Red Sox vs Orioles Preview

Starting Pitchers

Boston: Wakefield (5-3, 4.74 ERA)

Baltimore: Bergesen (1-6, 5.65 ERA)

How I see it playing out:
Since the Sox are cruising and the Orioles blow donkey balls it's pretty clear that the Red Sox will win this one. I know we have the Tim Wakefield factor in this and he could give up some runs, however, we luck out as his counterpart Brad Bergesen sucks and may be the worst SP behind John Lackey.

The key to this game is to go far. The Bullpen was used a lot last night and we really need them to get a night off, so hopefully can pull one of his 8 IP, 7 hit, 2 er, 4 K games out of his ass.

Also, this is the first game that Carl Crawford is back. Many people are saying that he has been a failure so far, and although his early season struggles he was starting to put it together before the injury. I like Carl and think he has a monster 2nd half.

All of this is in wake of the beanball fest that took place a week and a half ago. Papi will be out the next 3 games for his suspension and that's a good thing. With Papi out there is no real reason for the Orioles to peg anyone, even though Youk could get hit as he always seems to get pegged.

Unlike BMack I refuse to be reasonable when it comes to picking the score and will never have the hometown team lose.

Winning pitcher: The Wake
Tommy Award: Carl Crawford
Score: 8- 2 Sox

Crawford Getting Closer

"The Boston Globe reports that Red Sox OF Carl Crawford could be ready to take the next step in his rehabilitation of his strained left hamstring. Crawford will get examined by team physician Dr. Thomas Gill on Monday, and he could possibly be cleared to begin baserunning drills. “He has to do some more baseball activities, but he has to go full speed on the bases for his own peace of mind,” Francona told reporters (CBS Sports)."

At least he seems like he is getting better. The Sox could certainly use him back. I know he hasn't been very good this season, but he is still better then anything else they have out there, and if a great defensive player. They Sox need to be careful though, if they bring him back to early it could cost him the season because of how much he relies on this legs.

Red Sox 14 Tigers 1

Boy was I wrong. I thought that Scherzer would be able to slow down the Red Sox offense, instead they lit him up for 7 runs in 2 innings. This game (much the game before) was over before it started.

Ellsbury hit a 3 run HR, and Crawford went 4-5 with 3 RBIs. Speaking of Crawford he is now batting .244, which is just .003 behind Pedroia in batting average. I wonder if a change in the lineup with will happen? I say not yet, but certainly something they will start looking at in a month or so, because right now they are so hot I wouldn't change anything.

Alfredo Aceves was very good once again, which has me thinking if we actually even want Lackey back. Anyways, he was great letting up just 1 runs over 6 innings strikingout out 6 batters.

Boston has won 11 of 13, and are tied for 1st place with the Yankees in the AL East. It's been an incredible turnaround, and if they can figure out their bullpen issues they could be unstoppable.

4 Red Sox, 3 Tigers

Clutch Crawford everyone.

That's his nickname and I'm sticking to it. BMack will obviously not support the nickname because he hates any idea I come up with mainly because he hates me, but how can you disagree. This man has won us 4 games this year, 3 with his bat and 1 with his legs and I have zero complaints with his contract, batting average, or what you pink hats consider lack of production.

To the game itself.
We were cruising, Josh Beckett was having another super game 6 innings, 1er and 3ks, but the Sox took him out of the game as a precaution for a tweaked neck..... pussy. The more in more he pitches, the more and more I'm starting to believe this Bard isn't what he's all cracked up to be. He immediately let up bombs to Brandon Boesch and Miggy. If it was me, I would not expect him to be the next closer of this club. After Papelbon had a scoreless but interesting inning Crawford hit the bases loaded walk off for the win.

Clutch Crawford, Dueling Couches did it again, now time for all the other sites to start copying us.

Red Sox Own The Angels

The Red Sox own the Angels. The Sox are now 14-15 overall, and more than a third (5) of those wins have come against Anaheim. And I'll take that. Because wins are at a premium right now.

Another Quality Start from Lester, his 6th straight. He's just so solid that it's unreal. Pretty much every start, he'll give the a team a good chance to win.

Crawford is finally hitting. That average of his is up to .194, close to the Mendoza line, close to his weight (215). The Sox finally hit some homeruns. Gonzales got his long-awaited 2nd homer, and that's a big relief. Ortiz got his second in 2 days, and Scutaro hit his first of the season.

Unfortunately, the Sox only have 2 more games against Anaheim this season, both this week. And until they consistently win games against teams that aren't the Angels or Blue Jays, I'm not going to fully believe that they've turned any corners. They're 8-1 against the Angels and Jays. 6-14 against everyone else.

Beckett faces 1-3 Ervin Santana tonight.

-The Commodore

Indians 8, Red Sox 4

I really thought Daisuke was going to turn the Sox' fortunes around last night. He's always done well against Cleveland. And they tend to be free swingers. I was wrong.

He wasn't awful. But in typical Daisuke fashion, even when he does well, he fails to do well for long enough. And while it was the bullpen that ultimately lost this game, Daisuke gave the bullpen a chance to lose it, by only going 5 innings.

And during those 5 innings, he nibbled. And he nibbled. He threw a joke of a 90 MPH fastball right down the middle to Choo, and it was crushed. He nibbled some more. He walked batters. He hit a batter. He allowed 10 baserunners in 5 innings.

But he didn't lose this game by himself. Not by a longshot. Ellsbury struck out 3 times and went 0 for 5. We're still waiting for him to hit. Youkilis went 0 for 4, continuing his struggles. And Varitek messed up a defensive play, turning what should have been an out into a Cleveland run. His mistake of not tagging Buck at the plate was inexcusable for a veteran and a "Captain."

Then the bullpen. That's worrying me more than anything else right now. The starting pitching is what it is. The offense will inevitably improve. Guys like Ellsbury and Youkilis are not sub-.200 hitters. They'll come around. The bullpen, however, has been nothing but a disaster so far. Dan Wheeler was supposed to be the 2nd set-up man alongside Bard. He's allowed 2 homeruns already. And Reyes was supposed to add depth. He's only added mass, and a heavy ERA.

A few bright notes from last night: Gonzalez hit his first homerun with the team. And Crawford got on base, then ran, stealing his first 2 bases of the season.

The rotoation starts all over again, and maybe that's what this club needs. Lester faces Fausto Carmona, who allowed 10 runs in 3 innings against Chicago. First pitch at 12:05 this afternoon.

-The Commodore

Rangers 26, Red Sox 11

All the anticipation for Opening Day and then the Rangers outscore the Sox 26-11 in three games. Don't panic yet, though. The Sox can still win those magical 100 games, if that's what you care about. They'd just have to go 100-59 in the remaining 159 games. And that's certainly possible.

Had the Sox done well this weekend, I would have been my wet blanket self, and pleaded for everyone to settle down, as it's only April. Well it is only April, and so therefore I'm not too worried about what we saw in Texas.

Jon Lester is a perennial slow starter. From 2008 to 2010, he went 3-5 in April, with a 4.58 ERA. So we shouldn't worry about his struggles on Friday.

Carl Crawford is going to improve. He broke out a bit on Sunday, after going hitless in the first two games, and being demoted in the lineup.

Clay Buchholz allowed 4 runs off 4 homers. Apart from those occasional mistakes he was spot on. It's not as if he was allowing 4 or 5 hits in an inning, and being ripped apart by the Rangers' batters. He made some big mistakes, but not many, and give Texas some credit for capitalizing.

And there were some positives this weekend. Adrian Gonzalez has settled right in. 5 for 9 over the weekend with a double and 3 RBI. I feel a burst of homeruns coming from him.

And there doesn't seem to be the annual Ortiz slump in April. Two homeruns already. And when he pulled the ball, he hit it hard enough to get it through the shifted infield. That's a very good sign.

Now to the bad news. John Lackey looked awful the second time through the lineup. Everyone's hoping he improves on his 2010 performance, but none of us (my pessimistic self included) considered that he might get worse.

And the bullpen needs to be "sorted out," to put it mildly. I don't put much stock in Papelbon's struggles on Sunday, as it was a non-save situation after he'd been sitting all weekend. I don't think he even warmed up once. The other pieces to the bullpen puzzle will take some time and some headaches to fall in place.

One thing I hope you all learned this weekend is how important pitching is. The starting pitcher is literally the ONLY player who can singlehandedly lose a game for his team. They're also capable of doing the most to help his team win. Lackey lost Saturday's game, pretty much on his own. And on Sunday, Matt Harrison's 7 innings did more to help Texas win than any of their homerun hitters.

So buck up, there are 159 games left. I mean, Baltimore's in first place. It's not yet time to take things so seriously.

Red Sox at Cleveland for three, starting on Tuesday.

-The Commodore

MLB Preview: Boston Red Sox (Hitting)

The Red Sox scored the 2nd most runs in baseball last year. They were 2nd in homeruns, 3rd in OBP, 2nd in slugging, 1st in OPS. In other words, they were pretty good at the plate. And they should be even better in 2011.

Adding Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez were the big stories of the off-season. Not to mention the returns of Kevin Youkilis and Dustin Pedroia, who only played in 102 and 75 games last year, respectively. These newcomers and returning producers should more than offset the loss of Beltre and Victor Martinez.

The middle of the lineup will be fierce. Gonzalez, liberated from San Diego's pitcher friendly park, should hit over .300, with an OBP close to .400, slug near .600, and approach 40 homers. Youkilis should hit nearly 30 homers, with an OBP well over .400, and slug around .570.

Putting Crawford and Pedroia ahead of them will result in abundant runs. Gonzalez could knock in 120, and Youkilis should easily surpass 100 RBI.

JD Drew's contract is up, so I think he'll actually play more than 140 games and produce. Then there's Ortiz, whose 32 homers and 102 RBIs were impressive in 2010. But he really struggled against lefties. Drew also can't hit southpaws. So against righties, the Sox will have an excellent 5-6 to keep the pressure on. Against lefties, you'll see plenty of innings ended by Drew and Ortiz.

The bottom of the lineup will be solid enough. I like Ellsbury as a 7th or 9th hitter, either keeping the middle of the orders' rallies going, or helping Crawford and Pedroia start a new one. He should hit .300, with a .350 OBP that keeps him from being a good leadoff option. Minimal power, but plenty of speed.

Scutaro had a decent year last season. But we've all sort of forgotten. So did Lowrie. Having both of them as options is a nice luxury. Both play good defense, and neither are easy outs. That's all you really want or need from the 8th spot in your lineup.

Speaking of easy outs, we come to Varitek/Saltalamacchia. They'll ground into so many double plays. That is, if they even make contact with the ball.

Anyway you stack it, this lineup is pretty sick. Mike Cameron can fill in for Drew against lefties. And the speed of Crawford and Ellsbury can help keep the whole batting order from slumping. And even if a tough lefty is on the mound, guys like Youkilis (.404 against LHP last year), can still give them problems.

The Sox scored 818 runs last year, or 5.05 per game. If they stay healthy, they'll score over 900.

You have an amazing offense, and suspect pitching. I'm reminded of the Cleveland Indians from 1995 to 1999. They'll be fun to watch. They'll win 100 regular season games. And they'll lose the World Series to a team with superior pitching. I'm thinking the Phillies. 1946 all over again.

-The Commodore

Fallout From Crawford Signing

So Carl Crawford is a Red Sox, but there is going to be a lot of dominoes falling now that he is off the market.

- The Yankees have reported to up their offer to 7 years for Cliff Lee. They now know they can't get Crawford, and their fan base is not very happy right now. Also, the Sox made Lee a low ball 7 year offer, so the Yankees would have to add an extra year to his deal.

- The Angels have fallen on their face. Rumor is now they will go out and sign Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano. Have fun with that. Oh and I don't think Torii Hunter is very happy about all this...

"That hurts my heart, man," Hunter told Scott Miller of CBS Sports. "But hey, what can you do?" (all Twitter links). Speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Hunter said, "I'm sitting here in a daze right now, like, what the heck just happened? (MLBTradeRumors)"

- With the Red Sox now out of the Magglio Ordonez race it is sounding more and more likely that he will resign with the Tigers.

- As for the Red Sox, rumor has it they are still going after catcher Russell Martin, and Scott Downs. Downs is now a much more attractive idea since the Sox won't have to give up their first round pick, since that is already going to Tampa Bay for Carl Crawford.

Sox Sign Carl Crawford

That commercial makes me cry a little thinking about how happy I was when the Cs got KG.

I feel like they should do a Sox version of this with Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford.

The Red Sox did exactly what I wanted them to; open up their wallets and buy everyone. Last night the Red Sox and Carl Crawford agreed to a seven-year, $142 million deal. HOLY SHIT! Thank God we didn't get Jayson Werth.

Carl Crawford is a gold glover, a base stealer, hits somewhat for power, and had a slugging percentage better than Mark Teixiera last year. We have the best defensive left fielder since Yaz. I know The Captain is going to rain on my parade, but who cares, lets enjoy the moment, here is my projected line up:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury
2. Dustin Pedroia
3. Carl Crawford
4. Adrian Gonzalez
5. Kevin Youkilis
6. David Ortiz
7. JD Drew
8. Salty/ Varitek
9. Marco Scutaro

Pretty fucking good. Championship!


The Sox do have some work to do with the bullpen. We need to get Scott Downs type of guy and some flyers and hope they work out. Also, we can't do anything with our pitching staff. They are stuck, so just pray they bounce back.

I called The Captain tis morning and his negative spin on it was, "We spent a lot of money but it's good" So I guess we can all be excited.

Dude Of The Day

Carl Crawford

For more Crawford Click Here

Thinking About The Red Sox

So Adrian Gonzalez is on the Red Sox, but their offseason is far from over. The Sox still need to figure out what they are going to do with their outfield and bullpen. Many people have thought the Red Sox will be the team that signs Crawford, but after seeing the crazy contract Werth got, I am thinking that is less and less likely, on top of that I am less and less comfortable with it.

Werth got a 7 year deal, and I am thinking that means Crawford is going to get 8. That really makes me nervous because he is a speed guy, and if he loses a step he could be a far less constant hitter. He doesn't have a very good arm either, which is another reason I get a little scared. Don't get me wrong if the contract turns out to be shorter (5 years), then I am all for it, but when you are talking about guaranteeing a guy who realize on his speed for 8 years is more then a little bit concerning.

If Crawford does ask way too much the Sox could go with a stopgap option like Magglio Ordonez. He is obviously a big injury risk, but the Sox could probably get him cheap, and would only have to commit for a year, so it could be something the Sox take a look at.

As for the bullpen, they have a lot of work to do. Their are rumors that the Sox are looking at Brian Fuentes. I am not very high on him, but at this point they need bodies out there. I would like to see them sign Scott Downs and maybe a guy like Jason Frasor. If you could add any two of those three that could be enough to solidify the bullpen with Papelbon and Bard.

Overall I like where this offseason is going, and I have all the faith in the world now that they'll figure it out.

I Really, Really, Really, Don't Want Jayson Werth

So yesterday the Sox met with Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford. I obviously want them to sign Crawford, but I know we as Red So fans are going to have to live the next 5 years with Werth. I honestly don't know if Crawford is a good fit here, but I just want them to sign him so we don't have the option to sign Werth.

Jayson Werth is 31 going to be 32 in May, and he has hit over 30 HRs once, has never hit over 100 RBIs and is going to be the next JD Drew. His career .186 average with runners in scoring position also leaves something to be desired as well.

I would have no problem giving Carl Crawford a Matt Holliday like 7 year, 120 million dollar deal at all. Yes, it'll probably kill us later in his career, however, fuck it, who cares. Crawford still has some potential "career years" in front of him, Werth on the other hand has hit his ceiling.

Even if they do sign Crawford, they still will have to trade for Adrian Gonzalez to make up for letting V Mart go in my mind.