Jayhawk Bill

Heck, he's already in the top ten in MLB...maybe around sixth-best, I'd venture.

Heidi Watney: "The Red Sox called up rightie Chris...uhhh...Chris... (looks at notes) ...Smith" Heidi Watney, carefully concealing her MENSA membership.

Big Papi!!!

C'mon, folks, it's 3-2... ...Woo-hoo! Game tied!

I always hate it when I make posts that I later regret in bold size 7 font.

History will look back with awe at the days when mighty sluggers Pedroia and Big Papi hit back-to-back for Boston.

Villanueva has given up an opposite-field double, a walk, and two screaming line drive outs. Edit: OK, and a pop-up...still, were it not for luck on fielders' positions, it would be 2-2, one out, Manny on first and Papi at third.

Nice job by Papi hitting the gap to left-center.

Villanueva has only an 88-89mph fastball and only 6-7mph difference between that and his changeup.

Winning is different than losing. Winning teams catch the breaks. Winning teams get bloop-single game-winning RBIs. Winning teams get saves from 42-year-old relief pitchers with 9.00 ERAs entering the game. Winning teams have managers who make lineup and pitching decisions that make their fans cringe at first but cheer in the end. The Boston Red Sox were a winning team yesterday. They enter today tied for the lead in the AL East with the powerful, young Rays. But today, Josh Beckett pitches for Boston. Josh Beckett is only 4-3. Don't let those numbers fool you. Josh Beckett leads his team with 47 strikeouts despite being tied for last in innings pitched among the starting rotation. Josh Beckett is a World Series MVP and a League Championship Series MVP. Josh Beckett led his league in wins last season. Josh Beckett finished second in Cy Young Award voting last year, and if the voters could vote with the hindsight they have today he would have easily been considered the best starting pitcher in the American League. Daisuke Matsuzaka is 7-0, and Tim Wakefield is a grizzled, unflappable veteran of almost two decades of major league baseball. Josh Beckett is considered by all to be the ace of the staff. After Josh Beckett throws his 100-odd pitches, expect to see Chris Smith come out of the bullpen. Chris Smith is off to a great start in AAA Pawtucket, posting a 1.45 ERA in four starts and six relief appearances. Smith is no longer considered a great prospect, but he's demonstrated that he's ready to contribute at the MLB level with his superb work in Pawtucket, and he'll be needed given that every healthy relief pitcher had to throw last night. From SoxProspects: http://www.soxprospects.com/players/smith-chris.htm There are no notable batter vs. pitcher splits, except that Jason Kendall and Mike Cameron can't hit Beckett and that Hardy, Hall and Weeks have done well in very small samples (12 AB total for the three). Look to see if Manny plays after being hit by a pitch in the first game yesterday. *** Game time: 1:35 EDT Current weather: 66 degrees, fair, wind blowing out at 7mph. Pitchers: Boston Josh Beckett RHP (4-3) 4.21 ERA Milwaukee Carlos Villanueva RHP (2-4) 6.00 ERA

The NL is an easier league than the AL. BP PECOTA projected Drew to hit .285/.392/.476 with 15 HR and 61 RBI in 2007. He actually hit .270/.373/.423 with 11 HR and 64 RBI, despite playing through May when he was so badly injured that he should've been on the DL. (His May batting line was .171/.315/.237 with 0 HR and 9 RBI; without that month his batting line would've been .290/.385/.459, almost exactly the PECOTA projection.) BP projected Drew to hit .268/.368/.422 this year, and he's batting .281/.389/.405 as I type this morning. JD Drew is hitting almost exactly as well as should have been expected given his 2004-2006 NL stats. But this is a Mark Bellhorn thread. Let's segue. Look, Bellhorn washed out with the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Padres and the Reds, in that order. But let's conceptualize: 1) His time with the Yankees and the Reds were tiny sample sizes, combining for only 31 at bats. Frankly, they don't count. 2) PETCO severely depresses batting stats. Even so, Bellhorn hit .200/.297/.385 when starting for the Padres. Bellhorn doesn't do well as a pinch-hitter, and he hit .151/.237/.189 in games he didn't start, and that depressed his stats. 3) The Red Sox let Bellhorn go only after acquiring Graffanino, clearly a better hitter, in trade. Bellhorn was actually doing OK--not great, just OK--for the first half of 2005 (.221/.332/.360 with good defense). The media got to Bellhorn in July and he folded, and Theo cut him loose. Maybe Bellhorn isn't well-suited for the intense Boston/New York/Philadelphia media, but LA is far more laid-back. 4) Bellhorn hit .255/.382/.436 last year in AAA, with a Range Factor at second base above his career MiLB norm. A very rough MLE from AAA (IL) to MLB is 10% less--that would be .230/.344/.392. I posted earlier what the other Dodgers second basemen are hitting, and a competent fielder who can post a .344 OBP with medium power beats the heck out of what they're getting now. And wrapping up the post... Our memories of Mark Bellhorn in 2005 are misleading us. All but the last month of his time with us was pretty respectable. He would have done even better with an NL team. The Dodgers have made a good move in giving Mark Bellhorn a chance. I hope that it works out for him.

Youk has one from 2004. Edit: On a quick check, Jeff Bailey got one for 2007...one game seems to suffice. BTW, Rudy Giuliani has four from his days with the Yankees.

Gabe Kapler was slugging .522 entering today's games. His career SLG was .421; his highest season SLG was .473 at age 24 in 2000; he hadn't slugged over .355 since the start of MLB steroid testing.

Welcome back, Gabe. BTW, Gabe, if you're posting here, did doing steroids for a year as a MiLB manager help you in your comeback in Milwaukee?

4-0 on the Lowell HR!!!

I count three "quick injuries": 1) Jeff Kent is immobile at second base and is batting .236/.279/.394. An OBP of .279 in the NL is indicative of real problems. 2) Chin-Lung Hu is a superb defensive shortstop out of position at second base. He's batting .200/.279/.218, and that .218 SLG isn't entirely unexpected. 3) Delwyn Young is hitting well. He's also an outfielder capable of playing second base, not an infielder. *** Mark Bellhorn didn't have a .200 batting average or a .300 OBP at any of his three MLB stops after leaving Boston, but he can play second base and his IsoD (OBP-BA) is .110 for his career and .095 or better at EVERY MLB stop. The AA stats will tell if Bellhorn can still contribute--if he can still bat .200 in the NL, he might help the Dodgers.

.231/.333/.462 entering today for 2008. .266/.410/.380 career. For a guy hitting .318/.393/.591 entering today's game, it's not a good line, but he's had a great OBP over his career batting fourth. Of course, is OBP the defining characteristic of a cleanup hitter? :dunno:

2-0 Boston on a Mike Lowell double, right down the line. You know, it looks as if Bush is tiring in the very first inning.

Called strike one to Big Papi was at least four inches outside the regulation strike zone.

I can't remember the last time I saw Tim Wakefield strike out the side. Woo-hoo!

It would be nicer seeing Gagne fail miserably at holding the Brewers within two runs.

Solid win...better team wins. Damn, Braun and Fielder are strong. Those guys can hit the baseball.

Game Time 8:35 PM, Fenway Park Brewers: Dave Bush RHP (1-4) 6.06 ERA Red Sox: Tim Wakefield RHP (3-2) 4.25 ERA Boston endeavors to extend its winning streak to two games. The Brewers’ pitchers endeavor to maintain the fiction that the AL is no tougher than the NL.

Julio Lugo sits down when defense matters...and Youk moves third to first.