited playoff work. To me a mentor is someone who leads by example & someone who gets positive results. Jon Lester - yes. Clay Buchholz - no. You need to find a new leader, Ben. How about re-signing an old one?

Webster's Bad Outing

Allen Webster wasn't able to follow-up a decent outing with another decent outing yesterday. Control was nowhere to be found. 6 walks in 2+ innings dug the Red Sox a hole that they couldn't climb out of. Sox lose to Yankees 6-4. If Webster gets another shot, he needs to find a way to relax & compete at the major league level. His resume thus far is one of a good AAA pitcher & one of an inconsistent, wild major league pitcher. Everyone says he has good stuff & you can see that. Like most young pitchers, however, you need to control your stuff in order to stay in the big leagues. Webster is too young for the Sox to give up on (or maybe he is expendable in a trade package). Let's see what Joe Kelly has in his arsenal on Wednesday against his former teammates in St. Louis as the rotation continues to change. And today, let's see what the old man of the rotation, Clay Buchholz, can do against the Yankees. Does anyone see Buck as a leader of this young rotation? I don't.

New Sox 4, Yankees 3

It's always fun to beat the Yankees & keep them from gaining ground in the AL wild card race. You know the old saying - if we're not going to win, then just don't let the stinkin' Yankees win. I would add the Dodgers to the list as well - just too many old Red Sox players in LaLaLand. Anthony Ranaudo won his 1st game as major leaguer with his parents watching from the stands. A proud moment for mom & dad. Allen Craig doubled down the LF line for his 1st hit as a Red Sox. So a very nice start for 2 newcomers to the lineup who helped contribute to a 4-3 win over New York. We should get a chance to see Yoenis Cespedes in this afternoon's tilt. The new offense with Pedroia, Ortiz, Cespedes, Napoli & Craig make up a nice 2 through 6 in the order. This will be a fun 2 months.

No Cespedes Tonight

Joenis is still in transit from the left coast. So he is a scratch for tonight's opener against the Yankees. Allen Craig makes his debut in LF while Will Middlebrooks returns to 3B, moving Xander Bogaerts over to SS. Pitcher Anthony Renaudo makes his Red Sox debut tonight as well. I'm going to watch the game. I'm sure a lot more fans of Red Sox Nation will be tuned in as well.

A Day for the Ages

Yesterday is right up there as one of the biggest trading day ever in Red Sox history. 7 players from the Boston major league roster were moved in one week. It was a day bigger the Nomar trade in 2004 & maybe even bigger than the Beckett, Gonzalez, Crawford (& Punto) trade in 2012. Jon Lester, John Lackey, Jonny Gomes, Stephen Drew, Andrew Miller all gone yesterday. Felix Doubront & Jake Peavy earlier in the week. AJ Pierzynski waived earlier in the month. It's a new-look team with the Sox getting 3 already major leaguers, 2 of them former all-stars, back in return. 2 bats in Cespedes & Craig. One arm in Kelly. Another young arm of the future in Rodriguez. A veteran utility guy in Johnson. And a player to be named later from the Cubs. And we now get to see if Clay Buchholz can straighten himself out & become a veteran leader for the young guns of Renaudo, Workman, De La Rosa, Kelly, Webster & Barnes - all who will get their shots over the next 2 months. There may be a few more moves at the waiver wire in August as well. And you can expect Ben Cherington to be busy in October, November & December as well.

Boston Red Sox - Version 2.0

Now that the dust has settled, here's what tonight's lineup could look like: Holt CF, Pedroia 2B, Craig LF, Ortiz DH, Cespedes RF, Napoli 1B, Bogaerts SS, Middlebrooks 3B, Vazquez C. That's a pretty deep lineup compared to what John Farrell had been putting out there. Yes, they still need to sort out the pitching which will be a process of elimination. Those that don't make it will be used as trade bait in the off-season. Even though one commenter said the chances of bringing back Lester are slim, I think the Sox can put together an attractive-enough offer for 5 years to be in the running for re-signing a guy that like Boston. Then there is James Shields at 33 who could be lured to Boston on a shorter term deal if the Sox up the price per year. Then there are all of those prospects that can be used for a Cole Hamels who is the same age as Lester with 4 years left on his deal. And don't forget that Cliff Lee only has 2 years left & he could be used as another bridge until the younger arms are ready. It will be fun again to watch this team tonight. Perfect opponent in the Yankees.