Ellsbury is en fuego!

[jung]

That is a great point Soxsport and really does suggest they need to get some young legs up here to help revitalize at least the offense. They are not lethargic and lifeless because they want to be lethargic and lifeless. They don't have the guys that had been contributing to that dynamic aspect of the offense any longer...guys that made them tough to control not because they were going to bash an opponents walls down but because they could dink and dunk you to death. Iggy is wearing a different uniform and JBJ is in Pawtucket.

 

I do think Naps is going to have to find his way back to at least being as effective as was. While they do need more of what Iggy and JBJ and maybe XB can give them, based on what I am seeing from WMB, I don't think he can give them enough of a boost from the right side to amount to much improvement there. He is just so oblivious to where he is at the plate that as I said in the game thread, he gets himself out. That is not to say dump WMB and lets see more of Holt and Synder again. But WMB is not going to be enough IMO.

 

Also as I said in the game thread, I just know I am going to end up wanting to punch Buch right in the mouth before this is all over.

[marklmw]

They are losing games lately on little things--not having speed at 2B last night to score the tying run. Key defensive errors by guys playing the corners out of position. They seem to be focused only on hitting and pitching. Not on fundamentals across the board. In '04, they don't get to the world series without a rabbit, Roberts, pinch running off the bench. Right now, Bradley could help a lot in that capacity as well as defense in LF. Nava and Gomes give you some hitting, and little else. In these close games, speed in the lineup can make the difference.

 

I think that Management made a huge mistake bringing Middlebrooks up and not Bogaerts. Although Middlebrooks is hitting for average Bogaerts would have been more fun to see play.