redsoxfan3

This would be good for Gonzalez to prove that he has power. Gomez could use an MLB homer as well.

You seem like a die hard fan. Why don't you go over and post in the Yankees thread.

If Punto comes up to bat in the ninth, can we please use Pedroia to pinch hit for him? I don't know if Pedroia can go back out defensively, but he would have a better chance pinch hitting than Punto would hitting. That is probably unlikely, but I do know Pedroia was saying he would be available to pinch hit. The problem there is Bobby V probably would not want to risk it.

The game is tied 2-2 and it is over? The chances of them getting at least one this inning is pretty likely since Crisp is on third, but we still have a chance to give up no runs.

#400 couldn't have come at a better time!

Good at bat by Nava. He saw a lot of pitches, but Griffin made a nice play at a ball hit right back up the middle. Kalish made good contact as well. Papi unfortunately struck out, but so far it looks like we will be able to hit Griffin.

I think Middlebrooks is more probable of going to the DL than Pedroia. Bobby V asked Pedroia to sit out today, but Pedroia is saying that he is available to pinch hit if needed. With Pedroia having the day off today and with the team having the day off tomorrow, I think Pedroia might be ready to go in time for the Yankees series. Let's hope that is the case. LaRoche is hitting .265 in AAA. Gomez hit .311. I know LaRoche is better defensively, but I do not know if he would have more of an impact offensively than Punto or Lillibridge at 3B. I think if they wanted to put a weak bat at 3B that they would go with Lillibridge. I think the whole logic to playing Gomez at 3B is adding a decent bat there with both Middlebrooks and Pedroia out of the lineup. He might even surprise a few people over there defensively. If he does decent, he might be a good option to play at 3B until Middlebrooks gets back. Don't start to question the move until we see what happens. I don't know what you are talking about in terms of us having our best chance of making the playoffs in this stretch. It is only a stretch of seven games. We have so many more games to be played and we still have a good chance at making the playoffs with CC and Ells both coming back. We did struggle this series and against the Mariners, but that by no means does not mean that we cannot make the playoffs.

You should be getting a time and a half today though, right? That is the positive about working. I had the option of working 10 hours and getting a time and a half or not working and getting paid 8 hours . I took the day off and I am getting paid 8 hours. I didn't feel like working 10 straight days.

I find it even funnier that Crisp, Moss, and Reddick have all homered so far in this series. All former Sox players.

Just saw a stat on Gomez in the minors at 3B. He played 71 games in the minors at 3B and committed 31 errors. Hopefully his offense can make up for his defensive ability at 3B.

Just saw that on his twitter. Let's just say I unfollowed him.

He did have some talent at some point. But he is also overweight and also a complete dumbass at times. He wasted a good opportunity in Boston. The DUI just put the icing on the cake that sums up his time with the Red Sox. I am glad we got rid of him and that we do not have to pay him 1.5 million of his salary this year.

Youk still has something left, but no one forget that the reason we traded him is because he needed to go. He was performing horrible in Boston and Middlebrooks was proving that it was his time. It is unfortunate that Middlebrooks got hurt right after, but this was the right move. Youk needed a change of scenery. He is not going to ever be the player he once was, but he will definitely have moments when he will shine like yesterday.

The only option in my opinion is to get rid of him. We cannot afford to lose anymore games because of him s***ing his pants on the mound. Try to see what we can do with him in the trade market (probably not much at all), then DFA him if we need to.

Pedroia out of the lineup today because of a jammed thumb. It is not serious, but Bobby V did say he needed a day off. Gomez gets the start at 3B and Punto starts at 2B. If Gomez actually can prove to be a decent 3B while Middlebrooks is out, that will solve the problem with the weak bat of Punto or Lillibridge playing everyday. Gomez hasn't proven anything this year in the majors, but he has been solid in Pawtucket. Hopefully that translates to the majors.

Pedroia out of the lineup today because he jammed his thumb. The good thing is it is not the same part of the thumb as his last injury. He needs to get this checked out. Hopefully it is not serious, but he is having more problems with that thumb than he should.

We could get the best of both worlds and start Lillibridge in CF and Punto at 3B. I probably shouldn't joke about that, because if that happens, that is just ridiculous. That turns the game from 27 outs to maybe 21 or less.

This is a really tough call. He has a chance, that is for sure. There are a lot of good arguments from both sides in this thread. I hope he makes it, but your guess is as good as mine on this.

The thing is that there are always going to be critics. I think Bobby V has done a decent job with the circumstances given. We only have one All-Star this year. I think Salty deserved to be an All-Star, but besides Salty and Ortiz, we have not had much consistency from anyone else offensively. Pedroia has had his ups and downs. Gonzalez has been down a lot. Aviles has been decent at times. Ross has been a nice addition, but we are not loaded with a bunch of All-Stars this year, unlike years in the past. The injuries have hurt us. The starting pitching has been inconsistent. We lost both our potential set-up man and closer due to bad performance and an injury, respectively. Bobby V has done a good job with piecing together a decent bullpen, especially with Padilla and Aceves as the set-up and closer. I also heard it was his idea to allow Morales to start. That was a great decision. Bobby V has definitely allowed us to be in the running for the playoffs. It is not completely his doing, but I think he deserves more credit than some fans/critics will give him. He has been fortunate with a lot of things as well. Who would have thought Nava and Pods would be as good as they have? To answer your question, he was put in a tough situation, and has done a decent job. Whether it was the managing or injuries, that is irrelevant because we are still in a position to make the playoffs.

Ideally I would like to see Lester, Beckett, Buchholz, Doubront, and Morales. It is hard to tell if Morales can keep this up and if Doubront can get his s*** together. Cook was great in his last start. He is definitely a guy to keep around. It is hard to tell what we can expect from Dice-K. Things will work themselves out. I am not against trying to get another solid starter. Maybe Dice-K or Cook could be part of a trade package?

Punto>Lillibridge Punto is hitting .200 this year and Lillibridge is hitting .000 this year in a Red Sox uniform. We might as well bring Ciriaco or Iglesias up, they could at least match the offensive production of either Punto or Lillibridge.

f*** Lillibridge. Send his ass to AAA. I would rather see Ciriaco or Iglesias promoted and play Aviles at 3B. I am not sure about this, but can Ciriaco play 3B? I would not be against trading for a veteran 3B. I just cannot stand to watch Punto or Lillibridge play as an everyday player. We might as well just give the other team an out each time they come to the plate.