5/22: Meet the Mets, Greet the Mets, Come on out and Beat the Mets

There isn't a better pitcher in baseball not named Zack Greinke than Johan Santana. Not the best draw for Dice-K in his return. Good thing we have the mojo working...

BOS 5, TOR 1: Sweepin

Toronto may sit atop the A.L. East Divisional standings presently, but one thing is for sure. The Blue Jays haven't done anything against the teams that matter most.

Looking Up

When the Toronto Blue Jays came to town with a 3.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox, it would be fair to characterize the first meeting of the two teams this season as surprisingly critical. One team was going to make a statement and thus far, it has been the Red Sox speaking the loudest.

In light of David Ortiz' home run last night, I thought it was a good opportunity to look at the collection of things working in the Red Sox favor since returning East and get a pulse from "all you FireBrandamaniacs" out there.

How much is a Penny worth?

While they haven't shown the "stuff" that was expected of them this season thus far, the Red Sox do have rotational depth. With Daisuke Matsuzaka on his way back to the big club and Clay Buchholz and Michael Bowden in the minor leagues, decisions regarding the starting five and top alternates will soon be made.

As injuries throughout the infield (Pedroia, Youkilis, Lowrie) have started to take their toll on the Red Sox this season, the "surplus" in the starting rotation may soon be required to yield some reinforcements.

Justin Masterson is a reliever.

Justin Masterson is dominant against right-handed hitters. But lefties reach base well over the league-average. Meaning that Masterson will have trouble until he can establish an "out-pitch" to retire them. Or develop his command more so, which is a possibility. Because currently, Masterson still catches too much of the inner half of the plate, at least against left-handers. And 2009 hasn't been any different either. A relatively small sample, but Masterson's .794 OPS against lefties just isn't going to cut it.

For Starters

"As a whole, and whole being defined 1-7, there isn't a better or deeper starting rotation in baseball. Even when confined to the five that will take the mound every five days, I would put these guys up against anyone and feel confident."

With Josh Beckett and Jon Lester off to slow and inconsistent starts and with Daisuke Matsuzaka's early trip to the DL with "post World Baseball Classic-itis", the Red Sox rotation hasn't lived up to those lofty expectations.

Poll: Name those starters

Lady Luck is a fickle mistress — just ask the Sox and Yankees

This decade has been the most monumental in the franchise's history. Not only did new ownership arrive, but Fenway Park was revitalized, a Nation was born (in the media, that is), a new generation of stars (Nomar, Manny, Pedro, Big Papi, Papelbon, Pedroia) put their stamp on their team... oh, and there were those two World Championships as well.

All this was done thanks to the incredible work that Theo Epstein and the rest of the baseball operations put in to give us the players that we root for every day. They are, to be certain, the reasons why we have our first two rings since 1918.

But let's not count out Lady Luck. Lady Luck is a fickle mistress; you never know when she'll turn on you.

The Red Sox know how to manage “injuries.”

If Lowell goes down, Youk can shift to third and David Ortiz and Chris Carter can share the 1B/DH spots. Or even Rocco could DH at times. If Daisuke suffers from "arm fatigue." Which could also be labeled as "we are being careful with him because of the the WBC." Then Justin Masterson can shift from the pen to the rotation.

But Theo has built a team that can handle suspensions, injuries, performance issues, more than just about any team in the game of baseball. And the organization as a whole has built a farm system that has the players to either be quality Major Leaguers, fill temporary holes, or be traded to address any of these "holes."

Poll: What early season situation most concerns you?