So, I remember writing this and had to revisit after the last week of so of Red Sox related news: http://www.overthemonster.com/2010/9/15/1690025/a-bridge-over-dirty-water-part-1

Really should have finished Part 2 of that article in retrospect, especially after reading this http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id/7092528/terry-francona-victim-latest-red-sox-smear-campaign

Whoops!!! I think that may prompt my return from retirement. 

(still visit the site daily, keep up the good work everyone!)

It appears as though our Red Sox, who made the biggest splash this off-season, did so with a veritable belly-flop of titanic proportions. Suffice to say, we’re all asking the same questions:

Will Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury ever recover from their injury-riddled 2010 seasons or have they become nothing more than glorified platoon players for the remainder of their careers?

Should Terry Francona start using the DH role for Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s spot in the lineup?

What is the return policy on all these Carl Crawford jerseys? Better yet, how about on Crawford himself?

Will anyone notice if we all just become Baltimore Orioles fans?

Yes, just three games into the 2011 season -- one that, at least initially, began with enormous expectations -- and Red Sox fans everywhere are already abandoning ship.

At least that’s what everyone else around Major League Baseball seems to assume.

While that’s obviously not the case and nobody is asking those questions, at least not us rational folk, it’s certainly not easy to simply move on and forget that Texas-sized trouncing our shiny new team took last weekend in Arlington. However, that’s precisely what Red Sox Nation -- and more importantly, the Red Sox themselves -- will have to do in order to get back on track en route to the ultimate goal of winning a World Series title. Then again, perhaps we should start with win number one.

Hopefully, that first victory -- maybe even the second and third -- will come this week in Cleveland, where the Red Sox open a three-game set with the Indians later this afternoon.

A preview of the series, complete with each game’s probable starters, storylines to watch and maybe even a bit of optimism sprinkled in for a change of pace, is awaiting you after the jump. So, go ahead and jump! That is, unless you are one of the irrational Red Sox fans who have already given up hope, in which case you should probably take a step back from the ledge and relax a little.

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It’s March again. And, for the third consecutive year, I am compelled to produce a piece asking what us fans might expect from Clay Buchholz this upcoming season. This installment, however, should bestow a more optimistic undertone for you, its readers. Rather than asking if this is the season Buchholz finally puts it all together, I will instead delve into the possibility that he repeat his positive performance from the season prior, when he did put it all together for the first time. Plus, as an added bonus, I’ll go on record and make a very public prediction of my own for what I think his 2011 numbers will look like for the first time in this article’s three-year history.

As the majority know, Spring Training appearances are hardly indicative of where a player stands developmentally heading into the season, especially in the case of a starting pitcher. However, it’s hard not to get a bit giddy glancing at Buchholz’s current numbers this spring (13 IP, 0.69 ERA) given the type of expectations he set for himself following his breakout season a year ago.

In 28 starts last season, Buchholz tallied a career-high 17 wins while losing just seven. His 187 ERA+ led the league and he became the first Red Sox pitcher to do so since Pedro Martinez accomplished the feat in 2003 (211 ERA+). That, combined with a 2.33 ERA that held firm towards the top of the American League throughout the entire season (ultimately finishing second), led to Clay’s first All-Star game appearance and a sixth place finish in the league’s Cy Young Award voting.

That breakout campaign a year ago produced an audible sigh of relief not only from Fenway’s faithful but its front office as well. The tall, lanky Buchholz finally had the type of year that warranted having kept him in Boston amidst constant murmurs regarding his inclusion in a package of players that could potentially land any of the big names that have circled the rumor mill the past few years. From Roy Halladay to Adrian Gonzalez, the Red Sox have been involved in nearly every big name available on the market recently and Buchholz has always been considered a likely centerpiece for any potential trade. However, Theo Epstein decided to stick with his high-ceiling right-hander despite an undeniable amount of fans and non-fans alike who had all but written Buchholz off.

It’s not entirely uncommon for a young pitcher in his third or fourth MLB season to have an unprecedented level of personal success for a single season before ultimately reverting back to their old selves, never to be heard from again. Will this be the case for Boston’s possible future staff ace or could this be the final season in which I even feel it necessary to ponder his potential production?

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Baseball season is almost here. Then again, if you’re like me, you would argue that it never left; there is no off-season for a real MLB fan.

Baseball is a sport unlike any other. It takes a unique type of athlete to excel at our national pastime, which requires such an array of special skills. As a result, it takes a unique kind of person to truly appreciate it.

If you don’t share the same enthusiasm -- or in my case, giddiness -- for the looming MLB season as the rest of us diehards, that's fine. There are those people and then, more or less, there are these people: 

What is so great about baseball? It’s just a bunch of overpaid grown men standing around ‘adjusting themselves’ for hours on end, only occasionally taking a break to chase down a fly ball while two of them play a glorified game of "keep away" from some guy with a bat in the middle of the field. Baseball fans are just a bunch of stat geeks. I’d rather watch paint dry…

As baseball fans, we hear it all too often. And for years now, we’ve reverted to the same generic, basic rebuttal:

You just don’t get it.

Not because we can’t explain what makes baseball so great, but because it would simply take too much time. Besides, the reality is that the majority of people, through no fault of their own, really don’t get it. By no means is that intended to sound condescending, it's just the way it is.

After my most recent proclamation of "you just don't understand," I, and those [baseball fans] like me, were called elitists. Initially, I took it as an insult. After further deliberation, however, I consider it something like an indirect, backhanded compliment. 

Allow me to take you inside the mind of a so-called baseball elitist and finally elaborate a bit on exactly what you non-fans may not be understanding.

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Opening Night in Major League Baseball; just one game on the schedule.

The defending champion New York Yankees entered Boston on April 4^th (Easter) to play 2010’s first regular season contest. Airing nationally on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, the game featured a prime-time pitching match up and two of the early favorites to reach postseason play in the American League.

With Josh Beckett on the hill for the Red Sox and C.C. Sabathia slated to start for the Yankees -- in addition to Boston’s new preventative defense-first lineup -- many expected a low scoring and hard-fought game between two of the game’s most storied franchises. That, they did not get.

Instead, what transpired was an emotionally charged back-and-forth affair with an ending that didn’t disappoint -- as if that were ever in doubt.

Everybody wants their team to win game one. For Red Sox fans, this particular opener was even more meaningful. Not only was it played against the Yankees who were fresh off a World Series title with the rest of the league watching, but it was also the first time fans would be introduced to the "bridge year" version of their Sox. For the first time in years, the Red Sox were defensively oriented. Needless to say, nobody knew exactly what to expect.

What followed was yet another Red Sox vs. Yankees classic, something fans should always expect when these two organizations get together.

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After the type of season that Boston endured in 2010, it seems only fitting that we start our top ten moments list with one that gives fans a reason to look enthusiastically towards the future. The future, in this instance, is represented by Daniel Bard.

By now, it’s no secret that the Boston Red Sox plan to eventually replace the franchise’s all-time saves leader, Jonathan Papelbon, with Bard as the team’s closer. Whether that happens sooner rather than later remains to be seen. One thing, however, is certain: If 2011 is the year that Bard supplants Papelbon, he’ll be more than ready to assume the type of duties that accompany closing games for a perennial championship contender, in what is almost annually regarded as baseball’s toughest division, nonetheless.

At no time did Daniel demonstrate this more than the night of August 9, 2010 against the hated New York Yankees.

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How quickly circumstances can change in the world of professional baseball.

Precisely one year ago, the Boston Red Sox, having just completed an impressive three-game sweep of the Tampa Bay Rays, improved to 85-58 and extended their winning streak to six games with a victory over John Lackey and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Today, the forecast in Boston is noticeably different than it was then.

John Lackey has since left the Angels, signing a lucrative off-season contract with the Red Sox as a free agent following the 2009 season. He is joined by other notable newcomers such as Marco Scutaro, Mike Cameron and Adrian Beltre.

Jacoby Ellsbury now wears jersey number two while Clay Buchholz opted to switch to eleven.

The most glaring difference between this season and last, however, is where the team finds themselves in the standings, and more importantly, the race for the postseason.

Last season, Boston had all but eliminated the Rays’ postseason potential with that three-game sweep and increased their wild card lead to relatively comfortable levels – a lead that would ultimately hold up as the Red Sox claimed second place in the East and were awarded a date in the American League Divisional Series with the Angels.

Nowadays, for the first time since 2006, some of Red Sox Nation has reallocated their sports enthusiasm almost entirely; partially caused by the beginning of the NFL season, but mainly due to the fact that, like 2006, their beloved Sox will likely miss the playoffs for the first time in four years.

While that unfortunate fact is perhaps the most distinct difference, it may not be the most interesting. Take, for instance, the cases of both Jacoby Ellsbury and Terry Francona, who have gone from unanimously admired in Boston to the topics of constant scrutiny in a considerably brief period of time.

Continue reading this post »

For those of you still with us, I painstakingly offer you a recap of last night's contest -- and I use the term contest in the very loosest of ways.

Daisuke Matsuzaka eliminated any playoff hopes for the Red Sox that may have lingered following a dominant win in game one of this series against the wild card leading Rays. Before Tuesday night's blowout, Boston still had a chance to cut the Rays' lead to 4 1/2 games if they could finish off the three-game sweep. Now, well, how 'bout those Patriots?

Things didn't appear so bleak to begin the game as the Red Sox grinded out a pair of first-inning runs off Rays' starter David Price to claim an early 2-0 advantage.

Unfortunately, Major League Baseball games do not last just one inning, and for the final eight that followed the first, the Red Sox didn't fair quite as well.

The contrast in each team's starting pitching was the deciding factor in this one.

Tampa's Price finished off six innings of two-hit baseball, allowing just one earned run and solidifying his strong case for the American League's Cy Young Award as he improved to 17-6 with the win.

Daisuke on the other hand was awful enough to evoke a post-game apology through interpreter Masa Hoshino: "I knew very well that this was a critical game as far as our chances of advancing to the playoffs, so to allow what happened to happen so early in the game, I can really only apologize to my teammates and my fans."

4 2/3 innings, eight earned runs on eight hits and four free passes?

Well, at least he's sorry.

Besides, the rest of the Red Sox staff didn't exactly come in the game and clean up after Matsuzaka's mess.  Dustin Richardson entered upon Daisuke's exit initially, somehow surrendering three earned runs and making an error without recording a single out. Then came Robert Manuel who was equally unimpressive. While Manuel did manage to get through 1 1/3 innings -- or 1 1/3 more than Richardson before him -- he still served up almost as many home runs [3] as outs he recorded [4].

By the time the four-inning barrage of fourteen unanswered runs was finally haulted by Michael Bowden's silent seventh inning of relief, the damage had been done -- even Rays fans were bored with the game at this point.

Even a three-run eighth inning from the Boston bats wasn't nearly enough to make the final of this one at all respectable.

Bright spots? Umm. Well, one of our guys, Victor Martinez, had a multi-hit game (2-2, 2 RBI)! Oh, and Darnell McDonald recorded his ninth home run and stolen base of the season! And hey, most importantly, nobody got hurt!

Really, that's about all that needs to be spoken about this game.

14-5. 77-62. 7 1/2 games back in the wild card.

The fat lady is now taking requests; submit yours via the comments section. But please, I'll thank you to refrain from requesting any Neil Diamond, as tempting as it may be.

The Red Sox’s playoff hopes aren’t dead. No, they’re more along the lines of a comatose patient being sustained by nothing more than the veritable plug. And its immediate family members -- Theo Epstein, John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino -- appear resigned to the fate of a 2010 season sans post.

By entering the year offering predisposed, backhanded excuses laced with optimism and overshadowed by the off-season acquisition of John Lackey, the front office’s decision to remain relatively idle at this season’s trade deadline merely reaffirmed ownership’s stance that this, 2010, just wasn’t meant to be the Red Sox’s year.

That’s not to say that the organization came into the year without competitive intentions. And again, to do a bit of reaffirming of my own, Boston’s playoff chances don’t dwell six feet deep quite yet.

However, one glance at the American League standings makes it difficult to imagine the Sox sneaking their way into the postseason; even more so without the starting right side of their infield -- Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis -- who have been shut down for at least the remainder of the regular season. Entering play Wednesday, the Red Sox will be six games back of both the division and wild card leads.

And yet, even amidst a year paralyzed by injuries to such an extent not seen in Boston since 2006 -- which, not coincidentally was the last time the Red Sox failed to make the playoffs -- there may be more retrospective reasons than one would think to look back fondly on this season...yes, even sans post.

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Entering 2010, the Boston Red Sox’s starting rotation boasted six World Series rings, five All-Star game appearances, both an American League Championship and World Series Most Valuable Player award and two no-hitters. Better yet, two of those starting five came into the early parts of the season having just inked fresh, multiple year contracts.

An impressive mixture of youth and experience -- almost all contractually locked-up for what is considered in the world of professional sports as long-term -- led many to believe that Boston would feature one of the MLB’s best starting rotations not only in 2010, but for the next few years as well.

It’s hard to find anything negative to say on the topic of having Jon Lester guaranteed in a Red Sox uniform through at least 2013, that’s for certain. However, that’s where the acclaim stops, or at least that of the unanimous nature.

With such an accolade-laden group commanding rotation spots for multiple seasons beyond 2010, would it be blasphemous to consider that the organization is actually worse off now than before they signed last off-season’s most coveted free agent pitcher, John Lackey, and extended the contract of Josh Beckett who, like Lackey, had won the deciding game of a World Series before he had reached the age of 25?

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The Boston Red Sox -- more specifically, Jon Lester -- helped alleviate any residual pain lingering after a shocking loss against this very same Rangers squad the night prior.

Though it didn't start out in promising fashion, the Boston bats did just enough in the late innings to back what turned out to be a truly dominating performance from Lester, who, once again, made a convincing case for the title of "staff ace."

Pitching both under the weather (upset stomach) and at the mercy of it (102-degrees at game-time), Lester managed to work his way around four hits and an error through the first four innings while keeping Texas scoreless. Even more impressive, he did so while allowing the leadoff batter of the first four frames to reach base.

An throwing error by third baseman Adrian Beltre to begin the bottom of the first -- after the Sox were retired in order in the top half -- allowed Elvis Andrus to reach base in front of one of the more daunting 2-3-4 hitters in the American League. However, in a way indicative of his night overall, Jon Lester set down Young, Hamilton and Guerrero to eliminate any potential threat early on.

The Red Sox offense garnered their own threat the following frame when David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre led off the second with back-to-back singles. However, after a Ryan Kalish walk loaded the bases with just one out, Bill Hall took a called third strike before Eric Patterson flew out to strand all three runners, keeping the game scoreless.

Through innings 2-4, Lester scattered four hits, all singles, thanks in large part to a successful pick-off attempt of Andres Blanco and double-play ball off the bat of Michael Young -- both coming in the third inning -- as the Sox's starter matched zeros with the Rangers' Colby Lewis heading into the fifth.

Fortunately for Boston, the fifth is when they finally broke through offensively.

Kalish singled to open the frame in front of Hall and Patterson, who left the bases loaded earlier in the game. They lived up to their billing as the two again notched a strikeout and fly-out, only this time in reverse order, for the inning's first two outs. After Scutaro added a rare hit from the leadoff spot, advancing Kalish to third and setting up a two-out scoring chance, J.D. Drew made good on the opportunity by roping an RBI-single to right field, affording the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

From there, until the ninth, Jon Lester made sure that his team's lack of offense on this particular night would be a moot point. Allowing just one more base-hit -- a one-out triple in the seventh by Nelson Cruz -- Lester finished off his eight innings of shutout work.

Thankfully, the offense, mindful of what typically happens when the bullpen enters the game with a small lead in the late innings recently, provided a couple insurance runs in their half of the ninth following Lester's exit. Even the dynamic 'traumatic duo' of Hall and Patterson chipped in with a pair of singles; they must have noticed Scott Atchison warming for Boston in preparation for Texas' final at-bats.

A depleted and miserable Sox bullpen trotted Atchison out to put the stamp on the 3-0 victory.

After retiring Michael Young for the 25th out of the game, Atchison decided to make things a tad more tense by serving up Josh Hamilton's 26th home run of the season to cut the lead to 3-1. And because it's no fun when the tying run is on deck as opposed to at the plate, Scotty allowed Guerrero to single bringing up the tying run, pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland with only one gone.

The beneficiary of Atchison's theatrics was reliever Felix Doubront, who entered the game to face Moreland.

However, Texas, in an almost insulting manner, gave Vlad the green light to take second base and eliminate the possibility of a game-ending double play. Victor Martinez took advantage of the faulty decision making, throwing out Guerrero before Doubront spun a 1-2 curveball in to Moreland who watched it drop in for strike three and, finally, the game's final out.

The win helped Boston avoid any further distance between themselves and the division's two frontrunners, New York and Tampa Bay, who both won Saturday.

Also:

-Jon Lester earned a well-deserved win. He is now 13-7 and has lowered his ERA down to 2.80.

-Despite hammering out double-digit hits again (10), the Red Sox lineup collectively left 21 runners on base.

-Felix Doubront earned his first career save.

-Victor Martinez (0-4, BB) was the only Boston batter without a base-hit. However, just Kalish (2-3, BB) and Hall (2-4) collected multiple hits.

Up next: Daisuke Matsuzaka (8-3, 4.09) and the Red Sox attempt to earn a statement-making series win of sorts as the Rangers counter with C.J. Wilson (10-5, 3.30) in a 3:05 PM ET get away day game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

With a record of 65-49, the Boston Red Sox rank third in the entire American League in terms of wins. The problem being, that same total remains good enough for just the third-highest in their own division -- Major League Baseball’s toughest -- the East.

As of Wednesday morning, Boston finds themselves four and a half games off the Wild Card pace set by the slumping Tampa Bay Rays and five back of the Yankees’ division lead. Yet, in spite of that, the Red Sox are still widely considered a potential playoff participant and, similarly to the rest of the baseball world, they aren’t giving up on themselves just yet.

And why should they?

After all, Boston still boasts one of the league’s top -- albeit constantly augmented -- offenses, as well as an increasingly healthy and imposing roster. Both have been on display recently, particularly in Tuesday night's victory against the Toronto Blue Jays, as recent disabled list returnees Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and Mike Lowell keyed the club’s reentry into the realm of consecutive road wins.

But will Boston’s resilience and resolve be enough to conquer those standing between them and October baseball or will the 2010 Red Sox finally succumb to a season marred by injury depletion, less than stellar luck and what projects to be an extremely tumultuous remaining schedule?

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Despite a less than stellar performance from starter Daisuke Matsuzaka, who presumably felt a bit irregular coming into the game with an ERA beginning with the number three, the Red Sox managed to ride a late-inning burst offensively to finally pull ahead for good on a night when it seemed the Blue Jays would just never go away.

After Boston was retired in order to begin the top of the first by Jays’ starter Ricky Romero, Daisuke teased us all by striking out the side in succession to end the inning -- which was made ever more promising considering how well he had pitched in his start prior to this one. However, that’s just about where the quality starting pitching ended and the scoring started; for both teams.

On a night when the Red Sox would go on to record 7 extra-base hits out of their 11 total, fittingly, it was back-to-back doubles by David Ortiz and Adrian Beltre that got the scoring started in the top of the second frame. Up 1-0 with two outs and Beltre still on second, the Red Sox’s Mr. Double, Jed Lowrie (2-3, 2 2B, BB, 2 RBI, R), again recorded a two-bagger -- this one plating Beltre for the team’s second run.

After a Jacoby Ellsbury single drove Lowrie in, it was 3-0 in favor of Boston after one and a half. And with the way Daisuke had looked till that point, three runs almost seemed like a safe cushion.

However, the word ‘safe’ rarely applies to a game in which Matsuzaka starts; that is unless you’re in Vegas with all your money riding on the over.

After surrendering a home run to Adam Lind and a double to Lyle Overbay in inning number two, Red Sox fans breathed a collective sigh of relief when Toronto managed just a single run, cutting the lead to 3-1.

The third inning wasn’t quite as lucky.

Again, Daisuke served up a home run and a double in the frame, only this time he mixed things up a bit with a couple leadoff walks that would come back to haunt him as Toronto tied the game up at four.

Things settled down a bit for the next four frames with the teams just trading a pair of solo home runs; one by J.D. Drew to lead off the fifth and the other the 35^th of the year from Toronto slugger Jose Bautista (who apparently discovered Jack LaLanne’s secret to a stronger ‘you’ this past off-season) off of Boston reliever Felix Doubront.

The eighth, which started innocently enough, is when the Red Sox finally put away the Blue Jays.

Following an Ortiz strikeout and Beltre groundout, Mike Lowell launched a 0-1, two-out offering from Jays’ reliever Shawn Camp out of the park to put the Sox ahead for good.

Still with two gone in the eighth, Lowrie added an insurance run with his second RBI-double of the night to put Boston up 7-5, which is where the score would stay thanks to two decent innings of relief to close out the contest from Manny Delcarmen and closer Jonathan Papelbon, who earned his 29^th save of 2010 and second in as many nights.

With the Rays' win and the Yankees' loss on Tuesday, Boston is now 5 games off the pace in the division and remains 4.5 back of the Wild Card lead.

Other notables:

Bill Hall went 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts and three men left on base while playing left field and hitting seventh; Ryan Kalish would replace Hall in the eighth, notching a single and coming around to score on the Lowrie double. How long before we simply stop allowing Hall to start, much less enter, games?

Marco Scutaro was hitless in five at-bats out of the leadoff spot and is now just seven of his last forty-four (.159). Ellsbury on the other hand collected his third hit in the past two days and appears to be rounding into form. With Dustin Pedroia set to return within the next week or so, the top of the Red Sox’s lineup should be worth monitoring.

Up next: Today, August 11th @ Toronto 7:07 PM ET (C. Buchholz vs. S. Marcum)

Current Red Sox pitching prospect Stolmy Pimentel may not be amidst his most aesthetically pleasing minor league season to date, statistically speaking, yet he remains widely regarded as one of Boston’s most promising developmental talents.

Pimentel’s arsenal is strikingly similar to that of former Red Sox prospect and current major league All-Star, Clay Buchholz. His four-seam fastball, which typically sits in the low-to-mid 90’s, acts as an ideal set-up pitch for his plus curveball and what is considered a truly advanced changeup relative to other pitchers in his age group. While his pitch selection mirrors Buchholz’s, his frame (6’3" - 190 lbs) projects more along the lines of Chicago Cubs’ pitcher Carlos Zambrano -- which isn’t necessarily negative.

Despite sporting a 6-8 record to go along with an ERA of 4.36 through 20 starts as a part of Boston’s Class A affiliate, the Salem Red Sox, in 2010, Pimentel’s promise hasn’t gone unnoticed. Not only was he named a SoxProspects.com Pre-Season All-Star for the second consecutive season earlier this year, the young right-hander also earned the opportunity to feature his repertoire on a national stage -- pitching in the 2010 MLB All-Star Futures Game.

Representing more than simply another potential-laden pitcher amongst a farm system that has produced the likes of Jon Lester, Daniel Bard, Jonathan Papelbon and Buchholz in just the past few years, Pimentel has the chance -- and more importantly, the skill set -- to establish himself as one of the most notable international signing successes in the Red Sox’s recent history.

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In a battle of starting pitchers who both own records that are not quite indicative of their performances to this point in 2010, it was former Angels' ace John Lackey that ended up outdueling the current ace, Jared Weaver, earning his 10th win of the season -- and earn it, he did.

In his first appearance in Angels Stadium as a member of the Boston Red Sox, Lackey labored through 7 1/3 innings, surrendering just a pair of runs on seven hits and a walk.

The chorus of boos that met Lackey on the mound in the game's first inning wasn't the ideal welcome, but it sure seemed to provide an extra bit of motivation for the Red Sox's starter. "I mean, you know, nobody wants to get booed like that," Lackey said. "[The] scoreboard talks the loudest."

On a night where the offense was at the mercy of Weaver throughout the first six frames, it was with two outs in the top half of the seventh when the bats finally broke through.

Darnell McDonald, a late replacement for J.D. Drew (hamstring) prior to the start of Tuesday night's game, set the table for the top of the lineup with a two-out walk. The top of the lineup and middle-infield tandem, Marco Scutaro and Jed Lowrie, proved very productive on the night (5-10, 2 R, 2 RBI) and never more so than in this instance.

After Scutaro singled, advancing McDonald to third and putting runners on the corners for the recently-reactivated Lowrie, Jed collected his second double of the night; this one plating both runners and turning Boston's 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 advantage.

The offense added another the following inning after Beltre doubled in David Ortiz, who reached base via leadoff walk, to make it 3-1 in favor of the Red Sox.

Bobby Abreau helped the Angels negate Boston's run in the top half of the eighth by launching a one-out solo home run off of Lackey in the bottom half; Abreau would be Lackey's final batter of the night.

Suddenly the Red Sox lead was cut in half and the game was handed over to the bullpen -- a less-than-comfortable situation, especially on this particular road trip.

However, for the second consecutive night, Boston's bats weren't content with a one-run lead entering the final inning. Again centered around Scutaro -- whose double with one out in the ninth off Angels' closer Brian Fuentes served as spark plug --  the Red Sox provided another run of padding for closer Jonathan Papelbon; that is after Daniel Bard manuevered around the meat of the opposing lineup in the eighth, earning his 23rd hold of the season.

Papelbon produced a non-eventful ninth, earning his 24th save of the season and helping the Red Sox again double-up the home team -- this time by a score of 4-2 -- to earn their first series victory of 2010's second half.

Josh Beckett (1-1, 6.66 ERA) and his satanic earned run average will take the mound for Boston in the finale of this three-game set Wednesday afternoon at Angels Stadium; opposing him for the LA Angels of A will be Joel Pineiro (10-7, 4.18 ERA). 

So first they go on the West Coast and treat us to 10:00 PM games...

And now they play at 3:35 in the middle of the week?

Man, if I were a productive member of society at the moment, I'd be really annoyed.

Anyways, it's time for the rubber game, featuring a (hopefully) healthy Clay Buchholz!

The A's send the awesomely named Gio Gonzalez to the mound in opposition.

Also featuring: the return of Jed Lowrie! But Darnell McDonald is leading off. Ugh, Terry, why do you hate switching the lineup spots around so much?

The Rays and Yanks are both leading late. Not one we want to lose.

"Only after disaster can we be resurrected."

‘Disaster’ is a more-than-sufficient descriptive analysis of the patchwork lineup -- albeit one necessitated via injury-induced depletion -- seemingly featured by the Red Sox on a nightly basis this season. And yet, despite being robbed of a victory late Tuesday night in Oakland due to faulty late-inning officiating, Boston finds themselves just 3.5 games back of the Wild Card lead in the increasingly-treacherous American League.

Whether that speaks on behalf of Boston’s ability to have trod water to this point or conjures a relative sense of optimism regarding the proceedings will be heavily dependent on the health of the team from this point on -- which, as this article’s title indicates, should doubtlessly disqualify the latter.

Or should it?

While a barrage of A-list reinforcements tentatively scheduled for reactivation from the disabled list aids topical optimism, this year is beginning to appear eerily mnemonic of the Red Sox’s 2006 season; the last in which Boston failed to participate in the postseason.

That being said, exactly what type of results can be expected following the eventual returns of Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie, Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez, Clay Buchholz, Jason Varitek, Mike Lowell and Jeremy Hermida -- all of whom have, or are expected to, miss significant time while on the disabled list?

More importantly, will those contributions be enough to elude missing the playoffs, much like in 2006, for the first time in four years?

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Jacoby Ellsbury has found himself immersed in Red Sox-related headlines more than you’d expect regarding your typical disabled list constituent. Ellsbury’s current situation has evoked a wide range of opinions and emotions -- from scrutiny to sympathy -- in relation to multiple topics. From Jacoby’s injured ribs and the amount of time he has required for rehab to, perhaps subsequently, trade rumors educing the end of the ‘Ellsbury Era’ in Boston.

Deliberation regarding Ellsbury has not been confined to the media -- partially because they wouldn’t allow it. In fact, it was his very own teammate Kevin Youkilis’ sentiments that may have summed the situation up best.

"I don’t know what’s going on with Jacoby. I don’t think any of us really know." Youkilis was then asked whether he questioned the length of time Ellsbury required away from the team and on the disabled list, replying, "Don’t go down that road. One thing I can say is there’s a lot of guys here that are hurt and supporting the team. We wish Jacoby was here supporting us, too."

Adhering to the adage suggesting that when it rains, it pours, the Red Sox are now reportedly in semi-substantive discussions with the Kansas City Royals concerning the availability of outfielder David DeJesus.

Could the potential addition of DeJesus, along with the rest of the aforementioned, serve as a foreshadower for Ellsbury’s exit from Boston?

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What do Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Lowell and Dustin Pedroia all have in common?

With Major League Baseball’s All Star weekend just around the corner, you may guess that this is the list of players who will represent the Red Sox at this season’s mid-summer classic festivities. You, however, would be incorrect. Instead, those listed above -- along with Jeremy Hermida, Jed Lowrie and Junichi Tazawa -- collectively comprise one of the most talented and accolade-laden disabled lists in all of baseball.

As the non-waiver trade deadline looms, now is the time for front office executives to assess their respective teams in an attempt to decide whether it’s in the organization’s best interest to buy or sell come July 31^st. If it is in fact the latter, then it becomes a matter of addressing the product on the field, choosing the areas in need of improvement and ultimately finding the best ‘seller’ to pair needs with.

The dilemma for Boston is not whether they plan to buy or sell -- as one of the hottest teams in baseball over the past couple of months, it’s a safe bet that they assume a buyer’s position -- the problem is that with such a depleted team for so much of the season, deciphering the prominently problematic areas of the depth chart remains a relatively grey area as the complete product has yet to be seen in its utmost entirety.

And while it would be ignorant to believe that Boston is without any semblance of a plan in regards to the trade deadline, many outside factors remain unrealized, and the rest of the baseball market may not be as sure as the Red Sox are when it comes to self-proclaiming a buyer or seller status.

So, instead of extensively exploring the ranks of Major League Baseball’s trade-bait candidates, a good portion of the immediate future for Fenway’s front office may be used on deciding which individuals currently in the system are the most expendable, and also, which will offer the greatest return.

For now, we focus on the younger talent within the organization.

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With the Red Sox entering the season with six viable options to fill a starting rotation with just five spots, the question surrounding starter Clay Buchholz wasn’t where, but rather if, he fit amongst Boston‘s overstocked staff.

Despite the presence of one of baseball’s best pairings at the front end of the rotation -- Josh Beckett and Jon Lester -- the most notable acquisition of the off-season for the Red Sox was the top available free agent starting pitcher on the market, John Lackey. With Daisuke Matsuzaka slotted in the fourth spot by default, just one starting spot remained vacant heading into spring training.

There was plenty of backing for Buchholz after a strong finish to the season prior; he even received a public endorsement via manager Terry Francona during the spring. "I think we all want him to take this and go with it. And he looks so strong," said Francona.

Others, however, favored veteran Tim Wakefield as the fifth and final starting pitcher. At the time, it wasn’t difficult to comprehend the ideology behind those opposing Buchholz. After all, you knew what you were going to get with Wakefield, whereas Clay’s name had almost been synonymous with the word inconsistent throughout the early portion of his career.

And yet, as the Red Sox and the rest of Major League Baseball approach the midway point of the season, it’s the previously mentioned Buchholz-backers that are saying, "I told you so." Not only has the 25-year-old matured into an All Star considerable in 2010, he also presents a strong case as the Red Sox’s most valuable player for the season’s first half.

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Take the best talent available, with heavy considerations for potential and not so much on organizational needs.

Thanks to the benefits of a deep and fruitful farm system in recent years, the Red Sox have been afforded the luxury of applying relatively simplistic draft strategies such as the one above. The Major League Baseball draft has always been considered a hit-but-more-often-miss fiasco for most teams anyway -- so why complicate things, right?

Suffice to say, like every other MLB organization, Boston is still in the process of perfecting the way they utilize the draft process in replenishing the system -- and in turn, the product featured at Fenway Park. 2010 cites a progressive step towards that ultimate goal of consistently positive draft production.

A large portion of the farm system’s current top prospects are still in a stage that demands further development; there are few true impact players that can potentially offer the type of contributions by way of someone like Jacoby Ellsbury [circa 2007] this year or the next.

So yes, once again, the phrase "bridge period" surfaces in relation to the Red Sox’s approach to the immediate future as the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft got underway this past Monday.

With Amiel Sawdaye now taking over at the helm as Director of Amateur Scouting -- replacing Jason McLeod, who last held the position in 2009 -- Boston has incorporated a "big picture" element within a strategy still heavily influenced by the best overall talent available at the time of selection, resulting in a highly-praised initial two days of drafting.

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Tired of amusing Dustin Pedroia quotes (as if there is any other kind)? Not a fan of laser shows? Do you have terrible foot odor that everyone in your zip code notices, except you?

If so, then kindly leave because you are a just a bad person and we don't like your kind 'round here.

Anyway, in the wake of Pedroia's extension of his now four-game long hit-streak Saturday night, and as the rest of the world waits with bated breath in his pursuit of what I've always considered his consecutive games with a base-hit record -- with Joe DiMaggio merely borrowing it at 56 games until Dustin felt the timing was right -- here is another quote from Ped-Rock a.k.a Pedey Pablo a.k.a Pedroya the Destroya regarding his "struggles" of late (Struggles?!? Incase you missed it, I said FOUR-GAME HIT-STREAK!):

"I work more than anybody in baseball. That's a fact. I'll definitely put the time in and make sure I have a great year. So 'Laser Show.' Relax again." 

Dustin, if you're reading this, pleace accept my invitation to have a beer. How rad would that be? "Pedroia Surprises Blogger With a Beer." Mull that over and get back to me, my contact information can be found here: Logan Lietz

Like an elephant walking onto a glass-covered disco floor wearing tap dance shoes during a moment of silence, the red-hot Red Sox aren't in the business of sneaking up on anyone these days.

Here are some quick stats, streaks and other notable tidbits following Friday's 11-0 win in Baltimore to jumpstart your weekend right.

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