6/9 Online Seats Game Thread: The Masters Take On Masterson

Having taken the last two at Cleveland, the Boston Red Sox bring the fight to their former top prospect, Justin Masterson. Masterson, the feature piece in the Victor Martinez trade, has struggled since the trade with much credit owed to his inability to put down lefties. Clay Buchholz, on the other hand, looks to continue his tremendous start to the season.

Wakefield Uber Alles

Last night, Tim Wakefield accomplished something no other pitcher ever has: he recorded his 8,329th out as a member of the Boston Red Sox. For those who are less than mathematically inclined (like myself), that's 2,776 and 1/3 innings, one out more than Roger Clemens recorded with a B on his cap. It's a useful moment with which to reflect on the astonishing career of Tim Wakefield, and on what he has given this team both on the field and off. The longest tenured member of the Red Sox (Wake arrived in Boston as a free agent during the first month of the 1995 season, two years before anyone had heard of Nomar Garciaparra), Wakefield has been as selfless a player as has ever worn a Sox uniform. That he can arrive at this record is a testament to his loyalty, selflessness, and love of this game.

6/8 Online Seats Game Thread: Wakefield Must Wake Up

On the heels of eight shut out innings by Dice-K, Tim Wakefield will lead the Boston Red Sox in another contest against the Cleveland Indians and David Huff, who was recently humbled by a monster line drive to the head off the bat of Alex Rodriguez just two weeks ago.

All quiet at short for once

It looks like we can finally spend our time harping on other things this year like A low K/BB from John Lackey or Jonathon Papelbon instead of worrying about our short stop production. Marco Scutaro won't be leading the box score every night or getting top billing in the recap, but you won't see him as the goat either. Since 2003 when Nomar Garciaparra totaled 5.4 WAR in his last great season the Red Sox have only had two Short Stops total more than 1.5 WAR. Jed Lowrie in 2007 and Alex Gonzalez in 2006. Some of those were in limited time so they were better than they seemed, but only these two seasons had a real chance to be greater than average in a full season. So far in 2010 Scutaro has been an average hitter totaling -0.5 batting runs above average. His contact has been better than ever only striking out 10 percent of the time. His 2009 season was solidified though with a 13 percent walk rate where he is only walking 10 percent so far this year.

Red Sox Select 2B Kolbrin Vitek with First Round Pick

With the 20th overall selection in the 2010 June Draft, the Red Sox have selected Kolbrin Vitek, 2B, Ball State. Vitek is projected to be an above average hitter, with average to above average power. Some think that Vitek has the legs to make a move to center field, but it's still questionable whether he will do so. A good hitter with solid fundamentals, Vitek's swing plane is the main discussion point among scouts. A flat swing built for contact, it will also limit his power potential. Changing a hitter's swing that they've had success with their whole life is a risky proposition, so don't expect a development on this front. Also on the board at #20 were Anthony Ranaudo, Zack Cox, Nick Castellanos, and Alex Wimmers. A quality selection, the Sox drafted a solid batsman with some projectability and versatility who shouldn't take too long to reach the Majors.

6/7 Online Seats Game Thread: V-Mart Cowboys Up to Face Indians

The Boston Red Sox narrowly missed a series sweep of the Baltimore Orioles. Daisuke Matsuzaka will lead the team into Cleveland to take on the struggling Indians, who have been missing Victor Martinez, as V-Mart makes his first appearance back in Cleveland since last year's move.

Names to Watch on Draft Day

Heading into draft day tomorrow, the Sox are sitting pretty with four picks in the first two rounds. Their first selection at 20, the Sox have been tied to relatively few names -- making their intentions a mystery to many even on the eve of the draft. Still, the most important name to remember when things kick off tomorrow is Anthony Raunado – the LSU right-hander being the player most frequently quoted as the Sox top target. Picks: 1-20 (from Atlanta for Type A Billy Wagner) 1s-36 (compensation for New York Mets signing Type A Jason Bay) 1s-39 (compensation for Atlanta signing Type A Billy Wagner) 2-7 (from New York Mets for Type A Jason Bay) 3-28 (110) 4-28 (143) 5-28 (Repeating at 28 for remainder of draft)

6/6 Online Seats Game Thread: Lackey Looks to Manage Matusz

After yet another commanding performance over the Baltimore Orioles last night, John Lackey and the Boston Red Sox will look to take down youngster Brian Matusz down another peg or two.

Sometimes the Biggest Tweaks for a Pitcher Have Nothing to do With the Arm.

During the course of the 2009 season, Pawtucket Red Sox left-hander Kris Johnson plummeted from prospect to suspect. Johnson spent the 2008 season at Portland and ranked ninth in the Eastern League and eighth in the Red Sox’ farm system with a 3.53 ERA. And he set a career high with 108 strikeouts in 136 1/3 innings pitched. How far did Johnson drop last season?

6/5 Online Seats Game Thread: Aces High in Baltimore

The Baltimore Orioles will send their ace out, in the form of Jeremie Guthrie, to try to take on the best that the Boston Red Sox have to offer, Jon Lester.