SoxSport

AGon is hitting .290 in Boston. surprise.

good job by Pap. Tito is slow on Wagner--maybe because of Gagne. Looked bad on that guy. Wagner might be the best setup guy in the majors right now. Oki hasn't been sharp two straight. Give him a rest. Wagner was another brilliant move by Epstein, but they have to USE him. He's no Gagne. In this game, Lester goes another inning. Tito just doesn't go for the jugular.

Lester should have thrown another inning. Jima isn't sharp right now, Wagner is. The manager can make a difference with the pitching the last few innings, and this is not Tito's strength. Jima should have been out of there after 3 batters. Tito stays with guys who aren't sharp.

Kazmir pitched pretty well his last few starts in TB. I recall him being better against the Yankees than the Red Sox. This year he's 2-0 against both, better ERA against NY. You would expect that with their lineup. The real Red Sox killers have been Garza and Sonnenstine. Sonnenstine came back from the minors just to pitch tonite. The Angels got Kazmir to beat the Yankees. The Phillies got Lee to beat the Yankees. Both teams are stocked with starting LHPs, especially the Phillies with three. The Red Sox got into the game with Wagner in the BP. Wagner will get his chances in Yankee Stadium. I like the Phillies' chances to repeat with those three LHd starters--if they face NY.

Only in NY is a championship necessary. They have to justify spending $200 million on players. In Boston, everybody wants a championship, but realistically, it doesn't happen every year. Everything has to fall in place, especially injuries, and that hasn't happened for them so far this year. A lot of it is timing--you want to max out in October. Don't leave your game in July or August. Maybe the Yankees will have that problem this year. Right now, they are almost unbeatable. But can they sustain it? Hard to do. Look at what's happening in the NL. The Dodgers started strong but may have peaked. They just added a couple of veterans, showing they think they need help. Manny has come down to earth--no juice? The Phillies are the team to beat in the NL. And maybe the team to beat for the Championship. The big market-oriented media wants a Dodgers-Yankees WS, but they might not get it. The Angels? The Red Sox seem to have their number in the playoffs. Kazmir? Won't help much against Boston. The guys that kill the Sox are Garza and Sonnenstine. They can't hit those guys. They are the main reasons TB gives them so much trouble. Not having to face them in the playoffs is a big boost for Boston.

If Buchholz becomes a top starter, it will be a real feather in Epstein's cap. He resisted trading that kid, and Clay owes it to him to deliver.

Like in the song: T-R-A-D-I-T-I-O-N Should the Yankees change their pinstripes? Won't happen.

Yeah, Tito gets away with stuff like that. Of course, that was before Buchholz pitched like an ace the other night. Doubt it will happen again.

Wang is irrelevant in NY. They signed the top two FA pitchers pre-season--completely revamping their starting pitching. Anything less than a Championship for the Yankees this year is a total failure. They know that. They bought the top three FAs for almost a half billion dollars. The pressure is on NY, folks.

Dice-K had a rocky 1st inning yesterday for the sea dogs, but got the side out in order the 2nd inning before leaving. He might be OK. If Beckett isn't sharp for the playoffs, the no.3 starter will be a moot point. They won't go far. If Beckett is sharp, a sharp Dice-K or Buchholz would greatly improve their chances. The Yankees have been riding high since the all-star break, doing almost nothing wrong. I wonder if they can maintain that into the playoffs. All teams have ups and downs. And then there's injuries...

Yeah--very true. Wake looks like a bargain at $4mil compared to Theo's discount gambles. He earned his salary this year, even if he doesn't pitch another inning. The other guys really hurt because they were trotted out there time and again to get bombed--when everybody knew they were going to get bombed. Those last starts against NY should never have happened, in my view, and may have cost the Red Sox the Division title. They let the Yankees create too much distance.

Yeah, a lot of pitchers seem to do better over there. I don't know. The Phillies didn't have much trouble with TB last year. And I think they'll be tough to beat this year, with those three lefty starters, and a better lineup than last year. I see the Angels got Kazmir, so everybody's stocking up on lefty starters to beat the Yankees. The Sox would be in better shape with Lee, but they weren't going to get both Lee and VMart. Byrd just threw 6 shutout innings, and Wagner struck out the side in the 8th. Too bad Tito didn't put Billy in there last night instead of Oki. Wagner must be OK. The pitching is suddenly looking good again. Theo must be smiling. He might have to figure out a way to keep Wagner next year. LOL.

Heck, Wake is just a 40 year old guy with a 60 year old back. He probably slept on his stomach and woke up to a rainy day. That will do it. Maybe a touch of arthritis in one of his lower disks. I hope he is taking his glucosamine. And sleeping on his back. Seriously.

Joey is probably the best outfielder in Pawtucket right now, from what I've seen. All their prospects seem to be below AAA. Good insurance if something happens to Ellsbury.

Penny should sign with the Cardinals. They have some magic over there that turns Red Sox castoffs into gold. Pineiro has about 12 wins, and Smoltz is smokin'.

Tough call. He'll be good when he's 50, as long as he's healthy. But he clearly can't be counted on anymore for a full season. Is such a pitcher worth a roster spot? I don't know. If he can pitch the way he did this year in April and May, he's worth keeping for half a season. How they can finagle that is hard to figure. By the way, Wake costs $4mil, but he only pitches for about half a season these days. That makes his effective salary higher--closer to $8 mil.

Sending Bard down because of options sounds nonsensical enough for them to actually do it. After all, they pulled Penny off waivers--but now I'm sure they regret it. That's another $5mil they have to swallow. Epstein has behaved erratically this year. Lots of gambles have not worked out. Maybe too many gambles. Now he has another in Wagner. He needs a New Year's resolution to stay away from damaged goods at discount prices.

Well, they are giving up a couple of minor players in return for arbitration rights and compensatory picks.

Wagner apparently reconsidered with some serious prodding from the Mets. He thinks now it will help him more in free agency next year to pitch now for the Sox. I'm betting the Mets will be happy to just get rid of his salary. No players.

The story is the Red Sox don't want the option, so it's not the issue at this point. Wagner, or most likely his agent, realized their best option was to sit tight and do nothing. Hope the Mets forget Wagner is in the bullpen, preserve his arm, and come back as a free agent next year looking for a closer opportunity. He doesn't want to pitch anymore this year--and get paid for it. That's what happens when baseball players have agents.

Wagner is doing what Rice was complaining about with today's athletes--he's putting greed first. Ideally, he wants to take a vacation the rest of this season, preserve his arm, and come back next year as a free agent looking for a rich closing opportunity. What he wants to do is nothing. That was probably what his agent recommended, and agents are all about money.

The Players Union in Baseball is by far the strongest in professional sports. The owners can't pee without permission from the PU. I think they'll work out an agreement where Wagner gets to be a FA if he isn't used as a closer in Boston next year. That feeling is probably mutual. They aren't going to pay him 8 mil to setup--for sure. And they don't want him to close. The stickler is getting the draft picks. That's probably less important for Wagner. I don't know what they will do there, but they will want something in return if they are going to pay him 3.5 mil this year. There's a chance they may just walk away, because they don't really need him this year, anyway.

Now why can't I catch a minor league game when a major league pitcher is getting a rehab start? That's getting your money's worth.

Kinder, by the way, always pitched better with a hangover. A great starting pitcher, and later one of the first great closers. He never forgave Joe McCarthy for taking him out of a game in Yankee stadium that decided the Pennant. Think it was '49. He was a great competitor. His number should be retired. In contrast to Kinder, McCarthy did not manage well with a hangover--which was most of the time.

I think they'll work something out with weasel words where Wagner gets to finish the season in Boston, and he goes elsewhere next year if he wants to close and the Sox get any compensation picks. How they do that is what agents and gms are paid plenty for. Wilpon wants that $3.5 million, and he doesn't want that $8 mil option. My guess it gets done. Wagner has shown enough in 2 appearances to be of some use in the bullpen. And yes, he may even get a save or two in September competing with all those prima donnas the Sox seem to have.