Round two: Red Sox/Yankees.
Starting tonight, the Red Sox face-off with the Yankees, as you may have heard. And the Bronx Bombers happen to have drawn our top two starters.
Category: Jon Lester
TAM 5, BOS 3: Speed kills
Ex-NFL color commentator John Madden -- not to be confused with Rays Manager Joe Maddon -- always said speed kills. He wasn't joking.
4/29: Let’s get back on the horse
Jon Lester hurled 114 pitches over six innings his last start, continuing his workmanlike ways. His 4.88 ERA isn't pretty, but he's pitched better than that. He'll be opposed by a guy trying to get back to his 2007 ways. Carmona has had all sorts of bad luck against the Sox ranging from blown saves to blowout losses. J.D. Drew and Kevin Youkilis are on the bench in favor of Jonathan Van Every and Jeff Bailey. Nick Green is back at short.
CLE 9, BOS 8: Snapped
Javier Lopez could use a mulligan.
4/24: Rivalry Renewed
And so it begins....video after the jump.
Vintage Lester
"Vintage Lester dominates Orioles" read the headline after Sunday's 2-1 Red Sox victory over Baltimore. While headlines are known for hyperbole, by definition, Jon Lester's third and best start of 2009 was vintage.
vin-tage: adjective (1) representing the high quality of a past time (2) being the best of its kind.
After a breakout 2008 campaign, Jon Lester hadn't seemed to find his groove early in 2009. Through his first two starts of the season, questions about his ability to avoid the "Verducci Effect" known to smite young pitchers coming off a season of above average workload were echoing across baseball blogs everywhere.
BOS 2, BAL 1: In command
As Jon Lester's frustrations lifted,striking out nine Orioles over seven innings pitched to earn his first victory of the season, Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz' frustrations continue to mount.
4/19: One away from .500
It's been nice facing the Orioles, hasn't it? We've taken the first two, can Jon Lester turn it around and help us take the first three?
Poll: What early season situation most concerns you?
New Poll Question:
What early season situation most concerns you?
We all know that the season hasn't started off firing on all cylinders. It's also fair to assume that Dustin Pedroia won't bat under .200 over the course of the season, so over-analysis at this point is slightly futile. That said, there are a few things that are or could be concerning moving forward. Which of the following early season outcomes could be most detrimental to the team over the long haul?
- Jon Lester's 9.00 ERA
- David Ortiz' slow start (.173/.293/.206)
- Jacoby Ellsbury's OBP struggles from the leadoff spot (.254)
- Jed Lowrie's injured wrist
- Daisuke Matsuzaka's arm fatigue
Don’t Panic: The Red Sox will improve.
Sample size, sample size, sample size! Remember the thing that increases the accuracy of whatever the available data happens to…