Red Sox stumble to break with replacements

Looking back on Sunday's lineup we may long for that day these next few weeks. The roster was: Marco Scutaro Daniel Nava David Ortiz Kevin Youkilis Victor Martinez J.D. Drew Bill Hall Darnell McDonald Jon Lester That lineup still held five of our expected starters. Getting back to the AL we will have Adrian Beltre back in that lineup, but with Martinez hitting the DL we are starting to see a lineup half full of replacement level players. Now it looks like Eric Patterson will be getting some time at second as well as Bill Hall, but neither has produced even one WAR in the past three seasons.

The Replacement Brigade: Eric Patterson, Angel Sanchez, et al

It’s been another harrowing week for the Red Sox as yet another key starter has gone down to injury. With Dustin Pedroia sustaining a broken foot, the second baseman is expected to miss an estimated six weeks – forcing the Sox to scramble for a replacement due to their lack of infield depth. Elaborating on Pedroia’s importance would be superfluous. The former AL MVP is among the three most indispensible Red Sox on the active roster next to Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester – if not the most important of the three. Considering the absence of any semblance of a Major Leaguer middle infielder in Boston’s stead, he is as good as irreplaceable. Still, the length of Pedroia’s injury is nearly as confounding as the injury itself. Assuming he returns along the proposed six-week time line, the Sox are in a purgatory of sorts when it comes to finding a replacement. On the one hand, they could trade for a replacement outside the organization - costing the team prospects in exchange for gaining about a win or two in Pedroia’s absence. On the other, they could tough it out with the inadequate options available.

6/26 Online Seats Game Thread: Welcome to the Jungle, Bumgarner

Giants fans have long been awaiting the arrival of Madison Bumgarner to add to their already stellar list of pitchers - but the Boston Red Sox will look to spoil his big arrival with a Boston welcome party.

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.

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.

6/15 Online Seats Game Thread: Raising Arizona

After a long anticipated day off, the Boston Red Sox are back in action against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks, who will hand Ian Kennedy the ball to face Clay Buchholz.

6/9 Online Seats Game Thread: The Masters Take On Masterson

Having taken the last two at Cleveland, the Boston Red Sox bring the fight to their former top prospect, Justin Masterson. Masterson, the feature piece in the Victor Martinez trade, has struggled since the trade with much credit owed to his inability to put down lefties. Clay Buchholz, on the other hand, looks to continue his tremendous start to the season.

6/4 Online Seats Game Thread: Road Rage

The Boston Red Sox will hit the road once again to try to gain some ground in the AL East against the basement occupying Baltimore Orioles.

Epstein’s Draft Hits… and Misses

With the 2010 Amateur Draft just around the corner (Monday June 7 through Wednesday, June 9), I wanted to spend this week's column looking back at the previous best and worst picks of the Theo Epstein era, an era in which the strength of the minor league system has been both a top priority for the team and an area of almost unparalleled success.

With seven drafts under their belts, this front office has taken the team from a roster of two homegrown regulars (Nomar Garciaparra and Trot Nixon) in 2003 to eight in 2010. Among them are a perennial Cy Young contender, a powerhouse corner infielder, a league champion base stealer, an elite closer, a man with a 100 mile an hour fastball, and an MVP. In addition, there is a new crop of talent maturing in the minors, with some players nearing the point where they will make a Major League contribution. So, not bad for a few years. After the jump, we'll take a look at the best and worst draft picks of the past seven years.

5/29 Online Seats Game Thread: Sox Drop Two To KC

(1-5, 3.57) and (6-3, 3.07). One of those lines belong to Clay Buchholz and the other belongs to Zack Greinke... and it ain't the one you're expecting. After dropping two now to the struggling Royals, the Boston Red Sox will send Buchholz out there in a duel of the young guns.