JV RED SOX LET ONE GO

Kevin Millar may lead the team in one stat: fewest days off. How come he plays yet Manny, Tek, Damon, and Renteria all sit? Inexcusable lineup from Francona.

What the hell was Trot Nixon thinking when he got picked off from 1st base? Bob Lobell is right, if Manny had done that, he'd get toasted. But people in this town have a Trot Nixon fetish and totally excuse anything stupid that he does.

CLUBHOUSE FALLING APART?
There's a few stories and rumors that have been circulating recently. They all seem to point towards a fair amount of dissension in the Red Sox clubhouse. We all knew Payton was unhappy, and that situation has been dealt with. We all know Foulke was pissed at anyone not praising his tremendous 4 blown saves but now he's had surgery and will hopefully be back to form in 6 weeks. But now, we have Damon being the Assistant Manager. We have Millar complaining about, of all things, playing time. And then we have Clement pissed about not making the All-Star team.

This might be understandable if the team was in last place. But they're in first and having these problems?

Damon:
You are not a Major League manager. It is not your place to come out and say shit about your teammate, esepcially a guy like Schilling that has defended everyone from Pedro to Manny to Foulke to Edgar. You're a self-proclaimed idiot, so don't think you have the managerial sense that a manager has.

Millar:
How the hell could you of all people be bitching about playing time? You have 4 homeruns in a power position. You're batting .271. You're slugging .378. You're getting paid $3.5 million. That's about $100,000 for every extra base hit you're on pace to get. Or $50,000 for every RBI you're on pace to get. You play your position terribly, especially compared to your competition, John Olerud. You didn't hit well in the 2003 playoffs or last year's playoffs. You spout off on WEEI about what you bring to the clubhouse. All you bring is a bottle of Jack Daniels and a tissue to whipe your tears with when a superior player is put in the lineup instead of you.

If you want playing time, Kev, you could go to Japan. You should be grateful the Red Sox broke tradition and claimed you. They brought you to a town that loves you, brought you to a great team that won a World Series, and now you're complaining about a guy who is a better hitter and a better fielder taking some time away from you? Grow the F--- up, Kevin! This team can win without you and if you were as great of a clubhouse guy as you claim you are, you'd be happy.

You're lucky to be playing pro ball, to be playing in this town and on this team. If you want playing time, go play for some 3rd place team in front of 17,000 people every night.

Clement:
There are greater tragedies in life than missing an All-Star game. If you expect your manager to choose you over someone else just cuz you've been on his team for half a year, think again. Tito deserves some credit for the way he selected the team, based on the better players, not the cap on the head. You also started off pretty slow to begin the season.

Payton:
This guy was the only player who had a right to beef. He made it clear he wanted to be traded. He never chose to come here. He still performed when he had a chance. And we got something for him. Good luck to Jay Payton.

I FEAR A COLLAPSE
I just have a bad, bad feeling about the next few weeks of baseball. All this clubhouse crap, Schilling having another poor rehab outing and looking as heavy as David Wells. Renteria still not hitting, Millar still getting playing time. Playing Baltimore and New York. Ugh.

RED SOX MAKE MOVES, FRANCONA REVERTS TO SPRING TRAINING MINDSET

With all the news coming out of London today, I didn't do any sports news reading today. I turn on the Red Sox game so I can take a little break from serious stuff and Alex Cora is in the midst of striking out. Then Bill Mueller comes up.

Tito has decided to rest Jason Varitek, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, and Edgar Renteria all on the same night. Now, I know Baltimore is struggling. I know the Rangers were assholes and didn't give us a few extra hours to fly to Baltimore by scheduling an afternoon game, and I know they're all beaten and bruised. However, to rest $44 million worth of player including the team Captain, the leadoff hitter, and the team leader in RBI all on the same day is aboslutely ludicrous.

The situation is worsened by the lack of Jay Payton (couldn't we have hung onto him for an extra day?) who was designated for assignment and will either be traded or released in the enxt 10 days. The situation is worsened by the fact that Wells is pitching with his 4.92 ERA. The situation is worsened because we only have 1 or 2 consistent bullpen pitchers to throw the 3 or 4 innings that will be required after Wells goes 5 or 6. The situation is worsened because this is the 2nd place team in our division and we have an opportunity to knock them out of the divisional race, knock them out of getting anyone at the trade deadline.

The Red Sox got Alex Cora, which I think is a good move considering that Ramon Vazquez has contributed nothing. However, to bat him in the leadoff spot against a divisional contender in his first game with a new team might be a bit too much for a backup infielder to handle.

The Red Sox activated Adam Stern and decided that today was the perfect game to try him out.

Francona seems to be giving up on this game before it starts. Yet, he still hasn't put Youkilis in there!!! I hate this BS about playing guys that have "earned" their playing time simply by being around baseball for a longer time.

If the Red Sox win this game, I'll be surprised. I think this series, if it doesn't go well for us, will give the Orioles alot of momentum and positivity going into the All-Star break.

SOX TAKE TWO IN TEXAS

Monday's game was dissapointing to say the least. Hopefully Foulke's struggles are simply the product of a knee injury. Perhaps Boston Dirt Dogs was correct. Probably just a lucky guess on their part.

The Man of the Game Monday is Mark Teixeira. He went 2 for 3 with a double, 2 walks, 2 Runs and an RBI.

The Bitch-Goat shall be divided thusly:
Wade Miller: 0.1 - 6 IP, 3 R, 2 ER
Mike Timlin: 0.2 - 0.2 IP, ER
Keith Foulke: 0.7 - 0.1 IP, 2 ER

Tuesday was slightly nicer. Timlin got his 2nd save of the season as Foulke was a few hundred miles away from the mound, where he belongs until he rights himself.

The Man of the Game is a somewhat non-traditional choice for this game. I'm going to go with Ron Mehe. I know Wake had 8 innings, but he struggled in those last few and had some pretty loud outs. I know Manny moved into 2nd place all-time with his 20th Grand Slam, but it was his only hit of the game. Mehe came in after Chirs Young struggled mightily. The Red Sox were rallying in the 3rd when Mehe came in. He struck out Olerud and Mirabelli. He went 3.2 innings allowing 1 hit, no walks, and striking out 5. Had the Rangers been able to rally, he would have been the prime reason for their success.

The Man of the Game for Wednesday's 7-4 victory is Matt Clement who got 26 outs going 8.2 innings, scattering 9 hits and striking out 9.

BULLPEN BY COMMITTEE: PART DEUX
It looks like until Schilling gets back, the Red Sox will be sharing the closing role. Timlin has closed in the past and Francona was perfectly willing to use Embree last night. Myers could go against some lefthanders. Hell, Clement won't be starting until after the All-Star game so maybe he could close late in the Baltimore series.

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.