by akhatchaturian | Aug 3, 2013 | Andrew Bailey, Andrew Miller, Clay Buchholz, Craig Breslow, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Felix Doubront, Jake Peavy, Jon Lester, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara, Ryan Dempster
Red Sox Nation cheered in jubilation when Ben Cherington acquired Jake Peavy in a heist calculated more efficiently than Walter White’s methylamine robbery in Breaking Bad. That said, the team’s inability to bring in a reliever is a cause for concern. There is no...
by bcowett | Aug 2, 2013 | A.J. Pollock, Aaron Hill, Adam Eaton, Arizona Diamondbacks, Brandon McCarthy, Cliff Pennington, Cody Ross, Eric Chavez, Felix Doubront, Gerardo Parra, Jake Peavy, Jason Kubel, Jon Lester, Martin Prado, Matt Reynolds, Miguel Montero, Patrick Corbin, Paul Goldschmidt, Randall Delgado, Trevor Cahill, Wil Nieves, Willie Bloomquist
Y’know, if you think about it, team names would be very strange if they were rooted in reality. “Oh man, those creepily-alive socks just fought off a bunch of sailors and now they have to face a bunch of deadly, poisonous snakes!” That’s not...
by jkeller | Aug 1, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Brandon Jacobs, Brandon Snyder, Brandon Workman, Brock Holt, Clay Buchholz, Craig Breslow, Craig Kimbrel, Daniel Nava, David Ortiz, David Ross, Drake Britton, Dustin Pedroia, Felix Doubront, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jake Peavy, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Jim Johnson, Joe Nathan, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Jose De La Torre, Jose Iglesias, Junichi Tazawa, Koji Uehara, Mariano Rivera, Matt Thorton, Mike Carp, Mike Napoli, Pedro Beato, Ryan Dempster, Ryan Lavarnway, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew, Ted Williams, Will Middlebrooks, Wins Above Replacement, Xander Bogaerts
Every month, here on Fire Brand, I take a look at the relative value of the 25 players on the current active roster. If you missed the March, April, May, or June editions check them out for the criteria and history of these rankings. This month sees a season high six...
by bcowett | Jul 26, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles, Brian Roberts, Chris Davis, Chris Tillman, Jason Hammel, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Manny Machado, Matt Wieters, Nate McLouth, Nick Markakis, Nolan Reimold, Ryan Dempster, Scott Feldman, Wilson Betemit
Now would be a really, really convenient time for the Red Sox to start hitting again. Just spray those line drives all over the pl- oh. They’re playing the Orioles. Whelp, time to consider every line drive hit as an out, since all Baltimore does is catch them....
by bcowett | Jul 26, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, Boston Red Sox, David Price, Dustin Pedroia, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Matt Moore, Tampa Bay Rays
Well, that series was just a lesson in depression, wasn’t it? Sox get a CG hurled against them twice, and the last game is rained out. Yeesh. It’s starting to feel like crunch time, and the dog days of August haven’t even hit yet. At this point, the...
by bcowett | Jul 24, 2013 | Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz, Dustin Pedroia, Francisco Rodriguez, Jon Lester, Jonny Gomes, Junichi Tazawa, Tampa Bay Rays
Now that I think about it, a split of this series would be fine as well. It would keep the Rays at bay, even if there’s only 1.5 games of breathing room left. Guess who learned not to throw cutters in 0-2 counts yesterday? Yep, Jon Lester did! And it worked very...
by bcarsley | Jul 22, 2013 | Alex Wilson, Allen Webster, Andrew Miller, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Workman, Chris Carpenter, Clay Buchholz, Daniel Bard, Drake Britton, Franklin Morales, Garin Cecchini, Jackie Bradley, Jon Lester, Jose De La Torre, Junichi Tazawa, Matt Thornton, Pedro Beato, Portland Sea Dogs, Rubby de la Rosa, Xander Bogaerts
Andrew Bailey, Andrew Miller, Joel Hanrahan, Franklin Morales and Alex Wilson are all on the DL. If the playoffs started today, here’s what we’d probably be left with for a bullpen. RHP LHP Koji Uehara Matt Thornton Junichi Tazawa Craig Breslow Pedro Beato Drake...
by bcowett | Jul 22, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, Alex Cobb, Andrew Bailey, Ben Zobrist, Boston Red Sox, Brandon Workman, Desmond Jennings, Evan Longoria, Felix Doubront, James Loney, James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, Joe Maddon, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Jose Molina, Kelly Johnson, Luke Scott, Matt Joyce, Matt Moore, Roberto Hernandez, Tampa Bay Rays, Wil Myers, Yunel Escobar
Sort of an “out of the frying pan, into the fire” situation for the Red Sox here, huh? They just finish with a hard-fought series victory over the New York Yankees only to run into the magma-hot Rays from St. Pete. We always want more baseball, and this...
by bcowett | Jul 22, 2013 | 2013 Boston Red Sox, 2013 MLB Trade Deadline, Boston Red Sox, Clay Buchholz, Derek Lowe, Dustin Pedroia, Jake Peavy, Jon Lester, Mike Napoli, Tampa Bay Rays
It’s gonna be a long week, because now comes a real test for the Red Sox. A four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. This should be agonizing, as always. It was a long grueling battle, filled with miscues, shaky pitching and missed opportunities. But at the...
by bcowett | Jul 21, 2013 | Boston Red Sox, Jon Lester, Kansas City Royals, Pitch F/x, Raul Ibanez, Seattle Mariners
One can make the point that baseball is like natural evolution – to succeed/survive, you have to adapt, either constantly or gradually. Rookie pitchers, at least when they first enter the league, are already ahead of the curve. The hitters & advanced scouts...
