Saturday, May 9, 2009
Rays Beat Up on Lester and Co.
The Red Sox could not get the big hit in the game. Varitek grounded out to third with the bases loaded in bottom of the 5th. Lugo had a home run in the bottom of the 5th, he now had 1 more than Big Papi as I warned might happen. Now what?
The game illuminated some big problems for the Red Sox; Lester is now 2-3 with an ERA north of 6, Big Papi can't hit it out of a softball field, Hunter Jones and Javi Lopez are not looking like they can cut it in the bigs. Lugo's "D" was bad but don't pin this game on him, if he made both plays perfectly the Red Sox still would have lost big.
Red Sox Lose 14-5 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Rays | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 | 2 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
Today's Red Sox Lineup 5/9 vs. the Rays
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| Mike Lowell, 1B |
| Rocco Baldelli, RF |
| Jeff Bailey, 1B |
| Jason Varitek, C |
| Julio Lugo, SS Jon Lester, SP |
How Much Is Jason Bay Worth?
Jason Bay has been fueling the Red Sox offense lately and fans are wondering when Theo is going to sign him to a long term contract. Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer was asked about the negotiations yesterday during a live chat at Sawxheads.com:
Jed Hoyer: I can't specifically address any contract negotiations but I can say that Jason Bay has been outstanding for the organization in every way. He is a first-class teammate and he has fit in with out team seamlessly. Oh, and he seems to get big hits all the time too...
Bay is entering the prime of his career and will be looking for his big payout. He is 30 years old right now and his agent will ask for at least a 5 year deal. If he becomes a free agent the Yankees will get into the mix and throw all kinds of money at him to replace Johnny Damon in left. So should the Red Sox break the bank to lock him up for the long term? There are a couple of reasons the deal hasn't happened yet:
The economy: Teams are not offering the huge contracts that they were a few years ago and with the current financial situation the Red Sox might want to see if the sellout streak continues and if revenue will keep up.
Bay's career numbers: Jason Bay has only hit over .300 in 2005, in 2007 he hit .247. He is a career .284 hitter. He has had only 2 100+ RBI seasons. Last season he had 51 strikeouts with 22 walks with the Red Sox, those numbers are much better this season: 26 strikeouts with 28 walks.
This season he has looked very good at the plate and in the field and has been a good teammate who stays healthy. Is the 2009 Jason Bay the player you will get in the future? Theo needs a little more time to tell and after all, in Theo we trust.
Read more...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Finally Some Success Against the Rays
Brad Penny on the mound and the Red Sox wearing the JV uniforms, somehow the team found a way to win. The Rays looked like they were going to cruise to another victory with Penny giving up 3 runs through the first 4 innings. "Big Game" James was earning his nickname for Tampa Bay by keeping the Sox off of the board until the wheels came off for him in the 6th. The Red Sox scored 5 times in the inning with homers by Bay and Drew. The Red Sox pen came in with 1 down in the 7th and made short work of the Rays. Oki walked a batter but did not give up a hit, RR was perfect, and Paps had one of his best appearences of the year by striking out the first two batters he faced.
Red Sox Win 7-3 BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| Rays | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| Red Sox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 15 | 0 |
Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 5/8 vs. the Rays
| Jacoby Ellsbury, CF Dustin Pedroia, 2B |
| David Ortiz, DH |
| Jason Bay, LF |
| Mike Lowell, 3B |
| J.D. Drew, RF |
| Jeff Bailey, 1B |
| Jason Varitek, C |
| Julio Lugo, SS Brad Penny, SP |
Dom DiMaggio "Liked the Way Ellsbury Played"
Steve Buckley has a column up at the Boston Herald after a chat today with Johnny Pesky where he reflects on Dom DiMaggio:
“But Dommie was a very sharp guy, very up to date on things,” Pesky said. “He watched the games, and he loved talking about the Red Sox . I was just talking to him a couple of weeks ago. He liked that Ellsbury kid. He didn’t see him much in person. But he said he liked the way he played, the way he carried himself.
I highly recommend you read Teammates by David Halberstam to understand Pesky and DaMaggio's friendship. Read more...
Papelbon: I Don't Know Manny, He Quit on Me, He Quit on Our Team
Here's the video from CSNNE:
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Molina Now Injured- Swisher to the Rescue?
Yankee's back up catcher Jose Molina left the game tonight in the 6th inning against TBY with strained quadriceps. Francisco Cervelli (who?) replaced him in the line up. Rumor has it outfielder Nick Swisher may be on tap to man that position as Jorge Posada is on the DL.
The only problem with Swisher going behind the dish is that the Yanks would lose him a a pitcher since nobody else in their bullpen is able to get it done.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 Read more...
Red Sox Set New AL Record
Before an out was made in the sixth inning of tonight's game at Fenway against the Cleveland Indians, the Red Sox scored 12 runs in the inning for an American League record.
Read more...Ortiz Out, Lugo to DH Tonight
Here's the new lineup now that Ortiz is out with a stiff neck:
1. Julio Lugo, DH
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. Jason Bay, LF
4. Mike Lowell, 3B
5. Rocco Baldelli, CF
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Jeff Bailey, 1B
8. Nick Green, SS
9. George Kottaras, C
Tim Wakefield, SP
How Manny was Caught
The SF Chronicle has put the pieces together to show why Manny was caught:
Ramirez's test was of concern because his ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, another naturally occurring hormone, exceeded 4 to 1, a source familiar with the case told The Chronicle. Under baseball's testing rules, that result is proof of steroid use.
The human body produces testosterone and another substance, epitestosterone, in a ratio of roughly 1 to 1, scientific studies have shown.
Baseball's testers later obtained documents showing that Ramirez had been using HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin, ESPN reported, citing confidential sources. It is a female fertility drug that male steroid users sometimes take to stimulate their body's natural testosterone production, which usually is retarded by steroid users.
All of Manny's excuses that he didn't know what he was taking was banned is pure BS. This is not an accident that he is getting punished for; it is getting caught for trying to coceal his steroid use.
Baseball Writers' Views on Manny
Bill Simmons: Confronting my worst nightmare.
Buster Olney: No tolerance policy must be put in place.
Tom Verducci: Manny Ramirez's suspension sends clear message to fans, players.
Bob Ryan: Just another act in the Manny sideshow.
Tony Mazz: Just Manny being shady.
Tonight's Red Sox Lineup 5/7 vs the Indians
1. Julio Lugo, SS
2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B
3. David Ortiz, DH
4. Jason Bay, LF
5. Mike Lowell, 3B
6. J.D. Drew, RF
7. Rocco Baldelli, CF
8. Jeff Bailey, 1B
9. George Kottaras, C
Tim Wakefield, SP
Baldelli was also called up today and JVE was sent down to make room.
Doc Rivers Reacts to Manny News - Video
Celtics coach Doc Rivers responds to questions about Manny Ramirez. Watch below:
Manny Suspended 50 Games For PED's
UPDATE: Manny's drug choice linked to steroids:
However, two sources told ESPN's T.J. Quinn and Mark Fainaru-Wada that the drug used by Ramirez is HCG -- human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG is a women's fertility drug typically used by steroid users to restart their body's natural testosterone production as they come off a steroid cycle. It is similar to Clomid, the drug Bonds, Giambi and others used as clients of BALCO.
Manny Ramirez has violated MLB policy for PED's and has been suspended by MLB:
The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that outfielder Manny Ramirez of the Los Angeles Dodgers has been suspended for 50 games for a violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Ramirez is effective immediately.
Looks like Canseco was right again.
Where do you even begin with this? First off it should sour any Sox fans that had still be defending Manny. Secondly, as hard as this is to say, it does taint some of the recent Red Sox success. On this site I have called out the Yankees whenever possible and have gone after A-Rod* and Roger*. It looks like now I have to give the asterisk to Manny* too. I am glad that Manny* is no longer on the Red Sox but there is no denying how much this hurts the team and the game. Once again a player puts himself above the game and the fans are the ones left behind.
Manny issued the following statement on the suspension through the MLBPA:
“Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. “I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation.” – Manny RamirezRead more...
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.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Jason Bay Talks About Joba's Pitch - Video
Jason Bay appeared on Comcast SportsNet this evening and talked about getting hit in last night's game by Joba Chamberlain.
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