VA Sox Fan

HBP

No offense but if you want him so badly, please know how his last name is spelled. It's HALLADAY. Seriously people. Additional thought, Drew will not be traded, don't be ridiculous. Major offensive slump for the team, it'll pass.

Alrighty then...get a hit Youk!

Not a good start for Ells. Come on Pedey!

LaRoche reaction Posted by Adam Kilgore, Globe Staff July 22, 2009 06:01 PM Thoughts from Adam LaRoche, his brother, and others on his trade to Boston: Adam LaRoche “I’m excited to go to a great organization in a great baseball city and jump into a pennant race. I’m very thankful for the opportunity. It’s just a little tough for me right now because my little brother is here in Pittsburgh and it’s been a dream come true playing with him. It’s tough to leave him behind and a lot of other guys who have become really close friends. So, it’s mixed emotions, a lot of sadness and a lot of excitement all at the same time. On the whole, though, I know it’s a good move for me.” Andy LaRoche “It’s been a blast playing together with him, but how can I be upset? It’s a great deal for him. He’s going to what has to be the best organization in baseball. He’s got a great chance to not only get to the postseason but win a World Series. I just hope he gives me some of that money he makes from his post-season share.” Pirates GM Neal Huntington “I think he’s an ideal fit for their club, for what they’re looking for, and especially that ballpark. With the wall in left field so close, he’s going to stay on the ball longer and hit a lot of balls of the Green Monster. He has the perfect left-handed stroke for Fenway Park.” Jason Bay, who played LaRoche in Pittsburgh "His personality, he never has a huge sense of urgency in anything. That's the kind of a guy he is. He's been a good first baseman. It's been noted he gets off to some slow starts, so we're kind of picking him up on the upswing. He's got some pop in his bat. He plays a smooth first base." Nick Green, who played with LaRoche in Atlanta "We came up in the minor leagues together. He's a laid-back kind of guy. He ain't going to be in a hurry to do a whole lot. On the other hand, he's not dogging it. He's going to give you 100 percent."

Yeah, that^

From ESPN.com: Player News (last updated: July 22, 2009) News: Duncan has been optioned to Triple-A Memphis, following a 1-for-31 slide since June 29, Matthew Leach's blog on MLB.com reports. Spin: Duncan recently had been losing time to Nick Stavinoha in left field, plus Troy Glaus has played some left field on his rehab assignment. There's some thought that Duncan's neck has been a reason for his slump, though Duncan has denied that What am I missing?

Sox lineup; Padilla scratched Posted by Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff July 22, 2009 04:58 PM ARLINGTON, Texas -- Adam LaRoche will join the Red Sox in Boston on Friday, and at that point the Sox will make their corresponding roster move to make room for their new first baseman. Obviously this means LaRoche will not be in the lineup for the Sox tonight against the Rangers. Tonight's Red Sox lineup: 1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF 2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B 3. Kevin Youkilis, 3B 4. David Ortiz, DH 5. Jason Bay, LF 6. J.D. Drew, RF 7. Mark Kotsay, 1B 8. Jason Varitek, C 9. Nick Green, SS -- Clay Buchholz, SP No Rangers lineup yet, but Vicente Padilla, who was scheduled to start for Texas, was scratched with flu-like symptoms. Dustin Nippert, who has made two relief appearances since being removed from the starting rotatiion, will start in his place.

Epstein on trade Posted by Adam Kilgore, Globe Staff July 22, 2009 04:49 PM Quick hits from Theo Epstein's conference call about Adam LaRoche: -The Red Sox had "been in a market for a player who can do some damage against righthanded pitching and can help our team's depth in the corner infield" Epstein said. The Sox had been batting .257 against righthanders this season, compared to .271 against lefties. -The Pirates and Sox had been in discussions about LaRoche for months, and the trade was "not in the least bit a reaction" to the Sox' post-All Star break struggles. The Sox have scored 12 runs the past five games, the low-point of their month-long slump. -LaRoche will join the Red Sox in Boston on Friday, and at that point the Red Sox will make their corresponding roster move to make room for LaRoche. "It’ll give us time to sort out our healthy bodies from our not-so-healthy ones," Epstein said. Epstein acknowleded that LaRoche shares some "redundacy" with Mark Kotsay, but also pointed out that Kotsay can play right and centerfield and has value as a pinch hitter. The Sox do not have to make room on the 40-man roster, because shortstop Argenis Diaz was on the 40-man. -Epstein called giving up Diaz and pitcher Hunter Strickland a "very reasonable acquisition cost," which will allow the Sox to continue to seek additional trades. Epstein said the Sox want to make more moves before the July 31 deadline. "I think we plan to be very active in discussions in talking to just about every club out there and persuing every player that can make us better now and in the future," Epstein said. "Certainly, there are no guarantees. Certainly, we hope to make another move between now and the deadline." Epstein has no precise profile in mind for the kind of player he might want to add, although he stuck to wanting to further upgrade the Sox' position player depth and performance against righthanded pitching. "Then there's a second category of player that we're certainly going to pursue where we can find significant impact on the roster," Epstein said. "Those trades are hard to make and hard to make without surrendering your entire foundation for the future. Which doesn't mean you don't still pursue them." Epstein said any trade would be made with "the outlook of the organization" in mind. "It’s not all about 2009. It’s about subsequent years as well." -LaRoche's impressive seconds half splits are "nice," Epstein said, but they were not a "key component" in the decision. Epstein believes playing at Fenway will help LaRoche, because his natural swing drives the ball to left-centerfield. -Epstein asked around the Red Sox clubhouse about LaRoche. Jason Bay played with him in Pittsburgh, and John Smoltz played with him in Atlanta. Epstein charaterized LaRoche as a "solid support teammate." -Epstein on the offense: "I think we’re a good offensive club having a horrific month. When you go through slumps like this, one, it’s important to assess any areas where you can improve without overreacting, and two, to put in perspective. We have the potential to be really, really good. But we’re not the most prolific offensive club in recent Red Sox history. We certainly have the ability to score enough runs to get where we want to go." -When the front office assessed the Red Sox in the AL East race at the break, he considered them even in a three team race despite leading the division by three games. "You look at the underlying performances of the clubs, there was basically nothing separating them," Epstein said. "We looked at ourselves in a dead-even, three-way race. Five days later, we look it at exactly the same way. We’re in a three-way dead heat."

It would be his wife, but regardless....:lol:

LaRoche trade synopsis Posted by Adam Kilgore, Globe Staff July 22, 2009 02:24 PM A brief breakdown of what the Red Sox' acquisition of Adam LaRoche means: WHAT THEY GOT With the Sox staggering after the All-Star, the need for an additional bat became more glaring. The Sox have hit .194 since the All-Star break while scoring 12 runs in five games and falling a game behind the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Sox have lost four straight; they haven’t lost five straight since April 23 to April 27 last year. LaRoche’s substandard stats so far this season -- a .247 batting average, a .329 on-base percentage, and a .441 slugging percentage -- should not be taken as cause for alarm based on his career history. Before the All-Star break in his career, LaRoche has batted .252 with a .326 on-base and a .447 slugging. After the break, he is .296/.357/.544, which equates to an OPS jump of .773 to .901. Simply: LaRoche has been nearly a minor league player before the break and virtually an All-Star after it. LaRoche could add also some power. He has 12 home runs this season, and in 2006 with the Atlanta Braves, he hit a career-best 32 home runs. In adding LaRoche, the Red Sox will have to alter their major league roster, meaning a Red Sox position player will likely be optioned or placed on the disabled list whenever LaRoche arrives. This is purely speculative, but Mark Kotsay has been battling a calf injury, and while it improved over the All-Star break, the Sox could give him more rest without sacrificing any infield versatility by putting him on the DL. WHAT THEY GAVE Neither Argenis Diaz nor Hunter Strickland were considered cornerstones of the Red Sox farm system. Diaz, 22, was on the 40-man roster. Diaz entered spring training in major league widely considered the best defensive player in the Red Sox system. He proved able at making flashy plays, but he consistently failed to make routine plays, a problem that followed him to Double A Portland. Diaz committed 18 errors this year. Trading Diaz, in one sense, shows the Red Sox’ faith in Yamaico Navarro, who was promoted from Class A Salem this afternoon to take over in Portland. The Red Sox signed Navarro, 21, out of the Dominican Republic in 2005. In 23 games with Salem this season, Navarro hit .319 with a .915 OPS and made five errors. The Red Sox also recently Cuban defector Jose Iglesias, which might have helped make Diaz expendable. Strickland, 20, had pitched for Greenville this year. The Red Sox drafted him out of high school in the 18th round in 2007. Strickland, who is 6-feet-5-inches, went 5-4 with Greenville this year with a 3.35 ERA and a 51-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He throws his fastball in the low-to-mid 90s.

At the rate we are playing, that may not be a problem.

The O's are horrible, they beyond suck.

Red Sox Reasons to doubt, reasons to believe Posted by Tony Massarotti, Globe Staff July 22, 2009 12:07 PM For the first time since June 7, first place now belongs to someone else. With last night’s loss to the Texas Rangers, the Red Sox now trail the New York Yankees by a game in the American League East. Since returning home for their final homestand of the first half, the Sox are 7-8. A cause for concern? Or merely a bump in the road? With both options in mind, we offer five reasons to panic . . . and five more to remain calm: THE PESSIMIST’S TOP FIVE REASONS TO PANIC 1. The Red Sox can’t hit righthanded pitching.Don’t believe it? In their last 21 games against righthanders, beginning with the loss to Washington's Jordan Zimmerman on June 25, the Red Sox are batting .221 with a .679 OPS. This only reaffirms the point that the Sox’ biggest need is a lefthanded hitter because a righthanded pitcher can neutralize Boston’s best hitters -- Dustin Pedroia, Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis. As for the lefties, David Ortiz isn’t what he used to be; J.D. Drew and Jacoby Ellsbury again look inconsistent. (Note: A short time after this entry was posted, the Red Sox acquired lefthanded-hitting first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a pair of minor leaguers.) 2. The starting pitching isn’t as deep as the perception: With Tim Wakefield now on the disabled list, ask yourself this: Whom do you trust beyond Josh Beckett and Jon Lester? Minus Beckett and Lester, Red Sox starters this season have a 6.12 ERA. When you get right down to it, does this team have pitching to deal for the help it clearly needs on offense? 3. The Sox can’t beat good teams. Maybe this is a matter of semantics, but for the moment, let’s define "good teams’’ as ones with a winning record. While the Sox are 32-24 against clubs over .500, they are 24-24 against winning clubs other than the Yankees. Meanwhile, against winning clubs other than the Red Sox, the Yankees have gone 28-17. The Yankees of today appear like a completely different club than the one the Sox faced earlier in the year. 4. The Red Sox don’t have a leadoff hitter. Entering tonight’s trip finale against the Rangers in Texas, the Red Sox rank 27th in baseball -- and last in the American League -- in OPS from the leadoff spot. The Sox also rank 27th overall and 13th in the AL in on-base percentage. Manager Terry Francona has used six players in the leadoff spot and no one has proven capable of doing the job consistently. 5. The Sox are destined to break down. If you’re not worried about the Red Sox’ health, maybe you should be. Can Mike Lowell hold up? What about Jed Lowrie? Mark Kotsay has battled nagging injuries all year. Rocco Baldelli can handle only a limited workload. Tim Wakefield and Daisuke Matsuzaka are on the disabled list, John Smoltz is recovering from shoulder surgery. Historically, September is Jason Varitek’s worst month. And what are the chances J.D. Drew stays healthy? Now for the positives . . . THE OPTIMIST’S TOP FIVE REASONS TO REMAIN CALM 1. Beckett and Lester are the best 1-2 punch in the American League. Though each member of the Red Sox’ two-headed monster has lost his first start of the second half, that isn’t likely to happen much -- if at all -- the balance of the way. During the first half, Beckett and Lester lost consecutive starts just once -- on April 12 and 13 against the Angels and A’s, respectively. Bteween that occurrence and this one, the Red Sox went 52-29. 2. The bullpen is healed. Based on what we’ve seen so far since the break, you can put away any concerns about the Red Sox bullpen. In four games since intermission, Sox relievers have pitched 9 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out 10. Opponents are a mere 3 for 32 against them -- a paltry .094 average -- and closer Jonathan Papelbon, in particular, might be throwing as well as he has all season. 3. Jason Bay is going to hit sooner or later. In his last 22 games, Bay is 11 for 75 (a .147 average) with one home run, three RBI and a whopping 31 strikeouts, a slump bordering on the Ortizian. Bay has not hit righthanders or lefthanders during that span, and he is far too good a hitter for that to continue. Over the course of his career, Bay generally has been as consistent a player in the second half as he has been in the first. That shouldn't change. 4. The Sox pummel lefthanded pitching. Aside from the fact that the team’s three best hitters are righthanded -- Pedroia, Youkilis and Bay -- the Sox also benefit greatly against lefties because Jason Varitek and Jed Lowrie are far more productive players from the right side of the plate. Against lefthanded pitching, from 1 through 9, the Red Sox can trot out one of the very best lineups in baseball, which will help neutralize divisional lefties like CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, and David Price, among others. 5. The Red Sox aren’t pessimists. Freed from the burden of their past, the Sox aren’t negative thinkers anymore. Francona, in particular, performs at his best during times of crisis. Pedroia, Varitek, Ortiz, Beckett, Lester and Papelbon, among others, are all winning players and mentally tough competitors who will not come unglued during difficult times. Organizationally, from top to bottom, the Red Sox are downright unflappable, as they have proven in the postseason.

Maybe you should become a Yankee fan. Wouldn't hurt our feelings:lol:

Maybe you should become a Yankee fan. Wouldn't hurt our feelings.

Well that's cool, but it won't be tonight bro.

Maybe it'd work better if it was one of our Sox batters (?)

Me either. Would like to know how that works.

Last GT run MSU had was 5 wins in a row. MSU mojo is needed! Enjoy the game. Losing sucks! WIN!!!!

Another suck ass loss. DAAMMMIIIIIIIIT! Good Night all!

Sorry about the breakup! Sorry about the awful presentation at school (was it really THAT bad?) Sox losing/getting raped, truely sucks. Drink more, it'll help a little. Like your new Sig.......

FAAACK A-ROD!

Why is our team in such a horrible, miserable hitting slump? 2 more at bats? Damn, this is frustrating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!