RED SOX REPORT: July Post ASB

The Sox began the post-All Star break with three games in Toronto. Prior to the game, Julio Lugo was DFA’d which was no big surprise. Lowell was due to come off the DL, so Lugo was expendable. There are some players who never make it in Boston despite everyone’s best efforts. For Lugo, it never worked out, but fret not for him as the Sox still owe him in excess of $13MM for the rest of this year and all of next. It doesn’t do much good to cry over spilled milk, so let’s move on.

In the series opener (7/17), Clay Buchholz was called up from Pawtucket (Aaron Bates was returned) for a cup of coffee start, and pitched very well, going 5 ⅔, allowing four hits, one run while striking out three in a 4-1 Sox win. Youkilis hit a two-run homer in the first, and Ortiz knocked in two more with a double to left in the fifth. Bard and Okajima held things down until Papelbon shut the door to pick up his 24th save of the year.

Things didn’t go well for the Sox in Saturday’s game as rookie junkballer Marc Rzepczynski stymied the Sox’ hitters and Brad Penny had a mediocre/poor outing and the Jays came away with a 6-2 win. The Sox were probably licking their chops at the thought of teeing off on a kid who can’t throw over 90, but to Rzepczynski’s credit, he held the offense in check. The Sox went up early when Bay doubled and scored on Baldelli’s single. The Jays tied the score in the bottom of the second, scored three more runs in the fourth on three singles and a double and two more in the fifth on Adam Lind’s two-run shot, and the ballgame was over for all intents and purposes. Jed Lowrie returned to the lineup and hit a solo homer…This was a game that the Sox should’ve won, but Penny failed the team. The Yanks won and are two games back, chugging like a locomotive going downhill.

Sunday’s finale was simply a dominating outing by Roy Halladay. It’s was supposed to be a pitchers’ duel with Halladay lined up against Jon Lester and it pretty much lived up to its billing. The Sox actually got to Halladay early when Pedroia singled, went to third on Youkilis’ double and scored on Ortiz’ sacrifice fly to right. But the lead was shortlived. In the bottom of the second, two walks came back to bite Lester in the ass as Barajas doubled both runners in to put the Jays on top for good. Toronto picked up an insurance run in the sixth. But the big story was Halladay, who went the distance, allowing six hits and striking out seven. The Yanks won again and are just one game back.

Off To Texas And Droppin’ Like A Rock:

On Monday, the Sox opened a three game series in Arlington against the Rangers. Kevin Millwood started against John Smoltz. The weather conditions at this time of year in the Lone Star State are generally brutal, with stifling heat. With two outs in the first, Youkilis reached on a fly pop that David Murphy lost in the sun and scored on Ortiz’ double off the wall in left center (missed going over by six inches). With two outs in the fourth, the Sox manufactured another run. After Bay was thrown out trying to steal second, Drew walked and Lowell looped a base hit over the shortstop’s leap. Varitek followed with a double off the wall, but Lowell was thrown out sliding into the plate and got up gingerly, something that probably had the manager clutching his chest. Michael Young opened the bottom of the fourth by ripping a double down the line in left. Hamilton failed to advance the runner on a comebacker to Smoltz, and Andruw Jones followed suit, but Blaylock doubled to the gap and the Rangers scored their first run. Other than that, Smoltz pretty much breezed through the first five innings. Then came the sixth…and the bottom fell out. Michael Young led off with a homer to tie the score. Josh Hamilton doubled and scored on Blaylock’s single to right. With two outs, David Murphy swung at a pitch by his heels and knocked the ball over the rightfield wall. Saltalamacchia followed that by knocking the ball over the wall in center. Exit Smoltz, ballgame over. The Yanks won and are now tied for first.

OK, maybe the manager left Smoltz out there an inning too late, but as Ron Borges reports in Tuesday’s Herald, it’s not the starting pitching that’s the problem. The hitters are not hitting! The Sox are in the midst of a team-wide slump having scored but 12 runs since the break…and when they do reach base none of the hits are timely. Even in the best of seasons a team goes through a series of peaks and valleys. This is simply a rough patch the Sox are going through but it’s not the end of the world. They’ll come around…one of these days.

Introducing your SECOND PLACE Red Sox. On Tuesday, the Sox fell out of first when they lost 4-2 at Texas. Beckett went the distance in the loss and pitched pretty well, allowing seven hits, but once more the offense was pretty much out to lunch, picking up only five hits. Ortiz singled in the second and was thrown out (by five miles) trying to stretch it into a double. Rookie Tommy Hunter pitched a whale of a game for the Rangers, allowing only four hits over six innings’ work. The Rangers picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back. From the Sox’ perspective it was yet another dreadful night.

Prior to the ballgame Wakefield was placed on the DL with a back strain and Buchholz was recalled from Pawtucket to fill his spot in the rotation…

With the team batting just .179 since the break, something-anything needed to be done to address the offensive woes. To that end, the Sox acquired left-handed hitting 1B Adam LaRoche from the Pirates in exchange for minor leaguers SS Argenis Diaz and pitcher Hunter Strickland.

This move enables the Sox to give more rest to Mike Lowell moving forward and provides a left-handed bat with some power. LaRoche will be a free agent at year’s end and projects to be a rental for the Sox, with Pittsburgh kicking in a good portion of his remaining salary. Diaz was on the 40-man roster with Portland, and has a plus glove, but his hitting may not be MLB caliber. Neither he nor Strickland is considered to be top prospects. So, we’ll just have to see how it plays out for both teams.

Shortly after the LaRoche trade was announced, news reports indicated that the Cardinals were willing trade partners for Julio Lugo, shipping leftfielder Chris Duncan to Boston (he’ll report to Pawtucket), with the Red Sox eating the remaining $13.5MM owed to Lugo. What can you say, the Sox were able to acquire a warm body and someone who’ll provide some pop after September 1. In ’06 and ’07 Duncan had some decent power numbers though reports indicate that he’s an atrocious fielder. Much was made in certain quarters that the only reason he had a job in the big leagues is because his father is LaRussa’s longtime pitching coach. He doesn’t have one now, as he’ll be swinging for the downs in AAA ball. Things didn’t work out for Lugo in Boston, but he never publicly pouted or whined about his predicament, so we wish him well in St. Louis.

Another night, another loss…that’s five in a row. The Sox lost 3-1, as the bats failed to show up against spot starter Dustin Nippert, a guy who they should’ve pummeled. Clay Buchholz started in Wakefield’s spot and was gone after only four innings, allowing six hits and all three runs. Buchholz really struggled, having thrown 90 pitches in his four innings’ work. There really isn’t much more to say, except to express thanks that this miserable road trip is o-v-a-h…

The O’s Come To Town:

After the worst road trip of the year, the Sox returned to Fenway for three games with Baltimore. Last night, Julio Lugo homered and tripled in his Cardinals’ debut…Prior to the game, Mark Kotsay was DFA’d to make room for LaRoche, which wasn’t surprising. Kotsay hadn’t hit for much power and his skill set was considered to be somewhat redundant with the arrival of LaRoche. In the opener (7/24), Brad Penny got the call and pitched very well, going 6⅓, allowing 5 hits and no earned runs as the Sox cruised to a 3-1 win. The Sox got to O’s starter Brad Bergesen in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs as Drew singled and Lowell doubled to start things off. Drew came in on Varitek’s single and Lowell scored on Lowrie’s sacrifice fly to right. In the following inning, Youkilis walked leading off, went to third on Ortiz’ and scored on Drew’s 4-3 grounder. Delcarmen and Okajima kept the O’s hitters in check in the seventh and eighth, but Papelbon really struggled in the ninth, loading the bases before striking out Scott and Mora to end the ballgame.

Saturday night’s game (7/25) seemed like a flashback to those glorious days when the Red Sox hitters actually, you know, hit the baseball. Jon Lester had a rockin’ chair night, as the Sox cruised to a 7-2 victory. The Sox hung a crooked number in the first as Pedroia walked with one out, Bay singled with two outs and everybody came home on Big Papi’s big bomb over the centerfield wall. The O’s scored their only runs in the fourth on a combination of three singles and a walk. Ellsbury doubled in single runs in the second and fourth to make it 5-2. Adam LaRoche (making his Red Sox debut) capped off the scoring with a two-run homer to left in the bottom of the eighth. The Yanks were beaten by Oakland, so the Sox cut the deficit to 1 ½ games.

Sunday’s finale (7/26) was a dismal affair, as John Smoltz failed to pitch effectively and the Sox lost 6-2. Smoltz went five innings, surrendering 9 hits and 6 runs. The problem appeared to be (a recurring theme with Smoltz) pitches left in the strike zone that the Orioles’ hitters teed off on. Nick Markakis had a big day, going 2-4 with a homer and 3 RBI. Contrasting Smoltz’s performance was the fine outing by rookie David Hernandez. The kid went seven innings, allowing only five hits and a run. Adam LaRoche had a pair of hits, and Pedroia and Lowrie each knocked a run, but the bats were otherwise pretty darn quiet. The Yanks won again, so they increased their lead back to 2 ½ games.

Jim Rice was inducted in the Hall of Fame on this day…an honor so long overdue for one of the game’s premier power hitters. Congratulations!

The A’s Are Back In Town:

Oakland returned to Fenway for a four-game set on Monday the 27th. They’re in dead last in the AL West and recently traded their biggest power threat, Matt Holliday to St. Louis for a couple of the Cards’ prize prospects. In the opener,
Josh Beckett had another dominant outing, going seven innings, striking out 10 as the Sox coasted to an 8-3 win. Dustin Pedroia got the ball rolling early as he took Trevor Cahill deep wih one out in the bottom of the first. Ellsbury tripled leading off the third and came in on Pedroia’s sacrifice fly to left. In the fourth, the Sox broke things open by scoring three runs. Bay walked and Drew singled leading off. LaRoche doubled in Bay and Varitek drove in Drew with a line drive single and LaRoche came in on Ellsbury’s ground out. With the Sox up 6-2 in the bottom of the seventh, they safely tucked this one away with a pair of runs. With one out, Bay walked and Drew doubled (it’s about time). With two outs and the bases loaded, Lowrie hit a pop fly into no-man’s land in short left. Orlando Cabrera attempted to make a daring-do back handed stab, but the ball eluded his grasp and bounced into the stands. Bay and Drew scored and the competitive phase of the game ended then and there…

Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Sox traded Mark Kotsay to the White Sox for (warm body) outfielder Brian Anderson (assigned to Pawtucket). Anderson’s been around for awhile and has a good glove. He’ll probably rejoin the team in September when rosters expand to provide some outfield depth.

The Red Sox retired Jim Rice’s #14 in a classy pregame ceremony. Many of his contemporaries joined the festivities and he gave a humble acceptance speech which was warmly received by the crowd…and the first pitch was only eight minutes past the regular starting time. Clay Buchholz started for the Sox (who, if rumors are correct, is on the next plane to Toronto…or Cleveland…or San Diego). With Friday’s trade deadline looming, there are all sorts of rumors flying fast and furious. With one out, Cabrera singled. Then, Nomar was in the #3 hole as the DH and once more received a warm ovation from the crowd. He ripped a base hit into the hole at short. But Cust struck out and Suzuki bounced out to third and Buchholz was able to get out of the inning unscathed. Vin Mazzaro (2-7, 4.75) started for the Athletics and Ellsbury was able to get aboard on an infield hop single then stole second (#45), but he was unable to advance further as Mazzaro set down the next three hitters. Despite the lousy record Mazzaro looks like he’s got pretty good stuff.

Ryan Sweeney doubled leading off the second and scored on Mark Ellis’ bloop double to right with one out, then Ellis scored on Kennedy’s single to right. It only took one trip through the order before the Sox’ hitters figured out Mazzaro. In the bottom of the third, Kottaras walked leading off. Ellsbury singled to right with one out and Pedroia singled to left to load the bases. Youkilis hit a line drive double to left, bringing in Kottaras and Ellsbury. Ortiz hit a bat shattering 4-3 ground out that brought in Pedroia with the go-ahead run and Bay squibbed an infield hit that scored Youkilis. Then Drew followed with a double down the line in right that brought in Bay with Boston’s fifth run of the inning. There’s nothing like putting up a nice crooked number to liven things up. In the bottom of the sixth Drew singled with one out and scored on Lowell’s line drive double to left. The A’s scratched back a run in the seventh off of Okajima on doubles by Cust and Sweeney. Ellis doubled leading off the eighth and scored on Kennedy’s single (fourth hit of the game), but Bard entered and was able to get Nomar to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play.

…then everything fell apart in the ninth. Papelbon entered with a three run lead and blew it, in large part to two huge throwing errors by Nick Green. It was awful and any words to try to recapture the events therein would be totally inadequate. Suffice to say, it was truly one of this year’s lowlights. Oakland came up with a pair of runs in the 11th. The Sox countered with a run in the bottom half as Pedroia was stranded at third when the final out was recorded. It was one of those losses that simply lets all the wind out of a team’s sails.

Wednesday night’s game (7/29) was a typical Brad Penny Special. A ton of pitches with spotty effectiveness at best-- an exercise in head-banging frustration. Adam Kennedy took him deep on the first pitch of the game and by the time the smoke settled it was 5-0 A’s. Mike Lowell hit a three-run homer off of starter Brett Anderson. Penny settled down after that and the score remained 5-3 until the fifth when Suzuki homered on the first pitch. Oakland plated two more in the sixth of off Penny and Masterson on Patterson’s double off the wall. The Sox plated solo runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth, but they just didn’t have it on this night. The Yanks won again and are now ahead by 3 ½ games in the East.

…and then came the news on Thursday in the Times that David Ortiz (along with Manny) was one of the 103 players who tested positive for PED’s in 2003. If true, then Ortiz is just another in a long line of players whose credibility has gone down the tubes. What was his famous quote about welcoming PED testing? “The only thing they’ll find is rice and beans…” Yeah, right. No one should feel shocked or disillusioned by this revelation, but a real sense of disappointment is in order, as Ortiz had been previously vociferous about the need to severely punish steroid users. Big Papi is beloved by Red Sox fans and his subsequent “no comment about things in the past” is gutless. Further, Ortiz’ statement that he was “blindsided” by this revelation strains credulity, as the 103 players who tested positive in ’03 certainly had to have been notified by the union. He claims that he will identify what banned substance he tested for and will be forthright with the public. Big Papi got some ‘splainin’ t’do. Let’s hope he doesn’t use the “protein shake” excuse, as it won’t fly. He needs to be as forthright as possible to repair his tainted credibility.

Not to excuse Ortiz (or any of the other players whose identities have been leaked) but there are ethical issues in play with respect to the names that were leaked (A-Rod, et al.). MLB and the Players’ Association agreed that the results of the 2003 tests would remain confidential, but drop by drop, the names of players who tested positive are being leaked by “unnamed sources”. Perhaps the “confidential” aspect doesn’t mean what it used to. These records were supposedly ordered sealed by a judge and an “unnamed lawyer” is the source for the Times article. Again, there’s no sympathy for Ortiz, Manny and A-Rod, but the lack of redress is troubling and any future attempts to further clarify or expand testing through the collective bargaining process is probably out the window.

Moving on to the series finale (7/30), John Lester started for the Sox against young lefty Gio Gonzalez. The Sox picked up a run in the second when Bay walked, Ortiz doubled and Varitek drove in Bay with a base hit. Lester was sharp until the sixth then he mysteriously caught a case of the yips and couldn’t make it out of the inning. With one out, Cabrera walked, Nomar singled (one of three hits in what was likely his final Fenway game) and Cust walked. Everidge hit a sacrifice fly that plated the tying run. Crosby doubled in two more runs and Rajai Davis followed with a single that drove in two more. The Sox got two runs back in the bottom half of the inning when Ortiz walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Lowell’s ground rule double. After Gonzalez was replaced by Russ Springer, Varitek drove in Lowell with another base hit. The A’s made it 5-3 in the seventh when Nomar singled, left for pinch runner Eric Patterson (who stole second), then Everidge drove in the runner with a base hit. In the bottom of the seventh, Michael Wuertz entered in relief for Oakland. With two outs, Youkilis hit a routine fly to right that Cust lost in the sun, the ball dropped and Youk ended up on second. Bay walked and Wuertz was replaced by the lefty Craig Breslow, who entered to face Ortiz. Big Papi took Breslow deep for a three-run shot into the centerfield stands that propelled the Sox to a 6-5 lead. Momentarily, all was forgotten as the crowd went wild and Ortiz gave the fans a curtain call from the dugout. The Sox picked up two more runs in the bottom of the eighth as Drew doubled leading off and scored on Varitek’s double. Ellsbury then brought in Varitek with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-5. Papelbon entered in the ninth and only allowed a single by Cabrera to close things out…just another ho-hum day at the ballpark.

TRADE DEADLINE MOVES:
July 31: Padres trade Jake Peavy to the White Sox for Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda (minors), Dexter Carter, & Adam Russell.
July 31: Blue Jays trade Scott Rolen to the Reds for Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Roenicke (minors), & Zach Stewart.
July 31: Red Sox trade Adam LaRoche to the Braves for Casey Kotchman.
July 31: Indians trade Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, & Bryan Price.
July 31: Mariners trade Jarrod Washburn to the Tigers for Luke French (minors) & Mauricio Robles.
July 31: A's trade Orlando Cabrera to the Twins for Tyler Ladendorf.
July 31 (reported): Nationals trade Nick Johnson to the Marlins for Aaron Thompson.
July 31 (reported): Nationals trade Joe Beimel to the Rockies for Ryan Matthews & Robinson Fabian.
July 31: Reds trade Jerry Hairston Jr. to the Yankees for Chase Weems.
July 31: Dodgers trade Claudio Vargas to the Brewers for Vinny Rottino.
July 30: Orioles trade George Sherrill to the Dodgers for Steve Johnson & Josh Bell.
July 30: Pirates trade John Grabow & Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs for Jose Ascanio & Kevin Hart.
July 29: Indians trade Cliff Lee & Ben Francisco to the Phillies for Lou Marson (minors), Jason Knapp, Jason Donald, & Carlos Carrasco.
July 29: Pirates trade Freddy Sanchez to the Giants for Tim Alderson.
July 29: Pirates trade Ian Snell & Jack Wilson to the Mariners for Jeff Clement, Ronny Cedeno, Aaron Pribanic, Brett Lorin, & Nathan Adcock.
July 29: Rockies trade Jason Hirsh to the Yankees for a player to be named.
July 29: Mariners trade Wladimir Balentien (minors) to the Reds for Robert Manuel (minors).
July 27: Indians trade Ryan Garko to the Giants for Scott Barnes.
July 24: A's trade Matt Holliday to the Cardinals for Brett Wallace, Shane Peterson, & Clayton Mortensen.
July 23: Indians trade Rafael Betancourt to the Rockies for Connor Graham.
July 22: Red Sox trade Julio Lugo to the Cardinals for Chris Duncan.
July 22: Pirates trade Adam Laroche to the Red Sox for Argenis Diaz & Hunter Strickland.

…In the end (after countless rumors), JP Ricciardi couldn’t pull the trigger on a trade for Roy Halladay. The wisdom of not trading a great pitcher on a lousy team at the point in which his value is as its peak can be analyzed seven ways to Sunday. As long as Halladay didn’t get traded to the Yankees, then it’s all good…

The Sox were active on Deadline Day, acquiring switch-hitting C/1B Victor Martinez from Cleveland for pitcher Justin Masterson and minor league pitchers Nick Hagadone and Bryan Price. Martinez brings a very nice bat that was seriously needed in the lineup. As far as his catching skills, well…not so hot. He was primarily brought in to hit and whatever defense he can bring is a bonus. The Sox paid a high price for Martinez. It’s sad to see a fine young man like Masterson leave the team, but to get you’ve gotta give. The Sox management identified a handful of prospects that were “untouchable” and none of these guys were included. Hagadone is a stud, but he’s at least a year or two from hitting the Big Time. Let’s hope he does well, but not the second coming of Bob Feller…

The Sox also traded Adam (“We Hardly Knew Ye”) La Roche to Atlanta for IF Casey Kotchman. LaRoche (like Kotsay before him) became redundant after the Martinez trade. Too bad, because he played pretty well during his ten-day stay in Boston. Kotchman was one of the players Atlanta received from the Angels at last year’s trade deadline in the Mark he Teixiera trade. He’s a power bat and will fill a utility role, but moving on to his third organization in a year obviously raises a red flag. In the short term, the Sox addressed their need for a legitimate power hitter, so time will tell.