jung

By the way....I totally expect Felix to out-dual this bum Nolasco tonight. No reason to expect him to be able to keep the Sox down although I always prefer WMB in the lineup as opposed to Youk. Really interested to see how Nava-Kalish do batting 1-2 in the lineup.

It all depends on the period of time that you pick with regard to the pitching and the hitting. When the Sox started the month of June they were facing teams that were pitching better than the Sox were pitching and those teams continued beating the Sox. Since then the Sox have gone on a run playing Miami and Chicago. They had been out-pitching both of those teams at the point mid-month when they played them, and they are currently out-pitching all of the teams that remain for them to play this month. So I still think it boils down to the pitching. Now it is an issue of whether the Sox can maintain the pitching that they have had very recently, who they are playing coming up and whether those teams will go on another run of solid pitching as they come into the period when the Sox have to face them. Frankly I think it unlikely that the Sox as a staff will continue at this pace. They have been truly outstanding for the last week to 10 days and that has pulled their 14 and 28 day numbers into really sporty territory. I expect Felix to win tonight's dual and at least based on the numbers for the period of the last 14 and 28 days, the Sox look pretty good to close out the month strong unless things change. Beckett being on the DL might turn out to be a factor. The Braves are the only team even close to the Sox 14 and 28 day numbers.

Nava and Kalish bat 1,2 tonight. WMB is out and Youk is in. As noted earlier, Punto is in for Peday and Punto is batting 9th. Interesting that Nava and Kalish are 1,2 in the order.

I don't think Ortiz is atypical of the modern pro athlete in any sense. Pedey is something of a throwback if that is a term people would think relates to an admirable quality. For the most part I think the money has gotten so out of whack for pro baseball players at the ML level that it has changed their profiles forever. They are such a self centered lot that even when they had an opportunity to provide just a little more runway between subsistence and the pavement for the guys in the minor leagues they voted to stiff the guys in the minors who really don't make enough money to live on unless they have a contract from an ML team that affords them some additional cash. Even the value of those contracts has now been substantially limited. The amount of money it would have taken to at least allow minor league players a subsistence level income would have been chump change even for guys making the ML minimum but they voted instead to reserve every last penny they could for themselves. The very idea that limiting the size of draftee contracts amounts to some real effort to limit ballooning major league salaries is a joke. All by way of saying that "stand up guy" is not a term I think I can apply to any of them if it implies the kinds of things we think of when we think of "normal joe" friends and acquaintances of ours that we think of as stand up guys. It is a good think baseball itself is such a great game cause these guys as individuals are getting harder and harder to like. It is harder still to have any empathy with or for them.

Well for one thing I think we called it right in these pages. I don't recall any of us reading into the Olney piece that the Sox were bickering with each other, only that there were some that were unhappy and we did discuss to some extent how that might be a distraction that might be tied to some of the sloppy play in the field. The "radio head" take on the article was that the players were bickering with each other and I don't know where that comes from other than some desire to turn the whole thing into some sort of soap opera. Although the Olney article did get linked in this thread that is titled using the word "dissension".

I am really worried that Pedey is neither going to really be himself nor really recover either unless he really lets himself heal. It almost looks like he finds a way over some period of time to find a way to hit and then the stress is to much for the injury and he needs some time just to let the throbbing subside. Hard for me to imagine that this is going to work out for us through the remainder of the season.

I think we always tend to focus much of our efforts on these pages inward which is only natural and correct by the way. However I think we miss what is a very simple and central point....while our pitching has improved so has the pitching improved for teams that had better pitching than we did from the start. In my view they have to get another good arm into the rotation. I just hope that they a) can do it and can get an effective arm without giving up to much in prospects. Beckett has already missed starts and we really have no idea where he is at this point and we are still overly reliant on Beckett, Lester and Buch to pitch to form, without missing significant time for the remainder of the season. As for the offense I am encouraged that the Sox as a team have been a bit more patient at the plate and are seeing some better pitches to hit. They have not done a whole lot with them as yet and it is not like it is yielding multiple good pitches to hit each at bat but they are getting more even against pretty good pitching. Ortiz is laying off the high heat again thank God and is not missing anything in his wheelhouse. Agons is still swinging at sliders off the plate as is Youk from the other side. Aviles is really only a power hitter if he can pull and frankly he still tries to hard to pull. There are spots where I would be just as happy to see a base hit from him. Good to see Ross back. Nava still appears to be Nava. Hopefully a stint on the DL will resolve Pods injury. WBM still looks so good at the plate. Kalish is going through that early Fenway thing but I think that is to be expected. Salty is probably the most improved player on the team....maybe in baseball having changed his approach to plate appearances for the better and having found a speed of play in the field that seems to have really improved his defense. He is no longer rushing everything and that at least appears to have made a monster difference for him.

Another good reason to get something done with the starting pitching, hope that improves their winning percentage and allows the discontent whatever it might be to resolve itself.

Boy that thumb must really be hurting Pedey. I wonder if he will play or sit tonight. Based on what we saw last night it looks like it is not getting even a lick better playing with it like this. How does he get through the remainder of the season dealing with that much pain and playing effectively? Sounds like he is going to have to hit the DL at some point. That was really my biggest fear relating to that decision to bunt last night.

Like I said during the game, so far V seems to zig when you would expect a zag. While it makes more sense that V sent Ross the bunt sign and Pedey might have bunted on his own (especially with that thumb), I thought it more likely the other way round at the time and still do. Ross has not hit RH pitchers at all well. Of the two bunts that one looked more like a move a manager would make from the bench since the Sox already had a lead by then. But I can at least see Ross trying to bunt for a hit on his own especially in his first game back from injury and hitting against a RH pitcher. Ross is very often an out against a RH pitcher when he has been playing regularly, never mind just off the DL. He might have even thought it a good idea to show his manager that he can get down the line with that foot. As for Pedey's bunt, I just cannot bring myself to conclude that Pedey on his own would try to bunt for a hit or sac with a guy standing in scoring position with him at the plate. I just can't see it. I just cannot bring myself to think Pedey would believe that the best way for him to help the team. V has come out and stated that he does not like the sac bunt ever. So neither might have been signs from the bench. That is actually the funny thing about what kudos the Sox get for their sac bunt prowess. V has been pretty unequivocal about what he thinks of the sac bunt. So sac bunt with no outs and a man already in scoring position is tough to see coming from him. Wish to God somebody asked V about those bunts in the post game presser as the answer there would have been so much more interesting to know than "what did you think of Buch tonight?"

Well the interesting thing about that 97 mph fastball is that it did not look like Ace overthrew that and it exploded at the plate at 97. When he does overthrow he often does not hit 97 and thing is flat as a pancake.

Did anybody notice if Pedey was wearing the thumb donut tonight? I don't think I saw it but maybe wrong.

Imagine what that thumb would feel like if he broke the bat like that on a cold night? Ouchhhhhhhhh!

Wonder if Pedey dinged that thumb earlier in the game and then really dinged it during that swing. So many ways to hurt that thing since it is wounded.

Geez I hope they do win tonight for all the V questions there should be: Did you bunt Pedey Did you bunt Ross Was taking Pedey out a precautionary measure

Damn it.....hopefully V is just being cautious in a game they are leading.

Geez Gonzo if it is a breaking ball that starts on the outer third unless the guy has got a screw ball I think it is going outside...no Gonzo????? There is a pitch you don't see anymore.

Well see...it takes a real pro...an established vet to doink it and then boot it. Actually to the point, even established pros are often made to look foolish learning to play in Fenway's outfield. Hopefully there won't be a practical result that costs us theis game.

Right you are 700.

Shake it off Ryan.....although easier said than done....funny to have to say to a guy at this level...."next time two hands". Baseball never changes.

I do think Ross was bunting on his own. He has struggled against RH pitchers and I think he figured to bunt for a hit or earn the sacrifice if not. One reason I did not think Pedey was bunting on his own was because he believes himself to be one of the best RBI guys the Sox have at a time when they have been struggling for runs (he is by the way). Left to his own devices I think he would have hit away because in his view it would have been the best thing he could have done for the team. Get a hit...drive in a run. Hopefully some reporter will ask V about both in the presser instead of the usual ******** questions they ask.

Youk's weekly hit

I think it came from V. He is very hard to figure I think. Seems to like to zig when you expect him to zag. I actually don't mind him playing to get a lead at home since they get the last bats. What is a bit odd is that the runner was already in scoring position with less than two outs. Maybe V just does not quite trust Pedey totally yet since the thumb injury.

Geez call it a mediocre outing. Who gives a s*** for Gods sake. Buch has been up and in the middle of the plate all night long. Probably lucky he has not been hit harder. However he is not getting hammered either....at least I don't think so.

Well I don't think Buch is getting hammered but he is not having s good outing either.