Papelbon struggles as Bard dominates

Papelbon has gone from an elite closer to what appears to be a replacement level reliever in just a matter of a few seasons. This year his numbers have fallen off a cliff as his K/9 was always his best skill and even though his walks were going up he could still maintain strong numbers. This year though his K/9 has dropped all the way to 7.67. That's not going to get it done when your walking more than 3 batters every nine innings. Looking at his xFIP of 4.74 you can see he has actually been lucky so far this year. There aren't many signs for what is wrong though. His arm speed is as good as it has ever been and while his slider is a bit slower it has been his best pitch according to run values.

6/25 Online Seats Game Thread: Heading Further West

After narrowly avoiding the sweep at the hands of the Rockies, the Boston Red Sox will head further west to try their luck against the Giants.

As Usual the Red Sox Need Help in the Bullpen

Even before Jonathan Papelbon blew a save on Wednesday night in Denver, the Red Sox needed help in the back end of the bullpen. Daniel Bard can not go two innings each game the Sox are leading in a close game in going into the eighth inning.

Both Papelbon and Hideki Okajima’s production have been trending downward over the past few seasons. Okajima’s K/BB ratio has fallen each since he arrived in Boston. He is becoming more of a situational reliever.

6/24 Online Seats Game Thread: Welcome Back Dice-K

The Boston Red Sox will rely on a well-rested Daisuke Matsuzaka to avoid the sweep in his first game back from the DL.

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.”