Remy Returns, Clay Stumbles, Sox Win – All is Forgiven

The Sox take the first game of the series against the White Sox, 12-8, on the strength of a 6 run third inning. Clay Buchholz struggled with his command, being chased in the fifth inning.

And Firebrand would like to welcome Jerry Remy back to the booth. It's a little belated, but hey, someone had to do it...

Daisuke Rehabbing

While the Sox fight for their playoff lives, Daisuke Matsuzaka progresses further along in his rehab. With a side session scheduled for Friday, Dice could be back in early September.

Which begs the question, what pitcher will be returning to the mound? The Daisuke of 2008 or the Daisuke of 2009...

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...

The Sox New Prospects

With the conclusion of the 2009 MLB Rule 4 Draft signing period, it is time to look at the Sox final bounty.

Included are links, scouting reports and bonuses, as well as analysis...

1-28 OF Reymond Fuentes $1,134,000

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...

Smoltz’s Future

Now that John Smoltz has played his last game as a member of the Red Sox, it is time to ask the question, does he have anything left in the tank? A few teams think so, but his struggles point to a fading pitcher...

The Weekend Series Preview

With Thursday's game still to be played, the Sox look toward their three-game weekend series in Texas, back 5.5 of the Yankees; up 1.5 on the Rangers in the wildcard. This is a big set - don't take it likely...

Tazawa Slated for Tuesday Start

Evan: Please welcome Mike Silver to the Fire Brand writing crew! Tim Daloisio is going to be stepping down from writing articles for Fire Brand. He will still be contributing one podcast a week plus the weekly poll -- and will add in another podcast every week.

Junichi Tazawa heads to the rotation Tuesday against Detroit: Boston's management has decided it's time for Junichi Tazawa to throw his hat into the ring as savior of the Red Sox starting rotation. Is he up to the challenge?