HUGE!!!!

Big win this afternoon. Hopefully, this win can give the offense some momentum heading towards the dog days of August. Gotta love seeing the team celebrate a Papi walk off hit.

A couple of BTW's ...

• awful angle taken by the Tiger left fielder on Papi's game winner
• good move designating Hermida. He was given ample opportunities.
• Ramon Ramirez fooled me. I truly thought he was going to be very good for the team. I have a hunch he does well for the Giants
• not sold on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's ability
• Ryan Kalish looks like he can swing it.
• can't blame Leyland for intentionally walking the go ahead run in the ninth. Coke versus Papi is a good match up. Plus, the strategy worked in the seventh.
• the Yankees get their guys when they need them. Cashman gets big props.

WSTD

As the trade deadline draws near, What Should Theo Do????

Most reports have the Sox doing something very small if anything at all. A bull pen arm perhaps. But there are at least ten other teams looking for the same thing. Toronto asked for Casey Kelly for their lefty reliever Scott Downs. Way too much.

I guarantee you big time prospects Casey Kelly, Anthony Rizzo and Jose Igelesia are not going anywhere. Theo's track record shows he does not trade away the upper echelon prospects.

Today looks like a quiet day.

Game Notes Sox @ Angels Wednesday 3:30 PM

Pregame --

• Joel Pinero not starting for the Angels. Advantage Sox.
• Glen Ordway on WEEI called today's game "important". His reasoning was completing the sweep, finishing 6-4 on the trip and Beckett's second start since returning from the DL. I gotta agree.
• JD Drew is out again with a hamstring. Anyone that has ever had a pulled, strained or cranky hamstring knows that it is not a joke. You cannot push off of that leg at all.
• Jed Lowrie not in the line up? He's a little young to need a day off after a night game. VMart is back behind the dish.

Game --

• I'm officially annoyed with the constant camera shots of Mike Scioscia in the dugout whining about balls and strikes.
• Jeremy Hermida is awful. He laid up on the sinking line drive in in the second inning leading to two runs. Feel free to give an effort. Then he strikes out on six pitched balls with two in.
• How many famous white guys are named Reggie?
• I remember the Red Sox in the early eighties using three relievers every once in a while for a game. I believe Dick Dragoo started and pitched three followed by another three inning stint from some one else. Pretty effective. Gotta think it makes it harder for a hitter.
• Remy needs to beat down The Thumb. The Opposable one just called Remy "old". BTW -- How about the Curse of the RemDawg? Ellsbury changes his number and now turns into Dave Chappelle.
• You gotta think that old man did not know the swarm of bees were beneath him. Why wouldn't the fans that left that section tell him? California. They were all probably high on their medicinal marijuana.
• Two (back to back walks) on no outs in the eighth. You MUST bunt Eric Patterson. I know the team has struggled with guys in scoring position but you play the percentages. Patterson reaches any way.
• Scutaro goes ya ya for the grand slam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fernando Rodney is sick to his stomach.
• I hope no one has Rodney or Ortiz on their fantasy teams. Papi just went down with his 4th strikeout in the game. 3 k's is a "hat trick", 4 k's is a "golden sombrero". What do you call a game where you strike out five times? Never saw nor heard of that.
• Beckett out after seven solid innings. Very workman-like effort. Here comes Manny DelCarmen. I won't review his recent struggles. This might get interesting. There was a report that Bard and Papelbon are unavailable for this series finale.
• Bill Hall. Big time play. DelCarmen's career can be summed up in that inning. He looks absolutely filthy at times and absolutely feeble at times. Wakefield's warming to pitch the ninth.
• Ramirez pitches the ninth. Smooth.
• Very good win to end the road trip.

One back ...

Review from yesterday's Red Sox happenings --

VMart returned, Ellsbury began his rehab assignment, Papi broke out of his HR Derby slump (predicted), Buchholz was solid, Atchinson -- not so much, and Paps got the dreaded 4 out save.

Hopefully, the team can get through this road trip with a winning record.

Lackey returns home tonight to pitch against his former team, he better bring it.

LET"S GO SOX!!!!!

Beckett Returns

Josh Beckett's return last night is hopefully a sign of things to come. The Sox are four games out of the wild card spot. These injuries have certainly caught up to the team. Beckett's performance last night serves as some much needed hope to the team and its followers.

The starting pitching staff is now in its original form. The bullpen certainly could use a boost. Tim Wakefield's arrival there should help. The team was without a long set up man. Michael Bowden looks like he may help. What we desperately need is for Hideki Okajima to find his groove.

Offensively, the losses of Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Jeremy Hermida, Jacoby Ellsbury and to a lesser extent Jason Varitek has been crippling. Hermida returns today and Martinez is not too far behind. When Pedrioa returns we won't have to stomach seeing Daniel Nava, Eric Patterson or Darnell McDonald batting in the two hole. As far as Ellsbury is concerned, anything he can give us at this point is a plus.


Brighter days are on the horizon. We can only hope that by the time the team is at full strength, the sun has not set on the season.

Yo Adrian!!!!

Adrian Beltre --- Are you serious?? You tweak your hamstring the game prior to the All Star game but deem yourself healthy enough to play in the midsummer classic. Now as the team is trying to cope with more injuries than General Hospital and you are out a couple of games because of that hamstring injury.

Why play in the All Star game if you were not 100% healthy. I realize it was your first appearance but how about honoring your contract and the organization that is paying you. The regular season is far more important than that glorified scrimmage game.

ARod didn't even get into the game. We need to use better judgment.

RIP

Reports has "The Boss" passing away this morning.

First the voice of the Yankees dies and now the loud voice of the team passes days later.

Say what you want about the man's demeanor, but he made the Yanks winners after he took over the team. Then in the early nineties he realized that more "baseball men" should have control and he allowed that to happen. He also was a big supporter of U.S. Olympic efforts.

Rest in peace to the man born on the Fourth of July.

Papi HR Derby Winner!!!!

Wahoooooo.

Now back to baseball. Vegas has 3-2 odds on him not hitting a home run in his next 10 games after that display last night. His swing looks totally screwed.

Tough one to take

Last night's loss to the Rays was painful.

Eric Patterson hits two homers, Papi scores from first on a nifty slide, Beltre and Hall come up with big two out hits -- all leading to a commanding 5-1 lead. Commanding to any pitcher on the staff except Hideki Irabu.

Irabu pitches behind hitters all night, fails to get an out on a sac bunt, and for all the scratching and clawing the depleted team does to win a game, he coughs it up. The saddest part of it all is while we are watching all this unfold, we knew it was going to happen.

Offensively for the Sox, the sequence of the game was the bases loaded one out situation in the sixth. Beltre and Drew both strike out. We all realize these guys have had solid years and can't do it every time but can we get the ball in play?

Lost in all this is Joe Maddon's decision to put on a safety squeeze with first and third and no out, in a tie game, with his lead off (and one of the best hitters) man Ben Zobrist. What the heck is the thinking behind that? Scared of a strikeout? Okay you would still have first and third one out with Crawford up. A double play? You would still have the lead. Makes no sense. Jerry Remy is saying he would understand if it was a sacrifice to get the runner at first into scoring position. What?? That too makes no sense.

Just last week, Maddon up 6-1 attempted to bunt to put guys on second and third. Up 6-1???? I know it is hard to judge other people but some of this is just bizarre.

Maybe Joe Maddon can get Irabu back on track.