The Weekend Series Preview

With Thursday's game still to be played, the Sox look toward their three-game weekend series in Texas, back 5.5 of the Yankees; up 1.5 on the Rangers in the wildcard. This is a big set - don't take it likely...

8/11: The battle of young, talented arms.

Junichi Tazawa makes his first Big League start against Rick Porcello. Let's see what Tazawa is made of...

Time to Count Your Chips

With the Sox back in Boston after a long road trip, it's time to take stock of what the team has left.

Is a playoff appearance still in the cards?


It's a slump. That's it. That has to be it.

Mayday! Mayday! We're going down... aren't we?

Sometimes it's difficult to tell the difference between a slump and a freefall. When given the choice, you always root for the slump, because, what other options do you have...

Tazawa Slated for Tuesday Start

Evan: Please welcome Mike Silver to the Fire Brand writing crew! Tim Daloisio is going to be stepping down from writing articles for Fire Brand. He will still be contributing one podcast a week plus the weekly poll -- and will add in another podcast every week.

Junichi Tazawa heads to the rotation Tuesday against Detroit: Boston's management has decided it's time for Junichi Tazawa to throw his hat into the ring as savior of the Red Sox starting rotation. Is he up to the challenge?

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.

Chat Transcript: Ortiz, Yankees, Buchholz and more

David Ortiz - Samara Pearlstein

Sit down with a big cup of coffee, because have I a treat for you. I participated in a chat on Tuesday night and they have made the transcript available for Fire Brand to peruse.

I talk about which minor leaguers to keep an eye on... what the Sox need to do to win this year... how important David Ortiz is to us.

Oh, I also throw out predictions such as who will finish at first... scoff at the Yankees... and talk about who the heck can be our future catcher.

Ryne’s Ramblings: Special Saturday Edition

Check out Ryne's Ramblings, a collection of random thoughts put together while killing time before killing deer. From Jim Rice to Jennifer Aniston, get the 411 on current events in the Red Sox Nation. And I promise, I even kept the political propaganda to a minimum this time!

Red Sox sign Junichi Tazawa

Nikkansports.com has reported that Junichi Tazawa has settled on the Red Sox and will officially sign with them in early December. The contract is for three years. Tazawa will earn $1 million a year and start off in Double-A.

Sox offer Tazawa $6 million

Craig Shipley, the Red Sox vice president for international scouting, spent just under two hours talking to 22-year old Junichi Tazawa and presented him with a $6 million offer. It's unclear whether or not the offer is a major-league deal or not.

Junichi Tazawa: Japanese pitcher headed to US

As has been common knowledge, 22-year old Japanese pitcher Junichi Tazawa requested that the Japanese pro league, Nippon Pro Baseball, not draft him in the amateur draft, allowing him to jump to the major leagues immediately.