In January 2010, there was a MLB deal that amounted to a three-team interaction. The Red Sox acquired Hall from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Casey Kotchman. Hall had just been traded to Seattle in late 2008 and Milwaukee was still on the hook for the contract. Milwaukee had sent Hall to Seattle with a wheelbarrow full of hundred dollars bills, just to get rid of him.
With the Sox 5.5 games out of first, there is still hope for a postseason in Boston despite a season filled with injuries and frustration. One of the reasons the Sox continue to stay within striking distance of the Yanks and Rays is the way that the replacement players have stepped up. From Bill Hall to Jed Lowrie to Ryan Kalish, who continues to embed himself as the cream for the Red Sox crop of prospects.
Tonight will mark the third time that John Lackey will face his former squad, the Los Angeles Angels, wearing a Boston Red Sox uniform. The first two went in the win column. Will the the third be as lucky?
This season has been as trying as any in recent Red Sox history, but it has also been as inspiring. Going into the year, I anticipated this club to be one of my favorites, and it turns out I was right, but for the wrong reasons: while I was expecting a run-prevention monster with a solid, top-five AL offense, what I got was a ragtag crew beset by injury but still, through a better than expected offense and contributions from the most unexpected of places, managing to hang in contention all year. Between the strong and consistent pitching of Clay Buchholz and Jon Lester to the season-saving heroics of journeymen and minor leaguers like Darnell McDonald, Bill Hall, Daniel Nava and Ryan Kalish, this team has kept on the trail of a playoff berth when they should have been written off. And now, the day after Dustin Pedroia's emotional return, the most important cog in the team's machinery is back where he belongs. This season has defied every prediction so far, but if the Sox were to go on a tear from here on out, count me among those who wouldn't be in the least surprised.
Clay Buchholz is cementing himself more and more every day, but he will have to face the venerable ace of the Angels, Jered Weaver, as the Boston Red Sox play host to the Angels tonight at Fenway.
Emotions, especially in Red Sox Nation, can run high. Sometimes too high. The frustrations with injuries and a third place standing have Sox fans pointing the finger at several players, but perhaps none more so than Jonathan Papelbon. Think it's a good idea to trade your closer? You might want to take another look before making up your mind.
First of all, I'm not going to sit here and preach that Papelbon is as good of a reliever as he has been in the past. In fact, he has regressed for a few years now in several key categories. However, there is still plenty of reason to think things might be better a year from now.
Perhaps “Boston’s favorite failure” is a bit harsh on the man, but it’s difficult to separate his past four seasons from the other-worldly expectations following his acquisition leading up to the 2007 season.
But that’s a separate discussion -- and ongoing one since at least 2008, when he was walking 5.05 batters per nine innings -- and not the topic of this post.
It is probable that the Red Sox will not play meaningful October baseball. They still have a puncher’s chance but it is unlikely.
We will have a much better notion if the Olde Towne Team can make a push for the postseason after the series with the Rays on August 29. It should give the front office just enough time to place the free agents to be on waivers, so they could be moved before September 1.
Buchholz is now 13 and 5 with a 2.49 ERA and a ground ball rate over 50 percent. His K/BB rate, however, has been very similar to his 2009 numbers. The biggest difference, and it is a huge difference, is his reduction in home runs allowed.
After splitting a crucial series against the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, led by Daisuke Matsuzaka will continue to work their way through the AL East, heading north to take on Ricky Romero and the Toronto Blue Jays.