7/23 vs Rangers

[Palodios]

Just win!

[SemperFi Sox]

I love my Red Sox, so it's painful to say that the best thing for this team is to lose this week. Then maybe we'll see some drastic changes at the trade deadline.

[Laser Show]

I guess the only good thing for the Sox heading into this series is Josh Hamilton can't find his stroke. Unfortunately, they have 5 other guys that can hit 30 HR.

[TylerD]

It's getting so hard to build up my confidence with this team and cheer them on. One series they look like one of the best teams in the league and the next they look horrible.

 

One thing I will say is the last few times we have played the Rangers we

Got embarrassed. So I hope we can get some of that humility back. Not going to be a pretty series if our pitching keeps playing they way it has.

 

Here's hoping. Go Sox!!

[User Name]

This isn't going to be a fun week in all likelihood. Come on, Red Sox....

[Klare]

All Red Sox fans around the world having a bad time after 3 losses against the Jays. What's wrong with Lester ? I can't believe yet that they scored 15 runs. We need papi back real soon and SP in a better shape. I'm very ill and give us some wins, just start tonight. We'll never stop believing in you. Go Red Sox!

[jung]

Sox games have been really tough to watch lately. They don't play good baseball. They don't play competitive baseball. It just looks like they are playing out the innings of each game now. Guys come up to the plate, take their cuts, either get on or don't. Next guy comes up...takes his cuts....it looks like glorified batting practice without any unifying team offensive intent or concept at work. Then again, that I think be one of the nasty side effects of the starting pitchers digging a deep hole for the in the first inning. I do have to admit though that this "brute force" kind of offense is what they had last year as well.

 

At some point teams do crack. They don't admit it to themselves or anybody else but it does happen.

 

I would again encourage Sox fans to watch a few games between contending teams other than the Sox. See if those teams look anything like the Sox look. If you can convince yourself that the Sox are playing the same game those other teams are playing, God love ya'.

[redsoxbeatz]

Lester just needs to fix some mechanics like Buchholz. He'll be himself again. Could be next season could be this season.

 

Let's go Sox! Buchholz will shut down the Texas.

[jung]

Buch made a slow and steady recovery from injury that included regaining confidence that he could throw hard without concern for his back. Lester's issues are closer to Bard's than Buch's. Lester's mechanics are a total mess. Lester may pitch better this season than he has. He could hardly pitch worse...but a complete return will likely involve an offseason of work with a qualified coach.

 

Either way it sort of means the same thing about this season....one more starter that was supposed to be a key element to any run the Sox could hope to make that either has to be shut down or will simply be a hit machine when he takes the mound. If anything their rotation is in worse shape this year than last even with Lackey and Wake. At least they had a way to cover the innings they needed last year. I am not even sure they can do that.

 

Lester has been a true innings horse his entire career and he is a mess. As I have said in the trade deadline and other pitching related threads, I suspect the Sox interest in acquiring another starter this year is more about protecting against a complete collapse in the rotation, something they are close to now.

 

They have Beckett....who can't pitch. Lester.....who can't pitch. Buch.....thank God and pray he does not get a bad injury down the stretch. Felix....got to be closing in on an innings limit. Frank....must also be on an innings limit and Cook.....fine until the exact minute in any game when he can no longer keep the ball down in the zone. Sounds to me like they are fast approaching a point where it will be Buch and pray for rain.

[redsoxbeatz]

In .@bradfo's piece on Lester, good stuff about the very fixable mechanical glitch at heart of his struggles #redsox weei.com/sports/boston/…. http://t.co/ZoEboyVU

[jung]

Well that was encouraging.

 

Beckett, having missed starts already this year seems to be petitioning for what....more time off....why to play a few more rounds of golf....this guy has become a compete joke and any notion that relying on him makes any sense at all is just at this point delusional. So what does this really mean....if Beckett does not get a few more days away from the team he can blame that on not turning it around? There is only one solution for Beckett....by by.

 

Am I supposed to be encouraged by a more detailed review of Lester's mechanical problems? So something that took two years to reach its current state of ugly can be resolved in what....a couple of days.....a couple of weeks.....a couple of months......try an offseason and you will likely be closer to reality. While I agree with the analysis and even worry that he will hurt himself throwing this way, there is nothing here that suggests he can fix this in the short term. If he is not careful leaving so much of his body out of position when he actually does release the ball will ultimately come home to roost in a stressed out shoulder as that is where he is throwing from these days. His body is way over to one side of the rubber while his shoulder and the ball are on the other side. So his shoulder is taking all of that added stress.

 

The reference to muscle memory in the piece was really quite valid. Even though the way he is throwing now looks awkward and looks very stressful to his throwing shoulder particularly, it is something he has been doing now that has gotten progressively worse over a two year period. He has to break that down, eliminate it and rebuild his motion again with a more compact, straightforward leg kick and it will feel totally wrong at the start just like a good golf swing feels totally wrong at the start even though it is better than what you had if you had grown used to what you had.

 

Once again at least in my view the Boston media does these guys no good. As for Beckett, I could care less....he wants no part of Boston anymore....not even sure he wants any part of pitching in the majors unless it is totally on his terms whatever they are.

 

But in making it sound EASY for Lester to turn this around Bradford does Lester a disservice. This will be difficult and time consuming. Everything in the Bradford piece on Lester was accurate with the one exception of inferring that this is something that can be cured quickly. It would be a miracle for Lester to cure this quickly.

[redsoxbeatz]

Game 1: Scott Feldman (55 IP, 2.4 K/BB, 76 ERA+) vs. Felix Doubront (102 IP, 2.6 K/BB, 102 ERA+)

 

Game 2: Colby Lewis (105 IP, 6.6 K/BB, 130 ERA+) vs. Clay Buchholz (100-2/3 IP, 2.0 K/BB, 83 ERA+)

 

Game 3: Derek Holland (87-1/3 IP, 2.3 K/BB, 92 ERA+) vs. Josh Beckett (101-1/3 IP, 2.9 K/BB, 95 ERA+)

[SoxSport]

I guess the only good thing for the Sox heading into this series is Josh Hamilton can't find his stroke. Unfortunately' date=' they have 5 other guys that can hit 30 HR.[/quote']

 

Ha. Hamilton will find his stroke this week. For sure.

[Jasonbay44]

RED SOX (48-48)

Ellsbury CF

Crawford LF

Pedroia 2B

Gonzalez 1B

Ross DH

Saltalamacchia C

Middlebrooks 3B

Sweeney RF

Aviles SS

[Youk Of The Nation]

After the day I had today, the Sox had better win or I swear someone is going to get brutally murdered.

[d-money]

The fact that this team is still in the wildcard chase is amazing.They have sucked so bad with Beckett and Lester pitching like garbage.

[kapsis21]

dang we dont get Oswalt

[DocHolliday]

LET'S GO SOX!

 

If there was ever a time in the season for this team to show up and begin playing to their potential, it is the next 6 games. For better or worse, this stretch will be the turning point of the season.

[lesterkett]

The Yankees have acquired Ichiro Suzuki for RHPs DJ Mitchell and Danny Fahrquar, a source said. Yanks also get undisclosed cash in deal.

[lesterkett]

every team gets better making trade except the red sucks

[redsoxbeatz]

The Yankees have acquired Ichiro Suzuki for RHPs DJ Mitchell and Danny Fahrquar' date=' a source said. Yanks also get undisclosed cash in deal.[/quote']

 

Holy s***... I can't believe Ichiro is out if Seattle!! That's crazy. Though his batting avg is way down frOm his typical.

[Brennan]

Holy s***... I can't believe Ichiro is out if Seattle!! That's crazy. Though his batting avg is way down frOm his typical.

 

 

 

He's gonna start slap hitting some infield HR's over the short porch soon.

[lesterkett]

come we need to make a big crazy trade .. shake up this team

[d-money]

Ichiro is still a slap hitter but that left porch in yankees stadium can help his hr total.

[redsoxbeatz]

Hopefully we win this series. I know the talent is there.

 

And hopefully the FO won't trade for much of anything this deadline unless it's something crazy like Felix Hernandez. I'd rather see this team sit tight with the talent it has on the roster & minors and then do something interesting during the offseason when money frees up. I'd hate to see us lose minor league talent for one or a couple middling pitching talent.

 

I don't think this TX-NYY-DET series will be all that bad. This team has the talent to pull together and win 6 or 7 games out of the 9 (though maybe a more realistic prediction is 5 wins with Beckett's current first inning woes and Lester's mechanical problems.) Papi will be back for the last game of the DET series. Doubront is definitely capable to go 6ip tonight and Buchholz looked incredible his last outing (that hot wife of his is back to the blowies). I have confidence in this team! I like the lineup tonight, too. Sweeney is such a better choice than Nava -- thank god BV finally figured that out -- and I'm happy to see Ross @ DH.

 

Anyway, go Sox! Think Adrian will go deep tonight? Someone on the Sox will.

[redsoxbeatz]

Mark Bowman ‏@mlbbowman

 

Confirmed Ryan Dempster is coming to the Braves. Still trying to confirm details but Delgado could be on the other end of the deal

 

[SemperFi Sox]

Ichiro has a .288 OBP. Laughable how some of you overreact.

[SemperFi Sox]

this scrub better not shut down our offense.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Come on boys. Put up a big number. You finally have a chance to score 1st.

[SemperFi Sox]

I'm going postal if we allow a 1st inning run