Tonight BOS: RHP Brad Penny (7-6, 5.20 ERA) The big right-hander gave up three home runs in his previous start, a 6-4 loss to the Rays. In a troubling trend, Penny has given up five runs or more in three of his past four starts. This is his first start of the season against the Tigers. In 11 Fenway starts this season, Penny is 5-2 with a 4.72 ERA. Opponents are hitting .290 against him. DET: RHP Edwin Jackson (8-5, 2.62 ERA) Two ninth-inning runs denied Jackson a chance at a complete-game shutout Wednesday against the Orioles, but the performance erased any sign of wearing down after his workhorse first half. He's 2-4 with a 5.44 ERA for his career against the Red Sox, including 0-4 in six outings at Fenway Park, but he had a pair of quality starts against Boston last year. Tomorrow: Rick Porcello, RHP (10-7, 4.30) @ Junichi Tazawa, RHP (0-1, 10.80) Wednesday: Armando Galarraga, RHP (6-10, 5.23) @ Josh Beckett, RHP (13-4, 3.12) Thursday: Justin Verlander, RHP (12-6, 3.45) @ Clay Buchholz, RHP (1-2, 5.33) Vmart makes his Fenway debut, Penny looks to have a good showing since the AS break. Breaking News: The Red Sox hitters have remembered to bring those wooden stick thingys you hit the ball with.
The road to first in the Wild Card race, maybe. Playing like complete shit against a hated rival does not constitute the road to first.
This team is not as bad as it played the last week, plain and simple. They have two ace's in the rotation, and a rock solid pen despite last night. On a good note, Lester Beckett and Buchholz combined for 20 innings and 2 earned runs against the best offense in baseball in one of the biggest hitting parks in baeball. The similarities to '01 and '06 are only superficial. In both cases there was total collapse because of a lack of pitching and a rash of injuries. Neither are really happening here, though the back end is definitely a hole. This team is just underachieving post-all star break, bad. Possibly getting very old very vast. The defense on the left side is awful and Lowell/Ortiz/ Tek are without a doubt in steep decline. Bay is an enigma and Drew isn't far from being lumped with the other three . The good news to me is that they probably can fix these situations to at least play well enough down the stretch to get the wild card. Tek needs to become the backup and play only 2-3 times a week, and Ortiz needs to start sitting often. They have both been a pile of suck for the better part of a year now, but I really have no idea if Francona sits them or not. Bay and Lowell should start splitting DH with Kotchman and Reddick getting much more playing time, and that should on paper make the defense much better. Of course if the bats really are this old, this dead, then this team is just fucked, plain and simple. The major parts of the lineup really might just be falling off a cliff a year or two earlier than expected, and there might be no going back. This team has played dead only to find itself too many times to rule the playoffs or even division out yet, but in another week or so that won't be the case if they don't get their shit together, and fast. edit: I forgot to mention shortstop. This team is completely fucked at shortstop. Yeah, I'd say some major moves might be in line this off-season. Any chance we could convince the Indians to take our entire farm for Sizemore, or the Marlins for H-Ram this winter?
This team's home/away offensive splits are ridiculous. Home: (52 games): .275 / .359 / .478, 211 walks, 352 strike outs, 64 home runs, .309 babip Away: (58 games) .252 /.337 / .404., 249 walks, 425 strike outs, 66 home runs, .286 babip. At least most of our remaining games are at home after that awful trip.
This team is built for October, not for getting there. If they can somehow squeak in they can easily win it with Beckett, Lester, and that bullpen, but I have serious doubts about having enough offense to make it there.
wouldn't have minded seeing one of those clutch hits on saturday or sunday...or friday or last wednesday....
the good thing about this is: jackson will be gone soon, we can get into that bullpen and set it up for the rest of the series.
