RED SOX NOTES 6/29

- Due to a busy schedule today, the first ever prospect profile will be posted on Saturday or Sunday. The prospect profiled will be Greenville outfielder, Reid Engel.

RED SOX NOTES

 
                    TEXAS VS BOSTON 6/29 

- The offense didn't show up tonight, but the three game losing streak is over as the Red Sox beat Texas 2-1. Check the wrap and the recap here.

- PLAYER OF THE GAME: TIM WAKEFIELD

  LINE:     IP   H  R  ER  BB  SO 
            6.2  7  1  1   4   4

- PLAY OF THE GAME: With the bases loaded in the top of the 7th, Manny Delcarmen threw a fastball, that Sammy Sosa couldn't catch up to, ending the inning.

- I love the flair that Jon Papelbon plays with. The look on his face when he thought he beat Kenny Lofton to the bag was priceless. He is a competitor and loves to win. I love players that play their hardest and love winning.

- Alex Cora started in Julio Lugo's place for the second time this week. He was hitless in three at bats. Lugo continues to struggle and is 0 for his last 31 at bats.

RANDOM NOTES

I leave you with a video of Royals center fielder, Joey Gathright jumping over a car:

Sox Lose Another Winnable Game

Daisuke Matsuzaka pitched his best game as a Red Sox yesterday, giving up one run on 3 hits, in 8 innings pitched. Matsuzaka walked just one batter and struck out 8. Daisuke received a no decision in a 2-1 loss after receiving no help from his offense.

The Red Sox offense was truly pathetic. They could not manufacture any runs against Mariners starter Brian Feierabend, a soft tossing lefty who entered the game with a 1-2 record and an 8.20 ERA. Their only run came on a sacrifice fly by Coco Crisp, which was created by a throwing error.

Boston had a great opportunity to break open a 1-1 tie in the 7th inning with David Ortiz stepping to the plate with one out and men on second and third. George Sherill got Ortiz to fly out, but Boston still had a chance with Manny Ramirez coming up to bat. Manny was overpowered by reliever Brandon Morrow and the Red Sox were done. The tie lasted until the bottom of the 11th when Joel Piniero (Cringe) came in and gave up a game winning double to Jose Lopez.

Red Sox Notes

- If your two best players are not coming through in key situations you are not going to win. Rotoworld made the perfect comment about Manny and Ortiz:

Think about what kind of record the Red Sox might have right now if their two best hitters ever came through in big situations. David Ortiz is has just one RBI in 31 at-bats in close-and-late situations this season, and Manny is hitting .233 with four RBI in 30 at-bats. Ortiz's struggles are probably a fluke. Manny, though, is frequently being overpowered by top relievers. It's a definitely cause for concern.

-The Sox need to come out strong on Friday against Texas starter Jamey Wirght. On the season, Wright is 1-1 with a 7.43 ERA. If they do not rock Wright, I might have to smash my TV with a baseball bat.

- Look on the bright side guys. Even after being swept the Sox have the best record in baseball and 9 games up on second place Toronto. The Yankees are even further behind at 11 games back.

- Has Daisuke finally arrived? Matsuzaka finished June with a 2-2 record and a 1.59 ERA. His season ERA dropped by more than a point from 4.83 to 3.80. The Dice Man has only received 7 runs of support in his last 6 starts.

- I have realized that the key to beating the Red Sox is to put a soft tossing lefty on the mound. Chuck James, Lenny Dinardo and Brian Feirebend have all stymied the Sox this season.

RANDOM NOTES

- If you are a Minor League Baseball fan or just an avid follower of Red Sox prospects you should play MILB Beat the Streak, a fantasy game at MILB.com. Each day you pick one Minor League player that you think will get a hit. If the player gets a hit, you start to build a streak. If the player fails to get a hit your streak ends and you start all over. The person with the longest streak by the end of the season will receive tickets to a Minor League baseball game of the choice and a $250 shopping spree at MLB.com.

- A's DH, Jack Cust after a monster start to his season cooled of for a little while. He is smashing the ball again with four home runs in his last five games. Check out an interesting article on Cust at The Hardball Times.

- Tomorrow, I am going to start a Prospect Profile segment. Each week I will take a closer look at a Red Sox prospect or a prospect of interest. Check back tomorrow to see the star of this week's prospect profile.

Interesting Tidbit from the Elias Sports Bureau

Today, seven starting pitchers in their 40's will take the mound for their respective teams, setting a Major League record. The record of six pitchers in their 40's starting Major League games in one day, was set last Friday. The same six pitchers from Friday are scheduled to take the mound today in addition to Roger Clemens of the Yankees. Here is the list:

Starter               Team        Age 
Roger Clemens         Yankees     44
Jamie Moyer           Phillies    44
Kenny Rogers          Tigers      42
Greg Maddux           Braves      41
Tom Glavine           Mets        41
Woody Williams        Astros      40
John Smolts           Braves      40

* Courtesy of the Elias Sports Bureau

Please be Patient with Jon Lester

Red Sox Nation seems frustrated with Jon Lester after three straight sub par pitching performances for Pawtucket. The worst of the three, came last night against the Louisville Bats where he gave up 8 earned runs on 9 hits in 4.1 innings. His stuff isn't as sharp and there is less life on his fastball because of stamina issues.

Sox fans need to patient with Lester. The guy just came back from leukemia and deserves a freebie for the season. It is a blessing that a sick and weakened Lester has even been able to pitch this year. Let him work on his command and regain his stamina for the rest of the year in Triple A. If he can help the Red Sox in September, it will be icing on the cake. If not, with his heart, desire and talent, he will be more than ready for Spring Training and a breakout 2008 season.

NOTES FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE
- Brewer's farmhand Manny Parra threw a perfect game tonight, leading the Nashville Sounds over the Round Rock Express in Pacific Coast League Action. On the season, the 24 year old southpaw is 8-4 with a 2.45 ERA and a .221 OBA. He has solid ground ball tendencies with a 1.31 GO/AO and averages over a strike out per and inning.

- Am I the only one that is sick of Ozzie Guillen and his escapades? Ken Williams needs to fire this guy immediately, after his newest sophmoric comment:

"We have to apologize to the fans watching this thing because I'm tired of watching this day in and day out. ... Wow. You thought I was a good manager. Well, look at me now. I'm not that good. You're as good as your players are."

There is no excuse for a manager throwing his team under the bus publicly especially in Guillen's case. He does not deserve the benefit of the doubt with his past history of idiotic comments. Note to Ken Williams: Grow some stones and fire the loose cannon.

- Check out Red Sox pitching prospect Clay Buchholz as he vacates the #5 spot on Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet.

BEUHRLE ANYONE?

Yesterday, The Boston Herald reported that, "baseball sources," confirmed that the Boston Red Sox are interested in Chicago White Sox ace, Mark Beuhrle. Beuhrle, 28 years old, is one of the best and most consistent pitchers in the majors. The southpaw has great command and throws a low 90's fastball, complemented by one of the best changeups in the game and a cutter that he often uses as his out pitch. He has an amazing pick off move. Buehrle is also very durable. He has started at least 32 games a season, since he
became a full time starter in 2001. This season he is 4-4 with a 3.39 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. He threw a no-hitter against Texas on 4/18/07.

If the Red Sox were to add Beurhle, they would have the best rotation in the bigs, hands down. Also if Curt Schilling's arm is worse than he is indicating, the Sox will need another high quality arm (Beuhrle) to pitch every 5th day for the stretch run. Come on Red Sox fans; don't tell me you wouldn't drool over a playoff rotation of Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Schilling and Beuhrle.

There are two issues that would have to be addressed in order for the Sox to acquire Beuhrle.

Issue #1: What prospects would Boston give up?
- Sources indicate that Chicago would want at least one top tier prospect: Clay Buchholz, Jon Lester, Jacoby Ellsbury. Logic indicates that the Sox would also need to include one of their second tier prospects: Michael Bowden, Brandon Moss, and Jed Lowrie. All of these players have bright futures, but the only one that I consider untouchable and would not trade for Beuhrle is Clay Buchholz. Sorry but there isn’t going to be a Kason Gabbard and Moss for Beuhrle deal. To get value, one needs to give value.

Issue #2: Beuhrle is an unrestricted free agent after this season.
- The front office will not give any value to the White Sox for Beuhrle without a contract extension. The draft pick compensation gained if Beuhrle walks at the end of the season would not be worth, a deal involving quality players, f/e Ellsbury and Bowden. I would not give Beuhrle anymore than 5 YRS/60 mill.

While a Beuhrle acquisition would help Boston, it would be a very complicated acquisition to make. I would rate the chances of the Red Sox acquiring him at 30%.

- QUESTION: If you were Theo, what prospects would you be willing to give up to acquire Beuhrle and what kind of contract would you sign him to?

Random Notes

- Josh Beckett was brilliant yesterday, outdueling Jake Peavy for his Major League leading 11th win. Beckett pitched 8 innings, giving up 2 earned runs and tying a season high by striking out 8 batters.

- RIP, Rod Beck. Rod Beck sadly passed away at his home in Arizona on Sunday. Beck played 14 Major League Seasons including 3 with the Red Sox from 99-01. Beck saved 286 games in his career and was a very down to earth man and great professional. He will never be forgotten.

Beckett vs Peavy: A Matchup You Do Not Want to Miss

In thirty minutes, Josh Beckett will take the mound against Jake Peavy and the San Diego Padres. Beckett vs. Peavy, at Petco Park nonetheless, has the potential to be one of the best pitching match ups you will ever see. The two young flamethrowers are off to the best year of their respective careers and are arguably the best single pitchers in the American and National Leagues.

Here is how they stack up against each other:
Peavy: 9-1 1.98 ERA 110 K's 3.79 K/BB
Beckett: 10-1 3.14 ERA 71 K's 3.73 K/BB

Keep in mind the fact that Peavy pitches in the National League at the best pitcher's park on the planet and has not had to pitch against the Yankees twice this year. If you are a fan of pitchers duels and fast games like me, DO NOT MISS OUT ON THIS ONE!!!!

- Julio Lugo, the $36 million man is now hitting below the Mendoza Line with and average of .196. I never thought the Lugo signing was a good one, but I do not believe he would perform this badly. Hanley Ramirez, Rentawreck and O-Cab continue to drive Sox fans nuts.

- Speaking of former Red Sox shortstops, my boyhood idol, Nomar Garciaparra continues is struggling at the plate batting a solid .281, but has an OPS of only .659. He better catch fire because James Loney is a budding star, who will steal his at bats.

- The Red Sox have reached a verbal agreement with first pick (55th overall), Nick Hagadone. Hagadone, 21, is a left handed closer with a large 6-5 230 pound frame out of Washington, who the Red Sox plan on converting into a starter. He throws a low 90's fastball with good movement and control. Hagadone's out pitch is a plus slider. He is working on a developing changeup and a splitter. Hagadone was 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA for Washington this season. The Sox made a good selection with the 55th overall pick. If Hagadone's changeup progresses he has the ability to be a top starter at the big league level. At worst, he will become a lefty specialist out of the pen.

Checking in with Old Friends

5/1/06 seemed like a glorious day for Red Sox nation. Josh Bard, after 6 starts with total of 10 passed balls as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher, was traded to the San Diego Padres, along with Cla Meredith for Doug Mirabelli. The trade took place the same day Wakefield was slated to take the mound against the Yankees. After a police escort, Mirabelli arrived at Fenway Park, suited up and ready to catch just minutes before the first pitch. Mirabelli allowed no passed balls in the game and the Red Sox defeated the Evil Empire 7-3.

Mirabelli went on to start in 44 more games for the Red Sox, catching all of Wake's starts,and allowing 11 passed balls. While his defense behind the plate was fine, Doug was terrible in the batter's box hitting .193/.261/.342. Was the then 35 year old really worth Bard, a 28 year old backstop, known for his defensive prowess,and Meredith, a Triple A pitcher with a whole lot of upside, but a damaged psyche? The answer to the aforemention question, at the time was, no. Bard's bat was better than Mirabelli's and he most likely would have gotten used to catching Wakefield's knuckleball. Bard was and still is a better overall defensive catcher than Mirabelli.

Meredith alone was not even worth Mirabelli. Cla showed the potential to become a lights out setupman after dominating the minors in early 2005, an accomplishment that earned him a big league call up. In his Major League debut, Cla gave up a grand slam to Richie Sexson that looped around Pesky's Pole and was immediately shuttled back to Pawtucket. Meredith's performance suffered after his demotion from the big league club, but the sidewinder still showed great deception and good stuff.

Meredith and Bard each flourished in San Diego after the trade, which Theo Epstein has publicly admitted that he made a mistake pulling the trigger on. Bard did a fantastic job in 93 games for the Padres, handling the pitching staff well, allowing no passed balls, and hitting .338/.506/.337. Meredith was arguably the top reliever in the National League. The then 23 year old went 5-1 with a 1.07 ERA and .71 whip in 50.2 innings pitched. Meredith had a K/BB ratio of 6 and a ridiculous GO/AO (ground out/air out) of 3.37.

Currently all 3 of these players, play for the same teams and are set to make appearances in this weekend's Red Sox vs. Padres match up. Up to this point in the season the Bard to Mirabelli comparison favors Bard:


BARD: GS:44 AVG.257 OBP .337 SLG .351
MIRRABELLI: 17 .194 .254 .306

While Bard hasn't put up great offensive numbers, they are still much better than Mirabelli's. One might argue that Mirabelli's job is to catch Wake and that he is doing a great job doing it. The problem with that argument is that Bard, with his defensive prowess, most likely would have adjusted to Wakefield. Although Mirabelli does a fine job catching Wake, he is an automatic out in our lineup. Bard is not a great hitter, but he is far from an automatic out. Bard is a 29 year old, entering his prime, who could have stuck with the team for years, while Mirabelli is a 36 year old, whose best days are long gone. I do not understand the logic of trading a better, younger player along with a prospect for a worse, older player.

Oh, and then there is Meredith. Cla is not having as dominant of a year in 07 as he did in 06, but he has still been a solid setupman for Trevor Hoffman. Meredith is 2-5 with a 3.50 ERA and 1.44 whip. He has shown even better ground ball tendencies with a GO/AO of 4.80. If Cla were still with the Sox he would be competing with Manny Delcarmen for the final relief spot and may still be in Triple A. He was expendable and most likely still would be, but not at the price of Mirabelli. Then again, it isn't the first time the Red Sox traded a young pitcher that turned into a stud setupman for Mirabelli. Boston traded Justin Duscherer to the Rangers in exchange for Mirabelli in 2001. At least none of these trades were as bad as Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen.

New David Ortiz Commercial

If you haven't seen the new David Ortiz commericial for Sports Center, you are missing out on a good laugh. It is the second commericial by ESPN that Ortiz has been featured in (SEE FIRST HERE). Here it is:

Don't worry, Papi. I would be more than honored to shake your saliva filled hands. I probably would never wash my hands after that. I could even take some of the spit, put it in a water bottle and sell it on ebay like Luis Gonzalez did with his gum.

- Congratulations to Red Sox top prospects, Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz, who were selected to participate in this year's All Star Future's game, for the United States team. The World team featuring Franklin Morales, Carlos Gonzalez and Joey Votto is going to have their hands full against a stacked U.S. team. (US ROSTER)(WORLD ROSTER)

Best Nicknames in Baseball

I don't have much time today to do a true article or even a preview of this weekend's series with the Padres. Instead I will leave you with my list of favorite nicknames of current players:

1. Albert Pujols "Phat Albert"
2. Travis Hafner "Pronk"
3. Shane Victorino "The Flyin' Hawaiian"
4. Dmitri Young "Da Meat Hook"
5. Keji Johjima "Yo Mamma"

Honorable Mention: Boof Bonser
Boof would be the number one name on the list if it was actually his nickname. In 2001, Bonser legally changed his name from John Paul to Boof, a nickname that he had been called since his childhood.

Clay Buchholz: THE REAL DEAL

I drove up to Norwich tonight to see the Portland Sea Dogs play a double header against the Connecticut Defenders , mainly to get a closer look at Sox wonder boy Clay Buchholz, who pitched game one of the twin bill. Buchholz is the real deal and seems more advanced at this stage in his development than Jon Papelbon was. Today he struggled a little bit with fastball command, but his off speed stuff was unhittable. Buchholz did a fantastic job mixing up his pitches, keeping batters off balance throughout the game. Clay finished with the win, pitching 5 innings of no run ball. He fanned six batters and only walked one. This season, Buchholz is 5-2 with a 1.82 ERA and 100 K's in 74 innings pitched.

Buchholz throws a fastball that sits in the low 90's and tops out around 97, a hard 12-6 curve and a plus changeup. He was drafted by the Red Sox in the supplemental first round of the 2005 MLB Draft. Clay was rated by Baseball America as the Red Sox #2 prospect at the beginning of this season. With their starting pitching depth, the Red Sox have no need to rush Buchholz to the majors. He should debut late next season or in early 2009 after gaining some more experience and developing better fastball command. With the graduation of big name pitching prospects Homer Bailey, Yovanni Gallardo, Tim Lincecum and Phil Hughes, Buchholz should be involved in the discussion for best Minor League pitching prospect. Red Sox Nation should be very,very excited about the 22 year old, who has the ability to become one of Boston's all time greats.

RANDOM NOTES

- Coco Crisp has caught fire and is showing why the Sox picked him to replace Johnny Damon. Coco has hit 3 Home Runs the last 3 games. In his last 7 games, Crisp has been 12-23, raising his batting average from .223 to .250.

- Congratulations to Red Sox farm hand, Bubba Bell. The Lancaster outfielder was named the California League All Star Game MVP. Bell went 3-5 with 2 RBI in the game. The 24 year old who has turned himself from a filler into a prospect needs to be promoted to Double A to figure out whether or not most of his success should be attributed to the Lancaster ballpark, which is the biggest launching pad in all of Minor League Baseball. On the season, Bell is batting .347/.440/.604 with 16 Home Runs. He also has ten steals.

- Jeff Francis threw 7 innings, giving up one run on 5 hits, leading the Colorado Rockies to a 6-1 victory over Andy Pettite and the New York Yankees. The Yanks are now 10 games behind the Sox in the AL East standings. HA HA HA!!!