Friday Links

Photo by Kelly O’Connor of sittingstill.smugmug.com

It was a classic pitchers duel on Thursday night as the Red Sox and White Sox met in the rubber match of the three game set. Jon Lester took the hill for the Red Sox and was perfect for 5.1 innings, tossing 8 frames overall of 7 hit, 1 run baseball. Outside of Xander Bogaerts first home run of 2014, Lester didn’t receive much support, as White Sox hurler Chris Sale matched Lester pitch for pitch. Boston broke a 1-1 tie in the 9th on a David Ross RBI double and a Jonathan Hererra RBI bunt. Koji Uehara returned to action and secured the 3-1 win for the Red Sox.

• The Red Sox are slowly but surely getting their roster healthy again. On Wednesday, Dustin Pedroia returned to the lineup, on Thursday Mike Napoli and Koji Uehara made appearances. Soon enough, the club hopes to welcome back Shane Victorino and Will Middlebrooks. (As Mike Napoli, Koji Uehara return Shane Victorino closes on joining team)

• While the offense might not be working as planned, the Red Sox bullpen has been as advertised so far this season. Composed mostly of veteran arms, Boston’s relief core might not blow the competition away, but their deadly accuracy and consistency have made them among the leagues best bullpens. (Boston bullpen emerging as strength early in season)

• Felix Doubront has gotten off to a less than desirable start this season. After just three starts, the 25 year old southpaw has looked less like a break out candidate and more like a drop off waiting to happen. But a quick look at his mechanics can explain Doubront’s struggles (Breaking down Felix Doubront’s struggles)

• When Shane Victorino finally returns, the Red Sox outfield will become real crowded, real fast. With 6 outfielders on the roster, the Red Sox will need to decide how to break up the log jam. It’s hard to see the team demoting Jackie Bradley or Daniel Nava, at this point Mike Carp seems to be the odd man out. (Mike Carp on crowded Boston Red Sox outfield: “I’m anxious to see what’s going to happen”)

• After inking him to a 10 year extension last season, the Red Sox insured that Dustin Pedroia would remain in Boston for a long time. However, as a 30 year old with an extensive resume and a recent injury history, it’s fair to wonder if Pedroia’s best years are actually behind him. (Have we seen the best of Dustin Pedroia)

• Speeding up baseball seems like an odd concept. Baseball is supposed to be played without a clock dictating the start and end; the game ends on the players accord. But to the fans, baseball has gone from a tidy 9 inning game, to a time consuming, borderline exhausting event. (What’s your ideal length for a baseball game?)

• Tweet of the day: Ross isn’t giving himself too much credit here…