Should The Red Sox Keep Shifting the Lineup?

When the Red Sox obtained Victor Matinez they brought a solid bat to the team, they also made Tito's job much harder. To keep V-Mart's bat in the lineup the team needs to rotate Tek, Lowell, and Ortiz out of their usual spots. Red Sox pitchers have long benefited with Varitek calling the game behind the plate and Martinez is not a defensive upgrade, but offensively the team is much better with V-Mart's bat replacing Tek's. When V-Mart goes to first and Youk shifts to third, you get the benefit of allowing Mike Lowell to rest his hip, but his hot bat is on the bench. With Big Papi struggling at the plate, the DH spot has looked like a better spot to play Lowell or V-Mart and keep Tek behind the dish, but that hasn't happened much. Lowell has definitely been the odd man you since V-Mart arrived while Big Papi is usually the DH. Tito can't get away with saying he is just going to start Ortiz against righties because his numbers are very similar against lefties.

There is no question that right now the team is better offensively when Tek and Ortiz are on the bench, letting V-Mart catch and Lowell DH. Big Papi and Tek have been the heart and soul of the Red Sox for years and have a huge fan support but their numbers are starting to hurt the team. It might be time to have them sit out even more. Theo will have to make some big choices in the offseason with those two.

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Beckett, Lowell and Bay Put Red Sox in the Driver's Seat

Josh Beckett earned his league leading 14th win with a great effort. He pitched 7 innings and gave up just 3 hits and 2 runs. Mike Lowell and Jason Bay continued to fuel the resurgent offense with a home run and three hits apiece. The Red Sox had an early lead and when the Tigers got on the board, the Sox responded with a 5-run inning.

Jerry Remy joined the NESN crew in the second inning and thanked fans for their support. He blamed his absence on poor health following his surgery which led to an infection. He also said he had been suffering from depression and joked that the doctor said he could not watch games on NESN becasue Don Orsillio would lead to more depression.

Red Sox Win 8-2 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Tigers	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	2	3	1
Red Sox	0	1	2	0	5	0	0	0	0	8	11	0

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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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Mikey Lowell You Give Me Hope!

Like everyone else in Red Sox Nation, my heart sank a little bit when I heard that Mikey Lowell was heading on the 15 Day DL. We had heard in reports that the effects of the shot could be known within 24 hours, so many of us were assuming the worst with hearing that news that he is heading to the DL and we are seeing Jeff Bailey's smiling face for the next couple of weeks.

Well, The Boston Globe just posting an article that makes me all kinds of happy and gives me hope about seeing Mikey Lowell at 3rd for the long haul this season.

Mike Lowell’s stay on the disabled should not be any longer than the virtual minimum, which means he is scheduled to return the day after the All-Star break. He is eligible to come off July 12, the Sunday before the break, but coming off for one game wouldn’t make much sense. In all, Lowell will miss 14 games but received 19 days off, a pretty good trade off.

And, manager Terry Francona said, Lowell showed up in Boston today feeling great, “to the point he’s thinking about he could play in a couple days,” Francona said.

Now that is the news I wanted to hear. I look forward to seeing Mikey Lowell and his famous scowl in a game sometime SOON.

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Lowell to DL, Bailey Called Up

The Sox placed Lowell on the DL retroactive to June 28th. It looks like his hip strain is pretty serious.

Jeff Bailey will get another chance to show his stuff in the Bigs. He had a forgettable stint with the Sox hitting .188 in 23 games back in April. Bailey has been hot with the PawSox lately with a nine game hitting streak.

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How Concerned Should We Be About Lowell?

Mike Lowell sat out most of the last two interleague series to rest his ailing hip. He will now be receiving injections to lubricate his hip joint. If he doesn't respond in a few days he might go to the DL:

“I guess it could happen,” Francona said. “I don’t think we want to, and I don’t think he wants to. But if he didn’t respond to this, it’s probably something we’d have to think about it. But I don’t think that’s our goal, for sure. . . . Because there’s a lot of season left to go, we’d rather try to let him take a deep breath or regroup. We just want him to be able to go out and play rather than drag it, or when he makes a move, feel it so much.”

If Lowell does go on the DL then Kotsay would take over at first and Youk would go to third. Lowrie can play third when he gets back and Green is also an option but Lowell's bat would surely be missed.

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Sign of Trouble

Things may have been too good to be true for Mike Lowell and his recovery from surgery. Rob Bradford has this on Lowell after tonight's game:

Mike Lowell said that his surgically-repaired right hip felt no better after getting four of the previous five days off and a decision regarding the approach would be made on the way to the team's next series in Atlanta. One option that Lowell has been weighing are shots to help lubricate the hip, along with additional time off.

We may be seeing some more of Kotsay at 1st with Youk spending time at the hot corner while Lowell rests.

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Red Sox Lose Rain Shortened Game

In a game that probably never should have started, the Red Sox took an early lead by a Youkilis homer in the bottom of the first. The Marlins came right back with two homers of their own to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. That was still the score when the rain came in the 6th inning and play was halted for good.

Mike Lowell was not happy with the decision to play the game:

"I think a lot of guys are [angry] right now. I'm frustrated, and I think a lot of guys are frustrated," said Lowell. "We were told it was going to rain all day. There was nothing we were told or saw on the radar that suggested we were going to be playing in any type of good conditions. There was still a lot of game left," Lowell said. "I'm not saying he wouldn't have continued to pitch well, but I think we've got to like our chances with four innings left to score."

Jon Lester gave up 8 hits in 5 innings and the Red Sox offense could only manage 1 hit off of Marlins starter Ricky Nolasco.

Red Sox Lose 2-1 BOX SCORE

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Marlins	0	2	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	2	8	1
Red Sox	1	0	0	0	0	0	-	-	-	1	1	0

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Yankee Panky

Random Sox-Yankee thoughts.....

The Yankees have allowed a total of 38 runs in the past two Saturday's.

A 2 run lead in a Sox-Yankee game, no matter what inning, is still a virtual tie. (Make that a 6 run lead.) A 5 run lead in the 9th should be called a save situation.

When Papi was at bat with the bases loaded, I'm sure I saw him wearing a red Youk shirt under his white uni. I know I saw Y-O-U- when I scrambled to see if there was a number, but he turned away before I could confirm it. Did anyone else notice that? Is that his version of Giambi's lucky thong?

Mike Lowell sure has been silencing his critics: .328 BA, .625 SLG, and 22 RBI's. Despite his .229 BA, Tek has a .542 SLG, and only 8 RBI's, but that's only because he has Lowell cleaning up in front of him. Lowell's 22 RBI's puts him in 1st place in the AL so far this season.

In the top of the 9th, Jeter hit a foul ball, to which a fan responded loud enough to be picked up by TV, "That would have been a home run in your stadium."

This is the first time since 1968 the Yankees have blown a 6 run lead to the Sox that late in the game.

Kansas City and Seattle are in 1st place in their divisions. (Huh?! Yes, it's true.)

Is Hank still around? Who got him to shut his trap? Bloggers everywhere must be chomping at the bit waiting for his next nugget, just as comedians are missing Bush.

Thanks to ESPN for the post title.

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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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The Alarm Clock Has Rung, The Sox Have Awoken!

Justin Masterson got the call to start today, as the Sox rotation was in a bit of flux with Dice-K on the DL, along with a pending 6 game suspension that was hovering over Beckett for a day or two before it was reduced. Masterson is looking like he could be another Julian Tavarez: short relief, long relief, starter; he's done it all so far this year. Masterson went 5.1 innings tossing 84 pitches. He allowed only 4 H's, 2 BB's, 1 ER, while notching 3 K's and his first W of the season.

The bullpen studs came through again, this time it was Delcarmen, Okajima, Lopez, and Hunter Jones (who?), allowing only 1 H and 1 BB in 3.2 innings.

Have you been wondering about the top of the line-up? Well, today Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Papi combined to go 9 for 16, scoring 7 times, and knocking in 6 runs.

Two of the big question marks over the winter were Lowell and Varitek. Both went 2 for 5 today, and combined for 3 R's and 3 RBI's.

Kevin Youkilis had only 1 H today. He also drew 3 BB's, 1 of which was an IBB. (No explanation necessary.) His BA stands at a FAT .469.

The Sox have now won 5 in a row, sweeping the O's and climbing into a tie for 2nd place after a 2-6 start that had them in the cellar (gasp!) for a couple of days.

When all was said and done, the SOX plated 12 men, beating the Orioles 12 - 1. BOX SCORE

Tim Wakefield gets the start tomorrow against the Twins.

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Red Sox in 1st place, Rays & Yanks? Cellar!

This is the way to start off the season!

Beckett spins a gem: 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K's!

As previously posted, 8 of 9 starters had hits, including HR's by Pedroia (1st inning, his 2nd pitch) and Captain 'Tek. Mike Lowell had an RBI double, Youk went 2 for 4, Papelbon got the save.

Only 24 hours into the '09 season, Red Sox are tied for 1st place, with the Yankees and Rays tied for last place.

(-: GRIN :-)

SOX win 5-3 BOX SCORE

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Monkeys Are Off Their Backs!

Through 6 innings:


8 of 9 starters have hits already, including:



Ortiz- 1 for 3

Lowell- 1 for 3 (Double)

Varitek- 1 for 3 (Home Run!)

Josh Beckett is looking good! 7 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 BB's, 10 (ten!) K's, 93 pitches (61 strikes)

Recap coming after the game.

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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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Mike Lowell's Health is Key to Red Sox Chances

The Nation is worried about their guy on the hot corner. The Red Sox can ill afford to have Mike Lowell injured for a significant part of the season. If the Sox are to return to the promised land in '09, Mikey need to put up numbers like he did in '07, without Manny's bat in the lineup the team cannot do well without a solid hitting performance by Lowell. Baseball Prospectus does not think that is likely to happen:

Lowell's rehab is supposedly going well, but the combination of a severe injury and a player in his mid-30s rarely augurs heightened production. Baseball Prospectus's PECOTA forecasting system envisions him showing no more durability than he did in 2008, while projecting a further decline in offensive production, dropping to .272/.332/.442.

Lowell will not participate in the WBC and will not be back at full strength until April. Cross your fingers folks, this season could depend on what he can bring to the table.

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Opening Day 2009

On Monday, 6 April 2009, Jason Varitek and Mike Lowell had better get standing O's. Big ones. Wish I could be there. I for one am certainly glad to see them back.

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Mike Lowell- Safe at 3rd!

I'm extremely happy to see that Mike Lowell has a job with the Sox in 2009. While Mark Teixeira's bat and glove may have been a welcome presence in the Sox line up (to some), the heart and soul (aka chemistry) of the team that missed going to the 2008 WS by only one (1) game (with an injury riddled line up, taboot) would have no doubt been disrupted to an unfortunate end. Watch out for the Sox in 2009 with a healthy Papi and Lowell!

I don't care what ANYbody says- chemistry is just as important as talent. Case in point- the Yankees, who have plenty of talent, but have not had any chemistry since..... lemmee see..... um..... somebody please remind me the last time they even went to the WS, never mind WIN one?

Mark Teixeira's prescence in a Yankee clown suit guarantees them nothing, certainly not #27. It's that dark shadow that oozes pinstripe scum and greed, scum and greed (aka Boras) that Teixeira will have to scrub himself clean of since he will be next to the grandstanding greed king himself, A-Rod.

Not that I would ever wish ill upon a ball player, but in 2009, I see Sabathia showing up to ST with an extra 30#, Burnett getting 3 starts before his next trip to the DL, and Teixeira, well, he'll have to invest a ton of his $180m in A-Rod soap.

Last item- with that $180m not spent on Teixiera, sign 'Tek already!

Note about the photo- I googled 'A-Rod Soap' and I got 'soap on a rod'.

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Is Mike Lowell On The Way Out

Over at Baseball Prospectus they believe Theo wants to move Mike Lowell move to help bring in Mark Teixeira or Garret Atkins. The Article also speculates that the Sox will re-sign Tek for a 2 year $16 million deal and try to get a young catcher for the future.

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Theo Speaks With the Media

The big news of the day is that Lowell's surgery went well. Theo also spoke with reporters about the ALCS and offseason moves.

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Mike Lowell Wants To Play Tomorrow

Mike Lowell says he wants to play but from the interview you can see he is a team player.

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