Massarotti Is An Idiot

I'm sure by now most of Red Sox nation has gotten a whiff of the article Tony Massarotti wrote today writing off any importance of winning the American League East and suggesting the Red Sox would be better off resting players and taking the Wild Card then going full force at Tampa Bay for the division crown. First off, too much rest will only kill us come the playoffs, just ask Detroit. Second, does anyone feel comfortable having to travel to Anaheim in the first round? I don't either. As I write this the Red Sox are within three outs of a one half game deficit in the American League East and likely will be division leaders when the series ends Wednesday, exactly why should or would Boston write off the American League East at this point? The prize of winning the East is hosting Chicago or Minnesota in a best of five series, that gives a much safer route to the American League Championship Series than a match up with the Angels on the road. Also as I write this Jonathan Papelbon just now finished off the Rays for a 3-0 Sox victory moving Boston to just one win behind the Angels for the best record in the American League, should Boston also write off securing home field advantage when it is very achievable? The Red Sox have the talent offensively to remain a powerful force while resting players reguarly, afterall they have been doing that most of the season. Chris Carter can play DH while resting David Ortiz, Carter has power and went 3-3 earlier this season during a one game callup. With J.D. Drew ready to return he can get some rest once he's back on track with Mark Kotsay in the fold along with Coco Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury around. When it comes to pitching you can't exactly shut a guy down for three weeks and expect him to be ready to fire up for the playoffs, these guys still need to pitch. As of today the rotation is actually setup perfectly. On the 13th Boston has a doubleheader, Paul Byrd and Bartolo Colon are scheduled to start. If theirs no injuries between now and the seasons end and Boston uses all six starters after this weekends doubleheader then Beckett would be slated to open a October 1st ALDS match up on seven days rest. Depending on when game two was played either Lester (Oct. 2) or Matsuzaka (Oct. 3) would pitch on regular rest, the other would pitch game three on at least regular rest. There are enough arms available or soon to be available that Boston can get these guys out after five innings down the stretch to limit the innings they pitch. There really is no reason to call off the dogs and Massarotti would know this if he even took a few minutes to research what he writes.

Ortiz, Pedroia, Youkilis Lead Sox To Victory

An offensive explosion at Fenway Park tonight was led by David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis. The three combined to go 10-15 with 4 homeruns, 13 RBI and 11 runs scored. Ortiz hit two three-run homers in the first inning leading Boston to a 10 run frame. However the big lead wouldn't last as Texas hammered back disposing of Charlie Zink before the fifth inning was over and lead 16-14 going to the bottom of the seventh. Pedroia would score on an error in the seventh to make it 16-15. Then in the 8th inning Jacoby Ellsbury pinch hit for Kevin Cash and walked and eventually scored on Pedroia's double, his fifth hit of the game. Texas then walked Ortiz and Youkilis followed with a 3-run shot, his second homer of the night to send Boston to a 19-16 lead. Jonathan Papelbon came on for the ninth and while giving up an unearned run held on for the save and a 19-17 victory.

How Will Boston Finish 2008?

With the trade today sending Manny Ramirez to Los Angeles and Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss to Pittsburgh in return for Jason Bay we ask, How will Boston finish 2008? Click Here for PollOnline Surveys | Polls | Email Marketing | Innovation Management View MicroPoll

Ortiz Could Have Season Ending Surgery

The Boston Herald is reporting that season ending surgery could be a real possibility for David Ortiz if it doesn't heal while in a cast for the next month. Should Ortiz have to have surgery, Boston will be left with a huge hole in their lineup. They will likely need to find someone on the trade market which could require giving up a combination of Jed Lowrie, Jon Lester or Justin Masterson, all of whom have raised their value in the opening months of the 2008 season. Who could Boston look at as replacements? Barry Bonds would immediately enter discussions and while he would come without losing prospects, he would be unlikely to land in Boston. Mark Teixeira will be a name mentioned often and Boston has the talent to pry him away from Atlanta, but Boston would need to get him signed to an extension as part of a deal or they wont give up the names needed to land him. Jim Thome will also be a free agent at seasons end and could probably be had for less the Teixeira and Chicago may look to move him especially if they begin to falter in the Central. They could try options within the system possibly with Chris Carter who has a decent bat, but is labeled a DH type who was blocked by Ortiz at the major league level. He started off slowly power wise but has come on of late. Boston could also recall Brandon Moss and use a combination of Moss, Coco Crisp, Jacoby Ellsbury and JD Drew in the outfield while putting Manny Ramirez at designated hitter while Manny is out.

Why Julio? Because This Is Boston!

After last night's loss in Detroit, the media was asking questions to Julio Lugo, the bum of a guy who calls himself a shortstop. They were asking specifically about what happened in the ninth inning when he lost the game for Boston. He answered and then it was followed up by a reporter who was trying to make a connection between last nights error and his three error game in Toronto last month. “I don’t care, but sometimes it would be nice to say something positive,” he said. “But all the time it’s negative things, you know? Sometimes, you know, people should say something that’s positive. But every time it’s something negative . . . bring it up, bring it up, bring it up. Why? Lugo needs to learn something, he's not in Tampa Bay anymore, around here people actually care about their team. Many fans have tried to stay positive about his sorry-assed playing since he joined the team. We were willing to take the shitty fielding because he was supposed to hit, well he hasn't done a damn thing since he came to Boston and there's no reason the media or fans should console his worthless ass with saying positive things.

Lugo: "I'm an infielder"

Is that what you call that Julio? As if Red Sox fans needed any more reason to hate Julio Lugo. Julio Lugo apparently doesn't believe in putting the team first. He recently made comments about being sent to play the outfield for an inning when the team was short of alternatives. "No," Lugo said. "That's not me. I'm not a backup outfielder. It's not my call. I don't play outfield. I mean I can go out there and catch a fly ball, but I don't feel comfortable. "If they put me out there, I've got to go. But I'm not an outfielder. I'm an infielder." It is becoming apparent that Theo Epstein made a huge mistake signing Lugo to a contract, especially for the length he signed him. With the emergence of Jed Lowrie one would think the Red Sox will find themselves paying another shortstop to play for another team come 2009. Lugo should follow the lead of other Sox players and do whats best for the team, not himself. Look at Dustin Pedroia, he didn't hesitate to offer his body when the team found themselves short on catching last week with Jason Varitek suffering the flu and emergency catchers Mike Lowell and Alex Cora on the disabled list. Even Manny Ramirez, who gets attacked in the media constantly for his lackluster playing sometimes, plays with more passion the Lugo.

Players Of The Week

Player of the Week - Jacoby Ellsbury rebounded from his slow start at the plate this week with 10 hits in 32 at bats to bring his average over .300 for most of the week. He scored six runs and knocked in five in a week that saw the offense slow to a crawl in the weekend Tampa Bay series. Two of his hits were solo home runs in the opening game of the Los Angeles Angels series at the beginning of the week. Ellsbury added a couple stolen bases. This week Ellsbury played all three outfield positions for the Red Sox and added a couple nice catches. With Coco Crisp back Ellsbury may see more time off, but if he keeps up the effective hitting he will find his name on the lineup card most days. Prospect of the Week - For the second week in a row the prospect of the week award was won while contributing in Boston. Last week Jed Lowrie provided a spark for the Boston offense and this week it was Justin Masterson providing a spark to the pitching staff, too bad it didn't rub off onto the bullpen. In his major league debut Masterson went six innings allowing just two hits and one run. He struck out four batters but also walked four. Unfortunately, within moments of Masterson being taken out of the game the bullpen proceeded to allow four runs before recording an out in the seventh inning. Los Angeles went on to win the game and spoil what would have been Masterson's first major league win. This is the second time Masterson has been named prospect of the week. Pitcher of the Week - Clay Buchholz showed this week that Boston has three number one caliber pitchers on the roster. Over two starts he scattered eight hits and four walks while striking out 15 batters. He pitched Boston's first complete game of the season Saturday in Tampa. While he took the loss in that game he was on top of his game all night. Going into the eighth inning he had allowed just one hit, a grounder past Jed Lowrie that may have been grabbed by Mike Lowell. After getting the first two outs in the eighth he had what appeared to be strike three that wasn't called, the batter then singled to right and scored on a two-run homer by Akinori Iwamura and Boston lost the game 2-1. Buchholz has been great this season. Taking the game in New York out of the equation for a moment, Buchholz has a 2.16 ERA in 25 innings allowing six runs and striking out 25.

Red Sox at Tampa Bay III

David Ortiz is not in the lineup again today, Manny Ramirez will DH with Jacoby Ellsbury in left. Josh Beckett gets the start. 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, LF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B 3. J.D. Drew, RF 4. Manny Ramirez, DH 5. Kevin Youkilis, 1B 6. Coco Crisp, CF 7. Jason Varitek, C 8. Jed Lowrie, 3B 9. Julio Lugo, SS Josh Beckett, SP Red Sox vs James Shields How current Sox players have fared against Tampa Bay starter James Shields in the past. In his career Shields is 0-2 against Boston allowing 11 earned runs in 21.1 innings while striking out 24 against 6 walks. ...............AB...H...HR...RBI...BB...K S. Casey........3...1....0....0.....1...1 K. Cash.........-...-....-....-.....-...- C. Crisp........7...2....0....0.....0...1 J. Drew.........6...2....0....1.....0...1 J. Ellsbury.....-...-....-....-.....-...- J. Lowrie.......-...-....-....-.....-...- J. Lugo.........5...2....0....1.....1...2 D. Ortiz.......11...4....2....4.....1...2 D. Pedroia......-...-....-....-.....-...- M. Ramirez.....10...1....1....2.....2...5 J. Varitek......2...1....0....1.....0...1 K. Youkilis....10...0....0....0.....0...4

Roster Moves

Brandon Moss is in Tampa and a move is expected prior to the game to officially add him to the roster. Sean Casey will be placed on the disabled list. David Ortiz who was initially in the lineup tonight has been removed. JD Drew will DH tonight while Coco Crisp enters the lineup in the outfield. Jason Varitek returns to the lineup while Clay Buchholz gets the start. 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, RF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B 3. J. D. Drew, DH 4. Manny Ramirez, LF 5. Kevin Youkilis, 1B 6. Coco Crisp, CF 7. Jason Varitek, C 8. Jed Lowrie, 3B 9. Julio Lugo, SS -- Clay Buchholz, SP

Red Sox vs Edwin Jackson

How current Sox players have fared against Tampa Bay starter Edwin Jackson in the past. In his career Jackson is 2-1 against Boston allowing 16 earned runs in 26.2 innings while striking out 23 against 17 walks. ...............AB...H...HR...RBI...BB...K S. Casey........7...1....0....0.....0...0 K. Cash.........-...-....-....-.....-...- C. Crisp.......13...4....0....1.....1...1 J. Drew.........9...4....0....2.....3...4 J. Ellsbury.....5...2....0....1.....1...0 J. Lowrie.......-...-....-....-.....-...- J. Lugo........11...2....0....0.....0...1 D. Ortiz........9...4....1....4.....4...5 D. Pedroia......3...2....0....0.....1...0 M. Ramirez......1...0....0....0.....0...0 J. Varitek......7...0....0....0.....0...4 K. Youkilis.....7...1....0....0.....1...3

Casey Maybe On Way To DL

The Red Sox may place Sean Casey on the DL Saturday and recall OF/1B Brandon Moss from Pawtucket to take his roster spot. Terry Francona and Theo Epstein are likely meeting at this hour to make a decision so that if they do make the move they can get Moss to Tampa by game time Saturday. Another option for Boston would be to activate Mike Lowell early. Stay tuned.

Lineups, We Got Lineups

With Tim Wakefield on the mound Kevin Cash gets another start. Jacoby Ellsbury and JD Drew also are in the lineup meaning Coco Crisp starts the game on the bench. Click here for batter history against tonight's Rays starter Matt Garza. Red Sox: 1. CF -- Jacoby Ellsbury 2. 2B -- Dustin Pedroia 3. DH -- David Ortiz 4. LF -- Manny Ramirez 5. 3B -- Kevin Youkilis 6. RF -- J.D. Drew 7. 1B -- Sean Casey 8. SS -- Julio Lugo 9. C -- Kevin Cash P -- Tim Wakefield Devil Rays: 1. 2B -- Akinori Iwamura 2. LF -- Carl Crawford 3. CF -- B.J. Upton 4. DH -- Jonny Gomes 5. 3B -- Evan Longoria 6. 1B -- Eric Hinske 7. C -- Dioner Navarro 8. RF -- Gabe Gross 9. SS -- Jason Bartlett P --Matt Garza

CNNSI Power Rankings

CNNSI has their latest Power Rankings out. The Red Sox remain second. 1. Arizona Diamondbacks - Yeah, everybody loves the Diamondbacks, and there's reason enough for that. But I wonder: Is having a leadoff guy who strikes out so much (28 times in 21 games) and totes around a .333 on-base percentage going to come back to bite the Snakes? Centerfielder Chris Young is a heck of a player. He'll probably become an even better one. But unless he gets on more, he's just never going to be an ideal leadoff hitter. 2. Boston Red Sox - The Sox spent the week digging under rocks for starters when Daisuke Matsuzaka was smothered by the flu and Josh Beckett's sore neck knocked him from a turn. Shows you how good Terry Francona and this team are at scrambling. Another example: Can't say enough about the fill-in job that Sean Casey (.346, .414 OBP) has done since Mike Lowell's injury scrambled the infield. What a pro. What a signing. 3. Chicago Cubs - If Young is miscast as a leadoff hitter in Arizona, what about Alfonso Soriano? Since he's been down with his hopping injury, the Cubs are 8-2, hitting .327 with a .415 OBP. Before then, with Soriano mostly at leadoff: 7-5, .249, .328. Look, I'm not saying that Reed Johnson or Mike Fontenot are better players than the free-swinging Soriano. I'm just saying they're a better choice to be leadoff men. That's all. 4. Los Angeles Angels - Vladimir Guerrero, who has always looked as if he's defending the plate from some kind of rogue baseball assault, has begun to tinker around with his stance a little. His early season stroke has been particularly violent this year. "It hurts me. I get stiff after seeing a few of those swings," hitting coach Mickey Hatcher told the L.A. Times. All of Vlad's numbers are down so far. You know what? I'm not going to tell him. 5. St. Louis Cardinals - I made a big deal out of a 17-pitch at-bat that erstwhile pitcher and now centerfielder Rick Ankiel had against the Brewers' Carlos Villanueva back on April 16. Since then, Ankiel has only three hits (in 25 at-bats), all singles, without an RBI. The Cardinals finally showed a little slippage, too. They lost their first series of the season. It was going to happen. But when it happens at the hands of the Giants, you have to wonder. 6. Milwaukee Brewers - The decision to carry 14 pitchers for a bit was kind of wacky -- really, when you have to use pitchers to pinch-hit, there has to be a better alternative, doesn't there? -- but the Brewers got away with it, as they have a lot of things so far. Really, this team is not playing nearly as well as it should -- hitting, especially -- but the Crew continues to win. This is setting up as a bizarro '07: Choppy at the start, hot at the end? 7. New York Yankees - I can't decide whether having another loudmouth Steinbrenner on hand is good news or not. There's certainly some entertainment value in watching everybody scramble when Boss Lite says something dumb, as he did about Joba Chamberlain. Then again, we've seen this before. And done better. Can't Hank come up with his own schtick? Either way, I guess, it deflects attention away from the awful right side of the infield. 8. Chicago White Sox - Ozzie Guillen has a big ol' man crush on Derek Jeter. He's "the perfect man," Oz told the TribunePaul Konerko is especially struggling, hitting .176 in his last nine games with just one walk to go with eight strikeouts. He's not alone. Maybe he's just lonely. How about a little man-love for your own guys, Oz? 9. Baltimore Orioles - When a team has been as far down as this one has, you don't need to look far for encouraging signs. The win-loss record, for one. And for another, check out Daniel Cabrera's pitching line from Thursday. Eight innings in Seattle. Five hits. Two runs. Five strikeouts. A win. And no walks. Excuse me, I said NO WALKS. If the heretofore wild Cabrera really begins to settle down, we're not going to know what to make of it. 10. Seattle Mariners - Closer J.J. Putz returned -- and, boy, was that a welcome sight -- but the murmuring around the Mariners last week was about their designated hitter position. Specifically, whether they should try to grab Frank Thomas off the heap to replace Jose Vidro. As it turned out, Thomas went back to the A's instead. And Vidro popped a tiebreaking two-run single against the O's on Tuesday. Just call him the Little Hurt. ESPN also has new rankings here, Boston rises from 8th to 4th.

Notes From Around Red Sox Nation

According to Boston.com via SoxProspects, 2007 draftee Nick Hagadone is facing Tommy John surgery. The Sox are awaiting a second opinion on Hagadone's arm. Hagadone currently has a 33 consecutive scoress innings. Also from Boston.com, Bobby Kielty is out 4 to 6 weeks after having surgery on his left hand. Many are suggesting now that this will turn Boston off the quest to trade Coco Crisp, but with Brandon Moss at AAA if the right deal comes along, Boston could still make a trade. Justin Masterson was optioned back to Portland and Bryan Corey will be added back onto the roster before tonight's game in Tampa. Red Sox Chick reminds us Mike Lowell begins his rehab assignment tonight in Pawtuckett. She also has concerns for the well being of Kyle Snyder with the flu flowing in Boston and multiple players heading towards surgey in Pawtucket, she wants her stud Kyle to be put in a bubble for a few weeks. Also we send our thoughts and prayers to Red Sox Chick and her family as they go through a tough time. Sox & Dawgs highlights the latest round of Red Sox wines from Charity Wines. They also have a press release from Comcast with big news about Jonathan Papelbon for the 2008 season. And as always they take a look back at the day that was for Red Sox minor leaguers. Red at Survivng Grady didn't even want to talk about yesterday's game so he spent the morning on other topics. Red Sox Monster talks about the whopping amount of money paid for the Ortiz jersey pulled from the concrete at the new Yankee Stadium. Curt Schilling had something to say about Kyle Farnsworth's toss behind Manny last week.

Red Sox vs Matt Garza

How current Sox players have fared against Tampa Bay starter Matt Garza in the past. In his career Garza is 2-0 against Boston allowing 3 earned runs in 10.2 innings while striking out 9 against 6 walks. ...............AB...H...HR...RBI...BB...K S. Casey........8...1....0....0.....1...1 K. Cash.........-...-....-....-.....-...- C. Crisp........4...0....0....0.....1...0 J. Drew.........-...-....-....-.....-...- J. Ellsbury.....2...1....0....0.....0...0 J. Lowrie.......-...-....-....-.....-...- J. Lugo.........2...1....0....0.....0...1 D. Ortiz........5...0....0....0.....1...4 D. Pedroia......3...1....0....0.....0...0 M. Ramirez......2...1....0....2.....1...0 J. Varitek......1...0....0....0.....1...0 K. Youkilis.....3...1....0....0.....0...1

Bullpen Gives Away Another Win

Justin Masterson was more then good in his major league debut today as for most of the day it looked like he would lead the Red Sox to a win. Masterson left after six innings having allowed one run on two hits. The Angels didn't waste any time in reversing the game as they took the lead before recording an out in the seventh inning. The Red Sox squandered scoring opportunities and managed to make the score closer on David Ortiz's ninth inning two-run homer. The Sox dropped two of three games in the series and head to Tampa Bay for a three game set. Here are the pitching matchups for the Tampa series. (from Sox & Dawgs) Friday, April 25th @ 7:10 PM Tim Wakefield, RHP (2-0, 3.96) vs Matt Garza, RHP (0-0, 9.00) TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio Saturday, April 26th @ 7:10 PM Clay Buchholz, RHP (1-1, 4.79) vs Edwin Jackson, RHP (2-2, 4.63) TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio Sunday, April 27th @ 1:40 PM Josh Beckett, RHP (2-1, 5.12) vs James Shields, RHP (2-1, 3.30) TV: NESN, MLB.tv Radio: Red Sox Radio Network, MLB Game Day Audio

Crisp Returns, Drew Gets Rest

The Red Sox have announced their lineup for today and as I hoped yesterday Drew gets a rest with Coco Crisp's return to the lineup. RF -- Jacoby Ellsbury 2B -- Dustin Pedroia DH -- David Ortiz LF -- Manny Ramirez 1B -- Kevin Youkilis 3B -- Jed Lowrie SS -- Julio Lugo CF -- Coco Crisp C -- Kevin Cash P -- Justin Masterson Still waiting to see what jersey number Masterson was assigned, nothing on the official Sox roster page.

Meet Justin Masterson

The top pitching prospect currently in the Sox farm system will make his major league debut today at Fenway Park. So lets take a few minutes to meet Justin Masterson. The 6-6 righty was a second round pick out of San Diego State in 2006. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica where his dad was dean of students at the Jamaican Theological Seminary. He moved to Indiana when he was two years old and his family eventually returned to their home in Ohio. Masterson will get a lot of ground balls and his fair share of strikeouts. He is compared to Derek Lowe by SoxProspects.com. So far in 2008 he has 77% of balls hit against him have been ground balls or infield pops, most of the balls out of the infield will go to left field. Click here for a chart of balls in play against Masterson. The SoxProspects scouting report on Masterson says: Big righty with an ideal pitcher's build. Dominated the Cape Cod League in 2005. Masterson has a three-quarter delivery with a slinging-type motion. His arsenal includes a sinker, a slider, and a change-up. Of those pitches, his best is a phenomenal plus-sinker with an excellent heavy drop -- he can vary its speed from 84-94 mph, catching many hitters off balance. Also mixes in a very good slider that sits in the low 80s, and an improving 77-81 mph four-seam circle change. Uses his sinker predominantly as his out-pitch, but also can make use of his secondary pitches to get out of jams. His mix of pitches results in a high groundball-to-flyball ratio, getting a lot of double plays. Very good command of the zone. Prepares well for every game and pitches with confidence on the mound. Strong character, Masterson is one of the most likable persons and teammates going. Could stand to mix in his changeup a bit more. Converted to a starter in 2007 after coming out of the pen for Lowell in 2006, may still project as a reliever at this point depending on how well his change-up progresses. Needs to work on keeping his delivery consistent deep into games. Ultimately, Masterson's ceiling is a #2 starter or a dominant set-up man. Game time is 1:35. Masterson makes his debut against the same team Clay Buchholz did last season, lets hope for similar results. Meantime, Red at Survivng Grady knows exactly what the Sox players suffering from the flu need to do: Meanwhile, to those Sox players who are currently battling the flu, understand that you can still make yourselves useful. You can start by hugging Gary Matthews.

BREAKING: Masterson Heading To Boston

As speculated here earlier, Justin Masterson will start for Boston tomorrow afternoon. Masterson was supposed to start for the Sea Dogs Thursday, but found out at about 5:30 this afternoon that he was headed to Fenway. He'll arrive in Boston tonight. "I'm just real excited," Masterson said on the phone as he packed. "It's hard to put into words. "I just want to put together a quality performance tomorrow."

Destination Fenway For Masterson?

With back to back missed starts for Boston Red Sox starters, Boston sends Jon Lester to the mound tonight on just three days rest. They could do the same for the series finale Thursday with Tim Wakefield, more likely they will keep Wakefield on normal rest that allows him to start the series opener in Tampa where he has a great record in that dome. That leaves a question to who will start tomorrow for Boston. Josh Beckett will start the Sunday game and Clay Buchholz should start game two of the series Saturday with Daisuke Matsuzaka going next Tuesday after missing tonight's game with the flu. One name that i'm sure is being discussed right now at Fenway is Justin Masterson who is scheduled to start for Portland. Julian Tavarez will also be an option for the Sox. Most agree that at some point this season Masterson will be called up so adding him to the 40-man roster now isn't that big of an issue and the Red Sox do have a three spots open on the 40-man so no player would need to be designated to make room for him. A spot would need to be opened on the 25-man roster though. I still don't know for certain what Craig Hansen's status is, but he may still have options left so he could be sent back down after tonight's game. Aside from that David Aardsma could be a roster victim.