jung

I don't know how many folks saw last night's game...did anybody see that $26.00 cheese burger?

Good job Ells...actually it looks to me like both Ells and Vic are just trying to make sure they get on base anyway they can. Not really trying to stroke the ball for power.

Good AB WMB

Hope the heck that was not a limp as Ortiz got to about half way between 3rd and Home.

Well I did not see it but we must have gone down pretty easy in the top of the 1st. Kinsler sends the first thing he sees into the stands. Yuk

If and it is a bit if, but if Bailey can stay healthy for one full season and pitch for it the way he has pitched so far this year, I do not think there is anything that Riddick will do in Oakland or I should say, would have done here that will unbalance the deal in Oakland's favor. However, can Bailey stay healthy for a whole season?

I think Lackey will go out there with the confidence of having had a good start last time out. Lackey is if nothing else a warrior that hardly needs more juice when he heads to the mound. Looking forward to seeing how he does tonight and looking forward to the showdown tomorrow.

Given where Felix's FB is as in gone...I doubt he will be able to average even 6 any longer. That was my point of reference. A guy like Felix can't lose that much off his FB and survive. It just ain't gonna' happen.

Pedey does not deserve this stupid thumb thing. If ever a guy deserved to have somebody wave a magic wand and end that pain, it is Pedey. In their buildings, we really do struggle against all three teams...we do better at Fenway normally. Early A's and Rays series both in Fenway.

Jeez Pedey...this thing mercifully close to over. Hope to see Lester in a bounce back performance and then.....BUCH and DARVISH!!!! Whoops...forgot Lackey is in there tomorrow. Well just as anxious to see if Lackey can perform again...then.....LESTER and DARVISH!!!!

Funny but even with all the changes the Sox still struggle with even pushing across tiny run totals against the teams that can pitch. We struggle with Texas cause they can pitch and we have never really been able to scramble for runs. This team has a better chance at doing it than most Sox teams but it is still a struggle for us. Rays, A's, Rangers and teams like them will likely give us fits this year as usual.

Salty on safari behind home plate again, hunting for that saber-toothed pop up trophy for the wall in his den.

Not good enough...trade bait....no room for him with Felix to protect:D:D Seriously though, I really did want Webster to get this year in Pawtucket under his belt...He looked so promising in his one start here but also just begging for a year of AAA work before coming up. They Sox just may not be able to afford it. If he can or has cut down on his mistake pitches, Webster can pitch up here. That is the one thing that I thought stood out on the negative side of the balance sheet. He was not used to seeing so many of his mistake pitches just get punched silly. Of course that is what ML hitters do to mistake pitches.

Lavarnway's OPS in Pawtucket is .953 I think and Vaz is at something like .855 in Portland.

Wish Pedey felt better. That thumb must be as bad at this point as it was last year cause just these last few games he looks just like he did last year when the thumb was bothering him. You want to hope he will hit so he can stay in the 3 hole. But if he keeps going like this they may not be able to keep him there.

SALTY....Gotta' do something with Salty. He has come crashing back to earth as usual and then you are stuck with that wonderful Salty defense behind the plate. Clearly he is waiting for the next close game to hit us with another surprise attack throw into the right field grandstands.

Just looking for a catalyst. Sense that the Sox need something...maybe Lavarnway...maybe Webster would be enough.

Funny watching that guy eating in the stands in Texas. Having finished off the $26.00 Cheese burger, he is on to the mountain of fries on the side. Myself, I would be dead already...a carcass sitting in that seat.

Even at the bottom of the rotation, you have to be able to average 6 per game. Felix can't get out of the 4th inning any longer. He is averaging just below 6 per and sliding. Our bullpen is about to get longer again. But you can't really rely on everybody in the pen being healthy. That is more the exception than the rule. Between that and the offense sputtering a bit, we seem to be coming back to earth a little bit. The real question is if those two studs at the top of the rotation can keep it up. I was in favor of Webster being groomed in the minors for another year. However I sense our need for a lift. As long as it does not hurt him I wold be in favor of bringing Webster this year. It might be getting close to time to consider Iggy as well. Not that Drew has been that bad. I just sense the Sox needing a lift from somewhere.

Guess he lost the battle with his waist:D

I really felt that Felix had hit his high water mark already. When you are scratching around at the bottom of the rotation and can't really make any more progress, you are either headed for the bullpen or headed out of town. We know Felix can't pitch in relief. So I think it will be outta' town at some point. Sealed his own fate showing up out of shape this year.

Ells suffering from Middlebrooksatosis that AB. s***...must be catching

According to Remy the reason Hayhurst is such an ******* is because he only presented the information he wanted to present. I knew Buch whipped off a lot. In fact I have seen him go to his mouth more than once between pitches and wipe off every time after going to his mouth. Remy says he went back and looked at every pitch from that game and reports that Buch whipped off every time before throwing every pitch. As for what Hayhurst was claiming...I really don't know. Although he did say the words.....He did describe it as loading up the baseball. I have always used that term to describe the spit ball, the Gaylord Perry and others...spitter. That sort of pitch is almost unhittable and sometimes is unhittable. So if Hayhurst is accusing Buch of doing something to get a better grip and has decided to use the term loading the baseball to do it that is sorta' sucky. I think the whole thing is ******** because Hayhurst is only presenting the information he wants to present and he is presenting it in a way that is frankly less than accurate, disingenuous and designed to be purposefully provocative. As for trying to get a better grip which I for one have never described as "loading the baseball", all pitchers try things to get a better grip. If Buch is using a combination of rosin and water, I don't see what Hayhurst is complaining about, especially since Buch whips off before every pitch.

Playoffs!!!! ...Playoffs????? Well I don't know about playoffs but it does feel like the first really big series of the season. None of the others to date have felt like big series...maybe the first Rays series and the O;s but that has been about it till now and those just seemed like the first series with teams we will likely be tangling with all season. This feels more like, I want these three games.....BAD! Regardless of the fact that the Texans are not in our division I really want to see us do well here. Kill the Texas Rangers!

Should be a really fun weekend though. The games will be tough....all of them. This year's Sox team certainly seems better suited to close. low scoring games than many Sox teams have been. It has never been a strong suit for the Sox. We might learn a good deal about this team this weekend. What better time to run into Texas than being in 1st and ridding high. Gotta' play em' sooner or later....just as soon now.