Q+A with ‘untouchable’ prospect Ryan Westmoreland

Ryan Westmoreland was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 draft. He has been compared to Rocco Baldelli, given that both hail from Rhode Island. For Low-A Lowell, 'Westy' is hitting .298/.398/.491 with seven home runs, three triples and 15 doubles in 218 at-bats. He has 19 stolen bases and zero caught and is ranked the seventh best prospect in the organization by SoxProspects.com.

He got on the radar for casual Sox fans this year who heard that Westmoreland was deemed untouchable by the Red Sox during trade talks. Westmoreland first talked to Fire Brand exactly a year ago today. Let's check in...

Impact of the Billy Wagner trade

The Billy Wagner acquisition by the Red Sox is a major acquisition that will have an impact on the Sox's ability to close out games, both down the stretch run and (cross your fingers) in the playoffs.

This is one of your more complicated trades: the Red Sox had to navigate the morass of a 2010 option and arbitration possibilities to get the lefty into the Sox bullpen. Let's look at where things now stand.

No way you slice it, Billy Wagner is better than the morass of relievers that have come through the Sox clubhouse since Justin Masterson departed.

WholesaleKeychain.com TRIVIA: 8 games, 8 days

Who was the first pitcher in major league history (hint: Red Sox player) to pitch eight games in eight days?

Should Sox import Billy Wagner?

As I mention here, the Mets have activated Billy Wagner from the disabled list. Should the Red Sox bring in Wagner? Read on to find out more...

Tweets on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster

In a homage to Twitter, the new social media application that is changing how news is delivered (in the same vein how blogs changed everything) I bring to you a summary of each Red Sox player on the 25-man roster in 140 characters or less (the maximum number of characters you can enter on Twitter).

Have Twitter? Follow me. Tim's on too. Oh, and Fire Brand has one as well. You'll notice that had you followed Fire Brand, you would have gotten all these tweets last night.

About that Buchholz kid…

Clay Buchholz dominated Triple-A this year. There's no other way to put it. And yet, when he was recalled to finally take his place in the Red Sox rotation, it looked as if he was right back to being "Suckholz" of 2008.

He's started six games now. His ERA is at a less-than-sparkling 4.45 (but solid) with a 1-3 record. In 32.1 innings, he's struck out 20, walked 19 and given up 39 hits. It's been a tight-rope balancing act. When your K/BB ratio is pretty much 1:1, you tend to not be a good major league player.

Despite consistently having to come out of the game due to his erratic fastball control and always on the precipice of complete and utter disaster, Buchholz has actually shown poise on the mound, minimizing the risks that he finds himself in.

New Sox Josh Reddick: ‘Being here has been a joy’

22 years old, Josh Reddick made his major league debut earlier this season when trades and injuries took out first base and outfield depth. Reddick stuck around and impressed many before being optioned down to Triple-A.

With Rocco Baldelli hitting the disabled list, he came right back up. Reddick is hitting .217/.250/.478 with one home run and three doubles in 23 at-bats. His first home run came off of Orioles starter David Hernandez August 2nd. The next day, he cranked his first home run off of Brian Bass.

After an interview last September, Reddick took some time out of his whirlwind days to answer a couple questions about his major league experience.

Red Sox claim Guzman

Nick Cafardo says the Red Sox have placed a waiver claim on shortstop Cristian Guzman. 31, Guzman has revived his career over the last three years with the Washington Nationals, hitting well over .300 each of the three years.

Average to below-average defensively according to certain defensive metrics, Guzman also cannot take a walk. However, when hitting .300 with decent pop, you can't complain. Guzman would represent a vast improvement. He's in the first year of a two-year, $16 million contract. The Sox desperately need someone like Guzman for the short- and long-term. Acquiring Guzman would theoretically solve the offensive conundrum. It remains to be seen if the Nationals will send Guzman to Boston. Now, for that starting pitching...

PawSox manager on Buchholz: ‘He’ll be fine’

The Red Sox were gracious enough to issue me a press pass for the Pawtucket/Norfolk game at Fenway Park today. I barely made it into my seat for the first pitch thanks to some heavy traffic on the Pike. I saw Jake Arrieta, one of the Orioles' fabled pitching prospects, shut down a lethargic PawSox offense, 7-3.

After the game, I headed down to try to get some interviews, but only was able to grab manager Ron Johnson as everyone was skedaddling. I took the chance to talk about Clay Buchholz with him.

8/8: LIVE BLOG: Sox@Yanks, Tides@PawSox