Why couldn't he pitch Like that for the Sox?

I'm in San Diego this week, so I headed on down to Petco Park to check out the Padres - Cards game. Smoltz was the starting pitcher for St. Louis so I assumed I would see the Padres put up some big numbers.

It seems that Mr. Smoltz is a lot more comfortable pitching in the NL than the AL. He got out of a minor jam in the 1st inning and then cruised from there giving up only 3 hits over 5 innings. He didn't walk anybody either. In fact, he looked like the Smoltz that we thought we were getting, a guy who, while past his prime, can still fool hitters and put your team in a position to win. I would have liked to see him pitch one game like this for the Sox, but they couldn't keep him around with the numbers he was putting up.

Just when you start thinking that the Red Sox front office isn't patient enough with players, up comes Julio Lugo to pinch hit for the Cards. His box score for the day? GIDP: Lugo

One other item from San Diego. There is a statue of Tony Gwynn in the park outside center field at Petco Park. Here's what the Padres website says about the statue:

TONY GWYNN STATUE
The 9-foot, 1,200-pound bronze likeness of "Mr. Padre" was unveiled at the Park at the Park prior to the Padres-Phillies game on July 21, 2007 as part of a "Tribute to Tony Weekend," honoring the 2007 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee. The statue was molded by sculptor William Behrends, whose artistic credits also include a statue of Willie Mays at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The statue and surrounding plaza includes bricks with personalized messages from fans.

Have you seen Tony Gwynn lately? 1200lbs! Sounds like they got the "likeness" part right.

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Lugo Traded to Cards for Chris Duncan

The Red Sox have made another deal today; Julio Lugo has been traded for Cardinals outfielder Chris Duncan. That's way more than the six pack of Schaefer beer that most people thought Lugo could possibly fetch. The Red Sox will pick up Lugo's salary and Duncan will head to the PawSox.

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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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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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Smoltz, Lowrie, and Lugo

John Smoltz pitched very well in his second to last rehab start with the PawSox last night. He went 6 innings allowing just 1 hit in the 2nd inning and a run on a sac fly before retiring the last 10 batters he faced in order. In 4 minor league starts, Smoltz is 1-0 with a 1.56 ERA. He spoke with the media after the game:

“I still have to work on that changeup,” he said. “I know it’s not a pitch that I absolutely have to have but it’s a nice pitch to have if the other ones aren’t where they need to be. In the past everyone thought I could rely on stuff to get hitters out. Now I’m going to have to rely on pitching. I’ve been pitching for awhile so coming back from this surgery will be no different for me. I’ll go out and hit my spots and take the sting out of the bat. That’s the goal of every pitcher.”

Jed Lowrie is about three weeks away from returning to the team according to Terry Francona:

"He's doing good. The biggest thing right now is stamina [with the wrist] and as he goes he feels a little fatigued, which is certainly understandable. He's doing terrific. He's a real conscientious kid. He puts in his time and he's thoughtful when you ask him a question."

Julio Lugo still loves playing in Boston even when fans boo him:

“It’s tough. Nobody wants to be booed,” he said. “Not me, not anybody. Sometimes the only person who knows what’s going on and why you missed a ball is you. You’re the one out there. The fans just want you to make the play.

“At the same time, I’m not making excuses. . . . I’ll tell you the truth. I think the fans have been fair to me. I signed here because they wanted to see the Julio Lugo hitting the ball and making crazy plays. Sometimes you deserve the boos. Sometimes you don’t, but I love it here.”

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How Much is Lugo Worth?

Judging by the bidding on game used red socks autographed by Julio Lugo; not very much. The Red Sox are paying Lugo $9 million a year to platoon with Nick Green but you can own his socks for the low bid of $1. If you look really close you can see a mark on one of the socks from where he booted a ball.

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Shortstop Issue Comes to a Head

Yesterday, Lugo's absence from the lineup was spun as a routine day off. When Nick Green was put into the lineup at short again today there was no hiding that Lugo's defense is going to cost him playing time. In the past Lugo always seemed to get hurt when there was pressure on Francona to bench him. Is Nick Green now the starting shortstop? Are the Red Sox going to platoon Green and Lugo? Will the Sox make a move to get some help at short before Lowrie comes back? All of those things are now on the table and Julio Lugo is not happy about it:

When asked if he was hurt, he said everything was fine. When asked why he was not in the lineup, he walked away from a group of reporters saying: "Go ask Tito."

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Lugo, Youk, and MDC

Julio Lugo left last night's game in the 8th inning with a groin strain:

"More of a precaution than anything. I've been playing through it for days. It's just a little tighter," Lugo said. "Today, when I got that hit to left field, and tried to go to second, it got tight then. Through the course of the game, it got a little tighter. But I'm going to work it out," Lugo said.

Gil Velazquez came in because he is the better defensive shortstop on the bench and it was late in the game. Lugo will likely miss today's game and could be back on Tuesday when the Red Sox play Toronto. Nick Green should be in at short today.


Kevin Youkilis flew back home yesterday to begin playing some rehab games. He will play with the PawSox on Monday as DH and Tuesday at first base before rejoining the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Peter Gammons has a new post up where he says the Red Sox might be willing to trade Manny Delcarmen for a good bat if it is needed.

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Breaking News: Lugo!

In the 7th inning of today's Red Sox game against the Rays, Julio Lugo fielded a ball that was hit to him by Evan Longoria and he made the play to first base without making an error.

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Tribe Thumpin'

What happens when you take Ellsbury, Ortiz, and Youkilis out of the line up all on the same day? No, the Sox don't get whipped, the rest of the bench pours it on, which is what they did in a 13-3 Tribe thumpin' tonight. As previously reported, 12 of those runs came in the 6th inning before 1 out was even registered, thereby setting a new AL record. All 9 starters scored at least 1 run, all 9 starters got on base at least once. With 3 regular starters out of the line up tonight, Tito got creative for the line up using Lugo as the DH and leading off, Bay in the #3 spot and Lowell- clean up.

The hot bats tonight:
Lugo (Yes! Lugo!)~ 3/5, 3 runs
Pedroia~ 2/4, 2 runs, 3 RBI's
Bay~ 2/5, 2 runs, 4 RBI's
Bailey~ 2/4, 1 run, 2 RBI's

Wakefield had yet another quality start: 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 1 WP, 101 pitches thrown. Lopez allowed another run in his only inning. Delcarmen before him and Saito after him threw scoreless innings.

Wakefield is now 4-1, with a 2.92 ERA.

SOX win 13-3 BOX SCORE

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What If Lugo Homers Before Ortiz?

Julio Lugo is despised among a large portion of Red Sox Nation for his shaky defense and his limited offense, but what if he hits a home run before Big Papi? Think for a second the repercussions of this; a guy who was on the DL for most of the young season and has a bad knee could have more home runs than the #3 hitter for the Red Sox. At that point Red Sox fans need to panic. David Ortiz has done more than any other player on the team to bring about the rings in '04 and '07 but at what point do you have to make an adjustment in the order? Here's a simple way to determine where you really stand with Big Papi: If he is on your fantasy team is he still a starter or do you have him riding pine? I still have him in my lineup but if Lugo hits a home run before Ortiz I will know it is time to make a roster move.

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He's Back

Julio Lugo will rejoin the Red Sox tonight in Cleveland. He went 2-5 with a double for the PawSox yesterday as DH. Lugo was taken out of the game for a defensive substitution in Saturday's game and he did not play in the field yesterday. This means one of two things; either the PawSox have no confidence in his glove or he is not ready to go. Check back for lineups later today to see if he is in there at short. Tito has said he will rejoin the team today but it is unclear if he will start playing right away.

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AAA Lugo Looks Like Major League Lugo

Julio Lugo went 2-6 with a K and an error today for the PawSox. He is now hitting .167 with no RBI's. He was pulled out of the game in the 10 for a defensive substitution, you hear that Tito? Lugo is set to join the Red Sox on Monday in Cleveland.

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WAKEFIELD!!!

Tim Wakefield started the first game of today's twin bill, which is now in a rain delay in the bottom of the 7th inning. I cannot say enough about this man! Total class act both on and off the field for starters, but he certainly still has his best stuff on the mound! After flirting with a perfect game for 5 innings and a no-no for almost 8 last week at Oakland, he follows that with another gem today: 7 IP, 5 H's, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's. This leaves him with an ERA of 2.45!

Hopfully this performance will quiet all the Wake naysayers once and for all.

Now for bright spots on offense: 6 of the 9 starters today have at least 2 hits, with Drew and Lowell each getting 3 apiece so far. 3 hits for Lowell? That means he's raised his BA about 150 points or so in the past week, to a nice .315! Papi's bat has come to life as well with two hits today. He's raised his average a good 50 points this week. Winter question marks answered!

Nick Green is swinging a hot bat with a 2B and a HR today, but I think he may be using Lugo's old glove, as he has 2 errors today, too.

The game is in a rain delay at the moment, with another game scheduled for later today. Both the Sox and the Twins have Thursday off. The Sox will stay at home for a series with the Yankees starting on Friday. The Twins will be heading off to CLE for a series starting on Friday. Weather.com calls for showers and rain for the rest of the day in Boston, so it remains to be seen whether or not ball will resume today, or whether or not any games will be made up on Thursday.

UPDATE: The game was called after a 1:25 delay.

SOX WIN 10-1 BOX SCORE

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Lowrie to Have Surgery Tomorrow

WEEI's Alex Speier is reporting that Jed Lowrie will have surgery tomorrow and could be back for the second half of the season.

Julio Lugo is now with the PawSox to begin his rehab so Green's role as starting shortstop will not last too much longer.

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Lugo's Recovery Going Well

My guess of a post All-Star break return for Julio Lugo is looking way off the mark. Those of you who had the under could be in the money. Lugo returned to camp today and said:

Hopefully, in three weeks I'll be ready," Lugo said. "Probably three or four weeks, I'll be fine."

I see this as good news for the Red Sox and bad news for the majority of Sox fans....I'm still stickin' with him.

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Lugo Out At Least a Month

Lugo underwent the knife today, here are the results from Extra Bases:

Doctors repaired a torn meniscus, which is what they expected to find. Lugo will miss 3-4 weeks, almost certainly sidelining him for Opening Day April 6, which is 20 days away.

3-4 weeks is very optimistic for a torn meniscus, I would be surprised if he sees any action before the All-Star break

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Game On! Red Sox Top Yanks in GFL

Mikey and Papi silenced the critics today as they both went yard in a 7 run 2nd inning, sending Yankee ace Wang to the showers early. Wakefield had a rough 2+ innings, but the bullpen was excellent for the remaining innings, allowing 4 hits and 3 walks while registering 9 strikeouts. Julio Lugo, who has been having an great spring training hitting .450 so far, left with a knee injury in the first inning.

SOX 8 Yankees 4 BOX SCORE

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The SS Competition May Have Just Been Won

Julio Lugo was looking like he was going to be the starting shortstop on opening day but things may have just changed:

Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo left Friday night's game against the Yankees with a sore right knee. There was no immediate word on how the injury occurred.

Lugo played the top of the first inning on defense and didn't see any action, but manager Terry Francona sent Ivan Ochoa up to pinch-hit for Lugo in the bottom of the inning.

Lowrie and most of Red Sox Nation are trying to hide their smiles right now, I still like Lugo even after last year but am glad the Sox have options at the 6 postition.

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