THE PRICE IS RIGHT FOR VICTOR MARTINEZ

The Red Sox acquired Victor Martinez from the Cleveland Indians for Justin Masterson and a pair of minor leaguers. The switch hitting Venezuelan catcher/first baseman supplements an offense that has been struggling to remain consistent.

The price the Sox paid is what makes me like this deal. I'm not too enthused about getting Martinez, because the biggest offensive holes have been at short-stop and in the outfield. Justin Masterson has good stuff and good potential, but he's struggled as Major Leaguers have gotten to know him better. The two minor leaguers - Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price - are good A level prospects, but their upside is so far down the road and such an unknown that they are a relatively small price to pay for a hitter like Martinez.

In 99 games this season, Martinez is hitting .284, with a .368 OBP, and a .464 SLG. He's hit 15 homeruns, and knocked in 67 RBI. He's walked and struck out 51 times.

Martinez will play every day. He's too good to be platooned. He'll fill the role LaRoche filled, spelling Lowell, with Youkilis shifting to third. But he'll also spend a lot of time behind the plate, giving Varitek some time off. Kotteras can go down to AAA Pawtucket and return in September when rosters expand.

Jason Varitek, just like he did last year, has fallen off. That's to be expected from a 37 year old catcher. His OPS in July is .121 lower than his OPS in April. He's hitting .220 on the road.

In a theoretical stretch of 10 games, expect Martinez to play about 9 times. He can give Ortiz and Lowell 2 days off each, give Youkilis 1 day off, and give Varitek 4 days off.

After completing the Martinez deal, the Sox traded the superfluous Adam LaRoche to Atlanta for Casey Kotchman, who is also a first baseman, but it more of a bench-type of player. The Sox are also getting $1 million in cash along with Kotchman. Not too shabby.

Sources:
ESPN.com
MLB.com

SOX SHUFFLE UP AND DEAL

The Red Sox made two relatively small, but helpful trades today. They traded a pair of minor leaguers for 1B Adam LaRoche, formerly of the Pirates. Then they sent a wad of cash along with Julio Lugo to St. Louis for OF Chris Duncan and a player to be named.

LaRoche is a 29 year old lefty with modest power, a tolerable OBP, and solid 1st base defense. He's particularly adept at hitting right-handed pitching, and throughout his career he's been a very good performer in the 2nd half of the season.



LaRoche will be used to give Mike Lowell added time off. Lowell was overly used in April, and the result was a trip to the DL. LaRoche can fill in, especially against righties. LaRoche can also give Youkilis and Ortiz days off. But giving Lowell an extra day off per week will probably help Lowell perform, and definitely help Lowell stay healthy into September and October.

He's also got some playoff experience from his time with the Braves.

Chris Duncan is your token "let's try to get something" kind of guy. He's a career .257 hitter, who's running at a .227 clip this season. He's been optioned to AAA Pawtucket.

Source:
ESPN.com

SOX DROP THREE STRAIGHT

The Sox have lost 3 of 4 since the All-Star break, and 3 straight for the first time since mid-May. They've only scored 10 runs in their last 4 games. As a team, they're hitting .227 in July. Jason Varitek's come back to Earth, he's hitting at a .216 clip this month. JD Drew's even worse, he's an abysmal 7 for 51 this month.

But last night it was Smoltz's struggles that took center stage. Since coming off the DL, he's 1-3 with a 6.31 ERA. Last night he was cruising until the 6th, when he allowed 3 homeruns and 5 runs total. That's been his MO for all 5 of his starts. The first time facing Smoltz in a game, opponents are hitting .200. The second time against him, they're hitting .357. So either he's getting tired, getting figured out, or most likely it is a combination of the two.

But you cannot be a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball if you can't get hitters out at least twice. If this trend doesn't show any signs of reversal 3 starts from now, it's time to give Smoltz an early retirement.

The good news is that Josh Beckett is on the hill tonight, facing Tommy Hunter. Beckett's been a stopper this year, seeming to be at his best after a Sox loss.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/LM Otero

BUCHHOLZ RELOADED

The notion that the Sox were trying to showcase Clay Buchholz for the Blue Jays is absurdly moronic. However, Buchholz did put on a good show, and made a case for his inclusion in the Sox rotation.

That being said, I'll try not to get too excited by this one start. After all, it's quite clear Buchholz has the stuff to vanquish Major League hitters. It's how he deals with Major League adversity that has been his problem. And until he can demonstrate otherwise, we must assume it remains a chink in his armor.

But Friday night's victory was a nice showing of Red Sox homemade pitching. Buchholz registered his solid 5.2 innings, and was followed by Bard, who retired 4 in a row, 3 via strikeout. Papelbon finished the night with an easy 8 pitch save.

Man of the Game:
Clay Buchholz: 5.2 IP, 4 H, ER, 3 K

Brad Penny faces Brian Tallet Saturday afternoon at 1.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darren Calabrese

SOX LET LOOSE LUGO

In a not so surprising move, the Sox designated Julio Lugo for assignment. In other words, he'll be traded or given his outright release within 10 days. With Mike Lowell and Jed Lowrie due for activation off the DL, the move was quite expected. Lugo has struggled defensively and offensively with the Sox since signing a 4 year, $36M deal before the 2007 season.

To me, the Julio Lugo signing is one of the worst in recent Red Sox history. JD Drew's massive deal gets more publicity, but at least Drew is an adequate fielder, and has come up with big hits and the occasional homerun laden hot streak.

When the Sox signed Lugo, they were the only team who saw him as a shortstop. The Dodgers wanted him, but as a second baseman. He had negligible power, which is typical of most shortstops, but apart from his 2005 season, he'd never hit higher than .285, nor had an OBP above .350. Moreover, he had already committed 122 errors in his 7 year career, or 17 a season.

The Sox still owe him over $13M of his contract. It isn't the first time the Sox will be paying a shortstop who doesn't wear a Sox uniform.

But good riddance. Jed Lowrie is a most capable defensive shortstop, and Nick Green has been solid on the field and at the plate.

WHAT IS ROY HALLADAY WORTH?

The 2003 Cy Young winner and 2008 Cy Young runner up is on the trading block. The Blue Jays want to get some young talent while simultaneously reducing their payroll. And I can't really blame them. Presently constituted, they're not going to compete with the likes of the Sox, Yankees, and Rays. They don't have the resources to build a team around Halladay, so it makes sense to trade him.

Halladay is under contract until the end of the 2010 season, but at a relatively manageable $15.75 million. However, the Jays are not allowing teams to negotiate with him before trading for him, so trading for Halladay might amount to shipping a basket of prospects North for a mere 14 month lease on Halladay.

How good is Roy Halladay? For my money, he might be the best pitcher in baseball. He's efficient, and consistent. He consistently reaches 220 innings, and does so with minimal effort. This season he's averaging 7.23 innings per start, with an average of 103.4 pitches. He doesn't wear himself out with all these innings like CC Sabathia, he simply amasses them by being quick and efficient.

The notion that the Sox don't "need" more pitching is an overly simple way of looking at things. Just look at these two potential 4-man playoff rotations:

1. Josh Beckett
2. Jon Lester
3. Tim Wakefield
4. Daisuke Matsuzaka/John Smoltz/Brad Penny

OR

1. Josh Beckett
2. Roy Halladay
3. Jon Lester
4. Tim Wakefield

The second one is just so much better. And as many options the Sox have at the bottom of their rotation, Roy Halladay immeasurably improves the top. The 1-2-3 combo of Beckett-Halladay-Lester is absolutely insane.

There's been a lot of comparison between Halladay and Johan Santana. But even though Halladay is older than Santana, he's also better, and has a much better track record of consistency. Furthermore, we know how Halladay will pitch in the AL East. Since 2006, he's 7-1 against the Yankees with a 2.36 ERA.



Trying to pick and choose which prospects to trade for Halladay is a job for Theo Epstein and JP Ricciardi, not myself. But I would give up a good amount of talent for him. I'd certainly give up Buchholz, who has already demonstrated difficulties adjusting to Major League play. Throwing in Ellsbury might be a bit much, as he's a proven talent. Michael Bowden, however, is expendable.

But it's certainly not a must-do kind of deal, for either the Sox or the Jays. Toronto still has Halladay for more than a season, and the Sox still have plenty of pitchers. The Jays might also be hesitant to trade within their division. Ricciardi might subscribe to the Billy Beane philosophy that you make the best trade you can make, regardless of who you're trading with.

In the end, I think Halladay will be a Toronto Blue Jay at the end of the season. The Blue Jays will start a bidding war, just like the Twinkies did with Santana. But nobody will ever be able to pay enough. The Yankees and Red Sox will try to outbid each other until the price reaches ridiculousness and both drop out of the race. But unlike the Twins, who took a lesser deal from the Mets at that point, the Jays can hang on to Halladay.

Sources:
ESPN.com
Baseball-Reference.com

PERFECT SEATS ON A PERFECT DAY

I slowly woke up at 10:40 Sunday morning, surprised to be awake so early after a very late night with my good friends Bud and Bud Light. I checked my phone for messages and read a text from my neighbor inquiring if I wanted to go to the Sox game. My full body hangover turned into an adrenaline based fervor, and I quickly showered, dressed, and hit an ATM.

After a short drive up to Riverside Station in Newton, and a crowded ride on the Green Line, we were at Fenway, just in time to see the late Dom DiMaggio's wife Emily throw out the first pitch to first time All-Star Tim Wakefield.



The seats were in Grandstand section 29, row 1, seats 22-24. That's in the left field bank of seats that angle at 45 degrees toward the Green Monster. I'd never sat on this side of the ballpark. It's always been the Bleachers, or the RF Grandstand, and two or three times the box seats by 1st base or behind home plate.

But 29-1-24 was perfect. A cloudlessly sunny 85 degree afternoon spent underneath Fenway's roof. Funnily, the $50 Grandstand tickets have almost the same exact view as the $90 box seats one row in front. Also, since these were the first row of the blue Grandstand seats, there was additional legroom, so much legroom that people could walk through the row without those seated needing to stand up.

That amount of legroom simply doesn't exist at Fenway Park. Certainly not in the Grandstand, where the seats were designed for pre-WWII fans, who were apparently 4' 6" and weighed 88 pounds.

The seats were also in a premium location. Only a few feet from a tunnel down into the cavernous concourses beneath the seats. But also a short walk up the stairs to the newer, brighter concourse behind the seating sections. I've got to hand it to the owners of the Sox, they've improved Fenway's amenities and turned it into a building that could pass for 50 or 60 years old, not 97.

Oh yeah, and then there was the game. Josh Beckett's 94 masterful pitches were launched in a direction perpendicular to our perspective. Which means we couldn't judge inside/outside calls too well, but had an excellent chance to gauge the speed of his fastballs, and the grotesque movement of his off-speed stuff. 96 MPH is fast. Real fast.

You never know what can happen when you go to the ballgame. No-hitters, triple plays, someone hitting for the cycle. On June 27, 2003, I saw the Red Sox score 10 runs in the 1st inning before recording an out. They put up 14 runs that inning on their way to a 25-8 victory over the Marlins. Johnny Damon was 3 for 3 in that 1st inning.

Beckett didn't have a no-hitter, but he did accomplish a rare feat in today's game: a complete game shutout. The first I've seen thrown by a Sox pitcher. It was also Beckett's 100th career win.



Aaron Bates, who I'd hardly heard of until Sunday, played first base. I'd been in San Diego for nearly a week, so I was unaware that journeyman Jeff Bailey, who had replaced Mike Lowell, was hurt. Bates replaced Bailey, and was 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and his 2nd career RBI.



Jason Bay was hitless. He didn't even have an at-bat. Yet he reached base 5 times. He was walked thrice, and hit by a pitch twice.

Then there's the stuff you only get to see at the ballpark. In the bottom of the 6th inning, the Sox let 3 little kids announce the first 3 batters of the inning. When David Ortiz walked to the plate, the kid announcing for him was nervous and stumbled with his task. So as "Now b-b, now batt-batting..." echoed through the park, Ortiz turned his head up to the press box and jokingly raised a hand in mock frustration at the kid.

I got home, without a sunburn, without cramps in my legs, but with even more memories courtesy of the Red Sox.

Photo Credits:
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

BRUINS RETAIN BITZ & RECCHI, ACQUIRE BEGIN

The Bruins signed Byron Bitz to a 2 year deal worth $1.4 million. Bitz emerged late in the season as a strong slot presence, and one of the most physical players on the team. 2009-10 should see him shuffle between the 3rd and 4th lines.

Mark Recchi brings valuable experience and scoring potential to the middle lines. He was signed to a 1 year deal for $1 million. Although he's 41 years, he's still a potent scorer, notching 23 goals with the Bruins and Lightning. 10 of those goals came in 18 games in Boston.

We all know Steve Begin from his time with the Habs. Frankly, I think he's useless. He can be an antagonist, but as far as a hockey player goes, he's not good enough to make the Bruins.

The Sabres signed Steve Montador, and that's no big loss. Montador occasionally struggled, and was exposed in the Carolina series. Then again, without him, the Bruins would have been even more shallow at that position. So in a way, he helped.

No word on Phil Kessel.

SOX GET ONE BACK

A 6-5 come-from-behind win in July against the O's usually isn't a big deal. But when it comes on the heels of an 11-10 come-from-behind LOSS, it is a big deal. The Sox bullpen, which blew that 10-1 lead the night before combined for 4 PERFECT innings. Added to the final 12 in a row that Beckett retired, 24 straight Oriole batters failed to reach base. That's 8 perfect innings of work.

There's been a great deal of heat in Julio Lugo's direction. But he is hitting .301. We all know he can't field, but as a bench player, he's finally hitting. Funny how it takes inconsistent playing time to get consistent production.

Jonathan Papelbon got his 20th save of the season with a perfect 9th inning. He passes Bob Stanley on the all-time Red Sox save list with 133.

The Sox have Thursday off before starting a 3 game series against the Mariners in Fenway. 8-3 Felix Hernandez faces Tim Wakefield Friday night.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Nick Wass

CALAMITY

The Red Sox are an historical team, and often find themselves in historic moments. Unfortunately, Tuesday night was one of those history making moments.

The Red Sox had a 10-1 lead, and blew it. Partially to blame is the weather. John Smoltz was cruising, 1 earned run through 4 innings of work and only 52 pitches thrown through those 4 innings. Then came the rain, delaying the game for 71 minutes. Justin Masterson took Smoltz's place, and did well for 2 innings, then fell apart. And then everyone gave up runs and couldn't get outs.

It was one of the most painful losses I've seen the Red Sox endure in regular season play. It's such a giveaway. But it is one game. One of 162.

On the bright side, Smoltz looked terrific. I was very curious to see him go through the lineup a 3rd time, to see how he'd do. But if you throw away his 1st inning last start, he's allowed 2 earned runs in 8 innings.

Bitch-Goat:
Justin Masterson: 0.6
Hideki Okajima: 0.3
Takashi Saito: 0.1

Man of the Game:
Kevin Youkilis

The Red Sox and Orioles play the rubber game Wednesday night. Josh Beckett faces Brad Bergesen.

Source:
ESPN.com

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Nick Wass