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.

Cancer Survivor Lester Tosses No Hitter Against Royals

Red Sox lefty Jon Lester tossed a no hitter against the Kansas City Royals. Lester struck out nine batters including the final out of the game, he walked just two batters. The no hitter was the 18th in Sox history and first since last September when rookie Clay Buchholz tossed one against the Baltimore Orioles. Jacoby Ellsbury made a highlight diving catch in the fourth to preserve the gem. It was only the second time the Royals have been no hit, it came just over 35 years after Nolan Ryan got them on May 15, 1973. It was the fourth no hitter called by catcher Jason Varitek. After a run of over 30 years without a no hitter for the Sox this is the fourth since 2001. Hideo Nomo had one in 2001, Derek Lowe in 2002 and Buchholz last season. Boston won 7-0 and extended their winning streak to four games. It was the 411th consecutive sellout at Fenway, 44 games short of the major league record held by the Cleveland Indians.

Players Of The Week

This week we find a group of first time winners, from a long time leader to young players who hope to make a difference for the Red Sox for the next several years. The past week saw some strong outings by the Red Sox starting pitchers and that's one of the reasons the Player of the Week was awarded to who it was. Player of the Week - Jason Varitek The Captain of the Boston Red Sox used his bat effectively during the past week batting .368 with five runs batted in, sure the seven hits in 19 plate appearances doesn't jump out as all that impressive, but Varitek's week went so far beyond that. He showed why he is the leader of this team with his work behind the plate. In the five games he played (Kevin Cash caught Tim Wakefield as usual) Varitek called games that resulted in some impressive numbers. In 34.1 innings from the starting pitchers they held the opponents to just six runs, that translates into a 1.57 ERA, they struck out 26 batters while allowing just 19 hits. on Lester was the star of stars in the rotation this week as the only two-game starter and one of them was a thing of beauty. Pitcher of the Week - Jon Lester In his first start of the week, Lester went head-to-head with Toronto's Roy Halladay and he came out at the end of the day having out pitched the Toronto ace. In his eight innings of work Lester allowed just one hit, a grounder past third baseman Jed Lowrie that probably should have been converted into an out. Lester wasn't around for the win on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth, but his performance brought new life to the legions of Sox fans who were beginning to doubt Lester's abilities. Lester followed that gem up with a solid start against Tampa Bay when he allowed just one run on four hits over six innings. In all, Lester tossed 14 innings allowing just five hits and one run. This award is well deserved for him. Prospect of the Week - Daniel Bard (Greenville) It was tough to pick out someone for this award this week and when I finally decided I couldn't locate a picture of Bard wearing a Greenville uniform, so we're stuck with his Carolina blue Tar Heels jersey. Bard has had a great season thus far coming out of the bullpen for Greenville and last week was no different then any week before for him. Bard appeared in three games going six total innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while striking out 11 and allowing no runs. On the season Bard has gone 22 innings allowing nine hits and four walks while striking out 34 batters, he has yet to allow a run on the year. If Bard continues his dominance he could find himself in AAA before the year is out and could be a prime candidate to appear in Boston's bullpen sometime in 2009 as the Red Sox continue working the top players of their system into the big league roster.

Don't Worry, Jon Lester Will Be All Right

Jon Lester returned to Boston in grand fashion tonight with a performance that should draw millions of Sox fans off the ledges of bridges from Maine to San Diego. Lester pitched seven strong innings allowing just two hits and a single run that was scored on a sacrafice fly. For most of the night it looked as though Boston would squander another solid performance by a starter trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth. Manny Ramirez led off the ninth with a strike out, Mike Lowell followed him with a solo home run to tie the game and atleast guarantee extra innings. That however was not needed because after Kevin Youkilis struck out Jason Varitek doubled and was singled home by Coco Crisp for the game winner. Eric Gagne worked a solid ninth inning for the win, he struck out the side around a two-out double by Brendan Harris. With New Yorks loss Boston extended their American League East lead to five games. And here is the rest of it.

Future On Display

Beggining tomorrow and lasting throughout most of the remainder of the season, the future of the Boston Red Sox will be on display at Fenway Park. Portland and Lowell will both play games at Fenway on Saturday while the Sox are playing in Baltimore. Portland will play the Harrisburg Senators (Washington) while Lowell plays the Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa Bay). The Lowell game is at 12:05 followed by Portland. In just a couple weeks a handful of top prospects could find themeselves with a September callup. Jacoby Ellsbury is one who is very likely to get the call to provide speed off the bench down the stretch. Should he continue his solid play from earlier this year when he was up he could also find himself on the bench in the playoffs. Boston won't discount the importance of a speedster on the bench, its the very reason they won the World Series in 2004. George Kottaras could also find himself in Fenway park in September. He is the only minor league catcher on the Sox 40 man roster and they would love to have a third catcher around to give Varitek added rest, assuming the division race isnt close. There are no infielders on the 40 man roster who aren't already in Boston. The Red Sox do have 2 spots on the 40 man roster open and also can move Brendan Donnelly to the 60-day disabled list if they needed another spot. We know Bobby Kielty likely will be called up sooner then later and that would require a spot, though his arrival would depend on Wily Mo Pena's departure which would clear another spot. Another spot to be taken on the 40 man will be for Clay Buchholz and that could be as soon as next week when the Sox play a double header. Buchholz has been dominant in the minors this year and could join a powerful young rotation next year that will include Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Jon Lester. Other pitchers who could see time in Fenway in September are Javy Lopez who was recently sent down to make room for Curt Schilling, Craig Hansen who has been very good the past several weeks and Craig Breslow could provide another solid left handed arm from the bullpen. Brandon Moss could join Ellsbury in the outfield mix in September after a recent three day stay with the Sox in California.

The Fun Leading Upto The Trade Deadline

In NASCAR they call it Silly Season and some of the names being tossed around as targets fans want Boston going after before the July 31 trade deadline makes you wonder if MLB should call it the same thing. Torri Hunter? Ichiro Suzuki? Some fans want both of them in the lineup this summer and beyond. Sure that would be great, but we need to think ahead. The Sox only have three outfield positions and JD Drew is locked very expensively into one of them for the foreseeable future. Coco Crisp surely doesn't have a secure job, but who exactly would you rather have roaming center long term, an aging Ichiro, a similarly aging Hunter or the hot prospect in Pawtucket Jacoby Ellsbury? If one single Sox fans says anything other then Ellsbury, smack yourself now because you deserve it. Then of course there's Manny Ramirez. Hunter could be a decent replacement for Boston who should have no problem unloading Ramirez anytime they so feel it is time. However Hunter doesn't strike the fear that Manny does at the plate, he doesn't walk as much as one would like and most importantly his OBP numbers don't meet the standards the Sox front office likes, his career high was .337 last season and he's more likely to finish a season closer to .300 then .350 on any give year. Manny's worst OBP season with Boston was .388 in 2005 and he's more likely to be over .400 then not. Other names we hear are Mark Teixeira the first baseman from Texas, his OBP number more reflect what Boston looks for and his power could help Boston unload Ramirez and go with a lighter hitting outfielder without harming the total offense of the team. If Boston landed Teixeira they would likely move Kevin Youkilis back to third base and that would lead to the end of Mike Lowell's sucessful stay in Boston. Lowell of course is highly sought after by numerous teams looking for a bat at third and a deadline deal is more likely to involve Lowell then any other player on the Sox major league roster. Playing General Manager What moves would I make if I were the General Manager? First as much as I like Mike Lowell I would move him if I could land Teixeira, thats an easy move. Second I would go after Alex Rodriguez in the off season, not to would be the most idiotic move any GM with money to spend could do. Assuming I land Rodriguez and Teixeira I would send Manny packing to offset some of the cost, assuming Rodriguez gets around $24 million per season in his next deal and that it would take $12 million to lock Teixeira up for a few years that would be about a $7 million increase in payroll after deducting Lowell and Ramirez. Curt Schilling becomes the next casualty as I would not re-sign him after this season, that's another $13 million in savings leaving me $6 million under the 2007 payroll. To replace Schilling I go out and find a closer to take over for Jonathan Papelbon in 2008, though if I cant find one its not a big deal as Hideki Okajima can be a very effective bridge until 2009 when Craig Hansen or Manny Delcarmen among others should totally be ready to take the job...that's even more savings. I'm now looking to enter 2008 with a rotation of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jonathan Papelbon, Jon Lester and Tim Wakefield. The next victim to fall will be Coco Crisp, I will pay someone to take him if I have to though someone surely would take him for a mid level prospect. His stay in Boston thus far has been a huge disappointment. Jacoby Ellsbury is the future in center field and the future is now. At this point most of you are probably pissed demanding to know why I cut Youkilis outta the equation. Don't fear, our favorite speedster is still with us, remember then lighter hitting outfielder I mentioned? Ladies and Gentlemen, your new left fielder... Kevin Youkilis. This leaves us with a Youkilis, Ellsbury, Drew outfield from left to right. A speedster sandwiched with two usually reliable OBP bats. At this point attention is turned to Wily Mo Pena. What to do with him? I love his potential but there's just no room for him and his bat has too big a whole to be an effective pinch hitter, so Pena becomes my latest trade chip. You hope to land a top level prospect for someone like Pena, someone who can be an important part of the team in the future. I would look for pitching, perhaps a middle reliever or a middle infielder who would be ready when Julio Lugo either finishes his contract in Boston or is forced into retirement by a legion of pissed off Sox fans. This leaves Boston in a great position in 2008 assuming some of the kids in Pawtucket are ready to step in the bullpen. If not there's a few spots there that would need to be answered as well, but I wish to assume Delcarmen and Hansen are ready to step in. If Clay Buchholz is ready in 2008 great he can take Wakefields spot sending Wakefield to the pen. If he needs another year in the minors thats fine too.

Top Prospect Jon Lester Wraps Up Chemotherapy

Boston's pitching staff got a little more crowded Tuesday to the delight of the franchise and Red Sox nation. Jon Lester, the top prospect who has been sidelined since August when he was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, has confirmed that his doctors have informed him he can stop chemotherapy following his next session. "It was my expectation from the beginning to be at spring training at some point," Lester said Tuesday. "Now that everything is looking good and ready to go, I'm ready to be there on the reporting day that pitchers and catchers need to be there."