6/23 Online Seats Game Thread: Can the Sox Hit Jimenez?

Ubaldo Jiminez has been notching a season for the record books in 2010, but the Boston Red Sox will look to John Lackey as they try to rewrite history in the making.

6/22 Online Seats Game Thread: Rocky Road to Coors Field

After a clean sweep of the Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox look to continue their dominance while the interleague season lasts, sending Jon Lester to the hill against youngster Jhoulys Chacin, who is sporting a cool 4.00 ERA since replacing Jorge de la Rosa in the Colorado Rockies rotation.

Looking for Buchholz strikeouts

There are a few reasons why Clay Buchholz has outperformed his FIP and xFIP this season. He has been very lucky so far to currently have 10 wins and a 2.47 ERA. Coming into the season he had only Bill James and the fans projections on Fangraphs calling for an ERA under 4.00, but so far while his ERA has beat all the projections his strikeout rate continues to fall. In the minors Buchholz showed an elite strikeout ability getting over 12 K/9 in Triple-A, but after his promotion in 2007 his numbers had started to drop. Even after a return to the minors to figure things out he only broke a 10 K/9 for a short stay in Double-A. His K/9 fell to 8.53 in a return to the majors in 2008 and while lower still showed a solid skill for the strikeout.

Sox Catch Tampa Bay, Minor Additions: Ryan Shealy

Sox Catch Tampa Bay The Sox finally playing inspired baseball, the club has been rolling with a 14-5 record in June. Meanwhile, the Devil Rays have stagnated, posting just an 8-9 mark over that period. It has been a long time coming, but the Red Sox have finally drawn even at second place with in-division foe Tampa Bay. It’s difficult to do justice to how great of an accomplishment this is. A team that appeared dead in the water not one month ago has risen from the ashes back to contention -- all the while combating debilitating injuries and emergency call ups. Should Daisuke Matsuzaka and Josh Beckett, especially, come back strong from their injuries, the club could once again have the MLB’s best rotation. A 1-2-3 of Beckett, Jon Lester, and a surging Clay Buchholz would rival that of any in the league. John Lackey and Matsuzaka at 4 and 5 would make the Rays and Yankees green with envy. With Ellsbury in left and Hermida the fourth outfielder, the lineup will see a tremendous boost. The best is yet to come. Or is it?

6/20 Online Seats Game Thread: Dodging the Broom

GAME NOTES Not that Vincente Padilla strikes fear into the hearts of Bay Staters, but the Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after their loss last night to the Boston Red Sox who will send Tim Wakefield to the mound.

Could the Red Sox Have the Next David Wright?

Perhaps all you have to know about how high the Red Sox rated David Renfroe is that the $1.4-million signing bonus they gave him (which is going to be spread out over five years) was the second-highest given to a third-round pick in the 2009 draft. “We fell in love with his athleticism,” said Boston general manger Theo Epstein. “Our scouts did a really thorough job with him as a position player (i.e. shortstop, third base and pitcher) and really fell in love with the kid. “There’s a lot to like with this prospect. As of (when he was drafted), his highest upside is as a position player and we see a potential impact bat.”

6/19 Online Seats Game Thread: Showing Manny Who Is Boss

Not that Vincente Padilla strikes fear into the hearts of Bay Staters, but the Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after their loss last night to the Boston Red Sox who will send Tim Wakefield to the mound.

6/18 Online Seats Game Thread: LA Again?

Just when you couldn't get enough LA in your life, the Dodgers come into town bringing gifts of Manny Ramirez. Have no fear, though, as the Boston Red Sox will turn to trusty ole Felix Doubront... wait a second....

A Fix for Interleague Play

We are in the middle of inter-league play. Manny Ramirez and the Dodgers are coming to Boston. It is going to be an exciting weekend, but the last series with the Diamondbacks does not get circled on any fan's schedule in January nor does the All-Star Game unless it is in your home city. A few slight schedule changes could assist in making inter-league play tolerable for even the purists. As my colleague mentioned a few days ago, inter-league play generates too much revenue to be eliminated in the near future. But below is a plan to alleviate the two major negatives to those contests: too many games and the unbalanced schedule.

6/17 Online Seats Game Thread: Saving Time for the Celtics

John Lackey and the Boston Red Sox are nice enough to start their last game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at tad early. Let's just hope that the Celtics take advantage as they face the Laker's in Game 7.