BOS 12, CLE 7: The Long and Winding Win

It may not have been the way that Clay Buchholz wanted to head into the post season, but a win is a win in professional sports, as the Red Sox took their 95th win of the season off of the Cleveland Indians, 12-7, on Sunday. Buchholz only lasted three innings, but the run support was there in droves, as J.D. Drew clocked two, Jed Lowrie belted a grand slam, and Alex Gonzalez made sure that everyone knew he was doing just fine with another home run, just to name a few.

Lowrie Activated

Injured shortstop Jed Lowrie was activated from the 15-day disabled list today, following a rehab stint in Pawtucket. Lowrie has struggled with his surgically repaired wrist this season, causing him to lose his feel for the lumber.

Lowrie was successful in his latest trip to Pawtucket, hitting three home runs in his first two games after beginning his assignment on August 23rd.

The shortstop has played in just 19 games this season for Boston, hitting .143/.206/.232 with one home run in 63 plate appearances. His AAA numbers are a mixed bag, as he showed good plate discipline (13 BBs versus 13 Ks) and good power, while batting just .176.

Smoltz DFAd, Tazawa hits the majors, Woodward claimed as Lowrie lands on DL

UPDATE: WBZ and Amalie Benjamin are reporting that John Smoltz has been designated for assignment. Smoltz was a huge disappointment for the Sox, and I feel sad at this outcome. However, it had to be done. There is an empty roster spot for a reliever. It is not known who will fill it at this time.

Click to read about the rest of the Sox moves today.

BOS 8, OAK 3: Beckett bounces back

After a shaky start against the Texas Rangers, Josh Beckett returned to form against Oakland.

Lugo’s death knell begins

With the All-Star Break finally behind us, it's time to take a look ahead at what the second half has in store for us.

One thing it doesn't have in store for us is Julio Lugo's presence in a Red Sox uniform.

Read on to read what the likely scenario is to happen once games get underway again... and also possibilities the Sox might keep Lugo on the roster.

But the bottom line is that you can go ahead and pack away your Lugo t-shirts now.

Bates promotion tells a lot about Sox’s concern for O

With the recent callup of first baseman Aaron Bates to the club, it's clear that the Sox are concerned about their offensive viability.

With the All-Star break around the corner, the club could have opted to keep Jeff Bailey on the roster despite his high-ankle strain and go a couple days against a left-handed starter with Julio Lugo at short or Mark Kotsay at first (despite the latter's left-handed bat).

Instead, the club chose to promote a 25-year old struggling in Triple-A. Bates' numbers so far on the year are .182/.273/.295 with only 24 games at the level. And yet, the Sox brought him up to get his right-handed bat in the lineup against lefty pitchers.

Keeping up with the corners

With Mike Lowell's recent injury concerns creeping back into the active conscious of Red Sox Nation, depth at the corners and in the middle of the lineup has suddenly been thrust to the forefront of the early pre-trade deadline chatter.

Much of the Red Sox trade innuendo to this point has surrounded the potential acquisition of a shortstop or catcher, positions without organizational depth or strength. But with Jason Varitek and George Kottaras holding down the fort behind the plate with acceptable production and Nick Green earning the job at short with Jed Lowrie waiting in the wings (and Julio Lugo being Julio Lugo), those positions may not be the most critical to address as July rolls in.

Five shortstops Red Sox could pursue

As Nick Green and Julio Lugo team up in an attempt to break the record for most errors out of shortstop (and we thought Edgar Renteria was bad), it's time to start looking at outside options.

Green has been a great fill-in with the bat after no one expected him to even get a single at-bat on the year. On defense, however, his lead glove is starting to raise concerns. And Julio Lugo, of course, is Julio Lugo. We'll get to our internal option, Jed Lowrie, in a moment. But for now, let's focus on five shortstops the Sox could go after.

It’s early, but the stats still exist.

Dustin Pedroia: OPS+ 86: Speaking of picking it up...I guess that is what the Orioles pitching staff allows a hitter to do. Although, I do not want to dismiss the offensive explosion of the last few days completely.

After all, they did "rock" Orioles "Ace" Jeremy Guthrie, and last time I checked, he is a pretty good pitcher. But anyway, Pedroia has reached base 10 times in the past four games. His OBP is now roughly league-average, and his slugging has broken the .400 mark. And both of those categories should only improve from here on out.

Poll: “Short” handed Red Sox