Wednesday Links

The Red Sox snapped their 6 game winning streak with a 7-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night. In what could be his last start as a Red Sox, Jake Peavy pitched 5 effective innings before watching the wheels come off in the 6th and 7th. As has been the case before, home runs killed the 33 year old righty. Both Jose Reyes and Dioner Navarro blasted off against Peavy, and served as the proverbial back breaker for the Red Sox offense who just couldn’t get the big hit. Boston collected a total of 11 hits in the game, but went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left 9 on-base. But despite an overall underwhelming offensive night for Boston, David Ortiz and Stephen Drew remain hot at the dish, as both homered in their second consecutive game. Shane Victorino also chipped in with a 3 hit night, all of which being singles. Looking at the big picture, the Red Sox just need to win this series, meaning that they could afford Tuesday’s loss without having to give up hope on the season. Although, the Red Sox were the only AL East team to lose on Tuesday night, which puts Boston back in last place by a half game.

• Jake Peavy embodies almost everything that the Red Sox and their fans want to see from a player. Whether he’s hollering at himself on the mound, or urging the Red Sox to rally around a cigar store Indian, the right-hander always puts team goals ahead of his own. But while Peavy represents the attitude the Red Sox promote, he also represents the changes that are forthcoming for Boston. (Win or lose, change seems inevitable for both Jake Peavy, Red Sox)

• Dustin Pedroia punctuated his most recent slump on Tuesday by suffering his second consecutive 0-for-4 night at the plate. A season removed from hitting over .300 and reaching base at a .372 clip, the second baseman now finds himself in the midst of the worst offensive season of his 8 year career. (Dustin Pedroia struggling mightily)

• Brock Holt has never been the biggest or the buffest guy on the baseball diamond, but he’s always possessed the tools of a great baseball player. Ask the 27-year old’s former coach at Rice University, and he’ll tell you that Holt has always played all-star caliber ball, ask Holt’s sister and she’ll tell you his determination help prove the doubters wrong. (The Brock Holt Story Part 1: The secret to beating baseball’s size obsession)

• In discussing the pros and cons of allocating a large contract to Jon Lester, age is almost always classified under the “cons” column. However, while it’s common for players to decline as they enter their 30’s, it’s not unheard of to see players continue or even improve in their 30’s. (For some pitchers, life begins at 31)

• Sure Jake Peavy’s 1-9 record in 20 starts doesn’t look pretty, but it hardly tells the whole story. While Peavy has dealt with his fair share of struggles, he’s also come up on the short end of the stick in terms of run support. The first two games of the Toronto series illustrate this perfectly. In game one, the Red Sox erupted for 14 runs, but on Tuesday they scored just 1 while Peavy was on the hill. (Jake Peavy can’t find way to win column)

• Tweet of the day: It sure seems like it…