Haggs Was Right, Penny Should Have Been Traded

Last month Joe Haggerty of WEEI.com called for the Red Sox to trade Brad Penny while his stock was high and if you look at the comment section, I agreed with him. After Buchholz's good outing last night and Penny's subpar performance today it looks like the Sox might be in a pickle. Penny gave up 8 hits and 6 earned runs today agains the Jays, getting his 4th loss of the season and raising his ERA over 5. As the trading dealine quickly approaches Penny's value has plummeted. Now the Red Sox would be lucky to get a reserve player for him and fans will only give him a short leash with Buchholz waiting in the wings.

The Jays scored in the 2nd, 4th, and 5th off of Penny. The Red Sox offense took and early lead with an RBI by Balelli but in the top of the 2nd but failed to plate another run until the top of the 7th when Lowrie hit a tater in his first game back since wrist surgery.

Red Sox Lose 6-2 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	6	1
Blue Jays	0	1	0	3	2	0	0	0	0	6	8	0

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Ever wonder what goes on in your old hometown? (continued)

Red Sox Sonoma here (aka Dave), sitting at the ol' homestead in RI visiting the folks for their 65th anniversary along with my 3 brothers. I got to watch the game last night on NESN which is quite a treat after suffering through TBS, Ken Rosenthal, and Fox. Late after the game had ended, we got to experience a good old fashioned New England lightning and thunderstorm, of which there are very few of in coastal California. Woke up late (I'm still on CA time), went downstairs, had breakfast and picked up the Providence Journal. (I still prefer paper to digital newspapers.) Mark Patinkin is an entertaining columnist for the paper who writes about the Sox on occasion. He wrote a story in today's ProJo called "License plates Rhode Islanders will love." Sounded interesting, so I read it. He recites a list of new RI license plates now available for an additional fee. There was one plate design that he described that confounded him, me, and I am sure all of RSN as well.

A RI Yankee license plate.

Huh? WT........ ?

I understand that the General Assembly of RI, as well as every other state in these dire economic times is trying desperately to find new sources of revenue, but a Yankee license plate?

Puh-leeze! We're only 50 miles from Fenway! What did you guys put in your pipe?! After all the reports of violence between Red Sox and Yankee fans, the State Legislature proposes this?! Now I know there are Yankee fans in RI (my father is a Yankee fan), but putting one of those plates on your car would be kin to lathering yourself up in bacon fat and walking into Grizzly Bear country in Montana!

Money's tight everywhere, but this proposal should garner a Darwin Award for whomever the brilliant public servant is who submitted it. Then again, Yankee fans aren't that brilliant either, (with just a few exceptions, such as my father, and Jimmy, the guitarist I work with.)

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Today's Red Sox Lineup 7/18 vs Toronto

J.D. Drew, RF

Dustin Pedroia, 2B

Kevin Youkilis, 1B

David Ortiz, DH

Jason Bay, LF

Mike Lowell, 3B

Rocco Baldelli, CF

Jed Lowrie, SS

George Kottaras Brad Penny, SP

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Mike Lowell Talks About His First Game Back -Video

Mike Lowell talks about how he was feeling after last night's game. Watch below:

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Buchholz Gets the Second Half Started Right

Clay Buchholz had a solid outing in his brief time with the big club; going 5 2/3minnings while giving up 1 earned run on 4 hits and 3 walks. Youk gave Buchholz an early lead with a 2-run homer in the first and Ortiz drove in 2 more in the 5th. The bullpen looked rested and pitched well. Bard struck out 3 of the 4 batters he faced and did not give up a hit. Oki gave up 1 hit in a scoreless inning and Paps was perfect in the 9th to pick up his 24th save of the season.

Red Sox Win 4-1 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Red Sox	2	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	4	6	1
Blue Jays	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0

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Happy Buchholz Day for Me! P.S. NO TRADE CLAY!

I think people know how I feel about Clay. To say I am a HUGE fan is an understatement. So, today...no matter why or the circumstances or what shady motives might be behind it, I am CELEBRATING!



CLAY BUCHHOLZ IS PITCHING FOR THE MO FO RED SOX! At least for a day, he's going to be up with the big boys and pitching from that mound. I am super duper crazy excited.

Plus, Lugo got DFA'ed today. Lowell is back in the lineup. Lowrie is coming back tomorrow. It's basically like Christmas morning for me over here....Red Sox style.

Of course, I am also terrified. It may not be rational, but I say it often...say it loud....NO TRADE CLAY. I want to see Clay's development continue with the Red Sox and not another team. I think the kid is crazy talented and want to see him smoking away people on the mound for us and not some competing ball club.

Theo Epstein has been slapping hands of other ballclubs when it comes to Clay for years, but the idea of snatching Roy Halladay might be just enough to make Theo not so willing to say "no way no how" when it comes to pitching away his hot prospects.

I am crossing my fingers and wishing Clay LOTS of luck tonight. He's been waiting for this moment all season long. No pressure buddy.

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Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 7/17 vs Toronto

Drew RF,
Pedroia 2B,
Youkilis 1B,
Ortiz DH,
Bay LF,
Lowell 3B,
Varitek C,
Ellsbury CF,
Green SS,

Buchholz SP

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Red Sox DFA Lugo

Nobody wanted to take Lugo away from Boston so now he must choose if he wants to report to the PawSox or become a free agent.

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Clay Buchholz's Start Doesn't Answer Lingering Questions

No matter how Buchholz pitches tonight he will be sent back down to the PawSox to make room for Lowell. If he pitches great it only causes more frustration since there is no room in the rotation right now. If he pitches poorly it could further delay his full time return to the team and lowers his trade value. The Red Sox are letting him pitch tonight as a sort of a test to see how he can fare against major league hitters, but even if the Red Sox were to trade Penny they still would not have a spot for Buchholz once Dice-K comes back. Are the Red Sox trying to showcase Buchholz for a deadline trade or do they have plans for him to be a member of the rotation for the second half? Unfortunetly tonight's start does not answer any of those questions.

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Contract Talks With Bay Are On Again

UPDATE: The talks were not productive and the Red Sox have chosen to wait until after the season to negotiate with Bay.

The Red Sox and Jason Bay's agent talked about an extension during the All-Star break. The two sides are still not close but are both willing to work for a deal during the second half of the season. The Red Sox really need to keep his bat and he will be among the best free agents available in the offseason, so it is likely that he gets locked up before the end of the season to avoid a bidding war with teams like the Yankees.

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Lugo Misses Mandatory Team Workout

Julio Lugo missed a mandatory workout with the team in Toronto today. Is this a sign that he is about to be traded? Aaron Bates was with the club for the workout when he was the player most assumed to be sent down to make room for Buchholz on the roster. All signs are pointing to Julio's departure.

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You Won't Have Lugo to Kick Around Anymore

Julio Lugo's time in Boston is about to end. The Red Sox are trying to deal him to anyone that will take him, they are even willing to pay his salary. If they can't get anything in return he will be released to make room for Lowrie. Lugo followed in the path of Renteria by being grossly overpaid and not producing up to fans expectations. He was part of a World Champion team and acted as a professional throughout his time in Boston. I think Lugo will be happy to land somewhere else where he can play and does not have a fan base that has given up on him.

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Don Orsillo on WEEI

Watch this at WEEI

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Red Sox Fans Turn to On Demand to Fill Baseball Void

With no baseball yesterday Sox fans in New England went to On-Demand to get their fix:

more than 100,000 programs already watched one month after the new service launched exclusively on Comcast. The incredible popularity of Red Sox On Demand makes it the number one category of locally produced On Demand programming in New England....This week, Red Sox On Demand programming includes profiles of pitcher Justin Masterson and Red Sox legend Dom DiMaggio, a special on the history of the iconic Citgo sign overlooking Fenway Park and features of Mike Lowell playing monopoly with Red Sox Foundation supporters and David Ortiz golfing during his signature fundraiser in the Dominican Republic. Red Sox On Demand also gives fans a closer look at the Cape Cod League, the Salem Red Sox and the Greenville Drive.

Too bad the program is not available outside of New England for the rest of Red Sox Nation.

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Jacoby Ellsbury SB Contest

Time for another contest here on Fenway West. Jacoby is getting close to breaking the Red Sox single season stolen base record. Correctly pick the game and inning in which Ellsbury breaks the single season Red Sox stolen base record of 54 held by Tommy Harper since 1973 and win a Red Sox key chain courtesy of www.wholesalekeychain.com. This is a real leather key chain like the one pictured with the Red Sox Logo. Put your guess in the comments section of this post to enter. You can see the remaining Red Sox schedule here to help with your pick. Good luck!



If you are interested in buying Boston Red Sox Keychains enter promo code FenwayWest for a 10% discount.

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Jason Bay Blogs About His All-Star Experience

Jason Bay has a blog post up over at WEEI.com where he talks about some of the highlight of the All-Star experience in St. Louis this week. Here are a few of the highlights:

So I become an American citizen and a week later I meet the President. That’s how it works for everybody, isn’t it?....from the time we went on the field one thing I couldn’t take my eyes off were the snipers on top of the stadium. Even in the fourth inning, I couldn’t stop looking at them because from where I was it looked like a video game, with the dark silhouette and with the sun setting. I’m thinking, “These are snipers! That’s so cool!”....Put it this way, you know you’re probably going to get fastballs from the best pitchers around, so you aren’t preaching patience. There’s no ‘Moneyballing’ it in this game.

We can only hope that he keeps on blogging for the rest of the season and for years to come when the Red Sox lock him up.

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A.L. Continues Winning Streak in ASG

The American League won the All-Star Game again and secured home field advantage for the World Series. There were 6 members of the Red Sox on the A.L. All-Star Team but only 3 of them saw action. Jason Bay went 1-2 with a walk in the game, Youk was 1-1 as a pinch hitter and Papelbon earned the win even though he almost gave up a home run that would have tied the game. Carl Crawford made a great catch to preserve the victory for the A.L. and save Paps' bacon. Wake and Beckett did not get into the game.

A.L. Wins 4-3 BOX SCORE

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You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Jason Bay says Sox fans have seen nothing yet. Interesting tidbits from redsox.com: "Bay is the first Red Sox player to reach base five times without recording a hit since Ted Williams on May 23, 1951, vs. the St. Louis Browns -- five walks for Teddy Ballgame. ... Rehabbing shortstop Jed Lowrie (left wrist) went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored on Sunday for Triple-A Pawtucket. ... With a stolen base in Sunday's 6-0 victory over the Royals, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury became the second player in Red Sox history to record 40 steals in multiple seasons, joining Hall of Famer Tris Speaker (1912-14). ... Boston enters the second half of the season in first place in the AL East for the fifth consecutive year, dating back to 2005."

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Pedroia Talks About His Decision to Skip All-Star Game

Dustin Pedroia will not be in St. Louis tonight and fans should all support him in his decision. His wife went into premature labor and was admitted to the hospital to postpone the delivery.

“It was pretty tough, obviously,’’ Pedroia said. “I’ve got to be with my wife right now. It’s more important. Obviously I’m extremely honored to be selected by the fans. I wish I could be there, but I hope everybody understands....She’s kind of the same right now,’’ Pedroia said. “That’s one of the reasons I was hoping she’d get better. That’s why I put it off to the last minute. But hopefully the next few days she gets better.’’

Jason Bay, Youk, Beckett, and Papelbon will all be there to represent the Red Sox and ensure home field advantage this October.

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One More Post on Wake

My last one, I promise (yeah, right, Dave.) There's another great story on Wake's 1st ASG selection on MLB.COM, with a great video of an interview with him. Check it out.

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