BOS 11, BAL 5: Less than Lester, Still Good Enough

Even an uninspiring performance by Jon Lester was enough to get the job done against an Orioles team that has all but thrown in the orange towel, as Boston beat Baltimore, 11-5, on Saturday.

It was the Red Sox bats that locked up the 12th consecutive series win against the Orioles, behind a shaky outing six inning stretch where Lester gave up ten hits. But as he continued to miss his spots (only 62 strikes over 102 pitches), the offense was busy at work against an already depleted Orioles pitching staff.

The Turning Point, The Injury Front, and Sleep Tremors

The Turning Point

There's no better way to enter the playoffs than on a hot streak, unless, of course, your opponent is reeling in defeat.

The ninth inning of last night's game must have put a real damper on the spirit in the Los Angeles clubhouse. After reclaiming their lead in the ninth against the unhittable, untouchable Daniel Bard, the Sox were able to steal the victory away when closer Brian Fuentes unraveled with one out to go.

As David Ortiz walked to the plate in the ninth against a left-handed Fuentes, hearts were simultaneously dropping all over New England. Two outs, down one, no one on, and Ortiz hasn't been able to touch lefties since 1945. The game was all but over...

Projecting the Playoffs, The Case for Kotchman

With just 20 games left and a 4 1/2 game lead in the Wild Card, what exactly are the chances for our beloved Sox to play in October? Baseball Prospectus seems to think they're pretty high, but Texas has life yet.

And who, exactly, is the Red Sox' most unappreciated player. Surely, it couldn't be Casey Kotchman. Though he doesn't always see the field, he provides stability at a key position on the diamond, while simultaneously solidifying the team's outlook at ... catcher?

Projecting the Playoffs

With just 20 games remaining in the regular season, the Sox' Hunt for Red October is getting stronger by the day. At this juncture, with this team, a 4 ½ game lead in the Wild Card is a considerable advantage. Don't get cozy though, as one hot or cold stretch can completely change the complexion of this race. Still, it's looking pretty good for the Sox, as Baseball Prospectus gives the Red Sox...

Time to give Youkilis credit: Deserves to be in MVP mix

As we get later and later into September, the question inevitably crops up: Who is the Most Valuable Player?

In the American League, Joe Mauer all but has the award sewed up. A .367/.435/.612 line out of the catcher position tends to do that. There's also been the inevitable Yankee calls: Mark Teixeira is unquestionably the MVNP according to a Yankees beat writer. Derek Jeter is in the mix... of course. MLB Network's Victor Rojas yesterday gave props to Miguel Cabrera.

I ask: Where's the Youk love? (I asked this of Rojas, who said that we'll probably start hearing Youkilis' name bandied about. You are. Right here.)

Tweets on the Red Sox’s 25-man roster

In a homage to Twitter, the new social media application that is changing how news is delivered (in the same vein how blogs changed everything) I bring to you a summary of each Red Sox player on the 25-man roster in 140 characters or less (the maximum number of characters you can enter on Twitter).

Have Twitter? Follow me. Tim's on too. Oh, and Fire Brand has one as well. You'll notice that had you followed Fire Brand, you would have gotten all these tweets last night.

View from the game: Youk’s Last Stand

I was lucky enough to get some good seats in prime fight watching position last night. Pics embedded below for your viewing pleasure.

Baldelli to the DL, Reddick recalled, Youk to the OF, Ortiz to speak

Talk about cramming info into a Quick Post headline....

Going into Yankee Stadium and as much a "do or die" series as the Red Sox have reached this season, things are off to an interesting start. Rocco Baldelli has been sent to the DL after fouling a ball off his foot in batting practice at the Trop. Josh Reddick has been recalled to take his spot on the roster. With Jason Bay out of the lineup tonight as his hamstring is still sore, Kevin Youkilis will be manning left field at Yankee Stadium.

In other news, David Ortiz will address the media regarding his positive 2003 PED test on Saturday before the game.

Red Sox waive Kotsay

Instead of disabling Mark Kotsay with his calf issues, the Sox have opted to waive him and his .257/.291/.324 line on the year. He just never could get in the groove. This opens up a 25-man spot for Adam LaRoche (and a 40-man spot for Chris Duncan).

This leaves Rocco Baldelli as the team's only backup outfielder, but if needed, Kevin Youkilis could play left field -- he has 134 innings of experience there. Tito also isn't afraid to send him to right, with 8.2 innings experience there.

TEX 4, BOS 2: Second place

Josh Beckett did all he could to give the Boston Red Sox a lift.

TEX 6, BOS 3: Smoltz folds in sixth

David Murphy and Jarrod Saltalamacchia's back-to-back homers put away the Boston Red Sox and John Smoltz in the sixth inning.