Injuries Among the Contenders

There is nothing that can derail a team quicker than a slew of injuries in October. The Sox have seen their fair share of injuries lately, though the M.A.S.H. unit has had some success returning the boys to action.

But they are not the only team in the hunt, as the Yankees, Twins, Angels, and Tigers all have their own bumps, bruises, and breaks to deal with. And no, we are not including Texas anymore, as their playoff odds have now dropped below half of one percent. The only race left is between Detroit and Minnesota for the AL Central.

Here’s a rundown of the significant injuries on each team:

Injuries, Blessings, and Manny Not Being Manny

A Pair of Injuries

On Monday, Junichi Tazawa was placed on the 60-day disabled list due to what has been described as a mild groin strain.

While the groin gives the Sox a formal reason to DL Tazawa, the pitcher had reportedly reached his innings limit, according to the Red Sox official web site. The move also helps make room for Chris Woodward.

The infielder will fill in for Nick Green, who is dealing with a back issue that has manifested as dead leg.

The Buchholz-Masterson Sisters and the Battle for Chicago Ahead

Because we never want them to feel good about each other, we have a duty to never stop comparing Justin Masterson and Clay Buchholz. So, it’s time to put the question to rest: Which one is the prettier sister?

And…On Friday, the Sox get set to take on a diminished White Sox team. Fresh off trading designated hitter Jim Thome and starter Jose Contreras, Chicago seems to have mailed in the 2009 season.

But they won’t make it so easy on the Sox, as Boston will go up against the heart of the White Sox rotation with matches against John Danks, Mark Buehrle, and Gavin Floyd. Are the boys in red up to the challenge?

Sox September 1st Call-Ups

With September now underway, the Red Sox have called up five players to fill out the Major League roster. Called-up were Junichi Tazawa, Chris Woodward, Joey Gathright, Brian Anderson, and George Kottaras.

While Tazawa is the easy favorite to make an impact for the big league club, every stolen base and late inning defensive substitution will put the Sox that much closer to the playoffs.

Analysis inside…

8/27: Looking for the sweep

8/21: Tazawa vs. Burnett

Yankees Coming to Town

The Sox face off against their bitter rivals the New York Yankees in a pivotal three game series in Fenway. An important juncture for the AL East race, this series will determine whether the Sox can climb back in it or if the Yanks wrap it up early.

Game previews, matchups, and Sox news inside…

Tweets on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster

In a homage to Twitter, the new social media application that is changing how news is delivered (in the same vein how blogs changed everything) I bring to you a summary of each Red Sox player on the 25-man roster in 140 characters or less (the maximum number of characters you can enter on Twitter).

Have Twitter? Follow me. Tim’s on too. Oh, and Fire Brand has one as well. You’ll notice that had you followed Fire Brand, you would have gotten all these tweets last night.

MLB Potpourri – FireBrand Style

With a very active weekend and Monday, Firebrand presents a comprehensive roundup of the latest Red Sox actions and news. Draft signings, playoff outlooks, and veterans returning to health, FireBrand Potpourri has it all…

A lot happened in Red Sox Nation this past weekend. Instead of wondering, let’s get into the gritty details.

-The Sox Drop Two of Three in Texas

The Sox lost two to the Rangers. Yeah, it’s too bad. The Sox stand one game back of Texas in the Wild Card, but that’s history and it’s time to look to the future. Junichi Tazawa struggled in his latest taste of big league hitting, allowing 2 HR and 3 BB against 0 strikeouts. Brad Penny had his moments and held his ground against a good Texas offense. However, he is still no more than a back-of-the-rotation starter, which showed this weekend.

The clock continues to tick on Michael Bowden, representing the last of the Red Sox reserve rotation arms. While he sports a glowing scouting report and a pristine 3.20 ERA in triple-A Pawtucket, it is getting more and more difficult to see him being a success at the major league level this year. With just a 6.40 K/9 and 3.36 BB/9 this season, he is far from a sure thing…

Thanks, Brad Penny. But it may be time to move on.

Luck hasn’t been on his side, I will give him that. Penny has had to deal with a .326 BABIP, while surrendering line drives on only 18 percent of batted balls against. And his LOB percentage is at 66, which is far too low. Eventually, he should strand a few more base-runners.

But it is his love with the fastball, and the home run that is killing him. Do you know how often Penny throws the fastball? 73 percent of the time! This is the American League East, Brad. There has to be somewhat of a reliance on the breaking stuff too. Maybe he doesn’t feel comfortable throwing it. And he doesn’t always seem to have command of it. But his curveball has a “Pitch Type Value” of -15.4. That is horrendous.

Point is, he has no viable pitch outside of the fastball, and at times he even struggles with that. That is why he is so reliant on it. he simply cannot do anything positive with the breaking ball.