Josh Beckett couldn't figure out the Yankees last start; one day late due to his five-game suspension. His velocity and movement were there, but his command was way off. It's Tampa's second look at Beckett. Garza struggled with control in his last start, but dominated the Sox in the opening series.
Tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays marks the final game of the first calendar month of the season; and what an April it was. From the panic that set in BWNNH (Before Wake's Near No Hitter) after a 2-6 start, to the exhilaration of winning 12 out of 13 including a le-gen *wait for it* DARY sweep of the New York Yankees AB (Anno Bay - In the Year of Our Bay), April has been all Red Sox fans could ask for.
Who would have thought after the first week of the season that April would end with the Red Sox atop the American League with the league's best winning percentage?
Today we look at the best performances of April, culminating in the Fire Brand Player of the Month award.
Joe Castiglione needs to play the MEGA Millions tonight. So does Jonathan Van Every for that matter.
Chad Finn, not scared away after our first conversation, graces the MVN airwaves for a second time as he recaps his reactions to the dramatic weekend with the Yankees at Fenway Park. Like many of us, Chad's starting to get a little worried about David Ortiz.
After Chad leaves, Paul and I give out our awards for April Most Valuable Player and look forward to a big week ahead on the road.
All that and more on Episode #43 of Fireside Chats on MVN!
Jon Lester hurled 114 pitches over six innings his last start, continuing his workmanlike ways. His 4.88 ERA isn't pretty, but he's pitched better than that. He'll be opposed by a guy trying to get back to his 2007 ways. Carmona has had all sorts of bad luck against the Sox ranging from blown saves to blowout losses. J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis are on the bench in favor of Jonathan Van Every and Jeff Bailey. Nick Green is back at short.
Why would a 37 year old player have a wOBA spike of over 50 points from one season to the…
The Red Sox lead the league in OBP at .370. Granted, Fenway is beneficial to hitters, but this team would get on base a lot wherever they played. Maybe not this much, but a lot, comparatively. The most asked question for the offense coming in was, "Where is the power going to come from?"
Javier Lopez could use a mulligan.
The high ERA is misleading for Penny; he's had two quality starts in three tries. He's only struck out five, which is a concern (walked eight). His velocity is not the issue, so he just needs to work on command.
Reyes was in the doghouse for the Cardinals last year for no apparent reason. He's 13-25 with a 4.90 ERA, colored by a brutal (and so far, unsustained) 2007 campaign. Last year, he posted a 2.76 ERA in 49 innings with a 1.27 WHIP. His WHIP is 1.29 so far this year.
Tonight will be cold with showers. Julio Lugo makes his season debut.