SCHILLING TO PEN, FOULKE TO SURGERY

Wow, this news was unexpected to say the least. I don't even know all the details so here is the story:

RedSox.com Story

Basically Foulke, who had MRIs the other day, is getting arthroscopic knee surgery. This will put him out for about 4-6 weeks. Meanwhile, Schilling will probably not join the team until after the All-Star game but will be rehabbing out of the pen in Pawtucket.

I think this is a good move for the moment. Schilling was doing very well early in the season in the 1st and 2nd innings. I calculated it at one point and opponents were batting .100 in Schilling's first inning and .250 in the 2nd. The first time through the lineup, opponents were batting .269 which wasn't bad at all compared to the .400+ they were batting their 3rd time up.

Long term though, we need Foulke as a closer and Schilling as a starter.

81 DOWN, 81 TO GO

Halfway through the year. My view of the Red Sox is that of happiness tinged with dissapointment. I like where we are, but we could be ALOT better. Last night's loss was a good example of this dissapointment.

We're 46-35. We are 2.5 games ahead of Baltimore, 3 in the loss column. We are 4 ahead of New York, 4.5 ahead of Toronto and 20 ahead of Tampa Bay. New York and Toronto should not be that close. Baltimore shouldn't be that close.

We are on pace for 92 wins and 70 losses. That isn't too great, but right now that is the best pace in the AL East. If the season were to end right now, we'd be the 3rd seed in the AL playoffs, with a record slightly worse than the AL Wild Card leading Twins. With the Twins being in the same division as the White Sox, they'd be forced to play the #2 seeded LA Angels. The Red Sox, on the other hand, would be in position to play the White Sox, perhaps the best team in baseball.

Here are projected numbers and evaluations for Red Sox players:

C - Jason Varitek - .302 BA, 26 HR, 68 RBI
C - Doug Mirabelli - .255 BA, 8 HR, 22 RBI

90 RBI and 34 HR from the catcher's spot isn't bad at all. This area does not need improvement and as long as these guys stay healthy, we'll be fine.

1B - Kevin Millar - .273 BA, 8 HR, 60 RBI
(Olerud has only been with the team for 1/4 of a season so his numbers will be multiplied by three)
1B - John Olerud - .390 BA, 3 HR, 24 RBI

The fact that Millar, the starting first baseman, is on pace for the same amount of home runs as the backup catcher is a telling statistic. Millar has been a major dissapointment this year especially considering the production position he plays. 11 HRs, and 84 RBI from 1st base is not enough.

Kevin Millar is a 450 AB player. That's 2.78 ABs per game. He needs to get time off so he doesn't get exposed. With Boston, however, he had 544 ABs in 2003, 508 last year, and is on pace for 490 this year. It isn't a coincidence that Millar hit .314 and .306 in his last 2 seasons with Florida and has hit .276, .297, and .273 in 2 and a half seasons with Boston in Fenway.

The Red Sox need to give more playing time to John Olerud, at least against some right handed pitching and the guys he hits well against or the guys Millar doesn't hit well against. Francona also needs to remember that Kevin Youkilis is on the team. When Youkilis gets consistent playing time, he hits well. He needs it to be consistent though. A spot start once every 8 games or a pinch hit appearance here and there isn't enough. The Red Sox seriously need to look into a platoon situation at 1st base because Francona's love child, Millar, just isn't cutting it.

2B - Mark Bellhorn - .228 BA, 12 HR, 54 RBI

Bellhorn, a 2nd baseman, and the 9th hitter in the lineup, is on pace for 4 more HRs than Millar and only 6 fewer RBI. For all the crap Bellhorn has taken, he is not the biggest problem on the team. There is no replacement for Bellhorn, at the moment. I think Youkilis should have more appearances at 2nd base just to get his bat in the lineup. Bellhorn has been consistent with his defense though, unlike Renteria. Only 7 errors (1 at SS) and a .984 fielding percentage at 2nd base. Down the road, Dustin Pedroia may be playing 2nd base in late August and September if things go well in Pawtucket. Steroid taker Bret Boone is also out there. Until Pedroia is ready though, Bellhorn will continue to walk and strikeout and build the pitch count. He averages 4.22 pitches per AB.

3B - Bill Mueller - .285 BA, 6 HR, 64 RBI

The production numbers aren't really there for Mueller but he has been doing his job. He's getting on base alot (.384 OBP), fielding his position well, and making the other team's pitchers work through the entire lineup. He's still got those bad knees which is why I'd like to see Youkilis play a few games. In case you can't tell, I think Youkilis should be in the lineup somewhere very often because when given a consistent opportunity to hit, he has hit well.

SS - Edgar Renteria - .273 BA, 12 HR, 60 RBI

Yet another non power hitter on pace to hit more homers than Millar. Renteria has had some bright spots but overrall, he has been a big let down. He's made 13 errors, has grounded into as many double plays, and hasn't gotten on base enough. His OBP is .323 (Bellhorn's is .341). The most telling statistic is that he is on pace to score 90 runs. That's with Manny and Ortiz behind him. In my opinion, we need to find a replacement for Renteria at the #2 spot. I'd take Nixon or Varitek for their hitting of Bellhorn for his OBP over Renteria.

LF - Manny Ramirez - .273 BA, 42 HR, 146 RBI

The average isn't what we're used to seeing from Manny but it has been climbing. The other numbers are very Ramirez-esque. Manny is producing in the middle of the lineup despite the fact that Renteria isn't getting on base. Just imagine Manny's RBI total if Edgar was getting on 4 out of 10 plate appearances. Manny's also been good in the outfield playing the Green Monster well and accounting for 9 outfield assists. He's only on pace to score 102 Runs which tells me the bottom of the order isn't doing a good enough job driving him in.

CF - Johnny Damon - .338 BA, 8 HR, 84 RBI

Without a doubt, Johnny Damon is the ignition to the Red Sox offensive machine. In the midst of a career high 20 game hit streak, Damon has been able to get on base for guys like Ortiz and Manny, and he's also been able to knock in quite a few runs on his own. His average against lefties is about the same as it is against righties. He's on pace for 16 SB which is alot for any Red Sox player. He's been able to play through various injuries. The one knock on Damon, and it isn't a big knock, is that he doesn't play the outfield as well as he could. His arm is weak and he tends to have trouble playing the ball off the wall. He rarely plays the bounce and frequently runs headlong into the wall which sometimes makes for a brilliant catch but other times makes for an extra base for the runner and an injury for Damon.

RF - Trot Nixon - .297 BA, 16 HR, 82 RBI
RF - Jay Payton - .265 BA, 10 HR, 42 RBI

Combined, Nixon and Payton are on pace to put up some really good numbers. 124 RBI is a pretty good addition to the production of Ortiz and Ramirez. Francona has done a good job of giving both players ample playing time and keeping both players fresh.

DH - David Ortiz - .313 BA, 38 HR, 136 RBI

Along with Ramirez and the RF combo, Ortiz is the main producer in the lineup. He can also play first at times which I think is an option Francona should look into more due to Millar's lackluster offensive output.

1B/2B/3B - Kevin Youkilis - .273 BA, 2 HR, 18 RBI

Given more playing time with more consistency, I think Youkilis could be a good guy to have in the lineup. He has demonstrated the capability and willingness to play multiple positions. I think he just wants to play. With Millar, Renteria, and Bellhorn struggling, and Mueller slowed by knee injury, I think Youk should get at least 3 or 4 games a week. We're going to need this guy next year too so he needs ABs at the Major League level in order to be a full-time MLB player and produce in this lineup. He works counts (4.51 pitches per AB) and gets on base (.377 OBP, higher than Renteria and Bellhorn). He's a good guy to have on the team.

SP - Matt Clement - 18-4, 216.2 IP, 3.82 ERA, 176 K

Undoubtedly the ace of the staff with Schilling gone. If Curt comes back and is this good, we'll have a pretty nice 1-2 punch. Not as great as last year's but enough to give us a good start to any series.

SP - Tim Wakefield - 14-12, 205.1 IP, 3.94 ERA, 124 K

About what you expect from Wakefield. He's been tearing it up lately though and in any playoff series, he's a good #3 guy to have and can also work out of the pen if need be.

SP - David Wells - 12-8, 168 IP, 5.06 ERA, 94 K

D-Woah has been mediocre this season and very inconsistent. If he can perform consistently, we'll have a pretty good rotation top to bottom. Otherwise, we'll have a pretty poor bottom of the rotation.

SP - Bronson Arroyo - 12-10, 204 IP, 4.15 ERA, 122 K

Arroyo has also been hit or miss. He will most likely move to the pen when Schilling returns and I think he'll do well there. Hitters seem to improve against him as they see his stuff a second time through the lineup. If he's a releiver, he can be very effective the first time through and never have to face guys twice in a game.

SP - Wade Miller - 4-4, 124 IP, 4.94 ERA, 88 K

For a #5 starter, Miller is about what one would expect. He'll go out there and give you 5 or 6 innings allowing 3-5 runs and keep you in the game. If the bullpen weren't so glaringly bad, this would be fine due to our offense. However...

CP - Keith Foulke - 6.23 ERA, 30 Saves, 8 Blown Saves, 78 IP, 16 HR, 1.56 WHIP

Despite Millar, and Renteria struggling, Foulke has been without a doubt, the biggest dissapointment and biggest problem on the team. We've got a great offense, decent starting pitching, but in the 9th inning, the game is in doubt. That shouldn't be the case. He's going back to Boston to get his knee checked out. Hopefully it is just an injury, will heal, and Foulke can go back to saving games so all us Johnny from Burger Kings can cheer him again.

Set-Up - Mike Timlin - 2 Saves, 4 Blown Saves, 1.77 ERA, 30 Holds
Set-Up - Alan Embree - 0 Saves, 4 Blown Saves, 7.97 ERA, 8 Holds

Mike Timlin has been very good while Alan Embree has been very bad. Putrid even. Timlin's ERA is not totally revealing as he has allowed a good number of inherited runners to score. However, he has had a good season but Embree has failed miserably. Timlin has been somewhat overworked due to this inbalance. The Red Sox will probably plug Arroyo into Embree's set-up position but I think we need more help. Weirdly enough, Mike Stanton has a lower ERA this season and he was just released by the Yankees.

Situational Lefty - Mike Myers - 60 Appearances, 2.76 ERA, 32.2 IP, .227 Opponents BA (lefties only), 4 Holds

Myers has done his job very well and has given us the ability to get out tough lefties late in the game in tough situations.

Middle Releif - John Halama - 54 Appearances, 5.71 ERA, 82 IP, 2-2
Middle Releif - Matt Mantei - 68 Appearances, 6.49 ERA, 52.2 IP, 2-0

Nobody in baseball has good middle releif and the Red Sox are no exception. Our middle releif is terrible. Hopefully Arroyo's presence in the bullpen can improve this situation somewhat.

There you have it, the Red Sox are in 1st place halfway through the season but there is much work to be done. The Yankees are looking better and we still can't seem to beat Baltimore head-to-head.

ALL-STARS ALL COME UP SHORT

There's a reason why Roy Halladay is the best pitcher in the division, if not the league. Arroyo pitched well but it wasn't enough. The bullpen further added to the hopelessness of the situation.

Halladay's brilliance was very well demonstrated in the 1st inning. Damon and Renteria led the game off for the Red Sox with some basehits. Halladay fell behind in the count to Ortiz. Every single pitch was low and away but was in such a spot that it was either close to being a strike, or was tempting to swing at. Ortiz fouled off a few pitches and the count was full. Ortiz has good numbers against Halladay with 9 extra basehits in 46 at-bats before the game. Halladay was not going to allow Ortiz to clear the bases with a double or hit a homerun. He knew if he walked Ortiz, no-one would score. The only thing Ortiz could get was an oppositte field single that could score only Damon. Halladay believed in himself and his pitching enough to allow a run. He knew he could let Ortiz knock 1 in, then get 3 outs without allowing many more. He was right. Ortiz got his single to left field scoring Damon. With runners on the corners Halladay fooled Manny Ramirez and got him to pop out. Nixon then grounded into an inning ending double play.

The Red Sox threatened later in the game but Halladay was able to bear down when he really needed to. He never got his pitch count up. The bullpen allowing 2 runs in the 8th almost helped us win the game. If it were still 3-1, Halladay probably would have been out to at least start the 9th.

The Man of the Game is, of course, Roy Halladay. He went 8 allowing only 1 earned run against the best offense in baseball. He only gave up 5 hits, a pair of walks, and struck out 6. He only had to throw 101 pitches and easily could have gone the full 9.

The Bitch-Goat shall be divided thusly:
Arroyo: 0.1 - 8 IP, 3 ER
Embree: 0.2 - 0.2 IP, 2 ER
Timlin: 0.1 - 0.1 IP, Triple
Ramirez: 0.2 - 0 for 3, K, 2 LOB
Nixon: 0.2 - 0 for 3, 2 LOB, GIDP with 2 on in 1st, Fly Out not deep enough to score a run with bases loaded and 0 out in the 6th
Bellhorn: 0.2 - 0 for 4, 3 Ks, 1 pitch pop-out in 9th

ALL-STAR TEAMS ANNOUNCED
Four Red Sox will be starting for the AL, the Cardinals have 6 representatives on the NL team. Here are the starters:

American League:
C - Jason Varitek - Boston Red Sox
1B - Mark Teixeira - Texas Rangers
2B - Brian Roberts - Baltimore Orioles
3B - Alex Rodriguez - New York Yankees
SS - Miguel Tejada - Baltimore Orioles
OF - Manny Ramirez - Boston Red Sox
OF - Johnny Damon - Boston Red Sox
OF - Vladimir Guerrero - Los Angeles Angels
DH - David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox

National League:
C - Mike Piazza - New York Mets
1B - Derrek Lee - Chicago Cubs
2B - Jeff Kent - Los Angeles Dodgers
3B - Scott Rolen - St. Louis Cardinals (WTF, mate?)
SS - David Eckstein - St. Louis Cardinals
OF - Carlos Beltran - New York Mets
OF - Jim Edmonds - St. Louis Cardinals
OF - Bobby Abreu - Philadelphia Phillies
DH - To Be Determined, my guess is Albert Pujols

Seven of the 9 AL starters are from the AL East. Half of the NL starters are from the NL Central. The team with the best record in baseball, the Chicago White Sox, might not have a starter in the game. Nor might the NL East leading Nationals.

Here are the full rosters.

NICE REBOUND

Despite David Wells getting squeezed by home plate umpire Larry Poncino, and then unexpectedly ejected by 2nd place umpire Chris Guccione which was baffling because Wells turned away from home plate precisely to avoid an incident and ejection. Then he gets tossed by Guccione. The bullpen was able to come through with 2.1 scoreless innings.

The Man of the Game is Manny Ramirez who went 2 for 5 with the game winning 2 run homerun.

The Sox face a difficult challenge tomorrow in Roy Halladay.

SOX CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE

Just an absolutely terrible display of baseball. I suppose Clement was due for a rough start. But the bullpen was unable to keep the Blue Jays at bay, and the offense was impotent. There's no other way to put it.

The Man of the Game is Reed Johnson who came into the game as a pinch hitter. He went 2 for 6 with a game breaking Grand Slam off Myers.

The Bitch-Goat shall be divided thusly:
Halama: 0.1 - 2 IP, ER
Clement: 0.4 - 5.2 IP, 8 ER
Myers: 0.2 - 0.0 IP, ER, GS
Mantei: 0.2 - 0.1 IP, 5 ER
Ramirez: 0.1 - 0 for 3, 4 LOB

I think we've worn down Myers and Timlin just a bit. Last night was the only pitching matchup that was in our favor. Today is Chacin vs. Wells, tommorrow is Halladay vs. Arroyo. The Red Sox may be fortunate to take 1 from Toronto. It's amazing how much of a manic-depressive I am when it comes to the Sox.

DISSAPOINTING START TO HOMESTAND

Wednesday's win was a necesary one. It was made necesary because of two bad losses the days before. Monday's loss was embarassing and Tuesday's was painful.

The Man of the Game on Monday is Kevin Millwood who went 6 scoreless innings allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 6.

The Bitch-Goat shall be divided thusly:
Arroyo: 0.4 - 6.2 IP, 7 R, 5 ER
Bellhorn: 0.1 - Error
Mueller: 0.1 - 0 for 3
Varitek: 0.1 - 0 for 3
Millar: 0.1 - 0 for 3
Nixon: 0.1 - 0 for 4
Ramirez: 0.1 - 0 for 4

I had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing Tuesday's loss first hand. This was just a bad game for several players. Miller didn't pitch well, Timlin didn't do well either, and Foulke had one of the worst outings I've seen him have. Renteria had 2 errors to go along with his 1 for 4 day.

The Man of the Game is Travis Hafner who went 3 for 5 with a walk, a pair of doubles, and a Grand Slam Homerun. He knocked in 6 men and scored twice.

The Bitch-Goat shall be divided thusly:
Timlin: 0.1 - 1.2 IP, 2 ER (allowed by Foulke to score)
Miller: 0.1 - 5.2 IP, 5 ER
Foulke: 0.8 - 1.2 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, HR

More on Foulke later.

The Sox were able to put it all together on Wednesday, thankfully. A nice start from Wakefield, solid bullpen work, and timely hitting combined for a nice 5-2 victory to avoid the sweep.

The Man of the Game is Tim Wakefield who went 7 and gave up 2 runs. He has been our best pitcher the past 2 weeks I'd say.

BOLSTERING THE BULLPEN
We can beat Philadelphia and the other mediocre teams in the Majors with our bullpen in its current state of disarray. However, I don't think we can win the World Series with the pen composed as it is. I think that we can improve it three ways.

1: Bronson Arroyo as a set-up man.
Arroyo is very good in the bullpen. I think he could be a good set-up pitcher and replace Allan Embree. I know Embree is a lefty, but he has never been that outstanding against lefthanded hitting since coming to Boston. Arroyo is not very good against lefties, but with Myers out there able to get out the tough lefties like Matsui, I don't think we should worry that much if Arroyo is our set-up pitcher.

2: Foulke taken out of the closers role.
On Wednesday, Francona used Timlin in a save situation. He wasn't lights out, but he got the job done. The simple fact of the matter is that Foulke has been less than what he should be as a closer. In save situations, his ERA is over 11. In non-save situations, it is around 2. I think until he can consistently throw the fastball at 88-90, Foulke should be relegated to a set-up role and Timlin should close. Timlin has closed in the past. He's recorded a save every year of his career except for 2002. He has 117 career saves. Foulke has 189. Timlin had 31 saves for the 4th place Blue Jays in 1996, had 10 between Toronto and Seattle in 97, had 19 for the Mariners in 1998, 27 in 1999 for Baltimore, and 12 in 2000 between the Orioles and Cardinals. He isn't a long term solution at closer, but I think he can throw half a season at the position and releive Foulke of some pressure while he tries to get his mechanics back.

3: Outside help.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Red Sox need to add some guys out there. I think Danys Baez would be perfect and could close games. If the Indians fall off, Bob Wickman would be a good candidate for the same job. The Yankees just released two pitchers who have had good careers out of the pen but have struggled this season. Paul Quantrill could be a decent hit-or-miss acquisition and in my mind could be just as good as Matt Mantei as a middle releiver.

SCHILLING JUST FINE IN REHAB START

5 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 3 K, 78 pitches, 54 strikes

Schilling will face Charlotte again on Monday in Pawtucket (it's sold out already) if there are no problems recovering from this start. Schilling left with a 3-1 lead but the PawSox pen couldn't hold it and Pawtucket lost 5-4.

CNN/SI Story

If his July 4th rehab start goes well, he can either make another one on Saturday against the Sky Chiefs in Syracuse, or come back to the rotation and start against Baltimore the weekend before the All-Star Break.

CELTICS WITH A VERY GREEN DRAFT
The Celtics didn't make any moves the day of the draft. They were patient and watched and waited as a very good player fell to them at 18. Gerald Green out of a Texas academy was projected as the 3rd to 7th overrall pick but he fell to us at 18th overrall. He was ranked by ESPN as the #1 shooting guard in the draft and the best high schooler as well. I think he'll fit in well with the youngsters on the team. But I also think we need a veteran leader on the team to keep the younger players in line. I love Pierce, but he isn't the leader we need.

The Celtics got Ryan Gomes out of Providence College with the 20th pick of the 2nd round (50th overrall). Three picks later they got Guard Orien Greene out of Louisianna-Lafayette. Overall it looks like a good draft. I still don't think we're contenders for an NBA title, but in 3 or 4 years, we very well might be.

RED SOX HOTTER THAN THE WEATHER

It got up to 100 degrees up here in south suburban Boston, but down I-95 in Philly, the Red Sox are about 1,000 degrees right now.

They rolled into Philadelphia 1/2 game behind Baltimore for the lead in the AL East. They come back to Fenway 2 1/2 up on the O's.

Saturday's game was a bit of a joke as I predicted it would be. The Sox got ahead early and Clement was able to combine with Mantei, Myers, and Foulke to keep the Phillies offense down. I have some more in depth stuff on Saturday's game, mainly criticisms of Tim McCarver and Joe Buck, but these will come in the next post. Plus some random thoughts

Saturday's Man of the Game is Matt the Missile Clement who went 7 innings allowing 1 earned run off 7 hits and 0 walks. He struck out 4 and had a walk at the plate.

Sunday was a more interesting game. There are two people on this team that do not belong, in my mind. They are Ramon Vazquez and Allan Embree. Vazquez brings nothing to this team. He isn't fast, isn't a good hitter, and defensively he is average at best. I'd rather see Bellhorn playing short and Youkilis at 2nd than Vazquez at short. Theo needs to go out and get a good middle infielder though.

Embree is just a waste. Why is he coming into a 3 run game? Why does he come into any game? It seems like every other time he pitches, the complexity of the game somehow changes. That isn't a good thing. We can beat teams like Cleveland and Philly with a struggling Embree. But we might not be able to win in a short series in October against great teams.

The bats were able to save the bullpen though. The top of the 8th was a perfect demonstration of the danger the Red Sox present to opponent's pitching. Damon bunts a single, Bellhorn hits a double to knock Damon in, Ortiz with an infield single moving Bellhorn to 3rd, Manny with a SAC Fly to center, Nixon beats out a double play, Tek homers. Two infield singles, a sac fly, a double, and a homer.

The Man of the Game is Mark Bellhorn. He stepped it up in the #2 spot and went 3 for 4. He had a solo HR, an RBI single, and an RBI double. He also walked once. He had 3 RBI and scored 4 times.

The Orioles lost Saturday and Sunday. The Yankees split their last two with the Mets.

WAKE LIFTS US UP WHERE WE BELONG

Sox win, O's lose to the Braves, Pedro and the Mets beat the Yankees in the Bronx. A great night for baseball. That is if you're a Red Sox, Braves, or Mets fan.

Is it safe to say Tim Wakefield is on one of those runs when he is practically unhittable? He hasn't given up an earned run in his last 22 innings pitched. The Phillies were fooled by Wake's knuckle ball and Lieber's profinity for giving up the long ball was demonstrated very well.

Doug Mirabelli showed once again that he is perhaps the best backup catcher in baseball. Re-signing him last off season may have been one of the best subtle decisions Theo made. He is great at catching Wakefield. Wake started this run in a start against the Cubs that was Mirabelli's first start since coming off the DL. He can hit too. He can hit very well. And giving Varitek every 5th game off really seems to keep Tek fresh and may be part of the reason why Varitek has been able to hit so well.

David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are tearing it up 2003 style. A homerun from each tonight. Both played the field pretty well. Ortiz is definately a serviceable first basemen in the few interleague games we play. I wouldn't want him there every day but he isn't the crappy first baseman that Tim McCarver and Joe Buck made him out to be during the World Series.

The Man of the Game is easily Tim Wakefield. He went 8 innings allowing no runs, 2 hits, and 2 walks. He struck out 6 and went 1 for 2 at the plate with a single and a nice sacrifice bunt.

Someone posted a comment about the Sox not being in an extra inning game all season. The previous record for consecutive games to start a season without extra innings was 69 set by the 2002 White Sox. The Sox have gone 72. The record for most consecutive non-extra inning games in a season is 128 and was set by the 1936 St. Louis Browns (now the Orioles.) I didn't do any legitimate research on this topic, I just happened upon it in this Boston Globe article. Francona bad mouthing Philly cheese-steaks is kind of funny. I never saw the big deal with them. Mixing beef with cheese doesn't seem like much of an innovation. Now Buffalo wings, that's a great concept with that sauce. Plus they're versatile. You can have 3 for a snack or 18 for a big meal.

The Orioles pitching struggles continued as they lost 7-5 to the Atlanta Braves. The Red Sox are 1/2 game ahead of them. This is the first time all season that the Red Sox are in first place.

QUEINE ES TU PAPI? PEDRO MARTINEZ ES TU PAPI!

After dumping 3 of 4 to the lowly D-Rays, the Yankees struggles continued. Pedro went 8 innings, and allowed only 2 runs off 6 hits and 2 walks. He only struck out 3 but he kept his pitch count down and handed it over to the bullpen in the 9th. Then the bullpen nearly handed it over to the Yankees.

Just a random thought I had:
Those Philly ball girls were pretty cute. Perhaps the Red Sox should look into giving shorts for the ball girls to wear in the summer. I just want them to be comfortable sitting in the summer heat. It's not like I wanna see some more skin. *Wink suggestively*