Red Sox @ Marlins Preview

Beckett will be getting his first start against this former team, but I really don't give a shit abotu that. What I do care about is the Red Sox are sliding again, and are 2 games under .500. Beckett, 2-2 with a 2.21 ERA in his last five starts, will next get to face a Miami team that's been outscored 43-10 during an 0-6 start to its homestand.

Going against Beckett is Josh Johnson. Johnson had a tough start to the year, but is 3-1 with a 2.95 ERA over his last six start. What is really going to be interesting is to see what kind of lineup the Red Sox throw out there. Youk hasn't been playing well, so I think I would site him play Middlebooks at 3rd, put Ortiz at 1st and A-Gon in the RF. They need a good lineup out there, because they haven't been hitting real well.

I don't have a good feeling about this game. The Sox are playing like shit, and I just don't trust Beckett.

Marlins win 7-3
Player of the Game: Johnson
Game starts at 7:10pm

Nationals Sweep Sox

The good news is the Sox only have 9 more games against teams from the Maryland/DC part of the country (they're 3-9 against the Orioles and Nationals). The bad news is, the Sox are below .500 again, their offense has cooled off, their bullpen looks shaky again, they can't seem to win at home (14-19 in Fenway), they're 6 games behind the Rays, 5 games out of the Wild Cards (with three teams to leapfrog over), and the Yankees are red hot.

At least the weather's been nice lately.

There is one other piece of good news, and that's the starting pitching. Jon Lester struck out 9 yesterday in a very typical Jon Lester start. He went 7 innings, allowed 3 runs, and gave the Sox a very good chance to win the game. If only they could get a hit with runners in scoring position. Which they didn't. The Sox were 0 for 8 with RISP.

David Ortiz provided the only real offense. He was 3 for 4 with a double and a homerun. The other 2 Sox runs came from groundouts. Dustin Pedroia grounded into a fielder's choice in the 3rd and Scott Podsednik had an RBI groundout in the 7th to tie the game at 3-3. Podsednik has been decent with the Sox, who lately seem to be able to find productive outfielders with their eyes closed. He's hitting .368.

Unfortunately, Alfredo Aceves blew another game. He gave up a 2 out RBI double to Roger Bernadina. Aceves went on a nice run in the middle of May, but since blowing a save against Tampa Bay on May 27th, he's 0-3, and has allowed 7 runs in 9 innings. He does not appear to be a steady, reliable Major League closer.

Jonathan Papelbon has converted 16 of 16 save opportunities and has a 2.22 ERA.

When David Ortiz called a player's meeting a month ago, part of what was discussed was that the starting pitchers need to pull their weight. They've been doing that. Lester was good yesterday. Daisuke wasn't bad (especially for a rehab start) on Saturday. Buchholz was brilliant last Thursday. Beckett was great last Wednesday. The Sox only won 1 of these games.

Now it's the lineup's turn to pull some weight. Ortiz can't do it all. Pedroia is in a 3 for 24 (.125) slump since returning from his thumb injury. Adrian Gonzalez is slugging .419, about .100 lower than he should be expected to slug. Kevin Youkilis did well when he first returned from the DL, now he's in a 4 for 25 (.160) drought. Will Middlebrooks hasn't had an extra-base hit since May.

Hopefully a trip to Miami can help turn things around. The Marlins are in 4th place, and Beckett is on the mound for the Sox tonight. He might need to hit a few homeruns to give himself a reasonable amount of run support. He faces 3-4 Josh Johnson. Adrian Gonzalez is 4 for 11 in his career against Johnson, so maybe he'll get a few hits tonight.

-The Captain

Red Sox 7, Orioles 0

The Sox, having lost 3 straight, needed a good start from Buchholz and some production from their offense. They got both. Buchholz went the distance, allowing 4 hits, only walking 1, striking out 6, and shutting out the Orioles.

Over his last three starts, Buchholz has pitched 24 innings and allowed 4 runs (1.50 ERA). He's striking batters out, he's getting them to ground out (he induced 3 double play balls last night), he's finally pitching as well as his 6-2 record suggests he can pitch. He's no longer a worry in the rotation.

Brian Matusz struggled to throw strikes, and the Sox took advantage. They drew 5 walks off him. And were up 4-0 by the time he was pulled in the 3rd. If anything, they could have scored more runs off him. But I'll take the 7 runs and the win.

Nava and Gonzalez each knocked in 2 runs. Pedroia and Youkilis each had an RBI.

This was the first time the Sox beat the Orioles in Fenway Park since September 19, 2011. Brian Matusz got the loss that night as well. I'm glad that shameful streak is over.

The good news is that the Sox didn't fall below .500. And the great news is that Buchholz is pitching extremely well. Right now, I'd say that Buchholz is the best pitcher in the rotation, with Beckett a close second. Doubront would be a solid third. If Lester could get going, then the Sox could start to scare opponents. Beckett, Buchholz, and Lester all at their best are quite formidable. Add Doubront's solidity, then Daisuke's potential to be a quality 4/5 guy, and the sky is the limit.

The Sox bats will be challenged this weekend as the 1st place Washington Nationals come to Fenway. Doubront faces 6-1 Stephen Strasburg tonight.. Strasburg has a 2.35 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. Although he has had a shaky May.

-The Captain

Orioles @ Red Sox Preview

It's happening again. The Red Sox are sliding. This is exactly what Rob was talking about, and exactly what they can't afford to do. These nice little winning streaks they go on are nice, but it doesn't end up meaning anything if they end up sliding on a losing streak a couple weeks later.

Baltimore has already proven they can handle Buchholz, who has allowed 10 runs in nine innings over two starts against Baltimore this year. He has been pitching between (2 ERs over last two starts 15 innings), so hopefully he is turning the corner. It would be huge for this team if he has.

Brian Matusz is pitching for the Orioles, and he has actually been pretty good against the Red Sox in his career with a 3-1 record and a 3.58 ERA. Matusz has a really tough start to the year, but has seemed to have found the stuff that made him such a prized prospect. He has not let up more then 3 runs in any of his last 5 starts, including a 6 1/3 1 ER 9 Ks outing against the Red Sox.

I don't like this matchup. I don't like the way the SOx are playing, and I don't like they finding their groove against a lefty who is pitching very well.

Orioles win 7-4
Player of the Game: Hardy
Game starts at 7:10pm

Carl Crawford Back By End Of Month?

I was shocked listening to Buster Olney on WEEI today. He is a guy I have a lot of respect for, and when he says something it's not like he is pulling it out of his ass, so when he said...

"I think Crawford is making a lot of progress," Olney said. "In fact, based on what I heard today, I think there's a good chance that he's going to be back by the end of the month. He's right on the cusp of really ramping up his throwing program, he's hitting, he's doing all the other stuff. And let's face it, at some point, if the Red Sox figure that he's throwing well enough just to even throw to a cutoff man, you go with it. Because he's playing in Fenway, there's not a lot required, you don't necessarily have to have him throwing at full speed. We've seen a lot of teams through the years will hide a guy with an arm issue out in left field. So, if they get to the point I think with Carl where they're even 75 percent of what he usually does, I think they'll probably be in a position where they can tell him, 'Hey, we'll put you in the lineup because you're hitting, you're running and you're doing all the other things that we hope you can do for us."

That's great news that he could be back soon, yet somehow it doesn't make me feel any better. If his elbow is still an issue then he shouldn't comeback. Actually I disagree with Olney (and the Red Sox if they are thinking the same). The Red Sox should wait till he is 100%. He is here for a long time, and we have had to deal with all these nagging injuries. We don't need Crawford from last year back, we need Crawford from Tampa back. The best shot at getting that Crawford back is getting him back 100%.

Daisuke Starting Saturday in Boston, Bard Starting Friday in Pawtucket

Daisuke Matsuzaka will be back in Boston just about a year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He last pitched for the Red Sox in May of 2011. He's made six rehab starts, totaling 37 innings. He had a 3.65 ERA, 31 hits, 9 walks, and 30 strikeouts. He also had high pitch counts. His final rehab outing lasted 2 innings (it had been scheduled for 3) on Tuesday. He threw 40 pitches.

On Saturday, he'll face 7-2 Gio Gonzalez and the Washington Nationals. Even though the Nats are in 1st place, their offense isn't very good. 26th in runs scored. And thankfully for Daisuke, 22nd in OBP, and 14th in walks.

With most pitchers, some things to watch in their first start back are throwing strikes, working with rhythm, being efficient, keeping people off the bases, is their fastball fast and their curveball curving. Of course, Daisuke is not most pitchers. He can have a good start and walk 8 batters.

What should we expect from Daisuke? Frankly (and not surprisingly), my expectations are low. This is a guy who was brilliant for two years (33-15, 3.72 ERA his first two seasons), then ugly for two (16-15, 5.03 ERA). Any other starting pitcher developed normally in the minors would have been dismissed as a flash-in-the-pan that was figured out by MLB hitters, and couldn't cut it in the Majors. But since Daisuke did so well in the quadruple-A equivalent Japanese League, he still is expected to do well over here.

Negativity aside, there is at least potential for him to be good. We've seen it. And if he's not good, he can at least be serviceable, pitching 5 innings (with a 120 pitch count), and giving the Sox a chance to win. That's more than can be said for Daniel Bard, who Daisuke will replace in the rotation.

Bard will be making a start in AAA Pawtucket on Friday, as the PawSox face the Indianapolis Indians (who are the Pirates' AAA affiliate). Although it is technically a start, he will not be working as a traditional starter. His appearances will be short. The Red Sox claim that this is so he can focus on getting himself "back to being an elite pitcher." That's what Ben Cherington said. This minor league stint is about Bard getting back "on track."

In other words, Bard will be pitching short outings until he's shown the quality we've seen from him in the past. If he does well and Matsuzaka struggles, Bard can return to the rotation and give starting another go. If Matsuzaka settles in, then Bard can return as a reliever.

The Sox are being very diplomatic with how they're discussing Bard. They don't want to crush his confidence. They need Bard to fix his problems before he can return as a reliever or a starter. Matsuzaka gives them an easy way to be kind to Bard and say "We have 5 starters already, but we need your quality in the pen." It's sort of like a girl saying "let's just be friends." You don't feel quite so bad if she's already got a boyfriend.

-The Captain

2 Orioles, 1 Red Sox

It was fun being over .500, but now we are right back there after a 2-1 loss.

You can't knock Josh Beckett's game, he had 8 innings, lets up 5 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk and 5 Ks with only 92 pitches. That's everything you would want from this scumbag. His ERA has steadily dropped and is just a tick over 4 and is probably the Sox best pitcher. With Lester being inconsistent, Buchholz being awful, Doubront doing his damn thing, and Ace K coming back Saturday, we need him to put in starts like this.

I hate the Adrian in the outfield thing. He gets pinch run for way too early in the game, last night in the 7th and I just hate getting rid of the best bat early. It came back to bite us in the ass in the 8th when his replacement, Scotty Pods came up with 2 people on base and failed to drive in runs.

We need to really figure out the Youkilis situation because as much as he's a good player, he may be hurting us more than helping us.

Orioles @ Red Sox Preview

The Orioles look to win their seventh straight game at Fenway Park for the first time in their history Wednesday night when they go up against Josh Beckett, after beating them last night in the 10th inning. Beckett is looking to bounce back after giving up a shit load of hits last night out. I expect he does bounce back as it is rare for him to go long stretches without a good outing, but that is basically nothing more than a guess on my part. Beckett scares me a lot now, he doesn't throw as hard, so if he isn't paint the corners and locating well he can get lit up quick.

Going against Beckett is Wei-Yin Chen. Wei-Yin Chen (4-2, 3.75) was knocked around for five runs and five hits in the first inning against the Rays on Friday. He ended up calming down and doing pretty well after that, but he has an ERA of 7.31 ERA in his last 3 starts. The Sox were able to put 4 runs up against him in 5 innings last time they faced him. I expect the Sox to be able to score 4-5 runs off this starter, so the question is really what Beckett we get tonight. Sorry, I just don't trust him right now.

Orioles win 7-6
Player of the Game: JJ Hardy
Game starts at 7:10 pm

Bard to Minors, What Should the Sox Do With Him?

The Sox sent Daniel Bard to AAA Pawtucket yesterday, activating Darnell McDonald off the DL. In Bard's last start, he only managed to go 1.2 innings, allowing 5 runs off 6 walks and a homerun. In 55 innings, he's walked 37, struck out 34, and has an ERA of 5.24 and a WHIP of 1.62. As a reliever last year, he had a 3.33 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. He only walked 24 in 73 innings.

It's not working for him as a starter. Everyone knows it. Even him. He wants to work out his problems up here in Boston. The Sox want him to work them out in Pawtucket. Frankly, the Sox can't afford his struggles anymore. It's June, the Sox are one game over .500, they're trying to go on a run to separate themselves from the tightly packed AL East. Now's not the time for Bard to work out his problems in games that count in the standings.

I think the Sox know that the starting experiment is over. They won't come out and say it publicly. But their plan for Bard in Pawtucket involves him throwing some 2 inning stints. Doesn't that sound like they'll be converting him to a reliever?

If they really wanted him to continue to start, they might have sent him down to Fort Myers to pitch some simulated games, to focus entirely on his mechanics and not worry about getting hitters out.

Meanwhile, Bard will likely be replaced in the rotation by Matsuzaka. And if Matsuzaka pitches well, and if Buchholz continues to pitch well, the Sox can tell Bard that there's no more room in the rotation, so he might as well go to the pen. If Matsuzaka falters, or another starter gets hurt, the Sox can continue to tinker with Bard.

The Sox are saying that Bard is dropping his arm slot, and that's affecting his performance. Sounds reasonable. I'm not a pitching coach. All I know is that his fastball is slower, he's not pitching to contact, and he only has 2 of his 3 pitches working on any given night. If he can solve those problems, he can start. But maybe those problems are always going to be unsolvable for Bard. Some pitchers just aren't meant to be starters. The Sox tried to make him one when he was first drafted. It didn't work. Too many walks. It's not working now, either.

The Sox bullpen isn't as good as people think it is. There is room for Bard out there. In 2 weeks, the Sox will have an idea what Matsuzaka can give them. They'll also know which relievers they want to keep and which one they're willing to let go. Bard can work on his mechanics, and maybe he'll figure it all out and return to the rotation in glory. More likely, he'll return to the bullpen where he's thrived in the past.

-The Captain

Yankees Outdo Red Sox in Soccer

Liverpool FC will be playing AS Roma at Fenway Park on July 25th. The Sox owners also own Liverpool so it makes sense. However, the Yankees recently announced that they'll be hosting a pair of soccer games, and both of them blow Fenway's out of the water.

On July 22 in Yankee Stadium, Chelsea FC (recently crowned European Champions) will play Paris St. Germain (PSG). PSG finished second in the French league, and will be playing in next season's Champions League. So will Chelsea, who finished 6th in England, but are still one of the most popular teams in the world, loaded with star talent.

On August 8th, Yankee Stadium hosts an even bigger game. Real Madrid are playing AC Milan. Real Madrid won the Spanish league (for the 32nd time), and have won the Champions League 9 times. AC Milan finished 2nd in the Italian league, have won that league 18 times, and have won the Champions League 7 times.

All four teams the Yankees host will be in the 2012-13 Champions' League.

Meanwhile, Fenway Park will host the 8th place English team, and the 7th place Italian team. Neither team will be in the Champions League or any other European competition. The two teams combined to win 30 games, lose 28, and draw 18.

Why care so much about soccer teams and exhibition games? Because it's another example of how big a world the Fenway Sports Group entered into when they bought Liverpool. They're out of their element.

Real Madrid is worth over three times as much as Liverpool, $1.877 billion compared to $619 million (Source: Forbes). Real Madrid and AC Milan combined are worth $2.866 billion, while Liverpool and AS Roma are together worth $973 million.

The Red Sox and Liverpool will both make some money when Liverpool comes to town, but the on field product isn't nearly as exciting or as enticing or as profitable as the giants that will be playing down at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees aren't attached to a mediocre English team. They can invite the best teams from Europe to play. And that will attract fans who will pay lots of money to see them play.

Liverpool is a 2nd rate team in danger of becoming 3rd rate. Fenway Sports Group was a big fish in a small pond when they bought Liverpool. But now they're in a much larger ocean. And the sharks are much bigger.

-The Captain

Orioles 8, Red Sox 6 (10 Inn)

Lester was good, not great, but good enough. The Sox scored a few runs. But the bullpen blew it. Twice. Atchison laid an egg in the 7th. Then Aceves lost it in the 10th.

The bullpen is one part of this team that I have almost no confidence in. There are some good hitters on this team, and the role players have exceeded expectations. And the starting pitching has potential to improve. But the pen is worrisome. They're just not reliable, not trustworthy.

Alfredo Aceves has been put into a role that he didn't expect to be in. And he hasn't done well. He was a life-saver for the Sox last year. But relievers are notoriously inconsistent from year to year. Maybe this role is too uncomfortable for Aceves. Maybe he won't be very good in any role. All I know is he has a 5.02 ERA, 3 losses, and 3 blown saves.

The bullpen isn't a complete mess. But they are going to blow games like this, more than just occasionally.

Maybe Daniel Bard will wind up in the bullpen. I think that's the best place for him, and it's the best for the Sox. He can close, Aceves can set-up, and everyone else's workload gets lighter.

On the bright side, Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been a more than adequate player. It's nice to once again get offensive production from a catcher. It's sort of a bonus. He's hitting .279 (better than Adrian Gonzalez), he's slugging .593 (.186 more than Gonzalez), he hit his 11th homerun (7 more than Gonzalez), and knocked in his 27th RBI (2 less than Gonzalez). And unlike Gonzalez, he's getting big hits in important situations.

The Sox have lost two straight now, and 3 out of 5, so they can't let this snowball. Beckett is pitching tonight and it's his chance to stop a losing streak before it happens. The offense also has to remember how to get hits with runners in scoring position.

Beckett faces Wei-Yin Chen who is 4-2 with a decent 3.75 ERA. He's been very good this year at giving the Orioles a chance to win in his starts. If Beckett brings his A game, he can outclass Chen, even if Chen does well. If Beckett has his C game, it's all up to the Sox offense. And that bullpen.

-The Captain

Orioles @ Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox are 3 games out of first place and just 2 games behind the Orioles, who have lost 10 of their last 13 games. I think he all knew this would happen to Baltimore. They were overachieving but I did think their pitching would be their downfall, but lately it's been their hitting. The Orioles have scored 20 runs the last eight games while hitting .175 with runners in scoring position. That's kind of shocking with the lineup they have.

Tonight Lester is on the hill. He has pissed me off for the most part this year. I don't know what he will do tonight. He is 14-0 with 2.47 ERA against Baltimore in his career. Yet, he is 1-1 8.10 ERA in his last 3 starts, so like I said I don't know what he is going to do.

Jason Hammel is pitching for the Orioles he is 6-2 with a 3.06 ERA. He has been a nice surprise average almost a K an inning. He is 1-2 with a 5.34 ERA against the Red Sox in his career and he got beat up a bit last time out giving up four homers in 6 2/3 innings of a 4-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Wednesday.

Red Sox are the better team.

Red Sox win 7-5
Player of the Game: Ortiz
Game starts 7:10pm

Red Sox Get Pedroia Back Today

The plan is for Dustin Pedroia to return to the Red Sox' lineup Tuesday in the team's series-opener against the Orioles. Pedroia has been out since May 28th with a slight tear in his right thumb. He was struggling before the injury, which was something that was reaggravated. I think if he shows signs that he is still hurt the Red Sox should sit him. I would rather him miss a month, then get 75% of Pedroia the rest of the year.

Everyone will be keeping an eye on him, but hopefully this is just something that needed a couple days off and he can get back on track.

Reviewing The Sox Picks

The Sox had three of the first 37 picks in the first round and sandwich round and used them to select shortstop Deven Marrero No. 24 from Arizona State, lefthander Brian Johnson from the University of Florida at No. 31 and righty Pat Light from Monmouth University at No. 37.

Marrero profiles as a superb defender, but there are questions about his bat after his average plummeted from .397 as a freshman to .315 as a sophomore and .284 this season. CSNN

This is fine and dandy and my boy Kieth Law ranked him 13th overall, so having him at 24 is a relative steal, however, I see this as another defensive shortstop than struggles offensively. We already have that in Jose Inglesias, so the only hope that I'm hearing is that they catch magic again because the last ASU shortstop they drafted turned into Dustin Pedroia.

As for the pitchers:

Brian Johnson: Johnson is an athletic left-handed pitcher from the University of Florida who emerged as one of the top two-way players in the nation. In addition to pitching, he was a power-hitting first-base prospect who could have been drafted on that side of the ball as well. The 6-foot-3 21-year-old went 8-4 last season with a 3.56 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 86 innings. Johnson also pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod League last summer, striking out 19 batters and walking four in 14.2 innings to go along with a 4.30 ERA.

Featuring an 88-92 m.p.h. fastball and a solid four-pitch mix, he is considered a potential back of the rotation starter and a safer pick. Johnson also throws a slider, curveball and changeup, all of which he can throw for strikes and have potential to be quality pitches. ESPN

Nothing special here either.

37th overall: Pat Light, SP, Monmouth University

Light is a big right-handed pitcher who dominated competition this season with Monmouth University to the tune of a 2.40 ERA and 102 strikeouts over 101.1 innings. Attending high school in New Jersey, he’s one of the better prospects to come out of the Northeast this year.

Light’s best pitch is his fastball, which sits around 92-93 m.p.h. and hits up to 96. He was able to throw a ton of strikes with the pitch and only walked 16 batters this season. The fastball shows solid movement and Light is able to throw it on a downward plane consistently.

Again nothing that really sticks out to me. I mean Matt Light was good Patriot and his name sounds like that.

I mean these guys are years away, but none of these guys are sexy. I'm pretty sure Ben Cherington knows more than me. But I hate all these guys.

Red Sox Take 2 of 3 from Blue Jays

The experiment of Bard in the rotation has proven unsuccessful. He simply isn't a starter. And the culprit is the same thing that prevented him from being a starter when he was first drafted: bases on balls.

In 55 innings, he's walked 37 batters. He's struck out 34. Yesterday he threw 55 pitches. 24 were strikes. A good pitcher will throw twice as many strikes as balls (or better). But not Bard. When he's a starter, the walks pile up. And because he isn't throwing many strikes, so does the pitch count. It's the same problem that plagued him in 2007 in A ball. He's also hit 6 batters this year.

When Daisuke is ready to return, Bard needs to go to the bullpen. It simply is not working out for him in the rotation. At best, he's a #5 pitcher, giving you 180 mediocre innings. I'd rather have 80 quality innings from him out of the pen.

Apart from Bard's struggles, the Sox have been thriving. They've only lost 1 of their last 7 series. They're 16-7 since David Ortiz called a players only meeting after Beckett was shelled by the Indians on May 10th. They're still last in the AL East, but they're only 1.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot.

On Saturday, Felix Doubront had yet another Quality Start. He's now 6-2 and deservedly so. You really can't ask more from a 4/5 pitcher than that. Not to mention his ERA is 3.75.

And Clay Buchholz seems to have settled down. He went 8 innings Friday night, only allowing 2 runs. He struck out 7. That's two straight Quality Starts for Buchholz. He only has three on the season. He has a 2.40 ERA in his last two starts. 15 innings, 4 earned runs, not bad at all.

The Sox need to keep this momentum going. They can take advantage of a Baltimore team that's been struggling lately. They have today off. Then Lester faces 6-2 Jason Hammel on Tuesday.

-The Captain

Red Sox @ Blue Jays Preview

Red Sox lost last game, no problem it happens and they have been playing real well. The key is what Rob talks about often and that is not a streak. The Sox have a terrible problem where they play well for awhile, only to streak to the bottom again.

Not losing two in a row is going to be tough because the Sox have Clay Buchholz is on the mound. Buchholz (4-2, 7.19 ERA) allowed two runs and struck out a season-high six in seven innings Sunday, and that was against the Rays, so on paper there would be reason to think he is improving. I want to caution you here though. The Rays have been playing without some of their best hitters (Longoria, ect) and thus really aren't a great hitting team. If Buchholz pitches well tonight I will feel a lot better. If history has it's say he could have a good chance he is 7-3 with a 2.58 ERA in 11 starts against the Jays in his career (4-0 with a 1.32 ERA in his last five).

Going against Buchholz is Henderson Alvarez Alvarez is 0-2 with a 6.23 ERA in his last three starts overall, after posting an 0.82 ERA while winning his previous three outings. He is a good young talent, but one again is a guy who hasn't been playing well and the Sox should be able to take advantage of.

Wish I could pick the Red Sox tonight, but I just don't trust Clay yet, and the Jays are a team that can make things tough for him in a hurry, especially with the long ball.

Jays win 9-7
Player fo the Game: Colby Rasmus
Game starts at 7:07pm

Red Sox Actively Shopping Youk

Reports today are saying that the Red Sox have told MLB teams that they were going to trade Youk, and it seems like it's an ASAP type of scenario. Youk has hit .313 with a .903 OPS in nine games since returning from the disabled list, so he seems to be proving that he is healthy. Still he has a big contract that the Red Sox might have to eat some of if they want to get anything in return. There is at least some interest as the Phillies, Reds, Diamondbacks and possibly the Giants all seem to be fits and the Rangers, Dodgers and White Sox have all sent scouts to see him play.

I expect that he is traded in the next 2-3 weeks, as Middlebrooks I think has proved he is big league ready and the Red Sox really don't want to have to keep playing Gonzo in the OF.

Another Strong Start For Dice-K

Daisuke Matsuzaka, back in the Pawtucket rotation after receiving a cortisone injection a little more than a week ago, had his second straight outing in which he gave up almost nothing. After allowing just one hit in 5 shutout innings on Saturday, Dice-K allowed just two hits in 5 1/3 innings yesterday. He allowed just one run (HR), struck out four and walked none. In his last two starts, Matsuzaka has allowed one run in 10 1/3 innings (0.87 ERA), with opponents hitting .091 against him. In 10 1/3 innings, he's struck out six and walked one.

My guess is that if Buchholz isn't the worst pitcher on the planet that the spot for Dice-K will be Bard's. Bard can only pitch so many inning this year, and we all know he is too valuable to just shut down, so I expect him to be sent to the bullpen at some point. When he does I think that's where Dice-K slides in. If Buchholz is terrible then maybe he would be sent down, and Dice-K could go there and Cook could eventually take Bard's spot, but I think option 1 is more likely.

Tigers 7 Red Sox 3

Red Sox had a chance in this game early on with Scherzer being wild, but the thing about Scherzer is that he can turn it on pretty quick. Scherzer pitched into the seventh inning, Young hit a home run and the Tigers beat the Boston Red Sox 7-3 on Thursday night to avoid a four-game series sweep.

The Tigers are a good team, it's would be tough to take 4 straight games from them. Saying that, there are still some alarming things going on with the Red Sox. We can all sit back and ignore Beckett's velocity drop, but it's there, and it leaves him very open to getting rocked. He is throwing 88-92 MPH, that's not really good when you pitched 93-95 just a year ago. It's not like he is old, so I don't know what the deal is.

Beckett went 7 innings allowing a season high 10 hits 4 runs with 1 K. That's not a terrible line, but this used to be a guy that would K a lot of hitters and that's just not the case. Maybe he is becoming more of a "pitcher", but just like Bard I find this worrisome.

In the end, the Sox have been winning a lot lately, they are still just 3 games back for the AL East and just need to make sure they don't go on one of those epic losing streaks.

Tigers @ Red Sox Preview

Red Sox go for the sweep of the Tigers today as Beckett faces Max Scherzer. Since the whole ugly incident where Beckett got booed off of Fenway he's gone has gone 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA. He's pitched at least seven innings in each of those three outings. There is a part of me that worries if Beckett will just fall off again, but he has been pitching well so it's hard to criticize.

You think Beckett is tough to figure out try Max Scherzer. He could either get lit up for 5 runs over 3 innings, or pitch 7 innings with 15 Ks. He hasn't been good in his short career against the Sox as he is 0-2 with an 11.81 ERA (his highest against any opponent) in 4 starts.

David Ortiz, 7 for 12 with 2 homers 3 doubles and 5 RBIs in the series, is 6 for 8 with 2 homers off Scherzer. Adrian Gonzalez, who has two hits in 11 at-bats against Scherzer, is batting .300 (12 for 40) during a team-best 10-game hitting streak. Those two guys should be enough to get to Scherzer.

Red Sox win 8-4
Player of the Game: Ortiz
Game starts at 7:10pm