The Red Sox fans who decided to deal with all the rain did not leave Fenway Park happy last night (or should we say this morning!).  In a game that took 13 innings to finish, the LA Angels of Anaheim defeated the Red Sox 5-3.

The game started Wednesday night around 7:05pm and the last out was not recorded until approximately 2:45 a.m. Thursday morning. The game was delayed over two hours in the fifth inning because of rain but in total, the teams were at the field for over 7 hours.  

Boston was held hitless for the first six and 1/3 innings but then managed to rally back and tie in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game into extra innings.

It looked like the Red Sox were going to come away with the win in the 12th inning when Kevin Youkilis stepped up to the plate. Youkilis blasted a ball just a few feet short of going over the Monster seats and Marco Scutaro was waived home to attempt to win the game.  It took a perfect relay from the Angels, but they did in fact throw Scutaro out at the plate keep the score tied.

In the top of the thirteenth inning with little to no relief pitchers left, Terry Francona called upon Daisuke Matsuzaka.  Matsuzaka was the seventh reliever of the night and it didn’t take long for the Angels to get to him.  Howie Kendrick led off with a single and then with two outs, Peter Bourjos singled and Erick Aybar walked to load the bases.  Bobby Abreu (who was 0-6 before this at bat) then roped a two RBI single to right center field to give the Angels the go ahead runs.  The Sox couldn’t put another rally together in the bottom of the thirteenth and the Angels got their first win of the season against Boston.

The Sox then had to play again Thursday at 1:35pm at Fenway.

© Matt Bertone for Sports of Boston, 2011. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Red Sox.

Tuesday morning was good to me. I woke up with David Ortiz as the home run champion (or Jose Ortiz if you’re Bobby Valentine) and George Steinbrenner dead. Apparently God had been getting my letters about my deep seeded desire to witness a Red Sox player be named the best at batting practice and see the timely death of a guy who inspired a Seinfeld character both occur within a 24 hour window.

But of course…every silver lining has a cloud.

First I realized that with major sports in a mid-summer lull and every media mouthpiece now in their refractory period after a four-day long LeBron James reactionary orgy, that this Steinbrenner dying bit was going to get the good ol’ ESPN “beat a story ‘til death then display it on a pike for the whole world to see” treatment.

The other thing that pissed on my picnic other than the deification of a guy who was a 55-gallon drum of douche that created the most vilified franchise in American sports was this email from my editor:

In winning the HR Derby, does David Ortiz have any power left? We saw what the Derby did to Bobby Abreu and Josh Hamilton in recent years. Will it have the same effect on Ortiz?–KC

Fan-friggin’-tastic. Now I couldn’t even enjoy Ortiz’s victory in being “the best home run hitter” because apparently winning that imaginary title is often responsible for cursing players with the very real title of “dude that crapped the bed in the second half.”

But could this Derby Curse be real? Or was it was just one of those stupid things that the media makes up so they’d have something to fill their 24-hour news cycle—like the Madden Curse or NESN’s Pocket Money? Well I had to know. Unable to engage in any sports media due to the love-fest over Steinbrenner’s rotting corpse, I figured I’d spend my new found leisure time doing something that I have never done for one of my columns—research.

I started with the past two Derby winners: Prince Fielder of the Brewers and Justin Morneau of the Twins. They’re two well-respected hitters, so I figured they wouldn’t let this Derby nonsense mess with their highly refined swings. Wrong. Last season Fielder went from hitting .315 before the All-Star break to .283 afterward. Morneau went from hitting .323 before his Derby victory to .267 afterward. Not exactly a positive precedent.

When I turned to look at Abreu and Hamilton (as well as Garret Anderson)—the centerpieces of this curse—it got even uglier. Abreu (who won the Derby in ’05) went from hitting a homer once every 17.9 at-bats before the break to once every 44.2 AB after. Anderson (Derby winner in ’03) went deep the first half of that season every 17.2 AB—in the second half: once every 40.5 AB.

Then there’s was Josh Hamilton. The curse of the Home Run Derby was even worse to him—because it hit right away—most notably by him not even winning the Home Run Derby despite belting 13 more HR than the next closest guy. On top of that dubious honor, Hamilton went from going yard once in every 17.95 AB to once every 22.45 AB—as well as retroactively becoming a crystal meth addict.

“This is why you don’t do research,” I began to mutter to myself. “Why don’t you just stick to making crap up and doing dick jokes? You may not have written with much substance, but at least you were blissfully ignorant.”

My sub-conscious was right. All this was doing was turning a superstitious curse into a pretty well-founded belief that Ortiz was going to completely suck in the second-half, which was too bad, because he was just starting to come out of a multi-season funk. He recovered from an abysmal April to hit .263 in the first half. He put up pretty respectable power numbers and is being feared again for his potency at the plate (he’s going deep once every 13.9 AB and is tied for 1^st in the AL having been intentionally walked 8 times). Now comes along this damn Derby—where guys get into a groove swinging at 70 mph practices tosses instead of game quality pitches—which isn’t the best practice to get into, especially for Ortiz, a player whose major problem at the plate the past few years was that he was swinging the bat like every pitch was 70 mph when in fact they were going 90.

Even worse than a drop in power numbers is the distinct possibility of the Josh Hamilton Corollary to the Home Run Derby Curse coming into play. We all know Ortiz has had a past with drugs (come on…we ALL know), so it’s perfectly safe to assume that he can retroactively become addicted to crystal methamphetamine. If that happens, don’t expect to see the affable, salsa making, home run hitting drug user that we grew to love. Oh no my friends, I’ve watched enough Breaking Bad to know if Papi starts smoking ice in his past that he will be a total bummer, get really crappy forearm tattoos that resemble an Ed Hardy shirt and maybe even crush Dan Shaughnessy’s head with an ATM after reading one of his scathing criticisms (OK, so maybe it won’t be all bad).

But before I could delve deeper into despair, buying into scenarios where Ortiz’s power numbers decline and he becomes a meth-head, my research actually uncovered some positive news:

Since Abreu won the Home Run Derby in ’05, every winner saw his AB per HR drop or pretty much hold after the break (Fielder: 14/11.8, Morneau: 26.1/28.7, Guerrero: 22.2/20.2, Howard: 11.3/8.8). And of those five guys, the only player to have his batting average see a sharp decline was Morneau (.323/.267, but he shouldn’t really count anyways because he’s Canadian).

Then if we look at Ortiz’s splits the news gets even better. From ’07-’09 (the seasons he started to ‘decline’), Ortiz hit a combined .277 with 34 HR in the months of April through June. From July to September he hit .293 with 52 HR. So it’s pretty clear to see that he’s more of a second half guy, which makes perfect sense because the MLB tends to test for steroids during spring training and it can take several weeks to get your cycle right.

So fear not my fellow Sox fans. Enjoy Ortiz’s Home Run Derby victory in the secure knowledge that it won’t necessarily lead to a precipitous drop in performance (or even a crippling drug addiction). Papi will be just fine, if not better, in the second half of baseball.

And even better yet—George Steinbrenner is still dead. Let there be peace and happiness across the Nation.

© Fudge for Sports of Boston, 2010. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox, Top Story.

Five years and two days ago, the Red Sox ended an 86-year World Series drought. Today they are 18 days removed from being swept by the Angels in the ALDS. This will be a big offseason for the Red Sox because they have some glaring holes they need to fill. The team needs to acquire a big bat for the middle of the order, figure out what to do with Jason Bay, and figure out what to do with Jonathan Papelbon. There will be a lot of talk about whether the team should go after John Lackey, Matt Holliday, or Aroldis Chapman because they are the “sexy” options.

It’s true that everyone thinks they can be the world’s greatest general manager and I am no different, so here is my take on what the Red Sox should do this offseason.

Catcher

Offseason Targets: Jason Varitek

The Red Sox will definitely decline Varitek’s $5 million team option in anticipation that Varitek will accept his $3 million player option. How can they be so sure? Varitek is not going to get that kind of money anywhere else because he contributes absolutely nothing offensively and can’t throw a runner out to save his life. He could retire, but there is zero chance Varitek plays on another baseball team in 2010. Consider it my lock of the century.

First Base

Offseason Target: Adrian Gonzalez

This is where the Red Sox could make their big splash. With Jed Hoyer becoming the new GM in San Diego, I expect him and Theo Epstein to strike a deal for slugger Adrian Gonzalez, much like Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale did with Kevin Garnett and Bill Belichick and Scott Pioli did with Matt Cassell.

The move makes sense for both teams because Adrian Gonzalez gives the Red Sox a big power bat in the middle of the lineup and San Diego needs to get good young prospects and continue building for the future. More importantly, this would take the pressure off the organization to sign Jason Bay to a long-term contract. With Gonzalez, the Red Sox won’t need Bay’s offense and can fill the left field spot with a cheaper option (read below). Jed Hoyer most definitely knows the ins and outs of the Red Sox farm system so I’m sure he has his favorite players that he would like to bring to San Diego with him.

Many people think that because Hoyer knows the Red Sox farm system so well it will be tougher to strike a deal between the two clubs, but I think it goes both ways because it’s is very possible that Jed Hoyer values players differently than Theo Epstein. You know, he is his own person.

Hoyer is moving from a top-10 farm system to a middle-of-the-road one so it would make sense for him to trade Gonzalez for prospects. The Red Sox will have to give up a nice package – maybe Lars Anderson, Michael Bowden, Manny Delcarmen and two lesser prospect to obtain Gonzalez. It’s a deal worth making, in my opinion, because the Red Sox can’t afford to miss out on another Mark Teixeira-type player.

Second Base

Offseason Target: We’re good here.

Nothing to see here with Dustin Pedroia inked until 2014 for $39 million with an $11 million team option for 2015. Not too shabby.

Shortstop

Offseason Targets: Re-sign Alex Gonzalez, Sign Miguel Tejada?

This position has been a mess ever since Nomar Garciaparra was traded away. The fact is, this organization doesn’t expect a lot out of this position except good defense and average offense. The Red Sox could pick up Alex Gonzalez’s team option for $6 million, which would be worth it because the only other decent option in free agency is Miguel Tejada, who would probably be more expensive and has shown his willingness to stay in Houston.

Third Base

Offseason Target: Youuuuuuk!

If the Red Sox acquire Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis would make the permanent move to third base. He is locked up through 2012 for $35.125 million with a $13 million team option for 2013.

Obviously this would be a major blow to Mike Lowell’s career in Boston because with Youkilis at third base, Lowell will be forced to the bench to platoon with David Ortiz at DH. The upside is he would give Terry Francona a legitimate bench bat for the first time in ages and he could spell Ortiz against lefties, but the downside is we would be paying him $12 million for 300 at-bats.

Left Field

Offseason Targets: Re-sign Jason Bay?, Matt Holliday? Bobby Abreu? Johnny Damon? Hideki Matsui?

Jason Bay

We know one thing: Bay is going to get paid this winter. He is the premier hitter this offseason, along with Matt Holliday, and is coming off a 2009 season where he set career highs in home runs (36) and RBI (119). My gut is telling me that Bay is going to go wherever the cash is and it’s not going to be in Boston. He is going to want that last huge contract so we can expect something in the area of four or five years at the rate of at least $15 million per year. I don’t think the Red Sox are willing to go that high because it’s not their style to give players in their thirties long-term deals. There’s too much risk involved. Of course, if the Red Sox can’t strike a deal for Adrian Gonzalez, there will be more pressure to keep Bay because the Red Sox need a big-time bat and Holliday (read below) is likely to stay in the National League.

Matt Holliday

Holliday is another unlikely scenario for the Red Sox because he most likely will stay in the National League where he seems more comfortable. I’m sure he would cross leagues again if the price was right, but the Red Sox won’t pony up that kind of cash unless they really have to. Again, this all boils down to whether the Red Sox have that premier bat in their lineup so if the need is there then there’s a chance the Red Sox would pony up the dough. Personally, I would rather have Matt Holliday than Jason Bay.

Bobby Abreu

Probably one of the most underrated players in the game, Abreu knocked in 100 runs for the eighth year in a row in 2009. The guy can flat out hit and was a steal for Angles this season at just $5 million. It’s no lie that he is getting old (35), but the Red Sox could do a lot worse when opening up their checkbooks this offseason. He is the prototypical Red Sox hitter because he gets on base (.390 OBP) and hits well with runners in scoring position (.354 BA w/RISP).

Johnny Damon

Is it a crazy thought? Yes, but it does make sense. It has been four years since Damon crossed over to the dark side, but he has shown that he can still play. The Red Sox could stick him in left field, where his diminishing range wouldn’t hurt the team, but his offense is where he could really be useful. He is still an on-base machine, can steal bases and hit for some power. He won’t get the $13 million he got from the Yankees four years ago, but the fact that the Red Sox will be trying to outbid New York means they will have to overpay somewhat. Damon is an outside shot of joining the 2010 Red Sox, but at the right price I would have no problem with it. Of course with Jacoby Ellsbury and Damon the Red Sox would have the worst collection of throwing arms in baseball.

Hideki Matsui

Another outfielder, another Yankee. Hideki Matsui rebounded nicely from his injury-plagued 2008 season with a .274 batting average, 28 home runs, 90 RBI and a .876 on-base plus slugging percentage. Matsui didn’t have bad numbers considering he is 35 years old. One major problem here is that Hideki hasn’t had to play the field since 2008 and he would have to show the ability to man left field for the Red Sox. Not that we expect much because the last two players to do it (Manny Ramirez and Jason Bay) are average fielders at best. The Red Sox could take a chance on the veteran given that his contract isn’t too high because his skills are clearly diminishing.

Center Field

Offseason Targets: 70 stolen bases not enough for you?

Jacoby Ellsbury showed what he could do if he got on base more frequently and it showed with a team-record and league-leading 70 stolen bases. The Red Sox have the speedster locked up through 2013 with arbitration so there’s no worry in center field.

Right Field

Offseason Targets: Call me in two years

Theo Epstein is behind Drew 100 percent. In a recent interview, Epstein expressed why he thought Drew was worth every penny they spent to sign him in the 2006 offseason. He is under contract for two more years at $14 million per year. Expect the Red Sox to go after a fourth outfield bat to relieve Drew once in a while.

Starting Pitchers

Offseason Targets: Pick up team options on Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield. Sign Rich Harden? Erik Bedard? Ben Sheets? Justin Duchscherer? Aroldis Chapman?

What the Red Sox Have

While Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Clay Buchholz are under the team’s control long-term, the Red Sox have a solid core of starters for the foreseeable future. Theo Epstein will undoubtedly pick up Josh Beckett’s $12 million option for 2010 and should work on signing the 29-year-old to a long-term contract at around four years and $60 million. Also, the Red Sox will most likely pick up Tim Wakefield’s annual $4 million team option as well. However, the team could use another starter and could take a chance or two in this year’s market. They love taking their chances on previously injured, veteran pitchers.

Rich Harden

Harden would be a big acquisition for the Red Sox. He has failed to start 30 games in any given season since 2004, but the Red Sox have enough pitching depth to account for missed starts. Harden is an elite strikeout pitcher (783 K’s in 753 2/3 IP) who doesn’t go deep very deep into games. He would fit in this rotation as the number three or four starter and really push it towards elite status. His health and durability concerns should keep his price down enough that the Red Sox could make an offer.

Erik Bedard

Much like Harden, Bedard has been plagued by injuries in his career which have limited his progress as an elite starter. He is another pitcher the Red Sox could take a chance on to fill in the back of the rotation for reasonable money. He has been a failure in Seattle, but while he was in Baltimore he showed signs of being a future ace, especially in 2007 when he finished the year with 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 182 innings.

Ben Sheets

Sheets missed all of 2009 with an arm injury, but he plans to pitch in 2010. This would be a great low risk/high reward deal, which is something the Red Sox have been doing for a couple years now. They could sign him to a cheap one-year deal and if he doesn’t pan out, they could dump him at the end of the season.

Justin Duchscherer

Duchscherer had his breakout year in 2008 when he finished with a 2.54 ERA and .210 opponent’s batting average in 141 2/3 innings. However, he missed all of 2009 recovering from right elbow surgery, which will make him an interesting target this offseason. He isn’t an elite pitcher by any stretch of the imagination, but he could be a serviceable back-of-the-rotation guy for cheap money in 2010.

Aroldis Chapman

The 21-year old Cuban defect is making a lot of noise in free agency this offseason and the Red Sox have been reported as one of the more aggressive pursuers of Chapman’s services. He is definitely a gamble because the lefty doesn’t have any polished complimentary pitches to his triple-digit heater. However, he has been touted as one of the best two pitchers not in the majors so he could be worth the investment. Buyer beware: Scouts said the same thing about Jose Contreras and look at how well that worked out.

Relief Pitchers

Offseason Targets: Trade Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen (read above), sign Billy Wagner

Trade Jonathan Papelbon and Sign Billy Wagner

Let me start this by saying I am not reacting to Papelbon’s implosion in the playoffs so spare me the “you’re overreacting” comments. My theory with closers has always been that they are replaceable and Papelbon is no different. The Red Sox will have to pay him in the neighborhood of $10 million per year over the next two seasons and he has already stated that he is unwilling to sign an extension before he becomes a free agent. The Red Sox could offer Billy Wagner arbitration, which he would accept if he was guaranteed the closer role, and trade Papelbon to a team that can afford him for a hitting prospect.

It’s a long shot from happening, but it would make sense for the organization because Wagner could take the reins for a couple years while Bard grew into the role. The Red Sox also have several pitching prospects that are a couple years away from making an impact on the team. Potential Papelbon suitors include, but are not limited to, the Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, or the Texas Rangers.

© George for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 4 comments
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox, Top Story.

1999. 2003. 2004. 2007. In the last 10 years, the Red Sox have come back from big postseason deficits. They erased a 2-0 deficit to beat the mighty Cleveland Indians in 1999. They erased a 2-0 deficit again to beat the Oakland A’s in 2003. In 2004, they miraculously beat the Yankees after a 3-0 deficit in the ALCS. Finally in 2007, the Red Sox overcame a 3-1 deficit at the hands of the Indians to move on to the World Series. Even in 2008, they faced a 3-1 series deficit and forced Game 7 against the Rays in the ALCS, before falling just short.

Down 2-0 against the Angels this year in the ALDS, the Red Sox seemed poised to pull off another unlikely series win. The Sox took a 5-2 lead into the eighth inning of Game 3 Sunday afternoon. Billy Wagner entered the game, and allowed two baserunners but recorded two outs. Bobby Abreu led the inning off with a double with a line drive down the first base line. Kevin Youkilis had a chance at it, but it hit off the heel of his glove and rolled away. With two outs, Jonathan Papelbon entered the game, and on the first pitch, he allowed a two-run single to Juan Rivera. Reggie Willits pinch-ran for Rivera, and was picked off to end the eighth.

Mike Lowell gave the Red Sox a big insurance run with an RBI single that scored Joey Gathright, who was pinch-running for David Ortiz after he singled. The run gave the Red Sox a 6-4 lead, which seemed huge at the time. With a clean slate in the ninth inning, Papelbon was looking to deliver a pivotal Game 3 win. After getting two quick outs, the Red Sox were one out away from staving off elimination.

Then, Erick Aybar singled. Then, Chone Figgins walked. Then, Bobby Abreu doubled home Aybar to make it a 6-5 game. Then, Papelbon intentionally walked Torii Hunter. Then…Vladimir Guerrero hit a go-ahead two-run single to give the Angels a 7-6 lead (the game’s final score). Papelbon was pulled (perhaps two batters too late), and the Fenway Park fans were stunned. I was there; I would know.

The Sox still had a chance in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Terry Francona sent Jed Lowrie to the plate to hit for Alex Gonzalez. Lowrie nearly blooped a single to center field, but Hunter caught it for the first out. Jacoby Ellsbury fouled out to the catcher for the second out. With the team facing elimination, Dustin Pedroia flied out to left center field. The Angels celebrated on the mound at Fenway Park, and officially, the seemingly impossible happened: the Red Sox were swept out of the ALDS by the Angels.

Early in the game, the Sox bats temporarily woke up. Dustin Pedroia banged in a two-run double in the third inning, and Victor Martinez followed with an RBI single to give the Sox a 3-0 lead off former Rays hurler Scott Kazmir. The team took a 5-1 lead on J.D. Drew’s HR in the fifth inning, but all in all, the Sox bats were awful in the ALDS. They scored just one run in the first two games, which is absolutely unacceptable. They scored six runs on just seven hits in Game 3, which is better, but it appears that Theo Epstein and the Sox brain trust will be looking to reform the offense.

Sox Stud of the Game: Mike Lowell

Lowell finished 2-3 and hit a clutch RBI single to give the Red Sox a huge insurance run heading into the ninth inning. It turns out the effort didn’t matter, as the game was blown by…

Sox Dud of the Game: Jonathan Papelbon

Papelbon allowed three runs in just one inning, and he allowed both of his inherited runners to score in the eighth inning. He chose a bad time to have one of the worst outings of his career.

That’s What He Said

“The season doesn’t wind down. It just comes to a crashing halt,” Terry Francona said. “You go into the top of the inning excited because you think you’re going to keep playing. Half an inning later, you’re going home. So it’s disappointing.”

Game Notes:

W: Darren Oliver (1-0)
L: Jonathan Papelbon (0-1)

• Clay Buchholz allowed two runs in five innings, and left the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the sixth inning.
• Before taking a 3-0 lead in the third inning, the Red Sox scored just two runs in the previous 32 postseason innings. Yuck.
• The Red Sox were last eliminated in Fenway in 2005 against the White Sox, who went on to win the World Series.
• David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis each finished 1-12 (.083) in the series.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Featured, Red Sox, Top Story.

There are only a handful of games left (12 and counting to be exact) and the Red Sox are right in the midst of another run to the postseason. Boston doesn’t have another night off as they roll through Kansas City and New York before ending on a home stand against Toronto and Cleveland.

Winning seven games will lock them into the Wild Card, where they currently hold a seven-game lead over the Texas Rangers. If the season ended today, a matchup against the Anaheim Angles would happen for the second season in a row. However, Boston is just six games behind New York for the AL East, and while catching the Yankees might be highly unlikely, it is not out of the question.

In 2007, the New York Mets had a 7.5-game lead in the NL East with 17 games remaining. However, after a horrendous stretch, they found themselves second in their division and third in wild card standings by the end of the year. That same season, the Colorado Rockies were in the middle of winning 21 of 22 games, en route to their first World Series appearance (in a loss to the Red Sox, of course).

So there is always the chance for the Red Sox to steal the East crown. After finishing their series with the Angles, the Yankees will welcome Boston to New York, followed by Kansas City. Then they travel to Tampa where the Rays might get the chance to play spoiler to the Bronx’s Bombers division title hopes.

However, there is an underlying question behind all of this. Who would the Red Sox like to play come October? Sure winning the East would be great, but a matchup against the Tigers, or the surging Twins, might not be as favorable as the Angles, who the Sox have had postseason success against. Each offers a different matchup and a different battle.

The Most Likely Opponent:

The Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim currently sit 7.5 games up on Texas and need to only win six games to win the AL West. They are a solid lineup complete with power, defense, and a proven manager in Mike Scioscia. They have a strong cast of characters, too: Vladimir Gurrero, Bobby Abreu, Kendry Morales, Torii Hunter and Mike Napoli, just to name a few.  They are sitting on 90 wins and have won 90 or more games in five of the past six seasons. They are no stranger to the postseason, or to Boston.

In 2004, Boston rolled past the then “Anaheim” Angles with a 3-0 sweep. In 2007, the Angles added Los Angeles to their name, but couldn’t add a win, once again being swept 3-0. Last season, the two squads once again met and Boston was looking to bring out the brooms again. However, down 2-0 and playing in Fenway, the Angles won their first game in six tries against Boston in the postseason, winning in 12 innings. The Sox won the next one and went to the ALCS again.

What to Expect:

The Angles won the season series against the Red Sox 5-4. Most of those wins were early in the season, and as everyone know, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. In the final match up between the two teams, Boston took two of three and looked like the better team all-around.

If The Sox Win the East:

The Detroit Tigers are sitting a top the AL Central right now. They are clinging to a 2.5-game lead over the Twins, and just lost two of three to Minnesota. They have to go to Cleveland and Chicago before finishing up at home with a four game series against the Twins and ending the season with the White Sox.

The Tigers are stacked with guys like Miguel Cabrera, Aubry Huff, Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge and pitchers that include Jarrod Washburn and 16-game winner Justin Verlander. This team could look to avenge the 1915 Detroit Tigers who lost the American League Pennant, to the eventual World Series winning Red Sox, by just one game.

What to Expect:

The Tigers were at the mercy of the Red Sox this season, going 1-6 against Boston and being outscored 42-23 during the match ups. There is bad blood between these two as on Aug. 11, the benches cleared when Kevin Youkilis charged the mound after being hit by a pitch. A postseason matchup could see more bad blood spill between the two old school teams.

The Dark Horse:

The stars would have to really align for the Minnesota Twins and Red Sox to meet in the first round, but it isn’t out of the question. The Red Sox would have to climb out of their six-game deficit and the Twins would have to make up the two and a half games they trail. However, Minnesota has won seven of their last eight, including two of three against the Tigers. After finishing up their series with the White Sox, they go to Kansas City before a four game series in Detroit ending their season with the Royals.

Despite being post season regulars, the Twins and Red Sox have never met in October. The Twins couldn’t get past the Yankees in 2003 or 2004 to meet Boston in the ALCS and lost to Oakland in 2006, when the Red Sox weren’t even post season bound. This year’s team was led in part by Justin Morneau, but he’s now out for the season. MVP candidate Joe Mauer will look to take the Twins on his back to the ALCS for the first time since 2002, in their loss to the Angles.

What to Expect:

The Twins are another Central team that has not had success against the Sox, going 2-4 on the season. However, the two teams haven’t met in the second half, as the last matchup was on May 28. This is a new Twins team and could be dangerous in the post season.

© Teddy for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, News, Opinion, Red Sox, Top Story.

In the first inning of his outing against the Angels, Beckett went into his windup when the home plate umpire called time out. Beckett did not stop his windup and the pitch came extremely close to hitting Abreu in the head. Abreu – a former Yankee – took offense and the benches cleared. No punches were thrown and Beckett was not tossed from the game.

Angels coach Mickey Hatcher was also suspended for one game.

My Take: Seems like a pretty harsh penalty, but I don’t think there’s much doubt what Beckett’s intentions were. With the 2-5 Sox already struggling on the mound, missing a Beckett start isn’t what they needed to rebound.

© Jeff Christenbury for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments
Filed under: Red Sox, Top Story.

After some words were exchanged, the benches cleared and four members of the Angels were thrown out as a result, including Torii Hunter, Justin Speier, and coach Mike Scioscia. The incident seemed to light a fire in Abreu, who delivered a key two-run single in the third inning to give the Angels a 3-2 lead. Vladimir Guerrero launched an important solo HR in the eighth inning off Hideki Okajima, which proved to be pivotal in the ninth inning when Brian Fuentes allowed a David Ortiz RBI single to earn the save in a 5-4 win.

Sox Stud of the Game

Kevin Youkilis, 1B: Kevin Youkilis continued his hot hitting, finishing 2-4 with a HR and a walk. After the first week of the season, Youk is hitting an absurd .522.

Sox Dud of the Game

Hideki Okajima, RP: Mike Lowell struggled (0-4, 2 Ks, 5 men left on base), but the biggest goat Sunday afternoon was Choke-a-jima. Guerrero crushed Okie’s pitch to give the Angels a huge insurance run.

Game Notes

• Josh Beckett allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks in 6.0 innings.
• Dustin Moseley allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits in 5.2 innings to earn the win.
• Kevin Youkilis and J.D. Drew hit back-to-back HRs in the second inning.

© KC Downey for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Red Sox, Top Story.

Starting Pitching

The Yankees should pursue C.C. Sabathia and pursue him hard, which is the approach they’ve taken. It’s rare to have a lefty starter that good available on the free agent market, let alone one who is in his prime at 28 years old. Now I know that the attrition rate for pitchers is high, but C.C. has stayed very healthy in his career. To help, he can use his large body to generate his velocity, rather than needing absolutely perfect, but violent-looking mechanics.

Furthermore, he increased his strikeout rate, carried a very good walk rate, decreased his home run rate (unlike that other lefty that was traded last offseason.. cough JOHAN SANTANA cough) and has not gotten incredibly lucky, as evidenced by his BABIP (batting average on balls in play) being right around league average.

We are dealing with one of the top pitchers of our generation, one who would’ve won a Cy Young this year if he was not traded midseason.  Also, Sabathia is one of the rare power pitchers that gets more groundballs than flyballs. Simply put, there’s no reason for the Yankees not to pursue him. Six years might be a little bit much, but that would leave him at 34 at the end of the contract, where he would likely still be a very good pitcher.

So that’s one slot in the rotation down, and Chein Ming-Wang and Joba Chamberlain are the other two definites to return. So what to do about the final two rotation spots? Well if Mike Mussina is willing to keep pitching, I think it’s almost definite that the Yankees should bring him back. He made the Jamie Moyer transition last year and looked very good in doing so. If Mussina decides to head into the sunset without doubt as to whether he’d played too long, the Yankees should bring back Andy Pettitte.

For the last starting pitching slot, I think the Yankees should attempt to sign Ben Sheets to a one-year deal. Yes, he’s very injury prone, even moreso than A.J. Burnett. But, Sheets has a better track record of quality pitching than Burnett and might be more willing to take a one-year deal to rehab his image. This also keeps a rotation spot open for next year for Phil Hughes. Given that Joba will have innings limits and Sheets is unlikely to be healthy all year, Hughes will still be able to get major league work in during the 2008 season, as well.

I don’t like A.J. Burnett as an option since he’s going to want multiple years and the Yankees don’t need another injury prone player under a multi-year contract. I’d prefer Derek Lowe to Burnett for health reasons. However, with Boras as his agent, Lowe is likely to want a multi-year deal as well, which blocks Hughes for next year.

Relief Pitching

The next area is relief pitching and no signings or trades will need to be done in my opinion. The Yankees have tons of options, the real choice is which of those players make the major league roster. Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte are definites, given their contracts. The rest of the bullpen will be chosen from these options: Brian Bruney, David Robertson, Phil Coke, Jose Veras, Dan Giese, Scott Patterson, Humberto Sanchez (unless the team decides to convert him back to starting), Alfredo Aceves, Edwar Ramirez, Mark Melancon and J. Brent Cox. It’s very refreshing to see actual solid relievers in there instead of guys like Kyle Farnsworth or LaTroy Hawkins.

I prefer an 11-man pitching staff to a 12-man one, which means there’s four spots left to fight for. I would classify Bruney as a definite given the improvement he showed last year. Phil Coke gives the team a lot of versatility as a second lefty in the bullpen and one who can pitch multiple innings.

So now we have two spots left to decide from. Jose Veras was shaky at times last year, but he pitched above average, so he should be in. Finally, given that they’re only going to have six relievers, another pitcher that can pitch multiple innings would be valuable, and Dan Giese pitched really well out of the bullpen as a long reliever, so I would take him. If the Yankees were to go with 12 pitchers, I’d argue that they should give Mark Melancon and his impressive college and minor league closing track record a chance over Edwar Ramirez.

Batting/Fielding

Now we come to the fun part. The offense/defense. The acquisition of Nick Swisher last week was a solid one, especially when you consider that the largest piece they gave up was Wilson Betemit. I don’t agree with Cashman in putting Swisher at first. Sure, he’ll be a slight upgrade over Giambi if he rebounds as expected and after factoring improved defense, but given the lack of solid right fielders available, I think the Yankees would be better off moving Swisher to right. Without a doubt, the Yankees should sign Mark Teixeira. He is a very good offensive first baseman and very good defensively as well. That combination would make him a massive upgrade over Jason Giambi.

Also, this would all mean the Yankees don’t retain Bobby Abreu, a move that I think needs to be done. Abreu wants multiple years and given his age, I think that is a very unwise signing. Also, according to many play by play fielding metrics, including David Pinto’s PMR, Mitchel G. Lichtman’s UZR and others, Bobby Abreu was one of the worst right fielders last year. So Swisher would be a solid upgrade defensively over even though he would be a downgrade offensively. And Swisher would be able to replace Abreu’s plate discipline.

I would give the centerfield job to Brett Gardner. He has a better ability to judge pitches than Melky Cabrera, and adds a speed dimension on the basepaths. I wouldn’t start him every game. I would do some sort of rotation with Damon, Xavier Nady, Gardner and Swisher to get them a large amount of playing time and since Hideki Matsui is the DH, but has bad knees, they’ll get chances to be the DH, as well, getting each over 400 plate appearances. Given that the likelihood of finding a deal to send Matsui elsewhere is low, I think the Yankees are best off with an arrangement of that sort.

As for the rest of the team, Robinson Cano should not be traded unless it nets them a centerfielder who can hit. If that happens, then signing Orlando Hudson would be a solid and not too expensive move. However, given the emergence of Austin Jackson at AA last year, I think the Yankees should not block up center field. So now we have the following players on the team: Jorge Posada, Jose Molina, Teixeira, Cano, Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Swisher, Gardner, Damon, Nady and Matsui. That’s 11 right there. Cody Random will very likely be back as the utility infielder after stealing that role away from Betemit last year at the end.

So now we’re at 12 and have two spots to fill. Given that Gardner, Damon and Matsui are lefties, I think the Yankees want a hitter who can play some outfield who is a right handed hitter. Another former Brewer, Gabe Kapler could fill that role very well and would be low cost. Finally, another infielder might make sense, and for that, I’m thinking someone with good defensive prowess for the left side of the infield. Perhaps if Omar Vizquel is willing to accept a backup role, he certainly still has the ability to play defense above average. Otherwise, I’m not too sure, but it’s not a position that will matter much given the amount the starters would play. If they go with 12 pitchers, the 14th position player would be an afterthought.

All in all, I feel these moves would give the Yankees much better flexibility and improve them for the long term, as well. The pitching would be better, the offense would be younger, the defense would be improved in both the infield and outfield. Most of all, this is a team that could compete in the AL East.

© Adam for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Opinion, Red Sox.

OFFENSE

Bobby Abreu (RF), New York Yankees: Abreu was 12-27 (.444) with 4 HR and 9 RBI for the Bronx Bombers. Abreu scored 10 runs during his offensive explosion and even stole his 14th base of the season for good measure.

Ryan Ludwick (LF, RF), St. Louis Cardinals: It just seems like yesterday when Ludwick graced the pages of Sports of Boston in April in only the second wrap-up. He has continued his dominant season with a 14 hit, 4 HR week. He just finished a July where he hit .323 with 7 HR.

Xavier Nady (LF, CF, RF), New York Yankees: He was killing the ball in Pittsburgh and he is killing the ball in New York. During his first week as a Yankee, Nady has 10 hits and 10 RBI to go with 3 HR. I see no reason why he will slow his production anytime soon.

Kelly Shoppach (C), Cleveland Indians: If you thought that the catcher’s spot in Cleveland would be useless without Victor Martinez then think again. Shoppach has been on a tear lately with 11 hits last week. Nine of those were for extra bases (5 doubles, 4 HR) and he also had 6 RBI.

Chone Figgins (2B, 3B, RF), L.A. Angels: Chone had 13 hits including 3 games of 3+ hits. He also showed off his incredible speed by swiping four bags.

PITCHING

Zack Greinke (SP), Kansas City Royals: Greinke picked up two wins while striking out 17 batters in 14.2 innings. Greinke is a bit too overrated for my taste. His ERA’s for May, June, and July were 4.38/5.25/5.22. What makes his season seem good was his month of April where he posted a 1.25 ERA.

A.J. Burnett (SP), Toronto Blue Jays: Burnett’s name came up during the trade deadline but it amounted to nothing. His week brought his owners two more wins and 14 K’s. Burnett has won 7 of his last 10 and has already set a new career high for victories in a season with 13.

Ricky Nolasco (SP), Florida Marlins: Nolasco simply blew away opposing batters with a 13 K performance against the Rockies. That game was apart of a 21 K week which saw Nolasco pick up one victory to improve to 11-6 on the season.

Joakim Soria (RP), Kansas City Royals: Soria surrendered no runs and fanned four batters on his way to a four save week. His 31 saves are 2nd best in the majors behind Francisco Rodriguez (45) and his 0.69 WHIP is best among closers with 20+ saves.

Jeremy Guthrie (SP, RP), Baltimore Orioles: Guthrie got two wins last week and his first complete game of the season against Seattle. Guthrie has an ERA of 2.38 in his last five starts.

Why Should I Give a Crap About These Guys?

Francisco Liriano (SP), Minnesota Twins: Those of you turned off by Liriano’s disastrous opening to the season (0-3, 11.32 ERA), should invest in him now. Liriano made his return to the majors and went six strong innings while giving up zero runs. Before the call up, Liriano was 10-2 in Triple A with an ERA of 3.28.

Jamie Moyer (SP), Philadelphia Phillies: Even at 45, Moyer can still bring it. Moyer has 7 quality starts in his last 10 games and has not given up more than 3 runs in a game in that span.

Alberto Gonzalez (3B, SS), Washington Nationals: With Cristian Guzman sidelined, Gonzalez has been making the starts at SS. Acquired at the deadline from the Yankees, Gonzalez is currently hitting .462 in 4 games in Washington. If Guzman can’t get over his thumb injury any time soon, Gonzalez is the starter for the Nationals.

Sports of Boston Friends and Family League

• I moved up to 9th place!!! Everybody cheer for me. I won my matchup 14-7-3 over SoB’s Jeff. My pitching was locked in with a 1.70 ERA in 47.2 innings. I am also happy to report the return of Francisco Liriano to my staff.
• Special thanks goes out to Troy Percival who can’t seem to stop hemorrhaging runs. His 5.40 ERA in 3.1 innings thankfully didn’t kill my team ERA.
• Our reader “Merkle” is still in first despite losing 9-13-2. It won’t be long before he falls from first place.
• The rest of the SoB crew: KC (2nd), Dev (3rd), Dan (6th), Jeff (8th), Chris (10th), and Geoff (11th).
• Two trades went down last week. First we had Joe Mauer/Tyler Yates for Jason Varitek/Magglio Ordonez. I don’t see the fantasy value in Varitek(.218/8 HR/32 RBI). If they needed a better catcher, I am sure free agency had something. Tyler Yates isn’t even the permanent closer in Pittsburgh. Why they couldn’t just do Magglio for Mauer is a mystery to me.
• The second trade was Trevor Hoffman for Zack Greinke. A simple trade to understand. One man gave up on saves and the other was willing to part with a decent starting pitcher. Everybody wins.
• Recent pick ups include: Kurt Suzuki, Josh Willingham, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey, Ken Griffey Jr., Gil Meche, and Billy Butler.

© Pete Rampino for Sports of Boston, 2008. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Fantasy, Featured, Top Story.