AL East 2010

[BillD1984]

Slowly but surely the Red Sox are starting to get their injured players back:

*Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett both returned to the rotation this week

*Jed Lowrie made his season debut last week

*Jeremy Hermida came off the DL this week

*Victor Martinez and Jacoby Ellsbury are reportedly days from returning to the lineup

*Unfortunately, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell are much further away from returning (Lowell will probably be traded anyway....there's reports that the Tigers are interested)


The big question is this: Will it be too late for the Sox when all the walking wounded return?

 

[Jimbo]

Slowly but surely the Red Sox are starting to get their injured players back:

*Clay Buchholz and Josh Beckett both returned to the rotation this week

*Jed Lowrie made his season debut last week

*Jeremy Hermida came off the DL this week

*Victor Martinez and Jacoby Ellsbury are reportedly days from returning to the lineup

*Unfortunately, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell are much further away from returning (Lowell will probably be traded anyway....there's reports that the Tigers are interested)


The big question is this: Will it be too late for the Sox when all the walking wounded return?

Can Lowell still play third ?

Now keep in mind they still need an OF/DH as Ordonez went down with a broken ankle/foot as well as a hitting SS and a Catcher that can hit better than .260.
Guillen also went out of todays game.

Tigers could have a rookie playing 2nd, third and SS tomorrow, not to mention Jackson in CF and Boesch in the outfield.
IF they decide to play Avilla (C) (he's been rotation catchers every week or so) tomorrow, thats 6 1st or 2nd year people in the starting lineup.
And they are hanging in there, to a certain extent.

As the Sox are getting healthy, the Tigers are going down with injuries.

 

[AntAltMike]

Ellsbury has been days from coming back for about a month and a half. Strange injury.

The Sox are three and a half games out of the wild card slot and leading tonight, with over 60 to play. I think they should trade Lowell for a middle reliever, to a team that is willing to part with a multiyear contract pitcher for that of an overpaid player who has just a couple of months left on his contract.

Lowell was hitting over .300 through the first month of the season, but once Ortiz got his stroke back, Lowell foundered as an infrequently used sub. For the right terms, he could be a serviceable interim player for someone.

 

[Jimbo]

Ellsbury has been days from coming back for about a month and a half. Strange injury.

The Sox are three and a half games out of the wild card slot and leading tonight, with over 60 to play. I think they should trade Lowell for a middle reliever, to a team that is willing to part with a multiyear contract pitcher for that of an overpaid player who has just a couple of months left on his contract.

Lowell was hitting over .300 through the first month of the season, but once Ortiz got his stroke back, Lowell foundered as an infrequently used sub. For the right terms, he could be a serviceable interim player for someone.

So he mainly needs playing time to get his stroke back ?
He's hitting .200 for the season, but I can understand that if he's only been playing here and there.

Can the Tigers get Youk instead ?

Need to start hiring the guys that KILL us on a regular basis.

 

[AntAltMike]

Wierd Red Sox/Mariners game, which I'm only following on the internet.

Dice-K walked five in six complete and left leading 2-1. Bard came on at the start of the inning and faced four batters, retiring three and giving up just a single.

Then, in the eighth, Bard gave up a single to the first batter and got yanked, and then Okajima gave up three straight hits to blow the lead.

Did Bard get injured? Otherwise, the pitching substitutions don't make much sense.

 

[BillD1984]

Wierd Rd Sox/Mariners game, which I'm only following on the internet.

Dice-K walked five in six complete and left leading 2-1. Bard came on at the start of the inning and faced four batters, retiring three and giving up just a single.

Then, in the eighth, Bard gave up a single to the first batter and got yanked, and then Okajima gave up three straight hits to blow the lead.

Did Bard get injured? Otherwise, the pitching substitutions don't make much sense.

And THAT has been the Red Sox biggest problem in 2010...........not the injuries.

In '09 the Sox had a loaded bullpen for the bridge to Papelbon. Okajima, Delcarmen and Ramirez were all viable options at times last season, and this season they all SUCK!! Not only that, but the Sox had Takashi Saito and Billy Wagner last season.

This season the only reliable middle/setup guy has been Bard, and obviously he can't pitch all the time.....

 

[BillD1984]

I'm surprised to see that Bard has four "blown saves" this year. I'm not sure how a blown hold is distinguished from a blown save. If, for example a pitcher comes into the gave with a one run lead after six, that is technically a save situation. It doesn't become a hold until he leaves with the lead. So if he blows the lead and then leaves, is that a blown hold or a blown save?

It's a blown save. Hypothetically speaking, there could be multiple blown saves by different pitchers in the same game.

 

[BillD1984]

Red Sox complete the three game sweep in Anaheim this afternoon.

Marco Scutaro broke a tie with an 8th inning grand slam, and Josh Beckett had yet another solid start since coming off the DL.

Getting Victor Martinez back in the lineup this week was huge. NOW if they can get Pedroia and Ellsbury back, and add a bullpen arm (or two) this will be a dangerous team with the starting pitching they have!

 

[SabresRule]

NOW if they can add a bullpen arm (or two) this will be a dangerous team with the starting pitching they have!

Who are some available bullpen arms that the BoSox might get?

 

[BillD1984]

Mike Lowell hit 3 HR's in a rehab stint in Toledo last night. Good for Mike, but there's really no room on the Sox roster for him (especially with reserve infielders Bill Hall and Jed Lowrie playing well). However, Lowell could be used as a chip to bring a reliable middle reliever to the Sox.

 

[Jimbo]

Mike Lowell hit 3 HR's in a rehab stint in Toledo last night. Good for Mike, but there's really no room on the Sox roster for him (especially with reserve infielders Bill Hall and Jed Lowrie playing well). However, Lowell could be used as a chip to bring a reliable middle reliever to the Sox.

Tigers TRIED to pick him up, heck he was 50 miles from being there

They must not have had any luck, today they picked up Peralta from Cleveland.

 

[BillD1984]

Tigers TRIED to pick him up, heck he was 50 miles from being there

They must not have had any luck, today they picked up Peralta from Cleveland.

Yup, nice acquisition for the Tigers! :up

It does hurt the Red Sox trying to deal Lowell, however.

 

[BillD1984]

Who are some available bullpen arms that the BoSox might get?

The names I keep hearing are Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and David Aardsma.

 

[Jimbo]

The names I keep hearing are Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and David Aardsma.

I'm betting on Scott Downs.
I keep hearing to stay away from Aardsma for some reason.

 

[BillD1984]

I'm betting on Scott Downs.
I keep hearing to stay away from Aardsma for some reason.

I hope the Sox do stay away from him! He was here 2 years ago as a mop up guy.

He had a breakout season last year as the Mariners closer, but IMO that was an abberation.

 

[Jimbo]

I hope the Sox do stay away from him! He was here 2 years ago as a mop up guy.

He had a breakout season last year as the Mariners closer, but IMO that was an abberation.

This year he looks like this :

David Aardsma #53 RP
2010 STATS
ERA SV SO WHIP
4.73 18 35 1.27

 

[Jimbo]

Watching the Tigers / Rays game for some reason .....

The Rays are battling for 1st place and they have TONS of seats available in the lower deck right behind the dugouts .....

Thats pathetic ...

There might be 10,000 fans there, maybe.

 

[vurbano]

I have been saying it for two years now. The SOX need pitching.Yet they do Nothing. Wait till late in the season and then try to bail themselves out with the dregs that are left to choose from? What a shame. I predicted they wouldnt even get the wildcard and that is looking like an accurate prediction.

 

[Jimbo]

I have been saying it for two years now. The SOX need pitching.Yet they do Nothing. Wait till late in the season and then try to bail themselves out with the dregs that are left to choose from? What a shame. I predicted they wouldnt even get the wildcard and that is looking like an accurate prediction.

But at the beginning of the season, they were STACK for pitching.
How can you predict that the Bull Pen will not do as they have done in previous years ?

 

[Hart5150]

I have been saying it for two years now. The SOX need pitching.Yet they do Nothing. Wait till late in the season and then try to bail themselves out with the dregs that are left to choose from? What a shame. I predicted they wouldnt even get the wildcard and that is looking like an accurate prediction.

Why does a Rangers fan care so much about the Red Sox?