5/30/11 - 6/1/11 White Sox vs Red Sox

I made my come back and ready to take over first place just like the Red Sox!

Quick post and back to the long weekend! Every weekend should be a 3 day weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying it!

Jake Peavy (1-0, 3.00) vs. Jon Lester (7-1, 3.36)

Predictions:   Randy: Red Sox Win       Brad:red sox win

 Gavin Floyd (5-4, 3.61) vs. Alfredo Aceves (2-0, 2.22)

Predictions: Randy Red Sox win   Brad: red sox win

Phil Humber (3-3, 2.85) vs. Tim Wakefield (2-1, 4.14)

Predictions:    Randy:  Red Sox lose   Brad: red sox lose

That's Right Dustin The Sox are in 1st Place!

Like Tito Francona discussed after yesterday afternoons drubbing of the Tigers as long as the red sox are playing better baseball where you are in the standings doesnt really matter. However, who doesnt like to be in 1st place? Yes I know we are tied with father times team, but from where we were just a month or so ago and the start we had to the season who isn't happy!

Now some of us know which one of us wanted whole sale changes to this team in April! We also know one of us was concerned, but had great confidence in this team in that they would right the ship! That guy maybe losing in the head to head picking of games here on 3 Up! 3 Down, but much like the Red Sox I will make a run and I will prevail!

Let's keep it going!

Sox v. Tigers. Again.

So, once again in the last two weeks, the Sox will lock up against the Detroit tigers. This time around the Series is in Detroit, and the Tigers look to slow the momentum of the hottest team in baseball right now. Since starting the season with a paltry 0-6 record, the Sox have turned it around to the tune of winning 27 of their last 43 games. So, lets look at how this one plays out and take our guesses.

Thursday 05/26.
-Brad Picks: Red Sox Win
-Randy Picks: Red Sox Win
Alfredo Aceves [1-0, 2.42ERA] v/s Max Sherzer [6-1, 2.98ERA]
-The Good:
Aceves fired five strong innings against the Cubs last time out, and has held opposing hitters to a paltry .185 average this year. Combine this with the fact that the Sox offense is starting to click on all cylinders, and we could be looking at a good afternoon for the old team.
-The Bad:
Sherzer. Seriously, this kid has been awesome this year. He struggled his last time out versus the NL's whipping boys, but he should be served well with a return to Comerica, where's he's been a great pitcher for his Tigers this year. Detroit has a couple very good hitters in this lineup, and it would serve the Sox pitchers to be very careful in this one.
My star of this game is going to be Crawford, who I'm assuming is returning to his normal All-Star self as of late.



Friday 05/27.
-Brad Picks: Red Sox lose
-Randy Picks:  Red Sox Win
Tim Wakefield [1-1, 4.50ERA] v/s Rick Porcello [4-2, 3.08ERA]
-The Good:
None. Tim Wakefield is both unpredictable and suspect at this point. The only good that can come out of this is that the offense explodes and scores more than the five Wakefield is likely to give up. Wakefield threw well his last time out, and has always been the suitor to tons of run support, but at this point, I've learned to never count on Wakefield for a win.
-The Bad:
See "The Good". Porcello is on an absolute tear as of late, having only allowed 7 earned runs in his last six starts.
-The Sox bats have their work cut out for them in this one. Porcello will walk guys, so they have to wait him out.
-I look for Youk to be the star here, if there is one, since he seems to be pounding the guys that he has a bad history with this year. Porcello beaned Youk the last time they faced each other, and Youk took matters into his own hands. Right before Porcello slammed him to the ground and whipped his ass.

Saturday 05/28.
-Brad Picks: Red Sox Win
-Randy Picks: Red Sox Win
Clay Buchholz [4-3, 3.30ERA] v/s Andrew Oliver [no stats]-The Good:
Clay Buchholz. In his last five starts, the young fireballer is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA. He was the hard luck loser his last time out, where he spun a gem in Cleveland. He has also held opposing hitters to a sub .200 batting average over those five starts. I look for him to continue his domination for now, but like I've already mentioned, he has to be careful in this one.
-The Bad:
Andrew Oliver. The Tigers are calling up the big, powerful lefty from Triple-A Toledo to toe the bump in this one. He was good, not great, in Toledo this year, but when you combine the fact that the Sox rarely hit guys they haven't seen too much and the fact that he's a lefty...should be a good game.
-My star this game is Buchholz, who I feel is on such a tear right now, he's going to be hard to beat.

Sunday 05/29
-Brad Picks: Red Sox win
-Randy Picks: *Red Sox lose
Josh Beckett [4-1, 1.69ERA] v/s [4-3, 3.42ERA]
-The Good:
Josh Beckett, and his league-leading ERA, rebounded breaking ball, unhittable change-up, and return to his ace days of a couple years ago. Honestly, I've never given up on Beckett being a dominant starter, but he pushed my loyalty last year. A lot. Randy and I had several discussions where I was forced to agree with him. Since the days of Pedro, Beckett has clearly been one of my favorite players, and nobody is happier (sans Theo Epstein) than me with this turn-around.
-The Bad:
Verlander. He's just as good as anyone in baseball on any given night. Last time out in Fenway, he pitched eight innings of three-run ball before taking a ND in the ninth. He can shut down any offense in baseball, including the Sox.
-My stars this game are Beckett and AGon.
Agon is a serious candidate for the best hitter I have ever seen.

Lets get 'em, Sox. Keep this train rolling!!

*lets keep the Beckett streak going

Matchup 5/23/11- 5/25/11 Red Sox vs Indians

Well the Red Sox were very lucky to get a great performance from Old Man Wakefield. Saturday's loss is one to put behind you very quickly and the Sox did that behind performances from Wakefield and Salty. Brad and I did not have a good weekend of predictions we both went 1-2, thanks to the loss of Matt Garza due to elbow soreness.

If anybody wants to make their picks for the series please make them in the comments section and we will keep track of them through out the year!

The Indians have the best record in in baseball at 29-15! Yes thats right the Cleveland Indians! (add Major League Reference here) They are also 18-4 at home.

Clay Buchholz 4-3, 3.42 vs. Justin Masterson 5-2, 2.52,

Prediction:   Randy: Red Sox Win. Brad: Red Sox Win
- The sox will face Masterson their former jack of all trades for the pitching staff. It has been rumored that the Red Sox have made a few trade offers to bring Masterson back to Boston but the Indians have said no. Looks like the for the Indians their patience with Masterson may have paid off with his 5-2 record.
- Old friend Orlando Cabrera has had a good year and has good numbers against Clay batting .500 against him
- Nobody on the Red Sox has great numbers against the RHP but, Crawford has hit a HR in 13 Plate Appearances

*Josh Beckett 3-1, 1.73 vs. Fausto Carmona 3-4, 4.76
Prediction:   *Randy:  Red Sox Lose      Brad: Red Sox win, and Beckett dominates.
- Beckett has been one of if not the best pitcher in the AL to start this season. His record should be better since the sox recently have struggled to score runs in his starts.
 - Beckett has had No Decisions in 5 out of 6 last games
- Orlando Cabrera, Shin Soo Choo, Adam Everett and Lou Marson have hit HR against Beckett
- Watch out for Asdrubel Cabrera he has hit Beckett well .353 and has been swinging a hot bat recently
- Michael Brantley has been playing well for the Indians
- Carmona threw a gem in the 2nd game of the season 7 IP of 2 hit ball, but a lot has changed since then
-Many Red Sox have had great success against Carmona who has some down years recently Ortiz, Tek, and Salty are some of them
- Pedroia is not one of those guys with little success against Carmona batting .188 with 3 strikeouts in 20 PA

Jon Lester 6-1, 3.68  vs. Mitch Talbot 1-0, 1.46
Prediction:  Randy: Red Sox Win              Brad: Red Sox win!
- Talbot is coming off the DL to make this start, he pitched on April 6th agaisnst the Sox
-He pitched 4.1 innings 2 R and 5 hits and got the No decision
-In 3 starts against the Sox he has 6.35 ERA
-Orlando Cabrera again has had some success against Lester going 6 for 18 with 4 RBI's. Too bad O.Cab is such a head case he really is a good player
- Fmr Sox Farm Hand Adam Evertt is 3 for 6 against Lester
- Lester has admittedly struggled over the last 3 games (2-0, 1 ND) In 17.1 IP he has given up 24 Hits, 14 ER, 11 BB and 17 K  far from ace material

* I have picked Beckett to lose and he has won and dominated those games so I will keep my superstition alive even though I may not believe it - Randy

MLB on Fox SUCKS

I just want to mention how much I HATE FOX SPORTS. We can go on and on about Fox News and all that garbage but the MLB on Fox has to be the worst programming on Earth! Yesterday all I wanted to do was go to my local drinking establishment, Sullivan's on Chapel St in New Haven, CT, and enjoy watching the Red Sox. However, when I went in the stupid Bernie Maddoff team that nobody cares about were playing father time's team. Now if anybody knows Dean at Sullivan's these games are not allowed on his televisions. He told me that the Subway Series was chosen by MLB on Fox to be shown instead of the Red Sox vs. Cubs! I cannot stand not being able to watch my team on TV because some shmo in a suit wont let me. This is Major League Baseball not the NHL where they put conference finals on station nobody gets (Versus is a close 2nd to Fox). I hope whoever made the decision to not show the Red Sox on MLB on Fox goes home and finds his or her significant other in bed with another person and finds out they have gonorrhea!

P.S. these guys too

Matchup: Red Sox vs. Cubs 5/20/11 - 5/22/11

                                                          

                                                                                VS.

Last Series Brad went 2-0  and Randy went 1-1*
* (only reason is I am betting against Beckett every time, he keeps winning when I do)

We would like to welcome back the Chicago Cubs to Fenway Park. It has been a couple years since they were here last Sept. 11 1918. That was game 6 of the 1918 World Series and the Sox won that game 2-1.

Pitching Matchups:

5/20/11  Doug Davis 0-1, 1.80 vs.  Jon Lester 5-1, 3.28, 7
Randy: Red Sox Win    Brad: Red Sox win!
This game is a total mismatch in favor of the Sox. Lester is the ace of the team still, while Doug Davis is a journey man LHP. Some (like Brad) will say the Sox have played down to their competition, and this may be one of those times, but I am still going with the Sox to keep it going.
- Mike Cameron will play in this game he is batting .333 with 2 HR 11 RBI and 11BB against Davis
- Carlos Pena has 5 HR against Lester

5/21/11 Carlos Zambrano 4-2, 4.89 vs. Alfredo Aceves 1-0, 2.60, 7:10 p.m.,
Randy: Red Sox Win    Brad: Red Sox win
The Sat. game will be interesting matchup between two head case pitchers in Zambrano and Aceves. Aceves believes he is SP in the Majors, and this will his first big test to show everyone he isn't nuts. Aceves will step up, but it will be low scoring.
-Zambrano has faced the Sox 1 time and took the ND giving up 4 runs in 5 IP allowing 2 HR

5/22/11RHP Matt Garza 2-4, 3.72 vs. Tim Wakefield 0-1, 5.40
Randy:  Red Sox lose       Brad: Sox lose
While in game one of the series the Red Sox have the edge in starting pitching the Cubs have one here. Garza has seen the Sox so much since he was with the Rays. Another head case but I don't think Wake has much more in the tank. Lots of runs scored in this game.
- Watch out for Ortiz in this game he has 4 HR and 13 walks against Garza
- Ellsbury has also battled Garza well
-Carlos Pena has hit 3 HR and Soriano has hit 4 HR against the Knuckleballter

Enough Already.

Okay, on a day when I should be congratulating 2009 David Ort, errr, Carl Crawford, I'm going to staple it directly to his nuggets. I mean, he does have a baseball card he's not even approaching yet. It's getting old for me to see this guy whiffing at ball four all the time, and hitting lefties to the tune of not at all.

So, in my defense, he's some stats:
Versus Lefties: AVG. 0.140 and OBP of 0.189 [Hello 2009 Ortiz]
Versus Righties: AVG. 0.234 and OBP of 0.267
Versus NYY (27ab): AVG. 0.074
RISP: AVG. 0.133

I wasn't aware this was who this guy was. In fact, I was certain he was better than this. Maybe it's just this guy who made him look so good all the time.

Whatever the case, it's time for this guy to start playing like he should. I'm sick of the excuses. It's almost June guy.

PS: Congratulations on the scoring run last night.

40% of our rotation on the DL

                                                                    

Some may believe that with Dice-k (ulner ligament which could be a precursor to Tommy John Surgery though unlikely ) and Lackey (mental health) on the 15-day DL the red sox rotation will be better by default. However, I am not one of these people. Dice-k is rumored to be out a month according to Gordon Edes of ESPN and Tony Mazz of the Globe,and Lackey is having family issues with his wife being diagnosed with breast cancer in the winter. This could not be a happening at a worse time as this team has turned the atrocious start to the season around. A healthy Dice-k and Lackey are better alternatives then fidgety Aceves and the aging Wakefield. Also, our pitching depth in AAA is suspect at best and have not stepped up like we have hoped. What happens if Wake remembers that he is 90 years old and can only pitch 3 or 4 innings a start? Are we ready to have Bowden/Atchinson in the game ever 5th day?

So who are our alternatives?


Felix Doubront: He would have been our best option but he has a groin injury and battled injuries all season
Brandon Duckworth: uh I will be very nervous if he ever touches the mound though he is pitching well in Pawtucket 4-2  a 2.37 ERA in 7 starts for Pawtucket
Andrew Miller: He was suppose to fit this role but he has struggled mightily with his command 24 BB in 34.2 innings this season in Pawtucket
Stolmy Pimentel (Portland), Tazawa (60 day DL though rehab soon), Drake Britton have either struggled or are not nearly ready to be pushing for a spot start.


 Alternatives outside the organization?


Kevin Millwood: He is a FA and was signed by the yankees  but opted out after not being put on the active roster. He was 2-1 in the minors this season and did not pitch exceptionally well


What teams would be willing to give a pitcher at this point in the season?
The Mets or Dodgers come to mind but do we want any Mets schmucks?  or Jon Garland for the Dodgers?  Not many options with many teams still in the hunt. This is the moment for the 2011 season where the offense needs to carry us 2 nights a week as the pressure builds on the other 3 starters in the rotation.


What other AAAA players are out there that we could try? Do not say Anthony Ranaudo no way the sox rush the kid up. Who remembers Craig Hansen?

Disposing of the Kittys: Sox v/s Tigers 5/18 & 5/19

This is the first meeting of these two dynamic teams this year, so who's to know what to expect. So, lets break it down.

Game 1:
Phil Coke [1-5, 4.54ERA] versus Clay Buchholz [4-3, 3.94ERA]
-Brad Picks: Red Sox Win
-Randy Picks: Red Sox win

-Former Yankee Phil Coke is winless in his last five starts having allowed 17 earned runs in just a bit over 25 innings pitched. He's literally pitching for his job, which I never like, but to date, he's had the piss beaten out of him regularly. Look for that to not change tonight, as the Sox offense is clicking on most cylinders right now.
-Sox hurler, Clay Buchholz has had some very dominant outings this year, including his last few which he's totaled 13K's, a total not reached in his first four starts. In his last outing, Buchholz disposed of the Yankees pretty soundly. But, Buchholz sports a pretty shitty line against a couple of the Tiger hitters (Raburn and Peralta), so look for him to be careful with those two, which could lead to putting too many guys on when you factor in Cabrerra.
Look for Pedroia to be the Sox difference maker in this one.


Game 2
Justin Verlander [4-3,2.91ERA] v/s Josh Beckett [3-1, 1.75]
-Brad Picks: Red Sox Win
-Randy Picks:  Red Sox Lose  

A game of aces. This should be an exciting start, and it's hard to bet against either guy right now. Verlander is coming off a very exciting no hitter, while Beckett is just dealing now. Beckett is coming off a very dominant outing in NY his last time out, and while both teams put up decent numbers against these two, this year they've both been dominant. I'm picking the Sox, but it's really a toss up.
Look for this guy to continue to just absolutely rake the baseball, and that's the difference.

Randy: The reason why I am choosing the Sox to lose is simple I've bet against Beckett all year round and he is making me look foolish! Keep it up Josh!  Also, keep an eye on Crawford and Youk against Verlander while a small sample size are batting .347 and .357 respectively. Also, Youk has 3 HR in 14 at bats vs. the righty.

Orioles vs Red Sox 5/16/11 - 5/17/11

Chris Tillman 2-3, 6.15 vs Dice-k Matsuzaka 3-3, 4.64

Prediction: Randy   Red Sox Win    Brad: Sox Win

- The Orioles have won 5 out of their last 6 games
- Tillman has struggled against the red sox especially his last outing against them in June 2010
- Dice-k is on 7 days rest
- I don't like this match up but I am thinking that their will not be a let down after the sweep of NYY
- Carl Crawford is 6 for 12 against Tillman
- Catcher Matt Wieters is 6 for 12 against Dice-k including HR and 2 doubles

Zach Britton 5-2, 2.42  vs. John Lackey 2-5, 8.01
Predecition: Randy: Red Sox Win!       Brad:Sox Lose: Lackey Sucks.
- Zach Britton has been a huge surprise this season for the O's; he will be in the talks for ROY this season
- Britton has been the pitching the O's have needed to stay relevant this year; he is 4th in AL in Wins
- Lackey has come off 2 horrible starts for the Red Sox and saw his spot pushed back to miss the NYY
- Lackey's wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer this past winter. This must be very  very difficult for him to get through; hopefully the pitching mound is a place that can become a safe heaven for him
- The offense will help him out and the Sox will pull out a win
- Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe (@peteabe) is trying a grass roots effort to show support towards Lackey and his family but Sox fans wearing pink to his starts- Will this be the only allowable time for real fans to wear pink?
- Look for Birthier/ Red Sox killer Luke Scott to play against Lackey -.375 Avg and 2 HR off him in 16 AB

Hamburgers Every Yankee Night?

Yeah, my wife rolled her eyes at me as well. But, here's the thing, I like when something works. Friday, I wanted hamburgers on the grill, a few nice beverages, and a relaxing night with my television. Everything clicked. Buchholz was dominant like we've become used too at times, and the offense put it together against Father Time, Bartolo Colon.Saturday featured a newfound (or is it oldfound?) Josh Beckett simply mowing guys down at will. The huge difference, as both Randy and myself have talked about a million times, is that changeup he's throwing to lefties that drops off the map as it reaches the plate. He was in complete control right up until he left the game. I have a feeling that a couple of his walks were of the intentional sort to get to guys like Swisher and others who were just overmatched. Why pitch to guys like ARod and Cano when you can pitch to Swisher and Posada? Also, Mr. Beckett is currently the owner of a 1.75ERA and sub 1.0whip. The guy is dealing, and gets to go home to this every night. Clearly, my hero lately.
Sunday was key for me. Lester, having gotten his ass handed to him in Toronto, needed to come out firing and he didn't. I have no excuse for a a guy like Lester giving up bombs to a guy like Granderson, so I was happy to see him keep it steady and get his legs underneath him after Youk tied it up for him.
A few other notes from this weekend:
-Bard has to learn how to control himself in those situations. I realize it's a lot of pressure, but he's too talented to let the moment get to him. If he throws that fastball at 97mph instead of 99, and can control it, it's much more deadly when he drops the slider..
-I love me some Joba Chamberlain. Period.
-I also love me some Nomar Garcia, err, Jorge Posada.
-AGon is the best pure hitter in the league, and reminds me of a young Manny who just couldn't be put away. That first at bat against CC was nothing more than a set up for the next one. Francona said that Agon told him he was going to open up early on that high fastball if he tried it again, and two pitches later, the ball was in the stands. That's unbelievable to me: a guy telling his manager "I'm going to change my swing on this pitch" is unheard of.

My favorite quote of the week, well two actually:
Orel: "Joba's off season workout program has really helped his velocity"
Valentine: "Yeah, he's on the Tim Linscecum program: two double chesseburgers and fries every day"

Or: The ban of uppers really hurts a team like NY, who all look so old and slow.

PS: Another little nugget to chew on from Cotts:
Next year the Red Sox, shed the [major] contracts of JD Drew, David Ortiz, Papelbon, Cameron, and Marco Scutaro. They're on the hook, right now, for roughly 120M.
The Yankees shed the [major] contracts of Jorge Posada.
They're on the hook for, wait for it, right around 150M, assuming CC opts out, which isn't going to happen. Look for him to be paid more next year after he reworks his deal to stay in NY. Well played, Yankees. The future is bright.

Matchup 5/13/11 - 5/15/11 Red Sox vs. Yankees

5/13/11  Clay Buchholz 3-3, 4.19 vs. Bartolo Colon 2-1, 3.86   Prediction: Randy- Sox Win   Brad: Sox Win!

  - This game is the key for the red sox. If they win they have a shot at taking 2 or possibly sweeping

  -  I've seen Clay pitch 2 times this year. First game was against the yankees at the Fens and he was God awful. However, he has started to turn it around recently and showed a lot of stones by coming back from a long rain delay to pitch as good as he has in his career.

5/14/11 Josh Beckett 2-1, 1.99 vs.  CC Sabathia 3-2, 2.89    Prediction: Randy: Sox Lose     Brad: Sox Win

- Josh Beckett has been a savior for this team. He pitched a gem agaainst yankees last series. Can he do it again?

5/15/11  Jon Lester 4-1, 2.96 vs. RHP Freddy Garcia 2-2, 2.61    Prediction: Randy Sox Win   Brad: Sox win
- Sox have a decidedly SP match up. Lester is the ace of this team
- Lester is coming off an awful game where he apologized to his teammates and fans on his twitter account @Jlester31
- It is early for must win games but this is close to one. If they lose this game fans may start lining up on bridges all over New England

Note: Over Last 10 years, Series Record 87-83 Yanks. That is crazy how close these series are and be prepared for a 4 hour a game!

5/10/11-5/11/11 Red Sox vs. Toronto

5/10/11
Jon Lester 4-1, 2.33 vs.  Kyle Drabek 2-2, 4.50      
 Prediction: Red Sox win
- Red sox are playing well right now coming off a gem by Beckett and a walk off double Crawford
- Toronto has lost their last 3
-I'm taking the Red Sox solely becasue of Lester he needs to throw another good game becasue the Red Sox do hit well against pitchers they have never seen before like the rookie Drabek
-Drabek is the son of Doug Drabek


5/11/1
John Lackey 2-4, 7.16 vs. Jesse Litsch 3-2, 4.04    
Prediction: Red Sox Lose
- The 1 reason why I think the Red Sox will lose this game heading into a big showdown with the yankees is simple and can be summed up in 2 words....Lackey Sucks!

I was 3-1 against the Twins! As soon as Liriano was pushed back their was no way the sox would lose the final game it only took extra innings...gulp. Wakefield needed to pitch better but the team is turning it around! Bring on the Blue Jays!

The Return of a Madman.

Enough Said.
Now, Score some damn runs and stop wasting his starts. He should have 4 more wins than he does now, having only allowed six runs in those four starts, and only being shortened by mother nature in the fifth.

Honestly. Welcome back, Mr. Playoffs. I've missed you so much.

Also, Fuck Joe West AND Angel Hernandez. You're both HORRIBLE.

SS Of The Future!

With Marco Scutaro making a trip to the 15 day DL with a strained oblique muscle, we are going to get a brief glimpse of the SS of the future Jose Iglesias! Yesterday in the bottom of the 9th inning in a Red Sox 9-5 win over the Twins Jose Iglesais recorded the final out of the game with a groundball to him. He made the play with a questionable throw but with all the nerves going through his body it could have been a lot worse. Tragedy almost struck the youngest position player, 21, to touch the field since Jeff Suppan. The young kid could not find his glove in the home team dugout. It is funny that Marco Scutaro hid the SS of the future's glove behind the dug out camera. Marco keep playng tricks and maybe you can get your job back! Welcome, Jose!

Twins vs. Red Sox

5/6  S. Baker 1-2  3.16 ERA  vs. Wakefield   0-0  4.08 ERA      Prediction: RED SOX win
- Wake is the emergency starter today as crappiness and rain has forced the sox to rearrange the rotation

5/7   Brain Duensing 2-1, 2.91 vs.  Clay Buchholz 2-3, 4.81    Prediction: Red Sox Win
- Clay has looked better in the last start clay pitched against Angels

5/8   Carl Pavano 2-3, 5.84 vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka 2-3, 4.33      Prediction: Red Sox Win
- I'd like to welcome back Carl Pavano; heck of a job you are doing in Minn!

5/9    Francisco Liriano (2-4, 6.61) vs.  Jon Lester (4-1, 2.33),            Prediction:  Minnesota Wins
- Fantastic pitching match up for a must watch game! Two Aces!
- Liriano first outing since his no no against the white sox

Man, that's ugly.

Last night was an ugly loss.
After two and a half hour rain delay, the Sox bullpen is completely wasted for todays game, and the Angels finally have that little monkey off their back.

I tried to stay up, but only made it the top of the seventh, with the Sox trailing 2-0, so I was surprised to see they tied it up this morning, and even more surprised that Tito went with DiceK to end it. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Today would be a good day for whoever takes the bump to be good enough to not need extensive bullpen work.

The Main Event: Weaver vs. Pedroia 5/2/11

Last night while at Fenway I was able to watch one of the great at bats anybody will ever see! Dustin Pedroia the leader of the Boston Red Sox (Sorry Tek he is the captain) vs the early season leader in starting pitching Jered Weaver. Before the game started I was watching the beautiful, new this season, HD Scoreboards above the bleachers! Those unbelievable HD Monsters showed the Fenway Faithful the AL leaders in pitching and all I saw was:

Leader in Wins - Weaver  (6)
Leader in ERA - Weaver  (0.99)
Leader in K's - Weaver  (44?)

Oh great and here we are down 2-1 with Crawford on 3rd,  and Ellsbury on 1st (Ells stole 2nd during the at bat) and Pedroia at the plate!

Yes, I am that Idiot

What we saw was Jered Weaver throw everything he had to Pedroia for 9 minutes; every arm angle, speed change, breaking stuff, fastballs, up down, and side to side! What did Pedroia do? He battled and battled like he has done at every level of baseball he has been at! He saw 13 pitches! 13 frick'n pitches and he fouled off 10 of them, including 6 straight before lacing a 2 run single up the middle. When the Red Sox desperately needed a big at bat, who else would you want up there? We needed a clutch hit so that the idiot who wants to make a move on May 2nd could be quiet for 1 night. Our "New Captain" did just that, he stepped up and provided me and the rest of Red Sox nation a glimpse into what this team is going to be like for the remainder of the season!

That Old Brick Building.

That Old Brick Building. A metaphor for what I see as the dilapidating franchise in Queens, NY.

Think about it. That old brick building that exists in every town in America. It used to be productive, probably employed part of the town's population, but now it's falling apart, and industry has moved on to bigger and better places. Every day, you drive by, and a few more bricks have fallen from the top and lay in the too-high grass out front. A few times, a upstart young business has leased the place, and tried to clean it up, but behind the fresh paint stands the same old bricks with the same old structural problems. You keep waiting for the entire thing to fall down, but it never does, it only falls apart brick by brick and keeps just getting uglier and uglier.

This is how I view the Mets. The point of this post is to lay emphasis on what I feel is very important to the Red Sox right now: A right handed bat. Enter Jose Reyes.

Reyes, who I'm not in love with as a player, offers the Red Sox a clear cut advantage to what I feel is a mishandled lineup. His stats are inconsistent, but if there was ever a year to trade for him, this is that year. It's a contract year, and by all accounts, the Sox are definitely going to play Iglesias next year in that spot, so a rental is in the cards for them right now.

I don't know about any of you, but I'm completely uncomfortable play Jed Lowrie or Marco Scutaro on a team built for success right now and the next few years to come.

At this point, the Sox will probably have to eat some or all of Carlos Beltran's deal to get any deal done, and will most likely have to give up at least one decent prospect with a MLB ready player, but those are risks I think are worthwhile.

Here's the deal I make.

Sox Get: Jose Reyes and 0.5 Carlos Beltran ($) - or they keep Beltran, I don't really care.

Mets Get: Jacoby Ellsbury, prospects (2) (I'm thinking a AA player at best) and Scutaro

How it helps: The Sox improve their team at a weak position, and maybe pick up a decent OFer when healthy. Reyes, in a contract year is off to a great start, and will not be blocking Iglesias

How it hurts: The money is a lot, and I'm not for all that. If the Mets demand the Sox eat all Beltran's cash, I hang up the phone.

How I would construct the linup:

1. Carl Crawford

2. Pedroia

3. Gonzo

4. Reyes

5. Ortiz

6. Youkilis

7. Salty

8. Cameron/Beltran/whoever

9. Drew.

That lineup is infinitely better positioned that the one they're fielding now. Period.

Angry Weekend

First, I'd like to extend a hello to anyone who happens to already be reading this. My name is Brad, and as Randy has already suggested, I'm a life-long Sox fan who happens to take this shit just a little too seriously.

Many a night has been spent in front of my television watching the Sox, arguing with Randy, and flat out throwing shit around my house in frustration, and thus far in 2011, not much has changed.

Going into this season, both Randy and myself lauded this team with accolades that it had yet earned. We praised moves that had failed to even take the field. We heralded a General Manager for a team that had yet to even swing a bat. And now, at least to date, we all look like fools.

Now, lets not mis-remember our own history here: This isn't New York, and guys don't suddenly come here and turn into superstars after living a life of complete mediocrity before arrival. No, here in Boston, guys tend to hold true to what they are, which makes the start of this season even more baffling. To me, the only thing worse than a guy who just collects a paycheck from the Red Sox, and doesn't really give a shit one way or the other, well there's nothing worse than that, but a collection of guys cumulatively hitting below what their baseball cards indicate the should is nearly as bad. Again, to me.

This April marked the single worst month Carl Crawford had ever posted after ten years in the league. The Worst batting average. The worst flipping everything. He was awful, and there's not circumnavigating the issue here: he's uncomfortable. Yesterday was a nice hit for him, but it doesn't go very far for me. I realize each journey begins with a step, but for fucks sake, this entire team is underperforming.

How many times does an inning have to end with the bases loaded and no runs pushed through? How many times does Jacoby (whom I can't stand, for the record here) lead off with a double just to be stranded there? This lineup is poorly constructed, and doesn't take advantage of the tools at hand here. Yep, I'm saying it: It's time to make a move right now. Not in a month, not at the deadline, but right the hell now.

There I said it. This team needs a right-handed bat in the middle of the lineup. Don't get me wrong, I love Youkilis and all he brings, but he's more of an on base kind of threat than he is a four hitter kind of threat. I want a guy that evens out the lefty/righty balance in this lineup, so Youkilis can be moved to a spot that takes advantage of that. Gone are the days when Ortiz was going to knock in 110 runs a year from the three hole, and gone are the days that anyone could count on Drew to do anyhting. This team needs a legitimate threat in that hole, because as it stands now, even the most hardened pitcher would rather pitch to Ortiz with the sacks juiced than to even think about pitching to Youkilis with a base open.

In my next post, I'll take a look at what's available, and what overrated CF currently playing for the Sox we can move to get him.

Pitching Matchup Red Sox vs. Angels

                                                   
Red Sox Swept the first series in Anaheim

Monday    
Prediction  Sox win 5-2

Weaver 6-0 0.99 ERA  vs.   Buchholz 1-3  5.33 ERA
- Both players were pushed back a start due stomach flu
- Randy will be at this game

Tuesday   
Prediction:  Sox win 4-3


Haren 4-1  1.23 ERA  vs.  Lester 3-1  2.52  ERA          
- Lester is 1-0 vs LAA this year giving up 0 runs is 6 IP
- Haren K'd 6 last game vs the sox

Wednesday    
Prediction:  Sox win 6-4

E. Santana  1-3  4.89  ERA   vs. Beckett  2-1  2.65  ERA
- Beckett is pushed back, he was given 6 days off instead of 4 to make sure he is healthy- Kurt Young

Thursday        
Prediction:  Sox Lose 3-1


Pinerio 0-0  vs.  Matzusaka 2-2   3.81 ERA
- Pinerio is coming off the disabled list
- Matsuzaka left his previous game early due to right elbow tightness

Jenks: 9 ER in 4.2 innings over last 7 Outings

I was sitting here this beautiful May Day ready for my first blog post, and was thinking damn coming up with a good topic is harder than I thought! Then my good friend Bobby Jenks took the hill against  the M's. So my thought was how bad has Bobby Jenks been for the Red Sox early this year?  He just blew a 2-0 lead in the 8th inning with a wild pitch and walk forcing in a run. When he was signed to help bridge the gap between starters and the Bard/Paps lights out part of the pen, I like most fans was ecstatic about the possibility of a Jenks/Bard/Papelbon back end. However, as Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe wrote on twitter Jenks's last 7 outings have looked like 4.2 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 9 ER 7 BB, 138 pitches, 77 Strikes. While Ozzie Guillen must love this line, I as a Red Sox fan do not. By the end of the year Jenks will probably be fine, but I am very concerned if Jenks is not pitching well that Bard and Papelbon will be worked harder then they need to be. This will make them tired for any eventual playoff push (see last seasons team). I am not ready to write him off, but if he continues to pitch like this we will need another guy via a trade or from the PawSox to bridge the gap. So what do you think... should we be concerned with Jenks or is this just a bump in a long season?

EDIT: Papelbon, Ichiro, and Crawford got Jenks off the hook with a 3-2 walk-off win for the Sox today! Crawford RBI walk-off single! Welcome to the Red Sox Carl Crawford!