More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

Smoltz melts down against the New York Yankees, August 6th.

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The Red Sox have reportedly designated John Smoltz for assignment. This has been reported by Terry Francona on a WEEI interview and by Amalie Benjamin via Twitter.

John Smoltz was apparently upset by the move and left the team without cleaning out his locker.

I'm personally a bit surprised by the move. I expected the Sox to try Smoltz in the bullpen before cutting bait. No word yet on who will take the hill on Tuesday, but it'll be Michael Bowden's turn in Pawtucket. He's my guess.

Other news and rumors: Red Sox claimed Chris Woodward off waivers from Seattle as a warm body. This adds fire to the speculation that Jed Lowrie may be headed back to the DL with more wrist/forearm issues. Woodward is not much more than a warm body.

More photos » by Julie Jacobson - AP

7 months ago: Boston Red Sox's Josh Beckett delivers against the New York Yankees in the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, May 5, 2009, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

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Sweep time!

Mikey Lowell has the evening off to contemplate the meaning of life, and a surging BIG PAPI oils up his fielding mitt to man 1B for the Olde Towne Team. Yooouk is sliding over to 3B for the first game in the series.

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

You broke my heart, Manny. You broke my heart.

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Several sources (LA Times, ESPN) are reporting that evidence continues to mount in support of Manny Ramirez' alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. His testosterone-to-epitestosterone levels were 4:1, the lowest level that MLB considers to be abnormal.

Looks like Manny was a little sloppy and just barely failed the drug test.

One source quoted in the LA Times reported that the elevated ratios were caused by synthetic testosterone. Additionally, hCG (human chorionic gonadotropin), the substance that Manny had a prescription for, was absent from Manny's test. Those facts, combined with the league's action seems to support the allegations.

I've always been a Manny apologist, but it's tough to continue to support the beleaguered slugger. I'm convinced that Manny cheated. The question now is for how long? Perhaps the bigger question for baseball: is it coincidence that Scott Boras' clients seem to be the most frequently implicated and caught?

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The New York Daily News headline, via the Boston Globe.

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Additional details from the forthcoming book on Alex Rodriguez by Sports Illustrated's Selena Roberts have been leaked by the New York Daily News. Roberts alleges that Rogriguez used steroids and/or HGH dating back to high school and during his Yankee career. Here's a tasty morsel:

Roberts broke the story that A-Rod failed a steroid test in 2003. Yankees teammates, Roberts writes, nicknamed Rodriguez "B-tch T-ts" in 2005 because he put on 15 pounds in the offseason which included round pectorals, a condition called gynecomastia that can be caused by anabolic steroids.

2005 was A-Rod's second year with the Yankees.

José Canseco, a former teammate of Rodriguez, concurs, speculating that A-Rod juiced in high school.

"Was he on steroids in high school?" Canseco said in the book, the Daily News reported. "I think probably so. I worked out with him when he was 18. He could lift almost as much as I could."

While that offers no empirical evidence it is peculiar that Rodriguez, at 18 years of age, could lift nearly as much as an admitted steroid user in the midst of his professional career.

The Daily News also alleges that Alex Rodriguez "pitch tipped" when he played for the Rangers by letting opponents at the plate know which pitch was coming in lopsided games. A-Rod allegedly expected players he helped would return the favor when he was having an off night and needed to improve his overall numbers.

If this is true, A-Rod could (and should) become one of the game's most reviled players. And if this is true, A-Rod should be black-balled from the Hall Of Fame no matter what his career numbers are.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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The problem plaguing Jed Lowrie's left wrist was damaged cartilage. Although there's no word on the precise injury or severity, Lowrie underwent surgery yesterday in Arizona to repair the damage. This is the best option for the Red Sox and should ensure that Lowrie is healthy and productive for the remainder of the season.

"Everything that was done today puts him on track to start swinging the bat in six weeks, which is what the hope was when this came up," Boston manager Terry Francona said.

Expect Lowrie to need some minor league starts to get back up to speed. I put the over-under for his return to the BoSox at 8 weeks.

Per the Associated Press, Nick Green is batting .240 through eight games as Lowrie's replacement. Shortstop Julio Lugo, recovering from right knee surgery, planned to begin a rehabilitation stint Tuesday at Triple-A Pawtucket but the game was rained out.

If the Red Sox bats can continue to hit as they have the past few games, I don't expect we'll be overly inconvenienced by Lowrie's absence. In fact, it would be helpful to see if Lugo has anything to offer the Sox or another team when he's finished with his rehab starts.

More photos » by Gary C. Knapp - AP

Ladies and gentlemen, the present and future of the Baltimore Orioles, outfielder Nick Markakis. (AP Photo/Gary C. Knapp)

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The Baltimore Orioles. A once-proud franchise that was a powerhouse in mid-sixties and early seventies, they've fallen on hard times and bad management. Growing up, the only reason to root for the Orioles was Cal Ripken, Jr. That, folks, is changing.

The birds still need a lot of help on the pitching end of things, but they have an extremely underrated line-up with a lot of young talent. NIck Markakis and youngster Adam Jones are going to fixtures in Camden Yards for a long time to come. They, along with Aubrey Huff and Brian Roberts have proven to be a formidible challenge for opposing pitchers this season. The Orioles should score a lot of runs this season.

Mark Hendrickson, Jeremie Guthrie, Alfredo Simon, Koji Uehara, Adam Eaton. This is not a rotation that's going to help the birds win. The Orioles really need to secure some pitching talent in order to compete in the AL East.

Baltimore's bullpen can be shaky at times, but I'm a believer in Chris Ray and George Sherrill over the long term.

So how do the Red Sox' chances look for the upcoming series? It's hard to say. Our own pitching staff is wounded and depleted and the O's have a hot line-up. I'm glad that the Olde Towne Team got a day off and is returning home to the Friendly Fenway. With any luck, that'll get the bats going again.

Strengths

The Orioles have a formidable line-up that shouldn't be underestimated. They hit for decent power and run the bases very well. Keep an eye on Adam Jones this season, and you could see numbers very similar to Shane Victorino in Philadelphia. Markakis is a special player.

Weaknesses

You can never have too much pitching, and the Orioles have virtually nothing to begin with.

The Orioles' Keys to 2009 Success

Frankly, I don't think the Orioles stand a chance of doing very well in 2009. They have a good line-up, but it's not as strong as the Red Sox or Yankees in years past to mash without decent pitching to back it up. The Orioles future is looking brighter, but they need to groom and spend wisely on top-shelf pitching.

How the Red Sox can beat them

Shell the Orioles' starters and wear out the bullpen. The Orioles can beat anyone on a given day, but they can't match up in a long series.

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For more in-depth Orioles coverage, check out Camden Chat.

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More photos » by Lori Shepler - AP

8 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Bobby Abreu (53) is held back by Boston Red Sox's catcher Jason Varitek after the Red Sox's starting pitcher Josh Beckett, left, threw a high pitch during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, April 12, 2009, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Lori Shepler)

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Josh Beckett was suspended for 6 games today for allegedly throwing a head-high pitch at the Angels' Bobby Abreu. Bob Watson, who handed out today's suspensions on behalf of MLB, said that Beckett will also be fined an undisclosed amount of money. The severity of the discipline was due to "aggressive actions after the pitch that incited the bench-clearing incidient," according to Watson.

What a load of horse-crap.

Beckett went on record after the game by saying that the pitch was unintentional and a result of the late timeout by the umpire.

"I've never hit anybody in the head, and it's not really on my list of stuff to accomplish. But people can think what they want to think," Beckett said after Sunday's game. "I know Bobby Abreu. He knows I'm not trying to hit him in the head. Obviously, there's been a lot of emotion in this series with them -- not only facing us, but obviously the tragedy that all of them went through."

I have no reason not to believe Josh Beckett, and it's easy to imagine how a pitcher could lose command due to a late timeout. ESPN reported that Beckett was in the middle of his throwing motion when the timeout was granted by the umpire.

After the wild pitch, there was jawing from all sides. At this time it's not known who said what to whom, but perhaps that factored into the decision. In all, this isn't a major blow to the Red Sox. Josh Beckett will miss only one start, assuming the suspension is not reduced upon appeal.

Angels hitting coach Mickey Hatcher was suspended one game and fined. Manager Mike Scioscia and players Torii Hunter and Justin Speier were fined, but not suspended.

Nick Swisher closed out the Tampa Bay blowout of the New York Yankees yesterday by pitching a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out our old friend Gabe Kapler (for shame, Gabe!)

In other news, Nick Swisher may be a zombie:

After the game Nick Swisher commented on his scoreless inning, "Brraaiiiins."

More photos » by Mark Avery - AP

8 months ago: Los Angeles Angels' Vladimir Guerrero (27) bumps fists with Erick Aybar during team introductions before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, April 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

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Editor's Note: Please visit OTM's sister site HalosHeaven.com for Angels coverage.

The Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem and Greater California have won 100, 94, and 89 games in the past 3 seasons. They've been a model of success, despite some very questionable free agent signings and a penchant for center fielders. The Angels' success can be attributed in large part to stout pitching, both in the rotation and out of the bullpen.

In 2008 the Halos thumped the Red Sox 8 games to 1 during the regular season. Yet each year Halos fall flat in the playoffs, often as a result of an anemic offense. Angels' management tried to rectify that last year by trading for rent-a-slugger, Mark Teixeira, sending Casey Kotchman and prospect Stephen Marek to Atlanta.

Big Tex helped power the Angels into the playoffs and delivered during the playoffs, batting .467/.550/.467 against the Red Sox in the ALDS. Fortunately, it wasn't enough to put the Red Sox away. Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar posted OPSs under .240 and made costly errors at inopportune moments. And who can forget this particular gem?

The Angels look a little different in 2009. The outfield resembles a normal 5-man depth chart, with Hunter, Abreu, and Vlad Guerrero starting; disenchanted Gary Matthews, Jr. is the 4th man and the ever-scrappy Reggie Willits is their utility outfielder; Juan Rivera acts as the usual DH. The biggest deficiency on this team is the absense of power hitters at the corner infield spots. Speedy swiss-army knife Chone (pronounced: "Sean") Figgins mans 3B while youngster Kendry Morales is the first-sacker.

On the pitching end, drama-queen Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez took the money and ran to New York's AAAA Squad. Can Brian Fuentes close with the same effectiveness? The initial results are not favorable, but most pro relievers can shut down the other team for 3 outs given a few runs of wiggle-room. The guys to watch are Scott Shields--can he continue to be effective?--and José Arredondo.

As we enter the first Red Sox vs. Angels series of 2009, can the Red Sox take advantage of a banged-up rotation? The Halos top 3, John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Ervin Santana, are all stuck on the DL with various injuries.

Strengths

The Angel's main strength is their pitching, though you wouldn't know it from the opening day roster. John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Ervin Santana are all sidelined with various ailments, but schedule to return around the beginning of May. Slot those guys into the 1-3 slots with Jered Weaver and Joe Saunders and you have an excellent staff. Mike "suicide squeeze" Scioscia also has a pretty good bullpen with Fuentes, Shields, and Arrendondo holding down the back of the 'pen, but they fall short of being dominant as the last series demonstrated. Speier had an off year in 2008, but is typically a very good reliever. Darren Oliver will be the situational lefty. Jespen rounds out the 'pen with a whopping 10 MLB appearances.

Los Angeles also benefits from playing in a weak division. The A's and Mariners shouldn't pose a problem for the Angels. The main competition will come from Texas, especially if the Rangers can unload some of their catching talent for an upgrade to their starting rotation.

Weaknesses

The Halos line-up suffered a big hit with the departure of Mark Teixeira who was the Angels' version of Manny Ramirez last year, batting .358/.449/.632. They once again will depend on Vlad Guerrero, aged 34, for the majority of their production. The addition of Bobby Abreu will help somewhat, to the detriment of the outfield defense.

Angels' Keys to Success in 2009

Health. The front of the rotation starters have to return healthy and effective, or the Halos don't have a snowball's chance in hell. Howie Kendrick also needs to stay healthy and provide the Angels with a patient, high-OBP bat to set up the middle of the line-up. Improvement by Rivera--who has never received the playtime he deserves--would certainly help.

How the Sox Can Beat Them

The Red Sox can out hit the Angels, plain and simple. We need to stay patient against the starters and try to get to the bullpen, which the Sox have the talent to thump. The Angel's depleted rotation will likely be the Halo's achilles heel this series.

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Finally, Over the Monster would like to again offer its deepest condolences to the Adenhart family and Angels organization. Nick Adenhart, 22, was killed early Thursday morning in a hit-and-run car accident. What a waste of a terrific young kid and promising pitcher.

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