elsrbueno

I said what now? Anyway, great win by the BoSox. Schilling has been awesome this year! Can't wait until tonight!

wow dude. here you go again. Duque beats up on Tampa and Baltimore...and all of a sudden he's better than Pedro?!? You can't pull that "I was joking" crap... we all know you pull back any statement you make once you realize how stupid it sounds. jeez....

Wait a minute...I didn't say we should trade everybody... Maybe a few folks. I DID say trade Nomar... but I haven't bitched about any individual players in a long long time (probably since the all-star break). Anyway, I am being realistic. We have a very real chance of catching New York, but ONLY if we dominate them head to head. We've got to win both series to have a shot. We can't expect help from Toronto. IF we can win BOTH series (and match the Yankees next week), we'll be down 1.5 games with 6 to play. We've got a really GOOD chance of winning the wild card. BUT, I'm not going to say its gunna happen until it's MATHEMATICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for them to catch up.

Stocker... You're right. For some reason I remembered in my head it was Pedro...obviously I was wrong. Here's the Wrap of that game I did say that this IS a mismatch...I just feel the game (linked above) was a BIGGER one. That being said, however, Hendrickson is 0-3 with a 9.18 ERA against us this year.

This season: Ryan Franklin: 4-15, 5.03 ERA (a .211 winning percentage) Mark Hendrickson: 8-14, 4.93 era (a .364 winning percentage). So, Shilling vs Hendrickson IS a mismatch, but Pedro vs Franklin was a BIGGER mismatch. I hate it when Empire makes statements that aren't based in fact, like: Anyway, we need Curt tonight to give us momentum going into the Yankee stadium! (and preferably pitch deep into the game and give our bullpen a bit of a rest)

um, considering this isn't even the biggest mismatching of pitchers in the last WEEK (see Pedro vs Ryan Franklin)... I take it you don't watch games?

She's cute... She looks like she's in high school though...

Sorry, don't have a TV (listen to the games on the radio) What does the ball girl look like (are there pictures somewhere?)

According to mlb.com, Anaheim's Elimination # (from the wild card) is 13. Considering they are the closest team in contention with us, I would say that's our magic #. Which means (for anyone who doesn't know what a magic # is): Any combination of Red Sox wins and Anaheim losses that totals 13 games will effectively eliminate Anaheim from Wild Card contention. Once Boston's magic number is 0.... They've clinched that spot.

Hey guys, Last night's game was UGLY. Tampa kept battling, but you have to give the Sox credit: They stayed positive, truly battled in this game, and most importantly: Got the win. Timmy struggled again. Definately hurting his chances to start in the playoffs lately... we can only hope he'll turn it around! Another positive from yesterday's game: AFTER Leskanic, the bullpen threw 3 2/3 hitless innings!

I'd like to make a few things VERY clear: My post was an attempt to describe (in words) what it's like to be a Red Sox fan. I am not giving up on them, and (I thought it was obvious from my post) can't give up on them. I am a Red Sox fan. I wouldn't have it any other way. Yeszir: I'm a pessimist at heart (as you can see from my post). When the Sox were winning, I was thinking "It's only a matter of time before they blow it." It's pretty difficult to feel confident after the series with Seattle and the last two games with Tampa Bay.

Well, I'm back for more punishment. At least the Red Sox have faced Brazelton before today! We got 8 runs off him in just 1.2 innings. Wake is 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA against Tampa this year... This team's gotta wake up!

You mean there's hope? We may get swept next week instead?

Not playing great ball? The Yankees are 8-2 in their last 10, and dominated as of late. You can't make the excuse that they're playing crappy teams...because we got beat by Seattle and Tampa Bay!

The bottom line is, he can talk.... because he knows its true. Typical pompus, Yankee attitude. All we can do is hope we don't get swept in Yankee stadium.

They do this to us every year, and I can't believe I was fooled yet again. They get hot, come ooooh so close, only to fail miserably when the fans have restored hope. Its times like these I wish the Red Sox were in the cellar so I could forget about them and move on. Can I? Of course not. The Red Sox had to get hot in August. They had to give the Red Sox fans a little bit of faith, so that the heartbreak is worse. I remember when we were 5.5 games behind NY, and they were playing Anaheim. The Red Sox announcer was hoping NY would win, because he could see it happening. He could see the Red Sox creeping ever closer, only to have them fade late in the season. The Red Sox got beat by 2 of the worst teams in baseball. They've made Scott Kasmir, Bobby Mandrich (sp?), and Gil Meche look like Cy Young candidates. Why? Because it's September, of course! It's a pennant race. The only thing the Red Sox know how to do is blow it. The optimist fan will say things like "We've still got 6 games against the MFY, we can make it up," or simply, "this is the year!" But let's face facts: The Yankees, as always, are coming together and getting the job done. Musinna's back, Giambi's back, and they're winning baseball games. September's their month. The Red Sox, on the other hand, give the ball to their ace, the heart and soul of their pitching staff since 97 to stop the skid, restore confidence, and try to get on a roll before the biggest series of the season (how many times have we said THAT phrase this year?!?), and what happens? The Red Sox look like a AAA team and make Scott Kasmir look like Randy Johnson, while the Yankees do what they're SUPPOSED TO DO.... beat up on teams that are less talented. Red Sox and Yankee fans have different mindsets. Even the past few weeks, even while the Red Sox were playing better than ANY team in baseball, I've been telling everyone around me, "They still have time to blow it. A 5 game lead is NOTHING for the Red Sox." I had a hard time turning off the radio when they led the Mariners 13-2, because once I've resigned myself to the fact that they're going to win, they'll find a way to blow it. The Red Sox will find a way.. to blow an 11 run lead. Do ANY other fans of any other team....hell, any other SPORT think this way? Meanwhile Yankee fans sit around, confident, arrogant. Even after making up 8 games in the standings, things were looking grim for the Yankees. Mussina was getting lit up, Brown was punching walls, and their top two sluggers, Giambi and Sheffield, were hindered by injuries. But Yankee fans new, their team would find a way to win. Find a way to limp into the playoffs. Constant disapointment. I tried to describe the Red Sox to someone who didn't follow baseball (a female), and this is how I did it: "Imagine your husband forgets your birthday every year... For twenty years. Every year, you see signs that he might remember, and you get all excited: 'This is the year,' you think, that he makes up for all those forgotten birthdays and really does something special. Instead, though, when the day comes, he's sitting on the couch in his t-shirt, watching TV, drinking beer, completely unaware that he's forgotten something that means so much to you. He says he's sorry, that he's been really busy, and that next year will be different. 'Wait till next year,' you think. This is the mantra of a Red Sox fan. Except if my co-worker's husband forgot her birthday even five years in a row, she'd probably have filed for a divorce. But we're hopeless. I was depressed this morning over the decline of our team, and my girlfriend, who knows NOTHING about baseball, said "The Red Sox lose every year, how can this bother you so much?" I don't know. I just don't know.

This game is the kind of game that reminds me that I'm a Red Sox fan. All the excitement we had a week ago is gone. It's September, the Red Sox are playing like the Red Sox, and the Yankees are playing like the Yankees. We have no prayer of catching them. We can only hope we can still get the wild card.

Resign Tek? Yes. Shoppach isn't quite ready and Tek is still a leader and a productive bat. Resign Lowe? No. He'll command too much money for a streaky #3 starter. Arroyo and Wake can move up in the rotation, and the Sox could try to get a bargain starter for # 5 (Jaret Wright perhaps?) If they want to pony up the dough to get a good SP, let's look at who is available after 04 (according to an article by Peter Gammons) Right-hand starting pitchers: Pedro Martinez, Carl Pavano, Kevin Millwood, Jaret Wright, Russ Ortiz, Derek Lowe, Esteban Loaiza, Aaron Sele, Brad Radke, Matt Morris, Paul Wilson, Roger Clemens, Hideo Nomo, Matt Clement, Kris Benson, Jon Lieber (option). Left-hand starting pitchers: Eric Milton, David Wells, Odalis Perez, Al Leiter (club option), Shawn Estes. Boston needs to get Pedro Martinez signed, then look at what else is available on the market. Ortiz, Radke, Clement, Pavano are all BETTER than Lowe, and if someone could get Millwood back to his dominance he showed in Atlanta, he'd be an awesome #3. My point is... There will be better options than Lowe on the market...and since his agent is Scott Boras... He'll be asking for more than he's worth.

We got a little bit of help from KC! Good to see. We still have our work cut out for us, being 3 games behind NY entering today's action. The Yankee game: Mussina vs Grienke Mussina is 1-0 vs the Royals this season with a 2.57 ERA. He is also coming off his best start since returning from the DL. Is he on his way back? We can only hope his dominant performances his last 2 starts were as a result of facing Baltimore and Tampa... He did struggle through August against Toronto, Minnesota, and Cleveland. Kansas City has proven it can score runs... Grienke enters this game on a bit of a roll too, 5-1 with a 3.30 ERA since Aug 1st. He hasn't faced the Yankees this season. The Red Sox game: Scott Kazmir, touted as one of the top lefty prospects in the game, certainly hasn't proven that he's capable of getting major league hitters out. Since throwing 5 shutout innings against Seattle in his debut, he's 0-1 in 3 games (2 starts) with a 8.18 ERA. As Zenny said, he has struggled with his control (13 walks over 16 innings) and has hardly dominated (allowing hitters a .288 BA) when he is hitting the strike zone. He's lefthanded, but lefties have hit .500 (7 for 14) against him. In fact, only 1 of his 17 strikeouts for the year have come against a lefty. He pitched well against New York (3 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 4 Ks) but again, struggled with his control (3 walks). He'll get another test tonight against a Red Sox lineup that must be eager to score some runs after being shut out for just the THIRD time this season. Pedro Martinez has been on fire of late. He's won his past 3 starts, and has not allowed a run in 16 consecutive innings. He's allowed just 1 run in his last 20 innings (3 starts) against Detroit, Texas, and Oakland. In his only outing against Tampa Bay this season: Pedro threw his only complete game of the season, a 6 hit shutout with 10 Ks. The Red Sox will need to be patient with Kazmir, and make him throw strikes and work deep counts. When Kazmir gets in trouble, they need to TAKE ADVANTAGE of scoring opportunities. If Boston can get the lead early... Pedro usually settles down with the lead, and the bullpen, which has been much better lately, should hold it.

Crespo, I think this is a good example of how statistics don't tell the whole story. The Red Sox went through a spell (May, June, and July) when they could ONLY win if they blew out their opponent. They lost the majority of their close games because the bullpen struggled, their defense was sub-par, and they couldn't steal bases, bunt, or do ANY little things. As a result, these numbers are a bit skewed. Granted, the Red Sox are much better at the above 4 weeknesses of late. Cabby, Mientkiewicz, and Roberts have sured up the defense, and Mendoza, Myers, have been added to help the 'pen. Also, Embree, Timlin, and Foulke have pitched better lately. Adding Williamson will only improve. So overall, Crespo, I think the Yankees beat their run differential by 11 games because they simply played BETTER baseball for the majority of the season. That being said...I'd love to see the Pythagorean Standings from Aug 1st to date as a comparison.

This team certainly has its work cut out for them. Considering that New York is playing KC this week (the worst team in the American League) if the Red Sox don't sweep Tampa Bay the Yankees could lock up the division before they even play. If the rotations stay the way they are now, here are the potential matchups for this weekend: game 1: Arroyo vs El Duque (the Yankees best pitcher) game 2: Lowe vs Leiber game 3: Martinez vs Mussina Game 1: Advantage Yankees. Duque's been lights out lately. Game 2: Draw. Lieber's 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 2 starts against the Red Sox this year. Lowe is 2-2 with a 7.08 ERA against the Yankees. Game 3: Advantage Red Sox. Pedro is 1-0 with a 1.93 ERA against the Yankees. Mussina is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA against Boston. So, it's quite possible we lose 2 of 3 to New York in that first series....