POLL: Who should be the primary setup man?

Time to give Youkilis credit: Deserves to be in MVP mix

As we get later and later into September, the question inevitably crops up: Who is the Most Valuable Player?

In the American League, Joe Mauer all but has the award sewed up. A .367/.435/.612 line out of the catcher position tends to do that. There's also been the inevitable Yankee calls: Mark Teixeira is unquestionably the MVNP according to a Yankees beat writer. Derek Jeter is in the mix... of course. MLB Network's Victor Rojas yesterday gave props to Miguel Cabrera.

I ask: Where's the Youk love? (I asked this of Rojas, who said that we'll probably start hearing Youkilis' name bandied about. You are. Right here.)

Reddick Recalled, Wakefield Possible for Saturday, Daisuke Rehabs

-Josh Reddick was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket yesterday. He should provide added depth to an already deep outfield, as well as another option off the bench for pinch hitting duties. Hopefully the outfielder can build off his lackluster start with the big club.

-Tim Wakefield may return to the mound for a Saturday start against the White Sox. Following a cortisone shot on Monday, Wake seems to be feeling better. As ESPN reports, the Sox will wait to see how Wakefield feels on Friday before giving him the go ahead...

9/3: Two young hurlers go at it

GAME NOTES: Buchholz has suddenly fashioned himself into a very solid No. 3. The key here is if Buchholz can keep it up amidst increasing pressure as October nears. Price has been a disaster on the road but kills it at home. It'll be up to Buchholz to match zeros.

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?

9/2: No more homers, Beckett!

GAME NOTES: Beckett heads up against a pitcher who has -- on the face of it -- been pretty similar to him on the year. Can Beckett turn his woes around and be the guy we need to ensure an October dance?

Wholesale Keychain TRIVIA: 17 strikeouts combined

On Friday, August 28, Boston pitchers combined for 17 strikeouts. The last time this happened in Red Sox history, two pitchers combined for those 17 strikeouts. Who are those pitchers?

Previous trivia question: Ben Flowers was the first pitcher in major league history to pitch eight games in eight days, happening July 1953. Ellis Kinder later matched this feat in August. Evan stumps Fire Brand!

J.D. Drew a Top 5 right fielder

J.D. Drew hit his 19th home run of the season, tying his total from last year. His next home run will rank as only the fourth time in 11 full seasons that he's reached that plateau.

Outside of a .217/.316/.361 line in June, Drew has been turning in a great year. It is easy to get on Drew when his batting average seems to be hovering in the .230s and he's always dinged up. But let's take a second here, step back, and see how valuable Drew has been to the Sox.

Throwing out 2007 and his grand slam to ice the ALCS in Game Six, Drew has a .272/.395/.505 line, not including last night's game. To have a line like that out of your right fielder is immensely valuable.

To compare, I ran a comparison of batters with at least 800 plate appearances over the last two years from the beginning of 2008 to August 31, 2009.

Flip the page to see what I found.

9/1: Lester takes the hill

GAME NOTES: Jon Lester is suddenly the Sox's new ace with Josh Beckett having given up a horrifying 10 home runs in his last three starts. This is a crucial series, as the outcome of the series will likely dictate the Rays' playoff chances the rest of the way.

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...