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August Record: 16-13
Overall Record: 80-55
As the summer winds down and the thoughts of baseball fans turn to playoff races the Red Sox surged and struggle almost simultaneously. To make sense of such a varied month, one almost needs to break it down into simple YES and NO questions. Well, one did. Let’s light it up.
YES the three game sweep at the hands of the Yankees was just about as awful a moment in this season. Horrible way to end the month and even with the 5 game lead it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Pass the Listerine and get past it because there STILL is a 3 game series to play with the Bronx Bombers.
NO I don’t think anyone but the Red Sox have a chance at winning the East. Get over yourselves you chicken-little bastards.
YES I think someone needs to get fired over the Francona fashion police incident during the second game against the Yankees. MLB has no business messing with a manager when there are runners in scoring position. The Red Sox at LEAST need a formal apology.
YES Joba Chamberlain threw at Youk’s head on purpose. I don’t care if he’s the second coming. That young punk better learn his place from someone OTHER than Roger Clemens.
NO I don’t think the Red Sox showed what they are made of in that series against the White Sox.
YES I think the White Sox showed that they are the biggest joke in baseball. Just so happens Boston got the joke.
NO I don’t think the Gagne trade is going to be a problem down the line. He is an A+ reliever when he gets his stuff working.
YES I thought it was the worst trade EVER when he blew the 2 games against Baltimore and then that double header against the Angels. I wanted his head on a platter and I don’t think I was the first in line to carve him up. Actually, it might have been a 2 hour wait.
YES I think he’s trustworthy now.
NO I don’t think Dice-K can be measured by his record. This guy has gotten NO run support and is inline to become the Tim Wakefield of the “whoops sorry about the 0 runs” string of games. He might go nuts and return to Japan if this keeps up.
YES I think Schilling is done in 2008. Not just with the Red Sox (he made that clear with his thoughts on Tampa), but also with the rest of the league. He is D-U-N done and I will be amazed if he makes 20 starts in any uniform next year. Not that I don’t love the guy… but he’s over the hill.
YES we can replace Curt. Are you kidding me??? Have you heard of Clay Buchholz?
YES I am worried about the injuries. With Manny out and Drew hurting (“ouch my foot”) I think the Sox out field offense leaves much to be desired.
NO I don’t think it’s an unfixable issue. The September call ups feature Brandon Moss and Jacoby Ellsbury who are more than capable to fill the outfield corners. Also, waiver pickup Bobby Kielty is a stud… who knew?
YES I think that Lowell is going to stay this hot, Papi is back for real and Lugo has turned a corner. I also think Youk is in a small slump (and is breaking free) and Pedroia is the Rookie of the Year. No question.
And YES I have finally moved to Boston from Brooklyn (via a month in Western Mass). The support I’ve gotten here is fantastic and I hope to keep it going for many a week (into late October at least)! GO SOX
July Record: 15-12
Overall Record: 64-42
I could describe the Red Sox in July by saying “the more things change, the more they stay the same” but it might be more accurate to say “the more things change, the more they go back to being what they were two months ago.” Yeah it’s a mouthful, but it really hits the nail on the head. The Sox were floundering in June and were quickly becoming the fair weather pick to fall apart by the end of the season. Now after a pile of injuries and roster changes, we’re almost back to the winning ways of April and May.
So why are the Sox doing better amongst all this chaos? Two reasons: sometimes a winning team just gets complacent and needs a roster shake up and I honestly think we had players playing injured. With these problems a few days off or a well timed DL stint can stimulate the hot streaks team need players to have to carry them into the final months of the season. That’s what happened with this Red Sox team. Guys got hurt, guys took breaks, guys got switched up in the lineup and roster changes were made… all with positive results.
So in light of all this movin and a’ shaken I will break down some of the biggest and best changes that helped to contribute to the reversal of the June misfortunes.
Schilling gets DL’ed: This ended up being a blessing in disguise. Anyone with eyes could tell the Schill was hurting after his last two starts in June. The guy looked like he was 85 years old and was lucky if he could reach his age in velocity. While I’m thankful he broke down early in the season and not before the playoffs, I kinda wish Mr. 38 Pitches would have taken a step back at the first sign of trouble instead of after his second stinker… but whatever. To replace him we called on Kason Gabbard (more on him later) who did quite well and put up a few wins we wouldn’t have earn otherwise. This let Schill rehab unrushed and now he’s ready to comeback with a vengeance. Call it a baseball rope-a-dope.
Francona shakes up the lineup: Drew, Coco and Lugo were disasters at the plate and depending on who you asked, it seemed like a sure bet than one of them wasn’t going to survive the trade deadline. Instead of letting the problem sit and congeal, Francona made a combination of changes. He sat Lugo and Drew for extended periods of time in favor of Cora and Hinske and moved Coco to the back of the lineup. Then Drew got a bunch of starts leading off (which made me think the world was ending) and they all started to turn it around (which CONVINCED me the world was ending).
Coco came back to the land of the living first. His defense has always been top notch, but now his hitting is following suit. In Cleveland, Coco ran off 10 hits in 3 days. Lugo is as hot now as he was cold before. He’s gone from a .190 average to over .220 in under a month and my threats of strangulation have turned to gentle hugs. Now Drew is another story. He gets hot and cold without much rhyme or reason, but I still have a feeling he will turn it up a notch if he can stay healthy… but the clock is ticking (BIG EDIT: As I was writing this I found out that Drew's son has been really really really sick all year and is now having surgery. Could this be why he's been struggling at the plate? I don't blame the guy if his mind has been on more important things. Scary stuff. If anyone has heard anything more about this leave a comment).
Brendan Donnelly gets DL’ed: This looked worse than it ended up being. I thought it was odd the Donnelly would be out as long as he has been for just “forearm soreness” but now that he is getting season ending Tommy John surgery it makes more sense. Donnelly replacement was Delcarmen and he has performed better than anticipated, but I was hoping it wasn’t permanent. Turns out with surgery, this is the end of his season and we had to make due with what we had until…
Kason Gabbard had his stock rise: When he filled in for Schilling I expected some type of performance, but he looked like a #2 starter in his few outings. This showed up on the radar for MANY teams including the Rangers. This is how they were able to get a hold of Eric Gagne. Not that I think we desperately needed more bullpen help, but you can’t deny the talent this trade brings in. Kason is NOT a front line starter. He is 3-4 at BEST and that’s for a weak team like Texas. His place was limited here especially due to…
The Return of Jon Lester: Forget the fact that the Sox are 2-0 in his starts this year and forget that he’s freaking IRON MAN for beating cancer, but let’s focus on the situation that this leaves us rotations wise. What I am talking about is his impact as a 5th man in the rotation. I loved/love Julian Tavarez, but COME ON! The guy is a crazy person. He needs to be in the bullpen as a heavily medicated long reliever. Tavarez will get a few more starts until Schilling returns (August 5th?) but Lester gives us a real shot at winning as he develops his skills and matures into the star he is projected to be. Besides, the dude beat freaking cancer… that’s got to be worth a spot in the rotation.
To put it in farming terms, I consider this tilling of fertile soil. Mix it up, bring the good stuff that was obscured to the top and let things grow. In this case, the win totals. They have 64 wins with 2 full months to play. While 100 wins seems slightly unrealistic, it is quite possible they get 95+. They can do that while playing .500 ball. Not too shabby.
June Record: 13-14
Overall Record: 49-30
When you look at this month (just under .500) to the two previous months (well over .600) it’s kinda like flying coach after you’ve been flying first class. There’s nothing WRONG with coach. Coach is fine, even if it is a little crowded and the food sucks and your seat smells like the inside of Manny’s dew rag, you are still going to get to your destination. But after you’ve flown first class… everything else looks like crap. Nothing compares to the luxury.
In the month of June the Red Sox have been flying coach. It’s just lucky for us that every other team in the AL East is flying air freight. How can we play under .500 ball for a month and still have a 10+ game lead? That doesn’t seem right does it? Every time I complain about the Sox poor play to the masses of Yankees fans here in Brooklyn I get evil glares and rabbit punches to the ribs. There really is no comparison. The Sox have been mediocre… everyone else has been horrible. Let me break it down for you.
Catcher: A common trait you will see throughout this listing is how poorly the hitting has been. Strangely, the Capitan has not been as guilty as everyone else that steps up to the plate. Tek has had a very good year when you think about what people were expecting from our quickly aging backstop. He is defiantly going to put up better numbers than he did last year and has already surpassed his halfway totals in runs, RBI and HR from 2006. Is he getting the clutch hits and driving in all the runs he can? No… but then again nobody is.
Corner Infield: Lowell and Youk are both going to the All-Star game. I’d say more on that topic but my mind cannot fully grasp how awesome that is. After two shaky fielding months for Lowell, Mr. Salt and Pepper has regained the leather abilities that we’ve come to know him for. As for Youk, he’s perfect at 1st and has gone from being underrated defensively to nationally recognized for his glove work. At the plate these guys have been the two most consistent as well. Due to a finger injury (that will dog him for the rest of the season) Lowell has begun to slip (still leads the team in RBI) and as I’ve stated before NOBODY is getting the needed clutch hits.
Up the Middle: Dustin Pedroia has turned the corner. This guy looks like the contact hitter that he was supposed to be. I am worse than a fish out of water with all the flopping I’ve done with this guy… but he’s been really great. Then there is that short stop guy. He sucks. Flat out terrible. Batting a head explodingly low .089 for the month of June, Lugo could be the worst every day hitter on any team in the AL. I miss O-cabs and Gonzo and even Rent-a-wreck more and more every day. I say we drop him off in the Vermont woods somewhere and cut the losses.
Outfield: This one is a bit up and down. Coco and Drew have actually picked it up this month. Coco went on a hot streak and then got hurt (figures), while Drew started batting leadoff and to my honest to God jaw dropping shock, started doing MUCH better. Chalk this up to one of Francona’s “this is so crazy it just might work” plans. On the other hand, Manny is still not the same guy that he used to be. His extra base hit totals are low, his RBI (like most Sox hitters) are low and his average still isn’t above .300. I have a feeling he eventually will get really hot again… but it needs to be sooner rather than later.
DH: This is where I really get concerned. Papi is hitting, he’s just not hitting for extra bases. His average is high, his OBP is good, but the long ball just hasn’t been showing up. This has dropped the runs, RBI and maybe even wins for the whole team this year. Papi needs to regain his swing especially against bullpens. The Sox need to get their comeback artist working overtime again so he can continue to make closers wish they hadn’t got out of bed and come to the ball park. That’s what I want when I see Big Papi step in the box.
Bench: What do Mirabelli, Hinske and Willy Mo have in common? An under .230 BA. Besides Cora (who is a marked upgrade from Lugo) the bench has been pretty poor. The new kid Ellsbury hasn’t had enough swings to make an impact yet, but I don’t think he’s going to be tearing the cover off the ball anytime soon. Getting a pinch hit from this crew is rarer than a virgin at the Playboy Mansion.
Bullpen: Another low point this month was the return of Timlin. He’s old, he’s done, it’s over. I love this guy, but it’s time to move on. Donnelly went down with an arm injury (bad), Joel is gone with an ankle sprain (kinda good) and MDC is back with the big club (pretty damn good). Oki has been fantastic as ever and is trying to get his ERA down to a quantum singularity while pitching in every single game and Kyle Snyder has been solid in long relief. Even when losing, the pen has been nowhere near the “Red Scare” we’d thought they’d be.
Closer: Papelbon got his second All-Star invite, and not for no reason. This guy is still nails and sandpaper covered in carpet tacks. You get that? 9th inning comes around and it’s gonna get rough for the other team.
Starting Pitching: It’s been as good as before with one exception. After a near no hitter, Schilling had been ineffective and the DL’ed with arm issues. This was pretty much as expected because of how old he is, but I just wish we got a few more games out of Curt before he went down. He should be back after the All-Star break. Beckett, Wakefeild, Dice-K and even Tavarez have all pitched amazingly well, but they haven’t got a lick of run support to give them the ‘W’ they deserve. Surprisingly, Schillings replacement was not Jon Lester but Kason Gabbard. Gabbo has had one good and one bad outing and it remains to be seen if he is going to stick around or be replaced by Lester when the coaches feel he’s at 100%.
Low Point: I’m not even sure. Getting beat by the Yanks in the beginning of the month wasn’t very fun, but I might just call the sweep we took at the hands of Seattle the worst stretch. The Sox can’t win in that park and it looks like they don’t even try.
High Point: This would have to be Schillings 1-0 complete game victory and one hitter. Curt was one out away when Shannon Stewart knocked a single past the infield to break up the no-no. Even without the bats the Sox have managed to win games with the fantastic pitching. It’s a good sign that even when a team is struggling they still manage to capitalize on their strengths and find ways to win. I just hope July has more of these “strengths” than June did.
May Record: 20-8
Overall Record: 36-16
What can you say about this team? Durring the second month of this season the Sox didn’t lose 2 games in a row, bested the other top teams in the AL and did so with injuries to their best pitcher and hitter. They have a commanding lead (10.5 games as I write this) over the rest of the AL East and are 20 games over .500. Yeah… it’s deliriously happy time in Red Sox Nation, but let’s break down how we got to this stage of bliss.
Catcher: Ok you can stop worrying about Tek. He has been off the charts lately and looks like the 2003 version of himself. Lord knows how long he can keep the injury bug away and continue to show age defying talent, but I hope he can do it till November. Also, he has been continuing to learn Japanese and can now say the phrases: “Throw strikes or I will go Hiroshima on you” “Tell you’re wife to call me” and “Put some clothes on Oki.”
Corner Infield: Lowell has been on fire. He has the most doubles, RBI and homeruns on the Sox. He hits a TON and he seems to have shaken his bad glove problems of last month. All the stat books in world say he is due for a drop off in the second half, but let’s just enjoy this production while it lasts. Meanwhile, Youk sees Lowell’s “on fire” status and raises him a supernova. He is in the middle of a 22 game hit streak, has a plethora of clutch hits, plated a inside the park homerun and does all this while looking like a demented longshoreman. These two guys have A LOT to do with the 36 wins thus far.
Up the Middle: There certainly has been a change in roll when it comes to our middle infielders. Lugo although a demon on the base paths, has been in a bad slump at the plate. Combine that with his “sub par” defense and you could make the assumption that switching the SS every year might not be the best strategy. On the other hand, Pedroia is starting to overcome the fact that he’s 5 foot nothing and is 12 years old by hitting everything he sees. His “big ‘ol swing” has been really productive and at this rate he might get to extend his curfew to 12 if Francona says it’s ok.
Outfield: Yeesh. Welcome to the dregs of the batting order. Other than Manny (who is starting to get red hot just like we all knew he would… it’s barely worth mentioning) the outfield has only really been good at making outs. Coco is still a black freaking hole. He has one good week and then fell right back into his Coco for 4 mode again. If he wasn’t such a vacuum cleaner in the field, I would say he was the waste of a good uniform. Now pair this with J.D. Screw and his .230 average with NO power and you have the makings of a $100 million dollar disaster. But at least we only have to deal with it for 3 more years!
DH: Papi still has his average over .300 but his hasn’t gone deep since the beginning of the month. He did have the flu which caused some dehydration and hamstring injuries that may be attributing to his lack of power numbers. Would be nice to see him come around.
Bench: These guys have seen some more playing time and it has had mixed results. Cora has had his formally amazing average drop a lot and he is reminding us all why he’s a back up. Hinske is still making the argument that he could probably start on a lot of other teams and has the web gem of the month with a face planting catch in right field. Oh, and as I was writing this, Wily Mo struck out twice, dropped 4 fly balls and then homered into Boston harbor. You get the idea.
Still the only guy on the planet who can catch knuckleballs, Mirabelli has not really been hitting while serving as Wake’s backstop… but hey! He can catch knuckleballs.
Bullpen: While Timlin has been out with a nasty case of the “really olds” it has been up to Oki-doki-jima to get out of the 8th inning so we can get to Papelbon. It’s also Oki’s job to get out of the 7th inning sometimes. Also Oki has been closing with Papelbon isn’t available. Oh, and Oki now does most of the landscaping for Fenway. What I’m saying is that Oki’s awesome but a bit overused. But can you blame Francona? Look at Joel, Donnelly, Snyder, and J.C. Do you actually trust ANY of these guys? Sure they’ve been passable when you’re up by 4-5 runs… but anything closer than that and I would disconnect the bullpen phone.
Closer: Paps blew a save and gave up a few runs just to prove he’s mortal… but I think that might have been a trick to lull other teams into thinking they have a shot. Wait and see.
Starting Pitching: This is still the strongest point of the team. Beckett skipped 2 starts with a blister… excuse me… middle finger avulsion and he came back without missing a beat. Kason Gabbard looked good replacing him, while Hansack was forcibly removed from Fenway in restraints. Schilling had a few more rough outings before rebounding with his best game of the season against Cleveland, while Wakefield has come back down to earth as a respectable 3 or 4 starter. Dice-K has had the highest highs and the lowest lows. One start he looks un-hittable for 9 innings, the other he looks totally smackable for only 5 innings. Maybe it’s the number of pitches he throws, maybe it’s because he got sick, but Dice K needs to figure out what works for him and stick with this. Finally we get to our resident crazy person Julian Tavarez and his strict baby eating diet. This guy has been actually pretty good… and boy is it scary. I still feel he is one bad strike call away from killing everyone all the field. Glad he’s on our side.
Low Point: The 14-0 ass beating in the second half of the double header against Atlanta. When a team tags you for 14 runs, the least you can do get one back.
High Point: The Mothers Day Miracle! Anytime something so awesome happens in a game that they have to NAME THE GAME… you know it’s gotta be a high point. Down 5 runs to the Orioles, the Sox score 6 in the 9th to win it on an error by embedded Sox Kevin Millar. One sign of a great team is that they somehow win the games they are supposed to lose. The 2007 Red Sox look pretty great.
April Record: 16-8 Overall Record: 16-8 Well well well, here we are at the end of the first month and things are looking so bright I had to sucker punch Kei Igawa so I could have some shades to wear. The Sox have the best record in baseball, they are leading the AL East by 4 games and they look set up for the long haul.
So how did we get here? Who’s helping the effort and who needs help? What’s the body count for convicted murders Tavarez and Donnelly? Let me breakdown the happenings this month by position.
Catcher: Everyone started this season worrying about Tek. He’s another year older, coming off an injury and to be honest, he hasn’t looked too great since 2004. The captain responded by putting up the sub-par hitting numbers we’re used to and running the pitching staff like they’re his band of trained orangutans. Tek is the winder of the Sox watch, the conductor of the Sox train, the something important of the Sox other thing. Yeah he might not hit his normal .250 with 20 HR and maybe 70 RBI and he still can get a handle on a mistake pitch now and again… but I am more interested in how he helps the ERA of the pitching staff.
Corner Infield: Youk and Lowell are back in the same spots they were last year. Youk has been a plus defensive 1st baseman and is still the Greek (Jewish) God of walks. Lowell has been hitting a TON but for some freaking awful reason… he can’t seem to catch/throw the ball. He already has more errors than ALL of last year. I guess we can forgive him if he continues to hit, but that’s doubtful. Somebody check his gloves for needles or something.
Up the Middle: Two new bodies, two new approaches. Lugo is a speed freak and he has been the true leadoff hitter we’ve been missing since Damon left. He has been pretty mediocre defensively, but compared to Gonzo everyone looks bad. Pedroia on the other hand, well… he’s been trying my last nerve. He can’t hit for power, he isn’t contact hitting, he doesn’t have speed and his range in the field is questionable. As for positives… ummm he has been… uhhh…he is very short?
Outfield: Manny, Coco and Drew. The Clown, the Clod and the Cripple. I almost HAVE to disregard Manny’s awful play so far. He’s barely batting .200 and is lacking his Man-Ram power. I blame the weather. Once the mercury starts to dance above 80 for a solid week, Manny will start putting balls into the stands. Coco had an ICE cold start but he too is starting to thaw. I still hate seeing him in any type of RBI situation. J.D. seems to be going the other way. He started strong and is beginning to slump. In fact, he has been 0 for like a week. Francona also seems to be acutely aware that Drew is made from wet cardboard and tissue paper so he has been given some days off. I know that he needs rest to prevent future injury, but it might be preventing him from working up a groove.
DH: Papi just growled at me and told me to move on. Yeah, he’s still good.
Bench: Right now this is one of the Sox biggest strengths. Cora and Hinske have been tearing it up. Personally I think Pedroia could sit even more than he usually does so Cora can continue to rock. Hinske would probably start on a lot of teams. He is a double threat at the corners and the outfield and his bat has been very timely. And Wily Mo? Just don’t put anything over the plate. “Straight ball I it very much, curveball bats are afraid.”
As backup catcher, Mirabelli is the same fat designated knuckle ball catcher he always has been. He already has 2 homeruns and has been clogging up the base paths like ricotta clogs his arteries. God I love these guys.
Bullpen: The Red Scare has changed its meaning. They now strike fear into the hearts of other teams instead of the Sox Nation. Oki and Donnelly have been lights-out-goodnight. These guys are so money it’s criminal. Oki has been especially amazing with his weird lefty movement. The confusion he’s caused with hitters, it was like he was pitching in Japanese. Snyder, Joel and Timlin have been good to fair in non clutch situations (although Francona seems to be the last person in the world to hear that Timlin might be all done) and round this pen out nicely. The only guy not pulling his weight is J.C. Romero and even he hasn’t been awful. Unfortunately when Lester gets back I think he’s going to be sent packing to make room for Tavarez and his triumphant return to the pen (just in time).
Closer: Papelbon just stared at the ground, then slowly looked up right at me. I peed a little. He…is…a…GOD…
Starting Pitching: Besides are rocky first outing, Schilling has been top notch… which is interesting cause that’s the same notch he uses to fasten his belt. But the extra pounds haven’t slowed him down any. His ERA is slightly inflated from that hiccup in KC and from the hard slugging Yankees, but I think he will drop it soon. Beckett seems to have turned a corner from last year. As the first 5-0 starter this season, Josh seems to be using all of his pitches and is actually pitching rather than just throwing the ball as hard as he can. The consensus is that he has begun to listen to Tek more, or he’s gotten all my nasty letters. Wake is still Timmy Knuckles. He is still going to give up 3 or less runs every start and they are still going to not score him any runs. It’s getting old. Then there is the Asian Sensation. Dice K is good… but he’s not yet great. He ran into some run production problems, some wildness issues and had a run in with the dreaded “bad inning” syndrome. He still looks un-hittable at times, but he also looks like he is only giving 75%. I still don’t understand him.
The last piece of this puzzle is (for the time being) Tavarez. In this age of shallow pitching staffs, he’s probably better than most of the other #5 starters out there. Add that crazy factor (starting to rear its head again) and he is almost passable. That being said, Lester is a MUCH better option. Besides, I kinda like Tavarez in the pen. Check out his stats first time through the order… he’s pretty nasty.
Coaching: Haven’t heard much about Francona, Farrell and Magadan. Know why? CAUSE WE WINNERS BITCH! No hot seats when you have the best record in April. Besides, I think this crew is really meshing and working well with the varied talent. It’s much better than the alternative.
Low Point: Getting one hit by King Felix wasn’t fun, but the worst is how the Blue Jays handed the Sox a whooping. I hope the find a way around that sky colored menace.
High Point: Sweeping the Angels could be really important down the stretch. They are going to be one of he top teams in the AL. Aww… who am I kidding? We took 5 out of 6 from the Yankees baby! Combine that with a sexy back to back to back to back homerun display and I could just die happy right now.
This has been a fantastic month from almost every vantage point. Besides the lagging of some of the bats, the Boston Red Sox look like they’re in great shape and “Stay the Course” should be the mantra. That’s a damn good place to start. GO SOX
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